March 3, 2008

“Glad and Generous Hearts” Following this year’s Big Event, many of us are in the midst of our Lenten journeys – contemplating the One whom we follow. In this season we are inspired to do exactly what keynote speaker Barbara Wheeler, President of Auburn Seminary, recommended we do as Reformed Presbyterians: strengthen and deepen the intensity of our lives together. Good Presbyterians will not bury their heads in the sand, but rather, as Wheeler challenged us, have the intellectual courage to renew our intensity as church leaders to ensure the best of the Reformed tradition! This means recognizing the un-churched around us and attracting them by providing a church environment that exudes a grounded joy. This can be found in service and care for others as well as in thoughtful teaching and fellowship. Whether in a small group, during mid-week meditation or a larger, corporate worship – we are deepening our piety. Through prayer, the reading of scripture, and celebrating the sacraments, we are creatively making room for the sacred in a way that Reformed Christians do so well. Friends, take heart, your faith - a Reformed faith - makes you strong, capable, and sure! ________________________ “How good and how joyous it is to be together in this place, encircled by the love of God, surrounded by God’s Grace” -John Homan and Mary Nelson Keithahn ________________________ Inspired by music written especially for the Presbytery of Baltimore’s Big Event – The Big Event 2008 was a good and joyous time for more than 200 people who attended the annual conference at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church on Saturday, February 23^rd. The inviting space and outstanding hospitality offered by Elizabeth McLean and staff at Woods Church, coupled with good food, inspiring worship, 20 engaging workshops, and a challenging keynote, made The Big Event 2008 a memorable experience. Approximately fifty churches were represented this year. We were also pleased to have reached more church leaders, many of whom took advantage of the wide variety of workshops led by our dynamic presenters. Committee members are already planning next year’s Big Event on February 14^th. That event will feature Diana Butler Bass, researcher and author of Christianity for the Rest of Us; and, N. Graham Standish, a Presbyterian Pastor and author of Becoming a Blessed Church. We look forward to seeing you then! With Glad and Generous Hearts, Sue Thompson, Chair 2008 Big Event Planning Team		Inside this Issue Take Note/Act Now § Annual Statistical Reporting Deadline March 5^th § Mission Partnership Grant-Writing Workshop § Host June Presbytery Meeting § Overture Advocate at GA § Holy Week Services and Activities § Children’s Ministry § Ferguson Scholarship § Clergy Get-Away § Lenten Art Exhibit § One Great Hour of Sharing § Earth Day § Peace Witness in Iraq § Reading the Quran
Praise & Prayer Please pray for the family of Ark and Dove Assoc. Pastor Corrine Baker, whose 97-year-old mother died Sunday.  A service will be held in St Louis, Mo. on Wednesday. Please pray for the recovery of Chang-ho Kim, who recently underwent surgery at the Bethesda Naval Hospital and expects to be discharged tomorrow. Please pray for Springfield Presbyterian Church as it continues its search for a pastor to lead the congregation forward with energy and direction. Contact Information The Presbytery of Baltimore: Phone: 410-433-2012 or 800-511-0087 Office E-mail: office@baltimorepresbytery.org Website: www.baltimorepresbytery.org To Unsubscribe: Call or email Roger Evans Also on the Presbytery of Baltimore website Find past issues of Tidings at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/midweekmail.html. See new Church Announcements at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/announcements.html	Take Note/Act Now Baltimore Presbytery Items Wednesday, March 5^th at noon is the deadline for submitting your church’s Statistical Reporting for 2007 to the Presbytery Office. Please submit your reports to the Coordinator of Information, Roger Evans at revans@baltimorepresbytery.org. For filing info., contact vbrown@baltimorepresbytery.org Sign up now for Mission Partnership Grant Writing Workshops on Thursday March 6^th. Click Mission. Opportunity for your church to Host the June Presbytery Meeting. This is a rare opportunity to bring the whole presbytery to your church. If your can accommodate 135 guests for Stated Meeting on Thurs. June 19 please contact vbrown@baltimorepresbytery.org no later than March 10. Opportunity to be an Overture Advocate at the General Assembly in San Jose, CA, June 2008 If you would like to be considered for selection as Advocate for one of the overtures submitted by the Presbytery of Baltimore, please contact vbrown@baltimorepresbytery.org stating your interest and qualifications by March 10. Note: if you are not part of the delegation already slated to represent Baltimore, you will be responsible for your own expenses. Holy Week Services and Activities. Please submit your church’s Holy Week services and activities for March 20^th to 23^rd in e-mail to dgreene@baltimorepresbytery.org, so that they may be posted on a special website page for visitors. The deadline for submissions is March 12^th. A workshop entitled, From Urgency to Action: Effective Ministry with Children will be held 11:30am on May 10^th at Second Presbyterian Church. For details, click Children’s Ministry. Click training for details on upcoming Youth Leadership (April 12^th) and Elder (May 29^th) workshops sponsored by the Presbytery. Applications are now being accepted for the Robert F. and Rosa M. Ferguson Student Scholarship Fund. The fund provides $5,000 to a high school student who plans to attend an accredited college or university. The deadline is May 15th.  For more information, click Ferguson. Clergy Get-Away: Theological Reflection on the New Form of Government facilitated by Cynthia Bolbach of the GA Form of Government Task Force. May 7^th thru 8^th. For details, click, Get-Away. Church Notices Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church will feature Children’s Advocate Marian Wright Edelman, “Challenges of Caring for America’s Youth,” March 16^th. For details, click Edelman. Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church is featuring the Lenten art exhibit, “Seeing The Savior: Images From The Life Of Christ.” The exhibit will be displayed until Easter Sunday, Mar. 23^rd.  For gallery hours and more information, click Exhibit. Synod and General Assembly Items Congregations throughout the Presbytery will participate in ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING on Sunday March 16^th. For more information, contact your church’s mission committee or click more. Celebrate Earth Day on Sunday, April 20^th. For more information click, Earth Day Other Items and Events Peace Witness in Iraq. Presbytery members will travel by MARC train to Washington, DC on Friday, March 7^th to advocate for the end of war. For details click Peace Witness. The Institute of Christian and Jewish Studies will host Reading the Qur’an: The Enduring Legacy of Inter-religious Polemics featuring Dr. Michael Sells of the University of Chicago Divinity School. The event will be held 9:30am to 4pm on Thursday, Apr. 3^rd at Chizuk Amuno Congregation. For details, click Qur’an.
Peter Nord, Executive Presbyter pnord@baltimorepresbytery.org	Bill Millen, Associate Executive bmillen@baltimorepresbytery.org	Vaughn L. Brown Jr., Stated Clerk vbrown@baltimorepresbytery.org
Deb Milcarek Associate of Mission and Justice dmilcarek@baltimorepresbytery.org	Jane Johnson Associate for Leadership Development, Education and Youth jjohnson@baltimorepresbytery.org	Bob Turberville Interim Director of Development rwalters@baltimorepresbytery.org
Julie Erickson Director of Public Policy jerickson@baltimorepresbytery.org	Judi Forrester Coordinator of Financial Services jforrester@baltimorepresbytery.org	Roger Evans Coordinator of Information Services revans@baltimorepresbytery.org
Wanda Morgan Coordinator of Resources wmorgan@baltimorepresbytery.org	Deborah I. Greene Coordinator of Communications dgreene@baltimorepresbytery.org	Questions? Comments? E-mail office@baltimorepresbytery.org