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November 20, 2006 |
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November 20, 2006 |
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In Gratitude “If the only prayer you said in your whole
life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.”
In this season of
gratitude, it gives us great pleasure to express our gratitude to individual
donors, churches, (as well as those who have an interest in) New Churches for
A New Day by inviting you to a complimentary luncheon and progress update on
Thursday, November 30, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hopkins Club in Baltimore.
Church planters will be there to discuss their ministries. Rev. Bill Hathaway
and Rev. Walt Peters hope you will join us. RSVP to Rita
Walters (rwalters@baltimorepresbytery.org)
no later than Monday, November 27, 2006. 7 years ago, my
friend Melinda and I purchased the book, Simple
Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach, a daybook of comfort and joy. Melinda
and I have been reading this book off and on for the last 7 years and, as
Sarah suggested, we each keep a gratitude journal. Each January like
clockwork, we begin in earnest, reading a page each evening and then calling
one another to give encouragement and discuss just how that particular page
spoke to us. Well, this goes on for about a month or so, then somehow, work
for me, school for her (she’s a teacher) and kids for both of us get in
the way… and we lose our way. The rest of the year is a bust, but
around Thanksgiving Melinda normally gives me a call and we once again pledge
to do our daily reading. Melinda called last week and while I expected her to
sound the alarm about Simple
Abundance, she told me she has cancer. It is a kind cancer, caught in
the earliest of stages and she expects a full recovery. I was saddened by the
news of her illness but she was reflective and once again our discussion
turned to Sarah Ban Breathnach and her book. Melinda said, “this time
we’re going to read every night and keep our gratitude journal up to
date; I am so filled with gratitude and have so much to be thankful
for.” After my
conversation with Melinda I pulled out my gratitude journal, noticing that on
some days I filled paragraph after paragraph; but, I noticed too, that
sometimes, I simply wrote, “I’m thankful that this day has
ended.” After Melinda’s news and our commitment to keep up with
our reading; I wrote the date at the top and a two-word prayer: thank you. Grace and Peace
during Thanksgiving and always, |
Inside this issue Events of the week: Nov. 23rd
Thanksgiving Day Take Note/Act Now § PSMIN and PADVN materials § Table and Tree loans needed § ½ Time Pastor Position § NC4ND Thank-you Luncheon § Guatemala Mission Trip § PW Summer Synod Gathering § Delegation to Malawi § College Student Gathering § Military Phone Cards Prayer
Concerns The Presbytery of Baltimore |
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People The Presbytery Offices will be closed on Thursday, November 23rd
and Friday, November 24th for the Thanksgiving holiday. Terry Schoener has
officially started his retirement after serving Woods PC for 27 years. He was
ordained in 1963 and prior to serving at Woods served churches in Ohio. Terry Martin-Minnich
ended her ministry with Roland Park PC last week. She will now be serving as
chaplain to the congregation at the chapel at the Naval Academy. Marilyn Forbes
had successful ankle surgery and is recovering well. |
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Prayer Concerns The
Presbytery of Baltimore ask for prayers: ·
For the churches who
are seeking to call senior pastors: Harundale PC, Hagerstown PC, Madison Ave
PC and Woods PC ·
Of Thanksgiving for
the ministries of the staff, volunteers and members of the churches of the
Presbytery ·
For traveling
mercies for all those traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday ·
That as we give
thanks for our abundance of family, friends and food we will remember and
seek to minister to those who are without: the homeless, the poor, people in
war-torn nations, the imprisoned and those who are estranged from their
families
Contact Information For the Presbytery
Offices 800-511-0087 Fax: E-mail: To
Unsubscribe: email Alice
McGee or call the office |
Take Note/Act Now Baltimore Presbytery
Items (non-dated items
first; dated items in date order) Two
new packets of materials for
congregations are available in the resource center: one from the
Presbyterian Serious Mental Illness Network (PSMIN) and another from the
Presbyterians Against Domestic Violence Network (PADVN). Contact Wanda
Morgan for more information. For
the Fair Trade Festival (Dec 7-10) the
Next Generation Project would like to
borrow: five 8’ folding tables, two round folding tables and one
6’ artificial Christmas tree. Contact Tim
or Saranell Hartman 410-569-8150. Hope
PC is looking for a 1/2 time Associate
Pastor for Outreach. If you are interested, call or e-mail Cherry
Marshall (410-247-HOPE/4673) or cherryandhope@aol.com. There
will be a luncheon to thank past and
current supporters of New Churches for a New Day at the Hopkins Club in
Baltimore, MD on Thurs. Nov. 30th at 11:30am. Invitations have
been sent to churches and individual donors to hear an update directly from
new church starters. RSVP to the Presbytery to attend (read
full invitation). Please
save the date and notify the women of your congregations: the 2007 Summer Gathering of the Presbyterian
Women of the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic will be from June 14th -
17th at Massanetta Springs Conference Center in Harrisonburg,
Virginia (more).
Bob
Schminkey, our disaster coordinator, will be co-leading a delegation to Malawi in southern
Africa in July 2007. A limited
number of spaces are available if you or someone in your congregation would
like to join the delegation (more). Synod and GA
items Other items Also on our website Don’t miss all the new Local Church Announcements at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/announcements.html Presbytery
Yearly Calendar Past Issues of Tidings are available at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/midweekmail.html. |
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Peter Nord, Executive Presbyter |
Bill Millen, Associate Executive |
Charles Forbes, Stated Clerk |
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Deb Milcarek Associate of Mission and Justice |
Jane Johnson |
Rita Walters Director of Development rwalters@baltimorepresbytery.org |
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Julie Erickson Director of Public Policy |
Judi Forrester Coordinator of Financial Services |
Alice McGee Coordinator of Information Services |
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Coordinator of Resources |
Janice Kominski Coordinator of Communications |
Questions? Comments? |
