"May he endure as long as the sun ..."
~Psalm 72:5
As we embark on Advent and Christmas, may the light of the Holy Spirit encourage continued engagement in the missions which ring true to you.
Cindy, Donna and Tracy, New Castle Presbytery
Vital Congregations Initiative (VCI)
Starting our Relational Work
You are doing the Advent dance these days, and likely don’t have time for much else. Still, if you’ve been on the fence about engaging in the “deep dive” with Vital Congregations, here are a few things that might help you decide:
We are adding some content that can help leaders understand conflict, address the dynamics that can squeeze all the heart out of a church, and work on the practice of grace-filled honesty.
It will not be “presbytery telling you what to do.” It will be your Presbyterian community walking with you in the same honesty and grace we hope to see in all our churches.
It only works if it works. Different churches are at different places in their life journeys. While most of our churches share some similar issues in this baffling age, each one is unique in character and context. If some churches want to take more time with each module or adapt them thoughtfully for their particular situation, we’ll do whatever we need to do to support that.
Worthwhile growth takes time and an open heart. It takes the willingness to do the work, look at ourselves honestly, and open ourselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
The timeline looks like this:
Annual Bay Retreat
Registration will open in early January!
Exciting news with the event commencing Friday morning, March 3rd and ending Saturday, March 4th at noon (no Presbytery meeting until May). Although full details have not yet been published, a few "teasers" will encourage you to set this calendar event as a "must participate"!
Plan to join us!
Presbytery Office Open House
First Come, First Serve on office "stuff"
The Presbytery office welcomes all to visit the office and look through office items, bookcases, etc. which are available for the taking. The office is located at 1102 W Church Road, Newark, DE on the second floor of the education building at Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church. Follow the exterior signs to the office and enter through the breezeway, to the right and up the stairs.
WHEN: Wednesday, December 7, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Come on in, have a cup of coffee or tea and browse! A few items available at this time are photographed below with more to look through!
Equip PC(USA) Training
Trouble the Water - a Resource for Talking about Racism
The first episode in this docuseries is titled, “Why Us? Why Now?” That’s a great place to start with church folks who ask why we “keep talking about racism.” The fact is that if you are not a person of color, you might not feel the urgency or see the insidious way that racial injustice is baked into our society.
The troubled waters of scripture (see John 5:4) are also healing waters. When we dare to enter the troubled waters, there can be healing for us all.
Six years ago the PC(USA) passed a resolution urging churches to have conversations about racism, and this resource is one of the many ways to get those conversations going.
Matthew 1:18-25
A Reader's Theater Version
Sharing a Reader's Theater Version of Matthew 1:18-25 by a colleague, Brad Munroe. It's available to anyone who would like to use it on Christmas Sunday .... or anytime!
Cindy
Cindy Kohlmann
Connectional Presbyter/Stated Clerk
863rd Presbytery Assembly
We thank our gracious hosts from First Presbyterian Church-Newark for the opportunity to gather, fellowship over a delicious meal, and meet in their newly renovated sanctuary during the meeting on Saturday, November 19. A few highlights include: