PNews 10/7/21

The Notes of the Reformed church were developed in the Reformation partly as litmus tests of a church’s authenticity. The first of the three Notes, as set forth in the Book of Order, is: “The Word of God is truly preached and heard.” Not just any preaching counts. It must be sincere; that is, it must be honest. In this week’s meditation, Keeping it Honest, Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge explores this and more.

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“Sustaining Your Pastor for the Long Haul” is a workshop by Rev. Dr. Graham Stanish for congregations offered on October 27 from 6:30 to 7:45pm. The combination of the pandemic and polarization has taken its toll on pastors. Those who have done the best are in congregations where they have felt deeply valued and appreciated. This gathering of church elders and members during Pastor Appreciation Month offers an opportunity for churches to consider how churches can minister to their pastors so that they feel renewed and restores for ministry.

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American Holy Days: How to Think Theologically About Secular Culture
Pittsburgh Presbytery works together with Washington, Redstone, Kiskiminetas, and Upper Ohio Valley Presbyteries in providing training for ruling elders who are preparing for service as Commissioned Pastors. This cooperative project, known as Inter-Presbytery Leadership Formation, is sponsoring a lecture for its participants, to which it is inviting the general public to join in, American Holy Days: How to Think Theologically About Secular Culture. We will think theologically about Church-culture relationships and develop a theological understanding of those relationships by considering secular holidays (e.g., Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and Super Bowl Sunday). What ways — good and bad —do such days influence our worship, witness, and ministries? And what do Scripture and our Book of Confessions have to say about the Church’s relationship with culture? Instructor: Rev. Dr. James Calvin Davis, professor of Religion and Liberal Arts, Middlebury College, Vermont, and author of American Liturgy: Finding Theological Meaning in the Holy Days of U.S. Culture
Saturday, October 9, 2021, 12:30-3:30 pm via the Zoom platform.

To receive the Zoom information, contact Nancy Youmans by Thursday at noon. For questions, contact Skip Noftzger.


W-4.0404 of the Book of Order provides us with the constitutional questions asked of leaders within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) when they are ordained, installed, and commissioned. Coming Alive in Christ: Training for PC(USA) Ruling Elders and Deacons based on the Constitutional Questions provides a study of these beliefs that are central to our lives of faith and in our community with each other. The free resource is provided through Equip, the church’s online training site.

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The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) will host a virtual discussion next month with New Mexico Women’s Global Pathways and a host of community leaders and clergy from around the country to help churches build authentic relationships to fight poverty. Registration is open now for “The Struggle is Real! How the Church Can Understand Ways to Listen, Engage and Form Relationships with Communities to Eradicate Poverty.” The forum and dialogue session will take place via Zoom from 4 p.m. through 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 29.

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Come treat yourself on Monday mornings at 10am to Coffee with Clergy! It’s a space for Pastors to shake off the Monday morning drudge with coffee, laughter, and great conversation among colleagues. B.Y.O.C. (or tea)! Next week’s topic, “Revitalizing Your Church”. What do you do when your church is not “growing”?
Click here for the Zoom link.
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