Midweek Musings Newsletter

August 21, 2008

NCP Office Summer Hours: Please be advised that effective May 23 - August 29 the Presbytery office will be closed on Fridays. Messages and emails sent on Friday will be returned by Noon on the next business day. Normal hours of operation will resume on September 5th.

Please be advised that the Presbytery office will be closed on

Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day.

Have a happy and safe Labor Day holiday weekend!

Making a Difference

If God has given you the gift of patience for young people, teaching, tutoring or mentoring skills, please contact Ms. Stephanie Harden, Church of Our Savior, (302) 764-4642, as your skills can be used for the upcoming After Care Services Program where we will be providing homework assistance to youth ages 5-13 during the upcoming school year beginning September 2008. Thank you.

Breakfast Invitation from Jack Markell

State Treasurer Jack Markell

cordially invites leadership from the Faith-Based

Community to a breakfast at the Chase Center on the

Riverfront at 8:00am on

August 26, 2008

To RSVP, please call (302) 651-0489 at your earliest

convenience so we may acquire an accurate attendance count.

Download flyer here for more information: Markell Breakfast Invitation.pdf

Community Presbyterian Church Presents

The pastor, officers and members of Community Presbyterian Church extend an invitation to you and your congregation to attend:

Jazz Vespers Service

"Where Jazz Meets the Spirit"

Featuring: Kevin Benjamin

Sunday, August 31, 2008

4:00 PM

Community Presbyterian Church

Tickets $10.00

For more information or tickets, please contact the church at (302) 652-0129 (M-Th 9:00 am - 1:00 pm); or email commpreschurch@comcast.net or call Fred Massie at (302) 293-1255 or email him at wamassie@comcast.net.

Speer Trust Grant Writing Workshop

September 19, 2008

10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

St. Francis De Sales Church Hall

413 Wicomico Street

Salisbury, MD 21801

Workshop Fee is $15 (includes lunch)

Registration deadline is September 12, 2008

Download registration brochure here: 2008 Brochure for Speer Trust and CCHD.pdf

Transformation for Congregations

The Reverend Dr. N. Graham Standish

Author of Becoming a Blessed Church

Saturday, September 20th

8:30 am to Noon

Friendship Church - Sicklerville, NJ

$15: Includes Continental Breakfast

Download flyer here: Rev Graham Standish Flyer.pdf

For Pastors: International Day of Peace

WORSHIP

The United Nations General Assembly has set aside September 21 of each year as the International Day of Peace — a day of global ceasefire and non-violence when all nations and people are encouraged to honor a cessation of hostilities. In 2008, the World Council of Churches invites

congregations worldwide to pray for peace on September 21. Other ideas for observing the International Day of Peace include:

Ring a bell during the worship service;
Light a candle for peace during the worship service;
Include songs of peace in the worship service;
Organize a 24-hour prayer vigil (http://www.idpvigil.com/);
Hold an ecumenical or interfaith service; or
Invite intergenerational groups to create pictures, banners or other artwork portraying a vision of or prayer for peace and to share the art during worship.

Find resources for the International Day of Peace at: http://www.pcusa.org/peacemaking/worship/worship.htm#dayofpeace.

October 12 is Presbyterian HIV/AIDS Awareness Sunday. Find resources at:

http://www.pcusa.org/aids-international/worship-resources.htm.

Retired NCP Pastor, Tom Davis, will be showing several of his nature photographs at 919 Market Street in Wilmington during the month of September. In this exhibit he joins two other photographers and seven painters, the "Midtown Ten" who live in the Midtown Brandywine neighborhood. See http://www.midtownartists.com. The exhibit's opening festivities are on Wilmington's Friday "Art Loop" night, September 5th, 5:00 pm. Come, meet the artists, and help Tom launch his professional photographic career!

25^th Anniversary of the Commitment to Peacemaking

Dear Friends,

In recent months the Peacemaking Committee of NCP has been in transition. New jobs and new initiatives in other areas of Presbytery work have made it a great challenge to continue regular meetings. There is, non the less, the desire of many elders and pastors to keep alive a strong conversation on Peacemaking within the Presbytery. At my suggestion different writers will be posting articles in the Midweek. These pieces are intended to stimulate responses and evoke other writing. Let us hear from you! Should an interest group form online it may be the inpetus for a refreshed committee. Stay tuned!

Peace,

- Jim

According to the PC(USA) Peacenotes for Summer 2008 (www.pcusa.org/peacemaking/pubs/peacenotessummer08), this year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Commitment to Peacemaking. Accompanying its adoption by the General Assembly was an invitation to individual presbyteries and churches to examine and choose to sign the Commitment for themselves. About 33 of the 56 churches in New Castle Presbytery have signed this Commitment.

One might think that signing a Commitment to Peacemaking is an obvious step for a church and a collection of churches committed to be the “Body of Christ,” His agent and a source of His actions on earth. According to prophecies of the Old Testament and the gospels and letters of the New Testament, Christ is the Prince of Peace, and He came to instruct us in the ways of peace. One might think then that discussion of this Commitment would center on how to be the peacemakers that Christ invites us to be. Following Christ’s teaching, congregations and the presbytery would seek ways to tap into the guidance of the H oly Spirit to determine which facets of peacemaking to focus on, since there are many areas within our communities and our world begging for wholeness, health, happiness, and prosperity that result from peacemaking and living in peace.

Our Presbytery has also adopted this Commitment, yet in recent days, rather than making a public declaration of our commitment to be peacemakers following Christ‘s instruction, we find in our presbytery that “peace” is a highly controversial issue, and many people think that any discussion of “peace” and “peacemaking” is an effort to sway people to one or another side of political interests. Politics decides who gets what, where, when, and how. Politics frequently divide people, pitting them against each other for the typically limited resources that governments can provide. Rather than behaving Christian when it comes to politics, loving our neighbors as ourselves, seeing their humanity and being true to the best in ourselves, confident that when we seek first the kingdom of God all the rest will be added unto us, we become insecure and self-interested. We neglect to rely on God and instead believe that we must look after ourselves, using tactics we might wish nobody would refer to on Sundays.

Congregations might be put off by the style of so-called peacemakers who select an issue or two to be passionate about without recognizing the humanity and potential goodwill in all people. Would-be peacemakers wh o have not yet learned the ways of Christ, too, may dehumanize their opponents instead of finding peace within themselves to approach societal issues in a way that results in peace for all.

What ways are there to be peacemakers in today’s world? What answers does the Bible give us? Are there recent books that shed light on the teachings of the Bible with respect to peacemaking and finding peace? Is there a network within the PC(USA) whereby we realize in greater fullness what it means to be the Body of Christ devoted to healing ills and living in the fullness of God’s reign? Some answers start at the pcusa.org website!

If anyone would like to talk about ways to help our presbytery find new strength and joy in its calling to be the Body of Christ through peacemaking, please contact Nancy Boyer or Jim Moseley at the Presbytery Office.

Gulf Coast Recovery/Iowa Flood Recovery

Mission Teams are still needed to assist PDA (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance) in ongoing recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast and now in Iowa. Check the PDA website (http://www.pcusa.org/pda) for housing and registration information. Funds are available to assist mission teams with travel expenses. Please contact Bob Schminkey via email at(bobschminkey@verizon.net) for more details.

Massanetta Springs...

Invites you to check out the following programs atwww.massanettasprings.org.

The fall Wellspring Spirituality Retreat, Faith Journeys: Where is God Leading You? will be September 22-24. Join others in the quiet and beauty of fall for a time to grow in your walk with God through theme time with Pastoral Guide Ann Jahnes, worship, music, spirituality centers, an outdoor labyrinth and rest.

The annual Family Conference “A Space for Grace” October 10-12 promises to be a great weekend away for families, full of inspirational themes around making space for God amidst our cluttered lives. We will also have great family fun with hayrides and apple cider making!

Massanetta Springs welcomes all who labor in our churches to the annual Church Professionals Respite. YES! This is for all our Christian Educators, Musicians, Youth Workers, Secretaries- all who work so diligently in the life of our churches- and there is no charge!

Looking ahead to our Handbell event, Ringing at the Springs, be sure to put February 27-March 1, 2009 on your calendar. Join Director Tim Waugh for inspirational and expert direction for Intermediate and Advanced groups.

Questions? Call or contact Laura Holbrook at laurah@massanettasprings.org or 888-627-7774

Laura Holbrook

Director of Conference Ministries

Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center

712 Massanetta Springs Road

Harrisonburg, VA 22801

888-627-7774

www.massanettasprings.org

An Escorted Tour of Southern Africa:

Cape Town, Victoria Falls and Safari in Botswana

Hosted by Bob Schminkey

February 27 – March 11, 2009