Equipping the Saints - Cancelled

The Resource Committee met yesterday afternoon and reviewed submitted registrations for Equipping the Saints scheduled for November 6, 2010. Regrettably, registrations were not sufficient to warrant holding such a large and outstanding event. We have decided to cancel Equipping the Saints.


We learned much from the registrations we did receive, however, and are looking at ways to present desired topics in a less formal setting in the future.

The Resource Center looks forward to serving your ministries in the days to come.

World Communion: A Children's Sermon

Jacqui Horton, Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church, Virginia Beach, has written and presented many sermons and programs for children.  Her enthusiasm and creativity shine through in everything she does.  Let's take a peek at one of Jacqui's recent children's sermons about World Communion Day...

"Look around you.  Looks like something special might happen today.  What do you think is going to happen?  We’re going to celebrate Communion, or the Lord’s Supper.

Let’s get a better look shall we?  Come with me and gather round close so we can examine these beautiful, wonderful smelling loaves of bread.  (Children are asked to smell hot rolls fresh from the oven Yummmm) When you smell the aroma of fresh baked bread what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?  “I want to eat some!”  

And if you’re really hungry you might get excited while anticipating the taste to come. You know this is going to be good because you have eaten home baked bread before right? Your mouth might start watering, right?   That’s because your senses of smell and taste trigger memories.
 

I selected breads that come from different countries, different parts of the world.  Let’s see if you can guess which countries these breads represent. (Holding up a loaf of French bread) “Do you know what kind of bread this is?”
“Is it Italian?” “No.”
“Is it American?”  “No.”
 “I know, it’s from Subway!”  “No, good guess though. It is not from the country of Subway! It’s a loaf of French bread, from the country of France.”
 

Here we have some German rye and pumpernickel, middle-eastern flat bread, naan from India, Mexican corn tortillas, Italian bread, sourdough bread from California, and even Irish soda bread which I couldn’t find at the store so I made it myself.  Since I’m Irish and Scottish, and because we have some friends visiting from Northern Ireland today, I just had to have some on our World breads table today.  They’re the Montgomeries and I can hardly wait to meet them because my mother was a Montgomery, too.  Small world huh?

Did you notice the kaftan I’m wearing? My friend, Peggy brought this to me from the mid east.  Do you recognize the batik table cloth?  It was made by women from the Congo, our sister church in Africa.  Why do you think I brought these out today?

It’s because Christians all over the world are celebrating Communion, the Lord’s Supper today.  When we break and eat bread today you can bet that others across seas in every direction are doing the same thing.  All day and even while we are sleeping Christians of every denomination will be celebrating the Lord’s supper.  Why?  Because Jesus asked us to break bread and eat bread to help us remember him. It’s kind of a memory trigger cause when we eat it, we remember what Jesus said, “This is my body take and eat, do this in remembrance of me.”  And the bread is for everyone all over the world who claim that Jesus is Lord and Savior.  Isn’t that wonderful?

Let us pray...
Thank you, God for our daily bread. Thank you for the bread of life, we call Jesus.  We can’t wait, to taste your goodness. Amen." 

If you'd like to share more lessons using bread and other biblical foods, check out this book available at the Resource Center...

 Milk and Honey Cooking School: 

Learning the History of God's People through Cooking and Eating

by Daphna Flegal and LeeDell Strickler

This resource walks the presenters through the history of God's people from Adam's first bite of the forbidden fruit to the breaking of the bread at the Last Supper in Jerusalem. Every event that happened to God's people made an impact on their lives, and that included the food.

Milk and Honey provides detailed instruction on how to set up the event and how to involve not only adults, but also children in the final presentation. While learning about the events that impacted the Hebrew people, the participants will get to sample such foods as Abraham's Goat Cheese Dip, Unleavened Bread, Esau's Pottage, Challah Braid, Grecian Honey Cheesecake, and Roman Bread Pudding. In addition to the foods, the presenters will instruct the class in the social etiquette as well as the right and wrong way to eat with bread as one's utensil.

Book Review and A Reminder

“Strategic Leadership for a Change: 

Facing Our Losses, Finding Our Future”
by Kenneth J. McFayden

a book review from Billy Ricketts, 

Congregational Ministries CLP, Second Presbyterian, Norfolk

My first instinct when seeing that this book was written by a Dean from a seminary was that it would be steeped in academic language and probably written from a perspective that was far from reality.  On the contrary, McFayden’s book manages to clarify the reason for dysfunctional church behavior that most church leaders have experienced firsthand.

When the author talks about church loss (the loss of members; pastors & staff; traditions; status in the community; stability; identity; confidence and energy for ministry) he is describing what so many are experiencing in the Presbyterian Church USA. 

The author strikes close to home when he muses that we all want quick resolution to every problem in the church.  In many cases, we simply want to pay someone to provide the “silver bullet” that will make our youth group thrive or our praise band sound like they’re from Hillsong.  The reality is that change is never quite that simple…    

McFayden builds his book on the premise that the one thing that that the church fears the most is “change”.  His quote that “the only person who likes change is a wet baby” screams volumes about us! 

We say that we yearn for growth in our churches (especially the addition of young families) and that we’ll do almost anything to see it happen (even adding a contemporary service). However, the reality is that “change” way too often results in a number of folks either leaving the church or staying when they should leave.

The first few chapters of the book are quite helpful in identifying exactly what has really happened in the culture and environment where un-welcomed change has occurred.  The final chapters offer practical advice aimed at helping churches recover from loss and change.     

At the end of each chapter, there are a series of practical questions that would be quite helpful for congregations and their leaders to consider as they ponder the past, present and future of their church.

While this book is fabulous for armchair psychologists, I would strongly suggest that it become mandatory reading for any church leader who is on a path for substantive change in their church (interim ministry, massive change in worship style, etc.). Please do yourself a favor and read through this VERY informative book!

Ken McFayden, Dean of The Center for Ministry and Leadership Development and Professor of Ministry and Leadership Development at Union Presbyterian Seminary, is the keynote speaker and a workshop leader for Equipping the Saints: Resources for a Vibrant Church, on Saturday, November 6, at First Presbyterian Church, Norfolk.  Register online today for this inspiring event!

Cokesbury Tent Sale

Cokesbury Fall Tent Sale

Friday, October 8 and Saturday, October 9

Store opens at 10:00am

Save 50% to 75%!

KNELL'S RIDGE SQUARE
805 BATTLEFIELD BLVD. N., SUITE 119
CHESAPEAKE, VA 23320-4878
Phone: 757-312-0084

Blessing of the Animals at Hidenwood PC

It was a beautiful morning for the Blessing of the Animals at Hidenwood Presbyterian in Newport News! 

 

 

Pastor Bill Lamont led this special outdoor worship service for our best friends. 

The service featured lovely music and meditations made complete with a little responsive reading woofing and meowing. 

 Each animal was individually blessed and received a special certificate of blessing with a collar medallion. 

Treats for all followed the service... cider and baked goods for the caregivers, and treats of liver, salmon, pumpkin-apple, or even cheese straws for their best buds. 

Prayerfully considering an Animal Blessing service at your church?  The Resource Center can help!  The following resources contain inspiration for planning this special service for animals and those who love them...

Blessing the Animals:

Prayers and Ceremonies

to Celebrate God's Creatures,

Wild and Tame,

by Lynn Caruso

All God's Creatures: 
The Blessing of 
Animal Companions,
by Debra K. Farrington

Sneak Peek...

Sshhhhh!  Don't tell anyone... I'm going to give you a sneak peek of our new Advent resources before the Educators Luncheon next Thursday...

Makin' Room in the Inn: Christmas Hospitality Through an African American Experience, by Henry Masters.

Makin' Room in the Inn is a four-lesson Advent study that celebrates Christmas traditions and practice through the perspective of an African American family.

Session titles, scriptures
1. Makin' Room (Luke 2:4-7) cultivating and living out hospitality in a diverse world
2. Makin' Do (Luke 2:21-24) trusting God as compared to trusting in wealth
3. Makin' Up (Matthew 2:19-21) learning the importance of forgiveness and reconnection
4. Makin' Time (Luke 2:15-19) understanding that the most precious gift is presence.

 Christmas Gifts that Won't Break
Advent studies for adults, youth, and children

This study explores how the gifts of the Advent season have a permanence that speaks to generations of youth past, present, and future.   What are the Christmas gifts that won’t break? They are those gifts that cannot be lost, that never go out of style, and that are independent of the chances and changes of life. They are the gifts that have been graciously given by God. 

 Meeting the Messiah: Scriptures for the Advent Season, by Kara Lassen Oliver.

Six weeks of short readings and guided reflections on scripture that help readers journey through Advent at a different pace and with a purposeful focus on the Christ child.  The readings tell the Advent story through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, John the Baptist, Mary, the shepherds, the Magi, and Jesus himself.  Readers step into the shoes of those who prepared for and encountered the Christ child, providing inspiration for their own encounters with Jesus this Advent.

The Christmas Countdown: Creating 25 Days of New Advent Traditions for Families

Advent is the season of preparation for our King, who came as a child over 2,000 years ago. The shepherds and wise men followed a star and their hearts to visit this new baby and present gifts that demonstrated their love. In a world and time that easily robs us of this profound joy of renewal at every turn, The Christmas Countdown provides devotional times with Scripture readings, and music and food with other fun family activities.  The book is tailored to help families prepare their hearts and homes for Christ's coming.

From Advent's Alleluia to Easter's Morning Light: Poetry for Worship, Study and Devotion, by Ann Weems.

Weems’s lyrical poetry is a reminder to us all of the importance of true discipleship. She challenges us to look past the ongoing distractions of the “busy work” of church meetings and socials, new programs and technology, and inevitable conflict, while reminding us in her singularly expressive voice that the “institution” of the church is, at heart, quite simply all about Jesus.



Ok, that's just a small glimpse of all the wonderful Advent materials available at the Resource Center... stop by and do some browsing as you prepare to celebrate the coming of the Christ child.

Contemplative Retreat in November

Some wonderful members of Naomi Makemie Presbyterian Church on the Eastern Shore shared with me the following information about an upcoming contemplative retreat.  Prayerfully consider freeing up your calendar on these days for some quiet, some creativity, some refreshment...

 

Seeking Wholeness Amidst Transition
An Eastern Shore Autumn Contemplative Retreat
November 13-14, 2010

With fall and the shortening days comes a natural turning within, 

a quieting, and perhaps also an awareness of what is shifting in our lives, 

or perhaps even ending.

Amidst the transitions that are part of any year’s cycle, 

there is also the desire to be reminded of that which is 

foundational and core for each of us, 

our “homeground.”

A contemplative retreat is a wonderful way to gently and safely enter into these questions.  During this weekend of quiet time, artwork, presentations, journaling, community, walks in nature, delicious meals, and more, we will explore:
    - Sensing and navigating transitions
    - Identifying our homeground, our sources of strength
    - Using vulnerability as a tool for all seasons of the spirit
    - Realizing wholeness is an ongoing dance among all the above. 

The location is the incomparable Cobb Island Station retreat center just north of Cape Charles.  This expansive and soulful facility offers a beautiful waterfront setting, grounds for strolling, a labyrinth, hot-tub, and very comfortable accommodations and meeting rooms. Limited accommodations are available for overnight lodging.  Spaces are also available for retreat participation during Saturday only, or during both Saturday and Sunday. 

Dates:   9:00am Saturday, November 13th, till 2:00pm Sunday, November 14th.

Information/registration:    http://www.esva.net/~dryon/retreat.htm
Registration deadline:  Tuesday November 2, 2010. 
Debbie Ryon 710-4661 or dryon@verizon.net.   

Rates: 
Full weekend, with overnight accommodation, materials and all meals: 
     Double:  $225  Private:  $275  
Saturday only, materials & meals through dinner, no overnight accommodation:  
     $75
Saturday & Sunday, materials & meals through dinner, no overnight accommodation: 
     $125
Friday night extension (7 pm arrival for evening quiet time, no dinner)
     Double: add $50, Private: add $75