BLESSINGS ABOUND AT THE HAROLD THOMAS CENTER! It is with heartfelt thanks that we express our sincere gratefulness to the wonderful “Angels of Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church!” Over 30 people (all ages) transformed the water-damaged 4 th floor of the Harold Thomas Center into beautiful offices and meeting spaces that will be enjoyed by the Front Porch Alliance. This professionally renovated area will serve many who are doing God’s work for many years to come. These awesome servants of Pine Ridge demonstrated what it means to be connected as Presbyterians, helping one another and serving God’s people at this time and in this place. See all pictures here: http://www.heartlandpby.org/joysconcerns/pineridge/prpics.htm (Submitted by presbytery staff 7/14/09)
2009 International Peacemaker Visits Heartland Presbytery. The Peacemaking Committee will host
Rev. Younan G. Shiba from the Republic of Iraq October 7-13, 2009. If your congregation or group would
like to host an event with Younan, please contact Mindy Fox, 816.924.1730 or nurture@heartlandpby.org
to schedule a date and time. For further information http://www.heartlandpby.org/upcoming/files/IP2009.pdf
(Submitted by presbytery staff 7/1/09)
Everyone is invited to Heartland Center’s 5 th Annual Camp Picnic on August 30, 2009 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Bring family and friends to enjoy an evening of fun, fellowship, and food! Available activities include rockwall climbing, zip-line, archery, swimming, pony rides, frisbee golf, and a fellowship campfire. Dinner and s’mores will also be served! RSVP by August 24 to office@heartlandcenter.org or call 816-891-1078. Hope to see you there! Click for flyer: http://www.heartlandpby.org/upcoming/files/HPCAnnualPicnicFlyer2009.doc (Submitted by Sarah Henderson
Announcement!!!!! Presbyterians for Restoring Creation has a new name!!! It is now Presbyterians for Earth Care!! There is also a new coordinator, Julie Lehman, from Asheville, NC, who also works with Warren Wilson College. Our Heartland Presbytery group retains it's name of Earthkeepers!!!! We continue to meet on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:15 at Village Presbyterian Church. This month, Al Pugley will present information on sustainable energy solutions. Please feel free to join with us. ( Submitted by Diane Waddell, Earthkeepers 7/20/09)
Flood Bucket Time Again! We will be collecting Emergency Clean-up Buckets, to be delivered to the Festival of Sharing in October, again this year. The deadline to have buckets to the presbytery office 3210 Michigan Ave, KCMO 64109, is September 15, 2009. Heartland Presbytery has provided approximately 100 buckets each year…this year let’s make it more! Click here for a list of items to fill the bucket. http://www.umocm.com/Festival/PDFsFest/kitsList09Fest.pdf. Please contact Mindy Fox, 816.924.1730 or nurture@heartlandpby.org if you have any questions. (Submitted by presbytery staff 7/9/09)
The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program in conjunction with the interfaith community has developed a statement called Faith Principles on Global Warming. These principlesinclude Justice, Stewardship, Sustainability, and Sufficiency. For details on the document, please check www.nccecojustice.org/climateprinciples.html. Submitted by Diane Waddell, Earthkeepers (7/13/09)
Post-Presbytery Fiesta in September Please don’t plan to “meet and run” when Presbytery meets at Grandview Park Church on September 19 th. An International Fiesta Block Party will begin the moment Presbytery ends. Walk out into the street and enjoy music and dance and sample foods from all around the world. The party will start at about 3 pm and end about 7 pm. Admission is FREE. Parking shuttles will run from 8 am until 7 pm. Flyer: http://www.heartlandpby.org/upcoming/files/PresbyteryFiestaFlyer.pdf. Call the church for more information 913-371-6431. (Submitted by Rick Behrens 7/13/09)
The monthly columns by the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) are available. For July, the Moderator’s column has been written by the GA 218 Vice Moderator. You’ll find a link to the columns at www.pcusa.org/oga. (Submitted by presbytery staff 7/13/09)
For important benefit and related news, read The Board Bulletin . The Summer 2009 issue covers discussion and decisions by the directors of The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at their June 27 meeting in Philadelphia.
2010 Stated Meetings of Heartland Presbytery dates and locations: http://www.heartlandpby.org/upcoming/files/2010PresbyteryMeetingDates.PDF
2010 Council Meetings of Heartland Presbytery dates: http://www.heartlandpby.org/upcoming/files/2010CouncilMeetingDates.PDF
Highlights from the June 20, 2009 Stated Meeting of Heartland Presbytery: http://www.heartlandpby.org/files%20misc/Highlights%20from%20Presbytery%2006%2020%202009.pdf (Submitted by Maryann Farnsworth 6/22/09)
You are invited to join Mission Crossroads, an online community facilitated by Presbyterian World Mission's Equipping the Church for Mission Involvement (EMI) work area. With this site, EMI "seeks to bring Presbyterians together as branches of the same vine, connecting people with resources and tools for engaging with each other and with God's mission in the world." (Submitted by presbytery staff 6/18/09
Online registration is open for World Mission Celebration '09: Branches of the Same Vine, a conference for Presbyterians passionate about mission. The event will be held October 22-24 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Celebration will be preceded by the month-long World Mission Challenge, which will send mission speakers across the country to tell how God is at work around the world. To date, 150 presbyteries, six more than participated in a similar effort in 2007, will be hosting speakers. (Submitted by presbytery staff 6/18/09)
MALT events in November taking place at Mercy Center in St. Louis MO. Registration forms can be found on our website www.synodma.org Click on Registrations. The Regional Education for Interim/Transitional Ministry event, Week 1 & Week 2, will take place November 2-6. Slots for this event are filled quickly. It is not too early to register. The Interim Executive Training event will take place November 6-10, 2009. Registrations are not complete until both a deposit of $100.00 and a completed registration form (including required signatures and/or peer recommendations) are received. Registration is limited to 12 persons for the Executive Training. (Submitted by Kerry Lancaster 6/15/09)
PPC launches new online resource for the PC(USA) June 1, 2009 marks the launch of a brand new online resource center from the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC). The new Web site, The Presbyterian Leader, will serve as an important tool for pastors, elders, deacons, educators, worship leaders, musicians, and other PC(USA) leaders who face the often daunting challenge of communicating, sharing, and teaching their faith. Full story at http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/pressreleases/ppc09003.htm (Submitted by presbytery staff 6/10/09)
Walking with Grace – Sat., August 15 th, 2009. Join in a fundraising walk for Grace United Community Ministries (GUCM). You can enjoy a one mile paved stroll or add some adventure with a trail walk at the historic Cave Spring Park, 8701 E. Gregory Blvd., KCMO. GUCM is located at 801 Benton and provides a variety of services to the community – Food and clothing pantry, after-school tutoring, the summer Freedom School, substance abuse recovery, worship services and Bible studies. All these will be represented at the event. Grace United Community Ministries is an outgrowth of a combined Presbyterian-Methodist church in the 1990s. For more information about the walk and Grace United, contact Jane Borcherding at janeborcherding@kc.rr.com or 816-591-1108. (Submitted by Cathy Broockerd 6/8/09)
IS YOUR PUBLIC SQUARE ALIVE & WORKING ? Is your community ripe and ready for a new conversation about growth and change? Is there urgency in your community about creating hope for the future? Public Square Communities, LLC is all about moving communities – small or large, urban or rural -- into the future through an asset-based process of community renewal. Rebuilding the Public Square re-connects the four essential sides of the community – Education, Human Services, Business and Government – in order to change the conversation and build on the positives. To learn more about this process and how it might benefit your community, call or write the Rev. Terry Woodbury (620-214-0002 – twoodbury@buildthesquare.com ) or the Rev. Rick Behrens (816-807-6931 – rbehrens@buildthesqure.com). Or see an overview of the process at www.PublicSquareCommunities.com. (Submitted by Rick Behrens 6/4/09)
Celebrate Heifer Through Festival of Sharing: The Heifer projects highlighted for the 2009 Festival of Sharing are efforts worthy of consideration! If you are interested in providing a heifer or the funds to purchase an animal for this project, please contact the Heifer office before September 10 th. For more information about the Festival of Sharing, Heifer International or about these or other Heifer projects, please contact Missouri Representative for Heifer, Carol Oliver at 573-474-7155 or at oliver@umocm.com. (Submitted by Carol Oliver 6/1/09)
Board of Pensions: Join the thousands of Plan members who have already discovered the convenience of Benefits Connect, the Board of Pensions’ secure benefits Web site for active and retired members and surviving spouses. It provides you with online access to your personal and Plan benefits information, as well as useful tools. Keeping track of your benefits has never been easier! To register, visit the Board’s Web site at Pensions.org and click on “Register” under the Benefits Connect logo. If you have questions, you may complete the Contact Us form or call us at 800-773-7752 (800-PRESPLAN). (Submitted by presbytery staff 5/12/09)
Lombard Essay Competition helps mark Reformer's 500th birthday:To mark the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches has developed a Calvin theme for its annual Lombard Essay Competition. The theme of the competition - which is open to all theology students or pastors 35 years of age or younger - is "What Would Calvin Say? Responsible Stewardship in the Face of Today's Ecological and Financial Crises." Essays must be submitted no later than Sept. 1, 2009. They must address both environmental and financial stewardship. Click here for full details WARC essay contest to focus on Calvin's take on environmental, financial stewardship (Submitted by presbytery staff 5/11/9)
Presbyterian Women Horizon's Bible Study Workshop will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at Village Presbyterian Church from 9am to 3pm. Rev. Joyce MacKichan Walker, Suggestions for Leaders author, will lead the workshop. Come learn about JOSHUA: A Journey of Faith! Registration form located at http://www.heartlandpby.org/upcoming/files/horizons%20registration%202009.pdf (Submitted by Meg Perry McLaughlin 5/4/09)
Please attend Clarification Meetings at Cherith Brook on the first Friday of each month, from 7 to 8:30pm, at our storefront next door to the house. For further information, please contact us at 8 16-241-8047 or cherithbrookkcmo@yahoo.com (Submitted by Sarah Cool 3/27/09)
Cherith Brook has created a Women's Only Day, on the last Wednesday of each month. Contact us by phone or email cherithbrookkcmo@yahoo.com so that we can give you all the details www.cherithbrookkc.blogspot.com (Submitted by Sarah Cool 3/20/09)
Folks will be gardening at Cherith Brook every other Friday through the summer from 2pm on. Contact Cherith Brook Community, 3308 E 12th St, Kansas City, MO 64127, 816-241-8047, cherithbrookkcmo@yahoo.com or check out their blog: www.cherithbrookkc.blogspot.com (Submitted by Sarah Cool 3/16/09)
Auburn Seminary, with the assistance of a Lilly Foundation grant, has developed the Auburn Coaching Institute and is now accepting applications for the 2009-2010 program. For more information, follow this link: http://www.heartlandpby.org/upcoming/files/ComprehensiveProgram2009-2010.pdf (Submitted by Dave Moore 3/11/09)
Lilly Endowment Announces 2009 National Clergy Renewal Program: The Lilly Endowment seeks to strengthen Christian congregations by providing an opportunity for pastors to step away briefly from the obligations of daily parish life and to engage in a period of renewal and reflection. See the program's Web site for the complete Request for Proposals. Link to Complete RFP (Submitted by Mari Shineman 3/5/09)
Health Care Task Force Committee: It has been suggested that we try to get this committee active again. You can contact me at wmceachen@aol.com or at 913-649-9566 or Mindy at the Presbytery office 816-924-1730 or nurture@heartlandpby.org . There are similar committees in the various Presbyteries in Missouri. Let's get together and be heard. (Submitted by Wm. (Bill) McEachen, M.D 2/23/09)
Free - Church Organ in good condition - Rodgers Classic Keyboards, model # C-440 - it has the longer pedals. You will need to provide your own movers. United Christian & Presbyterian Church - Lawson, MO For more information contact Larry Lanning 816-580-7263 (Submitted by Barbara Lanning 1/13/09)
We invite members of your presbytery to join the Princeton Seminary community and Christians throughout the church in reading John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion together during 2009, the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth. The daily readings will begin on January 1, and will be available on our web site. Find details here. (Submitted by presbytery staff 12/23/08)
The 2009 Per Capita was approved as $29.90 at the September 9, 2008 Presbytery meeting. The 2009 per capita will provide $20.41 to Heartland Presbytery, $3.34 to the Synod of Mid-America and $6.15 to the General Assembly. Your faithful support of the larger church is deeply appreciated. (Submitted by presbytery staff 12/23/08)
PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE UPDATES (PDA) http://www.pcusa.org/pda/
All items listed on this page were included in previous editions of the Heartland Connection.