John Calvin Presbytery P. O. Box 787, Shell Knob, Missouri 65747

September 22, 2017

PAGE 1

MEET THE PEACEMAKER INVITATION P. 1

PRAYER LIST / JOYS P. 2

CONTACT INFO / ANNOUNCEMENTS P. 2

EQUIPPING THE SAINTS P. 3

JC LIVING WATERS P. 4

BOOK OF ORDER /BOOK OF CONFESSIONS P. 5

PRESBYTERY DAYS P. 5

PASTOR RETREAT/ WINDEMERE P. 5

SHOALKIRK OPEN HOUSE P. 6

Philippians 4 : 7 ( Voice )

And know that the peace of God

(a peace that is beyond any and all of

our human understanding)

will stand watch over your hearts and minds

in Jesus, the Anointed One.

Meet the International Peacemaker ~Tomorrow…..

Everyone is invited to attend a Presbytery event!

Meet the International Peacemaker - on September 23 From 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

at Hillcrest Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Missouri. The International Peacemaker, Doug Baker,

will give a presentation with a reception following. Come and bring a friend.

Reverend Doug Baker, served as a Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Co-worker in Northern Ireland from 1979-2016 and continues to reside there. His primary focus has been a ministry of reconciliation in a context where centuries old religious, political and ethnic divisions led to nearly forty years of sectarian conflict. He says, “Nearly twenty years after the historic Peace Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland remains a society ‘moving out of conflict’ but not yet at peace, let alone reconciled.” As PCUSA Regional Liaison for Ireland and the United King-dom, Doug’s primary responsibility was to support the Irish churches as they developed their own capacity for peacebuilding. He was also the Northern Ireland Site Coordinator for the PCUSA Young Adult Volunteer program for 23 years, during which 133 YAVs supported the work of local congregations and voluntary organizations seeking to address the legacy of conflict.

Joyful, holy community of Christian believers, diverse yet united.

committed to serving Christ in the church and in the world.

Prepared by God through the Holy Spirit for mission and ministry.

Please email all items, joys, and concerns wishing to be at

jcpresbytery@jcpresbytery.com by 12 noon on Wednesdays.

PAGE 2

CONTACT…. Pastoral Presbyter, Susan Rosenbaum By cell phone: 620-674-1844 or by email: pastoralpresbyter@gmail.com

Stated Clerk, Melana Scruggs By cell phone: 417-489-0024 or by email: melanascruggs@gmail.com

By mail: P .O. Box 46, Crane, Missouri 65633

John Calvin Presbytery website is jcpresbytery.com

Please send your Shared Mission, Per Capita Apportionment and all special offerings to….

John Calvin Presbytery, P.O. Box 787, Shell Knob, MO 65747

Prayers requested ….. • The congregations of John Calvin Presbytery…

• For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, that they may know the peace that passes all hu-

man

understanding in Jesus Christ our Lord….

• Churches that are seeking a new pastor, to understand God's call moving forward.

• JCPDA

• JC Living Waters Mission Team

• All Pastors of John Calvin Presbytery

• All who have been affected from all effects of Hurricane Harvey and Irma

• Sam Stover, Rehabilitating from stroke. Cards of encouragement can be sent to: 623 W.

Walnut, #405, Springfield, MO 65806. Sam is the pastor at First Presbyterian Mt. Vernon.

PAGE 3

A. ELDER TRAINING ~ Reverend Melana Scruggs Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1 & 2

The workshop on Elder Training will utilize case studies to facilitate conversations among participants about best practices in session meet-

ings. We will talk about the role of an elder in the leadership of the congregation.

B. NAVIGATING the POTHOLES ~ Reverend Dr. Emmet Powell Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1

Congregations often encounter heartbreaking conflict when there is an unclear vision or they are unequipped with creative conflict manage-

ment solutions. This workshop will explore strategies to contain and address certain unhealthy outcomes in congregations.

C. DOING CHURCH DIFFERENTLY ~ Reverend Dr. Jared Witt Available WORKSHOP SESSION 2

Forms of worship and ministry need to change, but making large scale changes often feels unworkable. So how can we adopt some smaller scale, experimental projects that will help us learn on the fly? Jared will offer case studies of what some congregations are doing differently,

with the goal of inspiring us to experiment more on a smaller scale.

D. STEWARDSHIP ~ Reverend Charles Spencer Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1 & 2

Session 1 - A Telling Secret - We’ll explore how keeping secrets suppresses generosity in the church. We’ll consider how we can open conver-

sations about financial discipleship in ways that inspire and motivate generosity.

Session 2 - Reluctant Stewards - Overcoming our reluctance to God’s work and fund Christ’s mission and ministry. How we move from re-

luctance to joy in a ministry of financial discipleship.

E. GA RESOURSES FOR SMALL CHURCHES ~ Rhonda Kruse Available WORKSHOP SESSION 1

When it comes to mission, a vital congregation is one that actively engages in the outward-focused ministry to which God calls us. Rhonda

Kruse, our regional Mission Engagement Advisor for Presbyterian Mission, will update us on many ministry programs, initiatives, and tools

available through the denomination to help our congregations be more vital, and explore ways we might partner in shared mission.

F. THE SAILBOAT CHURCH ~ Reverend Dr. Joan Gray Available SESSISON WORKSHOP 2 Encouraging congregations to shift concern from the many daily, practical concerns of their local church to consider how new directions might

be found by allowing the Holy Spirit to provide fresh ideas.

EQUIPPING THE SAINTS WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS…….

Registration for Equipping the Saints…..

Please indicate below the workshop letter from the description above

Equipping the Saints is for everyone! Please bring as many people from your church as possible!

Child care is provided - if requested.

Fee per person: $20 by September 30 / $25 beginning October 1 Name:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

Church:

Morning Workshop: 1st _______ 2nd _______ 3rd _______

Afternoon Workshop: 1st _______ 2nd _______ 3rd _______

_____ I am requesting childcare and realize that lunch is not included for the child, but can be purchased for

$2.00. Age of child / children ___________________________

Email your registration to…… Gail Wilson - jcpresbytery@jcpresbytery.com

Or mail to……………. Gail Wilson, P. O. Box 787, Shell Knob, MO 65747

October 21, 2017

8:45 a.m. to 3:30

Southminster Presbyterian Church

2245 S. Holland ~ Springfield

REGISTER BEFORE OCTOBER 1

PAGE 4

JC Living Waters Mission Signs Covenants in the Dominican Republic

Last week we were in Jarabacoa, Dominican Re-public for covenant meetings with candidates for a Living Waters for the World water treatment system. Our first stop was at the Escuela Basica Luis Eduardo Ortiz Delgado, an elementary school in Limonal, where we met with Elsa Valerio, the principal. Following an extended discussion about their needs, we looked at possible locations for a system and agreed to return in the afternoon for

a meeting with the teachers. During our meeting with the teachers it was agreed that the school needed a water treatment system. We worked with them to set up Water and Education Commit-tees and concluded by signing a covenant.

Next we turned our attention to an eagerly anticipated visit to Los Chiquitines de Yaji, the school in El Callejon where we installed a sys-

tem in January. We were warmly wel-comed by Yajaira, director of the school and were thrilled to see and visit with her again. Rudy, the Water Com-mittee chairman was unable to be there to meet with us but we happily greeted Rosaly, our interpreter. We were pleased to see that the system we helped to install is operating and providing safe water for the students.

While visiting with Joel and Yajaira, we learned about a potential need at their church in Jarabacoa. Joel immediately set up a meeting with the pas-tor for later that afternoon. As we met and visited with Pastors Pérez and Barbosa, we learned that they had been praying about how to meet the greatly increasing demand for bottled water at the church. New programs that were bringing in a lot of youth from high poverty neighborhoods near the church created this demand. We quickly determined that this church was a prime candidate for a Living Waters for the World system. We hasti-ly gathered the necessary information and signed a covenant with Pastor Pé-rez for a system at Fraternidad Cristiane Amor a Quisqueya. We left with our heads spinning and our hearts full. God is Good!

We plan to return to Jarabacoa to install these systems in February 2018 and are looking for individuals who are interested in going with us. We will be offering training sessions in January 2018. More details and an applica-tion will appear in this space for the next several weeks. We invite you to prayerfully consider this invitation to join us in providing safe water for these children.

Rich and Sharon Marsh, Team Leaders smarsh43@icloud.com (417) 880-5988

JCLWM Committee

Todd Morriss, Moderator Kathy Morriss, Secretary

Rich Marsh, Treasurer Members….

Tamara Barnett Sharon Marsh Carol Minton

Sarah Meugge Ted Scott

Chris Scrivener Rich Williams

Associate Member Martha Bledsoe

PAGE 5

We will be taking orders for the 2017-2019 Book of Order, and the Book of Confessions, available for pick-up at the

November 4, meeting of Presbytery,

at Trinity Presbyterian, Springfield.

The cost of each book will be determined by the amount ordered.

Please email your order to Gail at jcpresbtery@jcpresbytery.com

Or text or call Gail - 417-838-4402

Upcoming Presbytery Days….. October 26 at First Presbyterian Church Webb City Missouri ~ 10 until 2

November 16 at Westminster Presbyterian Church Springfield Missouri ~ 10 until 2

We will provide the mandatory boundaries training for persons serving churches in pastoral roles, from 10 a.m. until

noon with lunch following.

If you are staying for lunch please RSVP by Tuesday before Presbytery Day to: pastoralpresbyter@gmail.com.

Each participant will be required to read the training manual before attending the training and then participate in case

study discussions at the group meeting.

The Boundaries Manual is posted on the home page of our web site, jcpresbytery.com.

Nestled amidst the gentle rolling Ozark hills and hidden in the woods on the edge of the Lake of the Ozarks is a treasure called Windermere. Beautiful views, wooded trails and a sparkling lake surrounded by more than 1,500 acres of pristine forest filled with deer, wild turkeys, eagles and a host of other wild life await you!

We plan to meet at 1:00 pm on Monday November 6th. We will share a relaxing time together, as well as fel-lowship around the tables at meal time. The lodge we have reserved has numerous rooms with a conference center and a kitchen. Check in time is 3:00 pm on Monday (check out by 11:00 Tuesday, although we plan to continue our meeting until 3:00 pm). Each room participant will have a private room which contains a queen size bed, bathroom and private balcony. Towels and bedding are provided

To register go to www.mupresbytery.org.

Pastors’ Retreat *Ministers of Word and Sacrament and Commissioned Lay Pastors included

November 6-7, 2017 Windermere Baptist Conference Center

Roach, Missouri

Includes lodging, Monday dinner, & Tuesday breakfast and lunch

PAGE 6

Did you know there is a Presbyterian Retreat Center

within our Presbytery?

ShoalKirk is having an open house on Sunday, September

24, from 3:00-5:00 pm. If you are looking for a place

for a Session retreat, a spiritual life event, or a church picnic;

ShoalKirk is a great facility. Find directions by going to

the First Presbyterian Church of Joplin Missouri website...

fpcjoplin.com click on the ShoalKirk heading