Monthly Church News
Glenwood Chicken Pie Documentary
Becky Rogers, a member of Glenwood Moravian Church in Madison, Wisconsin has created a documentary commemorating the Chicken Pie Sale put on every year by members of the church.
You can view the video at:
http://tinyurl.com/moravianchickenpies
Western District Synod
The 2012 Western District Synod Planning Committee gathered for the first time in June. Thank you to the committee members:
Jeff Brandt, Chairperson (West Green Bay),
Judy Anderson (Mainstreet, Northfield),
Eric Renner (Shepherd of the Prairie, Fargo),
Staci Marrese-Wheeler (Lakeview, Madison) and
Aden Ward (Administrator, Wisconsin Rapids).
The District Board is grateful to Brother Aden Ward who has agreed to assist the Synod Planning Committee and attend to the myriad of details associated with planning and implementing a District Synod. The WD Synod will be April 26-29, 2012 at the Paper Valley Inn, Appleton, Wisconsin. Please make note of these dates. Please elect your delegate(s) by December 31st and send the name, telephone, and email address of each delegate and alternate to Brother Aden Ward by January 7th. More information is available in the official Call To Synod document below. Please be in prayer about discerning what delegate(s) will be elected by your Church Council. We are particularly hopeful that delegates will:
1. Be full participants in synod, and
2. Engage in the follow-up work blessed and encouraged by Synod.
Clergy Emergency Assistance Fund
After several months, multiple time-zone conference calls, revisions, & prayers, the "Clergy Emergency Assistance Fund" (CEAF) is ready to receive applications. As per the 2010 Provincial Synod resolution, this fund has been established for "clergy who find themselves in emergency situations and who need assistance providing for their food, shelter, and/or safety." (From Resolved 6, Third Partial report, Mission to & with our Shepherds, 2010 Northern Province Synod legislation.)
An advisory board was appointed by the Provincial Elders' Conference to administer, and to create guidelines and application procedures for the fund, all of which have now been approved by the PEC. The advisory board of the CEAF consists of Rev. Keith Harke chair, Mr. Alexander Macdonald Western District lay representative, Mr. Joachim Schubert Canadian District lay representative, Mr. Gary Bailey Eastern District lay representative, Rev. Tammie Rinker member-at-large, and Ms. MaryAnn Hanas Provincial Director of Human Resources and Benefits.
The policy and application form of the CEAF can be obtained from the Rev. Keith K. Harke, CEAF Chair, 74 Hillside Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10308 or by email at kharke@si.rr.com. Be assured that all confidentiality regulations for both the United States and Canada will be
observed.
Contributions to the fund are encouraged, and may be sent to Tina Giesler, Provincial Controller, 1021 Center St., PO Box 1245, Bethlehem, PA 18016. Checks should be made out to the "Moravian Church Northern Province", with "Clergy Emergency Assistance Fund" on the memo line.
Your continued prayers are requested as the advisory board moves forward in the administration of the CEAF in ministry to our shepherds.
Mission Update from the Board of World Mission
The Antioch Project is one of the primary projects supported by the BWM and its primary purpose is to provide opportunities for young adults to experience their faith. Antioch servants grow through experiences not easily gained otherwise as they interact in Christian love as they seek to build relationships within and outside of their communities. Personal spiritual growth is a major emphasis of the project as they strive to discover themselves through God’s eyes and continue to discern their call and gifts to mission. Young people from 17 – 27 are encouraged to look into the potential this program has for changing their lives. Length of service is determined by the specific call and placement location. To register or get more information check out the website at www.moravianantioch.org or contact Bishop Sam Gray at sam@moravianantioch.org or Jill Kolodziej at jillannk@charter.net.
For churches interested in becoming a placement site should demonstrate a commitment to address leadership development and community involvement. Priority is given to organizations working in the areas of community service, music, and women and children’s issues. If you have any interest in becoming a potential placement site for Antioch Servants please contact Bishop Gray.
If you have any other questions regarding the BWM or mission opportunities contact Edward Dehnert at edandbarb6653@sbcglobal.net or call 920-261-5114.
From The Benefits Office
The Benefits Office recently sent an email to all Pastors, Treasurers, President of Trustees, Vice-Chair of Elders, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants. We do not have email address for all of you, therefore we still had to mail out several envelopes. Please forward current email addresses for the board members listed to assist us with future mailings. We are trying very hard to cut down on our use of paper, envelopes, printing and postage in order to decrease of mailing costs. You can forward current email address to marie@mcnp.org. Also remember to notify us when there is a change/addition/deletion to an email address. We are also posting current documents, forms and letters on the MCNP web-page, under LINKS then "Benefits for Clergy & Employees" http://www.mcnp.org/benefits_office/benefits.html. Check this Human Resources & Benefits Page frequently for important updates and additions.
ARCHIVED NOTES FROM REV. JAMES HICKS
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A Word from our President
I hope your summer provides some time for relaxation, rest, a renewed acquaintance with this wonderful world and some whimsical pondering. It prepares us to love neighbors as voices grow ever more stern, heels dig deeper and everything seems to rise to the level of “essential.”
What joy to be nurtured by a church that nudges and encourages us to embrace with love those who are different than self. Perhaps that is one of heaven’s whimsical ponderings!
With gratitude for the ministries entrusted to our hands,
Jim
Recent News
Composing the Western District report caused me to smile frequently. Smiling is not something that I associate with writing reports! However, as I wrote about signs of life in the congregations, I couldn't help but feel gratitude and hope. The discipline of gratitude encourages us to pay attention for signs of life.
One colleague responded to the report by affirming 99% of it. I was surprised since we often see things differently. I've concluded that those signs of life hold us together in hope. This colleague also noted something that I had overlooked, that other 1%. He was right and I thanked him for bringing it to my attention. As I re-read the report now, many more stories and faces come to mind that I could have written about. We are richly blessed. Isn't it wonderful that even in being "corrected" we are pointed to the gift of life in Christ Jesus.
With gratitude for the ministries entrusted to our hands,
Jim
“Nowhere To Hide”
Into this fear, into what we would keep hidden, Jesus inserts himself. There is nowhere to hide. A lie in our society is the notion that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” This phrase is neither harmless nor true and cultivates a destructive illusion. The cross fosters the illusion that God can be denied. Not so. Fear says what happens on the cross stays on the cross. Jesus will have none of this.
“Peace be with you!” Notice how his greeting is intricately tied to showing them his hands and side. There is nothing about those wounds that are illusory or deceptive. These wounds are not hidden in the tomb. They go with him. Into the midst of this world’s brokenness, he enters, wounds and all. What happens on the cross stays on the cross? No.
The disciples “rejoice.” Jesus again asserts, “Peace be with you.” Ironically, John’s Gospel, which often lingers in long explanations, immediately quickens the pace – “As the Father has sent me, so I send you!” What is going on behind closed doors is to be fully shared.
“Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ he said. ‘If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?’” (The Message, Eugene Peterson).
Do you suppose the world is watching to see if the church believes in forgiveness? I do. Practiced forgiveness is evidence of being sent – by God. Foregoing forgiveness allows us to avoid being sent. Then church focuses inward, on our problems, and once again the doors are “locked!” We’re back to thinking that what happens on the cross stays on the cross.
Again Jesus enters and stands among us. “Peace be with you.” What are you going to do, there is nowhere to hide!
-James
“Listening for the Holy Spirit”
The opportunity to visit with pastors and to hear their witness has been a gift and a joy. In our listening together we’ve shared our hopes, dreams, struggles and sometimes our stubbornness! All point to a love of the Lord, which is at the core of our work.
Several things jump out at me as I listen to Joint Board leaders. One is a deep hunger for their congregations to thrive. When the church listens to this hunger, we are at our best. Our listening together has led me to hear the following difficult questions. As you read them, I wonder what you hear.
-How do we get more members?
-Does the District Board, PEC or other congregations care about us?
As our congregations have struggled in recent years, we have become more isolated. It is not uncommon to turn within. It is a basic survival instinct. I pray that the hunger of faith will continually cause us to turn our attention outward. Evidence of this outward turn has been accumulating for years. Thus it is not surprising that mission trips and a prophetic concern for justice are shaping the life and witness of the church.
In the isolation of incarceration, Paul maintained his outward focus. He was passionate about encouraging Timothy. Who are we passionate about encouraging? Where does the Holy Spirit seek to move us out of our isolation? There is a deep hunger in the church to listen together for the leading of the Spirit! There is a deep hunger for words of encouragement and affirmation.
We’re not the only group whose struggles are evident in our questions. Page through Luke’s gospel and look at the questions asked of Jesus. I was shocked to realize how rarely the disciples are portrayed asking questions. Instead the questions are asked by Jesus’ parents, the devil, demons, rulers, scribes, Pharisees, chief priests, a lawyer... What does this mean? Is Luke nudging us to listen to the world’s questions and to Jesus’ responses!
Being heard is a gift. Listening is a gift too!
Engaging together in basic Christian disciplines such as prayer, study of the Scriptures, and acts of hospitality, reveals where Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit to guide us. Together, let’s pray, study and practice hospitality so we can recognize who we are being sent to. Do we hear how the Holy Spirit seeks to overcome our sense of isolation? When prayer, Scripture and acts of hospitality shape our lives and thinking, we are equipped to follow. Listening prepares us to say, "let us follow Him."
-James