North Iowa Presbyterian E-News. Presbytery Office Lakeshore Center at Okoboji 1864 Hwy. 86 Milford, IA

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1 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News Presbytery Office Lakeshore Center at Okoboji 1864 Hwy. 86 Milford, IA June 8, 2017 The Presbytery Office will be Closed the Following Dates: Monday, July 3 and Tuesday, July 4 for the Fourth of July (these are Synod dates) July so that Jeannie can attend Synod School. Voice mails and s will be checked during the evenings, but no assistance will be available during the day. Calendar Dates North Central Iowa events are shown in blue Prospect Hill events are shown in red Combined events are shown in green June 12 June 13 June 19 June 22 July 3 July 4 July 10 July 10 July 11 July 12 July 15 July 24 July 27 July July August 8 August 10 August 14 Committee on Ministry; 5:00 8:00 (NCI) Committee on Ministry, First Presbyterian Church, Sioux City; 10:00 noon (PPH) Macedonian Ministry Cohort East; 10:00 2:00 (NCI) Macedonian Ministry Cohort West; 10:00-2:00 (NCI) Presbytery Office closed for 4 th of July (Synod holiday) 4 th of July Presbytery Office closed All-Iowa Conversation; 9:30 3:00 (PPH & NCI) Committee on Ministry; 5:00 8:00 (NCI) Committee on Ministry; 10:00 12:00 (PPH) Vital Ministries Initiative, John Calvin room; 1:00 2:00 (NCI) Ruling Elder Cohort, First Presbyterian Church, Ackley (NCI) Macedonian Ministry Cohort West; 10:00 2:00 (NCI) Macedonian Ministry Cohort East; 10:00 2:00 (NCI) Synod School Presbytery Office Closed The Academy at Synod School (NCI & PPH) Committee on Ministry; 10:00-12:00 (PPH) Committee on Preparation for Ministry; 5:00 8:00 (NCI) Committee on Ministry; 5:00 8:00 (NCI)

2 Prayers of the Presbytery of North Central Iowa Week of June 11 Week of June 18 Week of June 25 Week of July 2 Week of July 9 Week of July 16 Week of July 23 Week of July 30 First Presbyterian Church, Cedar Falls Rev. Brad Braley Pray for honorably retired pastors in the Presbytery of North Central Iowa (not currently serving churches): Rev. Bruce Baillie, Rev. John Bates, Rev. Fran Beyea, Rev. Susan Cluts, Rev. Dan Emmert, Rev. Robert EnTin, Rev. Jerry Evelsizer, Rev. Richard Harken, Rev. Wesley Harker, Rev. Neil Mulock, Rev. Jack Mauldin, Rev. Harold P. Martin, Rev. Larry Mitchell, Rev. Charles E. Orr, Rev. John Osborn, Rev. Mark Pell, Rev. Charles Quirk, Rev. Robert Roof, Rev. LaVern Seth, and Rev. Cathy Young First Presbyterian Churches in Greene and Rudd Rev. Catherine Belles Pray for our ministry in the nation First Presbyterian Church, Boone Rev. Denise Group First Presbyterian Church, Lakota Walter Reemtsma, CRE Pray for other Minister members of North Central Iowa: Rev. Sam Hamilton- Poore, Rev. John Hanna, Rev. Barb Huisman, Rev. Judy Mulock, and Rev. Mary Wilber Lakeshore Center at Okoboji - Beth Ehlers, CRE, Executive Director Prayers of the Presbytery of Prospect Hill Week of June 11 Week of June 18 Week of June 25 Week of July 2 Week of July 9 Week of July 16 Week of July 23 Week of July 30 Associated Church of Hawarden Rev. Erma Wolf Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ida Grove Shari O Bannon, CRE First Presbyterian Church, Manning Rev. Nancy Anderson First Presbyterian Church, Odebolt Bill Crawford, CRE First Presbyterian Church, Paullina Rev. Angel de la Cruz First Presbyterian Church, Sac City Rev. Randy Russom First Presbyterian Church, Spirit Lake Rev. Clint Loveall & Rev. Michael Gewecke First Presbyterian Church, Schaller Rev. Michael Sydnor

3 Additional Prayer Concerns Please keep Rev. Dr. Glenn Wilson of Burt in your prayers as he continues to recover at home. Please pray for the Ballard Community Ministry Commission. Please keep Rev. Tom Bower and Ruling Elder Jean Bower in your prayers as they grieve the death of Jean s brother, Chuck Lundberg. North Central Iowa Please consider making a donation to the Pastors Debt Reduction Assistance Fund. Merely note the designation in the memo portion of your check and mail it to: Presbytery Office Lakeshore Center at Okoboji 1864 Hwy. 86 Milford, IA Thank you in advance for helping support new ministers as they begin their service! North Central Iowa, Committee on Ministry Pulpit Supply for Worship Leadership Ordained Pastor: $150/service; $100 for each additional service (+ mileage) CRE or Student Pastor: $120/service; $75 for each additional service (+ mileage) For Moderating Session: $75 + mileage Mileage is to be reimbursed at the current IRS rate (53.5 cents/mile for 2017) North Central Iowa 2018 Per Capita At the May 11, 2017 Council meeting, it was passed to increase the per capita percentage by 3% for This is a $.59 increase, bringing the Presbytery per capita from $19.67 to $ General Assembly per capita will be increased by $.23 to $7.75 and Synod per capita will be increased by $.10 to $5.40. This will bring the total 2018 per capita to $ Unified Mission Giving will be maintained at the current percentages of 71% Presbytery, 25% General Assembly and 4% Synod.

4 Poor Richard s Almanac by Richard Francis, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Prospect Hill When I was in the pastorate, I served a total of seven churches (including two two-church parishes), and I noticed a pattern. Every church but one had a study or office for the pastor; in the office was a desk, and in the desk was a ring of keys that didn t fit any lock anywhere in the church or the manse. I can only assume that at some point the locks had been changed but no one could bring themselves to throw the keys away. And I admit that I usually hung on to those keys, because you never know, right? At our All-Iowa Presbytery Gathering June 2-3, we heard from the Rev. Jan Edmiston, Co-Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). At the Saturday morning Communion Service she preached on Isaiah 48:18-19: Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. She noted that this seems to contradict the repeated injunctions in Scripture for us to remember: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt. Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. So she asked us, What Do We Remember? What Do We Forget? She pointed out that when Isaiah spoke the words quoted above, Israel was in exile in Babylon, their old life left far behind. So Isaiah calls them to look ahead rather than back. What to remember and what to forget, Ms. Edmiston said, has to do with faith and fear...we can stay in the place of exile or we can join God in a new future. In some ways the Church today not just our denomination and not just our congregations but the Church as a whole is hanging on to a bunch of keys that no longer fit the locks. The good news is that we may not need to go through those doors because they lead backward. If, as Isaiah says, God is doing a new thing, the keys we need are already in our hands; we just need to open the door God is setting before us. One of the things that excited me at the All-Iowa Gathering was the vote in the Presbytery of Des Moines to charter First Arabic Presbyterian Church as a new congregation, meeting in Des Moines. First Arabic began as a ministry to Sudanese refugees in the 1990 s, and though the church that originally hosted them was forced to close, the Arabic ministry thrived and became part of the Presbyterian Church s 1001 Worshiping Communities initiative in The ministry of First Arabic continues to be to new immigrants but also to second-generation Sudanese and to all Arabicspeaking people in Des Moines and the surrounding area. This is a door we didn t have a key to a few years ago; now we are walking though it together. What doors do you see? Is that a key in your hand? Blessings,

5 Moderator s Message The All-Iowa Presbyterian Gathering in Ames is in the past. If you were unable to attend, you missed hearing a most wonderful speaker, Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the G.A., and what was unofficially declared the shortest Presbytery meeting on record made possible by a very short Action agenda. We called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. and adjourned at 1:50 p.m. You can check out those details in the minutes which will be posted in the near future. I would like to share with you some of the comments from J. Herbert, his preferred form of address. He pointed out that there is much concern that we are a dying church. Church buildings are closing, membership numbers and financial support are going down. All true. He denied, however, that these things are signs of dying, for that denotes hopelessness. In God there is no hopelessness. Rather he stated that we are a church in the process of reforming. Yes, that means change. Yes, that is a dirty word for many of us because we generally don t like to move out of our comfort zones. He emphasized that the message of the gospel must never change, but how we share that message must. He also pointed out that Jesus did just that. Jesus went out among the people, he spoke to many on mountain sides, lake shores and even more one-on-one interactions. He accepted people wherever they were in their lives rather than rejecting them for not being where God wanted them to be. Jesus moved the work of the church from the temple walls to the real world. Through the gift of the power of the Holy Spirit given to the disciples and to each of us as God s children on Pentecost, we are commanded to reach out to those who struggle with whatever their situation, who are seeking God, who are lost. How do we do that? How do we, as J. Herbert urged, reform in order to do the work God has put before us to spread the gospel and to love and care for each other? It may not be as hard as you might think, but it likely requires us to move from our comfort zones. Ways we can implement reform are: to simply get to know our neighbors as people and show God s love in our actions, not necessarily in words; share the produce from your garden; that child you see coming home to an empty house take him a glass of milk and some cookies, ask how his day at school was listen and be a friend. Same goes for that elderly person down the street or the single person who seems lonely. Someone appears to be needing food take a casserole, some homemade soup, whatever and offer it saying I got carried away and made more than we can eat can you help us out by eating some of it? That approach gets the job done, preserves the person s dignity and shows God s love. Another way to reach out is to experiment with various forms of worship. Bring in some new hymns, drama in the form of monologues, dialogues, hymn sings, etc. in place of a traditional sermon. Encourage the use of the physical building by all groups, not just

6 members. A real life example: a very conservative denomination within the boundaries of Prospect Hill in a town of about 275 reformed itself from a little white church about to close to a complex covering a square block and an active membership of with members coming from 20 miles away. What did they do? Mostly they removed all possible barriers so that all felt welcome. Part of the complex includes a gym open to the community every day and used by all ages. A praise band infuses the church with positive energy and a feeling of acceptance and welcome abounds. The Sunday I visited worshipers came in dress clothes, shorts and flip-flops, one even in pj bottoms and a t-shirt. Several brought their water bottles and covered coffee cups into worship and no one blinked an eye. During the announcements a video was shown of a fundraiser held the day before a Cinderella softball game where the men of the church dressed up in prom dresses and played softball. Over $15,000 was raised that afternoon for four families with infants in ICU. Talk about getting out of one s comfort zone! Was the process easy? According to my uncle no. Were some members lost? Yes. Did all things attempted work? No. Some were dropped and some were just tweaked a little. The point is they stepped out in faith, followed an unknown path led by God through the Holy Spirit and are changing the lives of many. I challenge you to seek ways to reform yourself and your congregation to serve the greater community, embracing the power of the Holy Spirit and following the example of Jesus to do something different, even in the face of social criticism, to spread the gospel and love of God to all you encounter. God s blessings upon each of you. Lue Baker, 2017 Moderator Presbytery of Prospect Hill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Come to Vacation Bible School June am - Noon 3 year olds going into 5th grade Westminster Presbyterian Church 1301 Kimball Ave, Waterloo Call to register by 6/9 Registration forms available on line at

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8 Seeking a Campus Ministry Intern Collegiate Presbyterian Church, Ames IA Position Description Summary: Engage students of Iowa State University to be involved in the life and ministry of the Vine student group of Collegiate Presbyterian Church collaborating with both student and congregational leaders in continuing development, implementation and evaluation of the campus ministry. Position Description available at istry_intern pdf Salary: Based on skills and experience with preference given to students or graduates of seminaries in the Reformed Christian tradition. Employment Contract: Mid-July, 2017 thru May 2018 Please send resumes to: campusministryintern@cpcames.org

9 POSITION DESCRIPTION CAMPUS MINISTRY INTERN Collegiate Presbyterian Church, Ames IA (Approved ) Reports to: Status: FLSA: Head of Staff Full Time Non-Exempt Purpose: To support the mission and vision of CPC by providing pastoral leadership in the ministry of undergraduate and graduate students at ISU/DMACC who worship at CPC to nurture their faith, witness and life. Essential Functions: Work with the Campus Ministry Committee to develop, implement and evaluate the program for students. Engage prospective and current students to be involved in the life and ministry of The Vine student group. Serve as member of the staff team in support of CPC s mission and vision. Other Responsibilities: Provide pastoral care for students in consultation with the Head of Staff Provide worship leadership as scheduled as part of the worship team Other responsibilities assigned by the Head of Staff Minimum Qualifications: College graduate Preferred experience working with youth or young adults Preferred seminary student and member of a church in the Reformed Christian tradition Physical Requirements: Able to move in and out of different small group settings (home, church, businesses) Able to speak in public forum Core Competencies: Integrity and Trust: Seen as trustworthy by others; practices direct, honest and transparent communication; admits mistakes; responds to situations with reliability. Interpersonal Skills: Establishes good working relationships with all others who are relevant to the completion of work; works well with people at all levels of the congregation; builds appropriate rapport; considers the impact of his/her actions on others; uses diplomacy and tact; is approachable; avoids communication triangles. Mission Ownership: Demonstrates understanding and full support of the mission, vision, values and beliefs of the congregation; can demonstrate those values to others; consistently behaves in a manner congruent with the mission, vision, values and beliefs. Spiritual Maturity: Shows strong personal depth and spiritual grounding; demonstrates integrity with words and actions; is seen by others as trustworthy and authentic; nurtures a rich spiritual life; seeks the wisdom and guidance of appropriate mentors; is able to articulate a clear and consistent Reformed theology.

10 Please Join Us for Our Snowflake Supper Monday, June 19, 2017 First Christian Church, Sac City 7:00 p.m. Cost: $7.00 The speaker will be Pam Wilson of Altoona, Iowa. By sharing snowflake facts, she will help us discover our unique potential. Special Feature: Newell, Iowa Kaden s Closet out of For reservations call: Cathy Staton Micki Quail Lavern Kraft ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Enjoy these pictures from the All-Iowa Presbyterians Event held in Ames June 2-3, 2017 Practice session of the All-Iowa Choir, directed by Sue Feltman and accompanied by Rev. Kerry Carson on the piano. All-Iowa Choir The All-Iowa Choir s performance was magnificent and very moving. Rev. Christine Kaplunas also accompanied the All-Iowa Choir.

11 Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, gave very motivational messages Friday evening and Saturday morning. Holy Communion was celebrated at the Saturday morning worship service. We were honored to also have Jan Edmiston, Co-Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) speak at the event.

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18 Synod of Lakes and Prairies Racial Ethnic Student Preparation for Leadership Scholarship Fund The Racial Ethnic Scholarship Fund is an educational assistance program designed to encourage Racial Ethnic students in their preparation for service in the Presbyterian Church USA. Funds for this program are provided by the Committee on Racial Ethnic Ministry. Applicants must be: 1. Racial Ethnic students whose permanent residence is within the bounds of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. 2. Active member in a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA). 3. Enrolled at least half-time and in good academic standing. 4. Making progress toward a degree. 5. Able to demonstrate financial need. Applicants will be evaluated and awards selected on the basis of information supplied on this form and the pastor s and teacher s recommendations. Students must be able to demonstrate their preparation for service as a church professional or community leadership role. Winning consideration will focus on personal qualities reflected in school, church and community activities, and academic achievement. If you are interested in this scholarship program, all necessary admissions and financial aid forms for the school to which you are a current student must be completed. It is your responsible to be sure that all forms, including the required transcript, financial aid statement and letters of recommendation are submitted to our committee by the deadline with your scholarship application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. It is the applicant s responsibility to return a completed application. All applicants will be notified by the committee if they have been chosen as a finalist or not. The scholarship awards may only be used toward educational costs and will be paid directly to the school. The grant is a supplement to any other financial aid received by the student and becomes a part of the total financial aid package. Please direct your questions to: Committee on Racial Ethnic Ministry Synod of Lakes and Prairies 2115 Cliff Drive Eagan, MN Phone: , x204 or x 202 Fax: mkes@lakesandprairies.org Deadline: September 30, 2017 The Scholarships are made available through funds provided by the Committee on Racial Ethnic Ministry, Synod of Lakes and Prairies, Presbyterian Church (USA). If you would like a copy of the application packet, please contact Jeannie in the Presbytery Office at or northiowapresby@gmail.com.

19 WHAT S HAPPENING AT LAKESHORE CENTER? A BIG round of applause to Rev. Loren Shellabarger, Kevin Benson, Red Frankl and the good folks of First Presbyterian in Irvington for our new campfire swing. I hope you can picture the faces of all the people who will enjoy a campfire while gently swinging. The conversations that will happen in this circle may be life changing! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Come, spend some time with us this summer, and enjoy this wonderful addition to the sacred place known as Lakeshore Center at Okoboji.

20 CAPITAL CAMPAIGN UPDATE You may or may not know that Lakeshore Center is currently in the midst of our Capital Campaign, Creating Possibilities. Our Ministry Board has set the goal of $1.2 million. We hope to reach this by the end of Many have already pledged or given to this campaign and we have seen many benefits from this. We have expanded our staff to include a full time program director (Harry Gabe) and a full time kitchen manager/maintenance assistant (Jean Reed). We have created a parking lot near the Lodge for additional guest parking. We have paid a considerable amount on our mortgage note, making our debt more manageable. This week, we are beginning the project of replacing our entrance to the Chapel, which is in desperate need of repair. Our handicap-accessible ramp has settled and has created a three-inch step making it difficult for some guests to enter this building. Support from this campaign is making this improvement possible. We will also be replacing the roof on the lower portion of the Canteen Building (old dining hall). This has been leaking for a couple of years and has needed repair. Thank you to those who have given to make this possible. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you (us) will bring it to completion. Philippians 1:6. We are less than $400,000 from our goal. We ask for your help in the following ways. First please pray regularly for the ministry of Lakeshore Center and for success in this challenging goal. Second please invite your church to participate in prayer and financial support; we will gladly provide promotional material and even a presentation from me or one of our Ministry Board members. Third please inform us of anyone who may be inclined to give to this campaign by contacting me at or by director@lakeshorecenteratokoboji.org. And finally, consider a gift to help us achieve this goal. Lakeshore Center at Okoboji provides a sacred place and invites all to experience the life-changing love of Christ in the beauty of God s creation. This is our mission. Please join us in striving every day to fulfill it. Blessings, Beth Ehlers Executive Director Lakeshore Center at Okoboji 1864 Highway 86 Milford, IA director@lakeshorecenteratokoboji.org

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24 If you are interested in Pastoral Coaching Assistance, contact Gary Eller at

25 Apply for the Educational Debt Relief Grant Apply for the Marilyn A. Jackson Grant Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation 7101 Mercy Road, Suite 216 Omaha, Nebraska (888) EnJOYing God s Presence

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27 If you or your church has anything to be included in the E-News, please submit it to Jeannie in the Presbytery Office by ing it to If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving this communication, please Jeannie or call her at Please consider making copies of this E-news for your Session and also running several copies to make available to your congregation on your information table. UPCOMING EVENTS TO ATTEND WITHIN THE PCUSA BIG TENT July 6-8, 2017 Be inspired - Become equipped - Get connected St Louis, MO, Washington University presbyterianmission.org/big tent