P.W. Innovator. See you there? The Gathering Quest Is August 2-5! 2018 Churchwide Gathering of PW in Louisville, Kentucky. Highlights In This Issue:

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "P.W. Innovator. See you there? The Gathering Quest Is August 2-5! 2018 Churchwide Gathering of PW in Louisville, Kentucky. Highlights In This Issue:"

Michael Pierce
5 years ago
Views:

P.W. Innovator Volume 146 Karen Groman, Editor 2nd Quarter 2018 Highlights

photos! PWs In The News Calendar of Events Fall Gathering at Camp Gilmont!

2018 Churchwide Gathering of PW in Louisville, Kentucky This is also the

Louisville is often referred to as Derby City, thanks to historic

1 P.W. Innovator Volume 146 Karen Groman, Editor 2nd Quarter 2018 Highlights In This Issue: 2018 Churchwide Gathering A Note from Toni Spring Workshops photos! PWs In The News Calendar of Events Fall Gathering at Camp Gilmont! 1 See you there? The Gathering Quest Is August 2-5! 2018 Churchwide Gathering of PW in Louisville, Kentucky This is also the year that PW celebrates its 30th anniversary! Louisville is often referred to as Derby City, thanks to historic Churchill Downs and the beautiful horse farms that dot central Kentucky. That s why the 2018 mascot for the CWG is Lilly the Filly!

A Note from Toni... Recently I came across an article about quilting in a magazine.

Even some very small towns in rural areas of the state have thriving quilt shops! There are all kinds of quilting retreats and a huge convention in Houston---Houston s International Quilt Festival.

fabric for sale. There are even quilt museums in our glorious state!

sailboats, tumbling blocks, and stars, just to name a few.

2 A Note from Toni... Recently I came across an article about quilting in a magazine. Since the PW groups of Grace Presbytery have been asked to make a square for a quilt, I skimmed over the article quickly while waiting to see the dentist. I learned that quilting is big in Texas! Even some very small towns in rural areas of the state have thriving quilt shops! There are all kinds of quilting retreats and a huge convention in Houston---Houston s International Quilt Festival. Thousands of people attend this annual event which offers over 500 classes and lectures on all things pertaining to quilting, and you may browse through hundreds of booths offering all sorts of fabric for sale. There are even quilt museums in our glorious state! Isabel, a friend at church loaned me several books on quilting and I have enjoyed looking at some of the patterns and types of quilt squares that can be made such as hill and valley, tulips, sailboats, tumbling blocks, and stars, just to name a few. The fabric may be cut into strips, triangles, blocks, circles or any geometric shape which can then be sewn together to become a basket, angel, cross or anything you choose. Selecting harmonizing fabrics is very important. Although it is okay to mix stripes, checks, plaids and various patterns, using the color wheel would be a good idea to make certain the finished squares will be pleasing to the eye. Designing and making a quilt can be very rewarding, I have been told. While looking through Isabel s books, I found myself becoming more and more enthusiastic about learning to quilt. Although at one time I made Easter dresses and back-to-school wardrobes for my two daughters, serious sewing is not something I have done recently. So, perhaps I will be taking up a new hobby in the near future. But first I probably should learn about fat quarters, orphan blocks and rotary cutters! See note below... Something NEW! Save the date! October 19-20, 2018 Special PW Fall Gathering for all women of Grace Presbytery. Called to be one body in Christ. This fall you are invited to a Fall Gathering Mini- Retreat at Gilmont in East Texas. Bring a friend or family member and join us Friday, or come Saturday morning. Together with our speaker, Joanna Kim, Director of Ministry Services with Grace Presbytery, we will enjoy conversations, workshops, worship, and time in God s beautiful creation. Make-a-Square project: We are hoping all PW groups will participate. Ask the quilters in your church to make an 8-inch quilt square (cut size would be 8 and 1/2 inches) that reflects something unique about your church. For example, one church is making a window block to represent a beautiful stained glass window in their sanctuary. Embroider the name and city of your church on the square. Then bring the square to the Fall Gathering Retreat for display. Later the squares will be put together and the completed quilt will be displayed at one of our future meetings. The quilt will be donated to the Single Parent program at P-CHAS (Presbyterian Children s Home and Services). Read more about the Fall Gathering Retreat at Gilmont, October 19-20, in this edition of The Innovator. Please join us for this special event. Don t forget to bring your quilt square! 2

3 Isaiah 58:11-12 The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched plac- First Presbyterian Church Kilgore April 14, 2018 Spring Workshops St Stephens Presbyterian Church Ft. Worth April 28 Spring Workshops 3

Spring Workshop News: We all so enjoyed meeting for our Spring Gathering at St. Stephen PC in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, April 28, 2018.

A special welcome was given by Reverend Fritz Ritsch and a meditation was given by Reverend Elizabeth Pense, who also later taught the introduction to our next Bible Study: God's Promise by Amy

One workshop was a history tour of the Sanctuary, including the stained glass window interpretations and the many needle point religious pillows and banners done by the women in the church.

Lucia Kremzar, the Pan American High School discussion was led by Signe Fredrickson, and the fleece blanket Mission Workshop: Blessing Blankets was directed and taught by Mary Alice Harry, while Meg

4 Spring Workshop News: We all so enjoyed meeting for our Spring Gathering at St. Stephen PC in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, April 28, We started with registration, breakfast casseroles, and muffins in Parish Hall, followed by worship in the Sanctuary. A special welcome was given by Reverend Fritz Ritsch and a meditation was given by Reverend Elizabeth Pense, who also later taught the introduction to our next Bible Study: God's Promise by Amy Poling Sutherlum. An organ recital by the Director of Music, Mitchell Crawford followed worship. One workshop was a history tour of the Sanctuary, including the stained glass window interpretations and the many needle point religious pillows and banners done by the women in the church. Workshops were held for all new officers, and devotion and prayer life was led by Rev. Dr. Lucia Kremzar, the Pan American High School discussion was led by Signe Fredrickson, and the fleece blanket Mission Workshop: Blessing Blankets was directed and taught by Mary Alice Harry, while Meg Garver Hamilton led the Cluster Leaders Workshop. Delicious boxed lunches were served for lunch with tea. We shopped the mission tables, Book Fair and walked the labyrinth during lunch time as well. The weather was perfect and the warm hospitality was invigorating for a wonderful day of learning and fellowship. Repeated attendance at these Gatherings are making so many close friendships across our state! PWs in the News... St Andrew -Denton: PW Circles at St Andrew, met in the Church Parlor to dedicate our 2017 Least Coin Offerings and collect our Birthday Offerings and listen to the Life Story of Lydia Gober's mission to the Bouyoga Village near Masaka, Uganda, Africa. Irma Waring made new Pillow Case dresses for the girls in the Village and Lydia sold enough hand made crafts to send a check for their much needed new GOAT! We had a good time feasting on potato/egg casseroles, fresh fruits, breakfast rolls, nuts and cheese and visiting, as we shopped. We also discussed hosting the Denton Association of Christian Women, bringing food and finding a speaker for the April event. Photos and article submitted by Nancy Merritt Brandimarte Article submitted by Nancy Merritt Brandimarte The deadline for submitting pictures and articles to the PW Innovator for the 3rd Quarter issue is August 1, Submit to: Karen Groman, 2009 Ruidosa Dr., Waco, TX 76712, kgroman@mygrande.net The PW Innovator is online at It is in color and can be read online or printed out for later use. To get your PW Innovator by , notify the editor. The PW Innovator is published four times a year; first week in March, June, September, and December. Deadlines for submission are February 1, May 1, August 1 and November 1. Notify the editor by mail or to remove your name from the mailing list. The newsletter is available by mail, free of charge, to those without access to the Internet. 4

PWs in the News... First Athens had a Brown Bag Lunch on January 26 and enjoyed a musical presentation by Lee Hudson.

They served lunch to attendees at Holy Week services on Tuesday, March 27th. A planned mission project is to assist patrons with costs at a local laundromat.

First Presbyterian - Bonham Has been on the move! A large group of ladies from the church deep cleaned and organized the church kitchen on January 26th. Everything is back in place and labeled.

5 PWs in the News... First Athens had a Brown Bag Lunch on January 26 and enjoyed a musical presentation by Lee Hudson. They learned some facts about brass instruments and were entertained with some musical pieces with accompaniment provided by Jan Capelle. They served lunch to attendees at Holy Week services on Tuesday, March 27th. A planned mission project is to assist patrons with costs at a local laundromat. Some members attended a women s interfaith event at The cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler and heard several ery interesting presentations. First Presbyterian - Bonham Has been on the move! A large group of ladies from the church deep cleaned and organized the church kitchen on January 26th. Everything is back in place and labeled. They also cleaned and organized the linen closet! First Presbyterian Kilgore Presbyterian Women were busy in April. They hosted the First Wednesday Fellowship Night on April 4. Food was provided by the Presbyterian Women Coordinating Team. The program was the Birthday Offering. They also hosted the Spring Workshops for Grace Presbytery on Saturday, April 14. FPC Rockdale hosted the World Day of Prayer, March 2, 2018 at the church 1600 They are a small church in the town of Rockdale, TX, population just under It was our delight to be host and have 8 other community churches join in the presentation of the program. A total of 34 were present and 12 churches represented. The celebration was followed by a serving of a light lunch. Submitted by ~ Annette Griesbach Grace Presbytery Presbyterian Women Coordinating Team: Moderator: Toni Deaton, Vice Moderator of Search: The Rev. Dr. Lucia Kremzar, Interpretation Mission: Charlotte Ray, Vice Moderator of Programs: Bettina Zvanut, Interpretation Bible Study: The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Johnson Pence, Secretary: Mary Alice Harry, Treasurer: Joanne McClendon, Interpretation Resources: Kathy Moriarty, Communications Coordinator: Patty Heeter Historian: Eva C. Riggs Innovator Editor: Karen Groman, Vice Moderator Cluster Leaders: Meg Garver-Hamilton, A Message from the Cluster Group Coordinator PWs like to be on top of what is happening in PW or in the greater World. Help us get the work out about happenings of PW in Grace Presbytery, we need Cluster Leaders in all areas of Grace Presbytery. Contact Meg Garver-Hamilton at or mgarverhamilton@gmail.com with your personal info and get on our mailing list: or snail mail! Share the great news of what your group is doing. YOU can make a difference! World Day of Prayer First Rockdale 5

6 6 News from you Submit articles from your women s group for the Innovator to Editor Karen Groman. Next deadline is August 1! Find us on Facebook! First Kilgore Hosted a PW Birthday Dinner on April 4! Thanks to everyone who helped with and/or attended the Presbyterian Spring Workshops. Our guests appreciated our hospitality. A birthday party at The Willows was held on Wednesday, May 16. The coordinating team for next year was elected at Circle meetings in April. Those elected are Ruth Anne Camp, Moderator; Sarah Camp, Vice-Moderator; Maryanne Harris, Secretary; Elaine Hall, Treasurer; Ouida Smylie, Historian; Sylvia Nelson, Personal Faith and Family; Beverly Russell, Ecumenical Missions and Relations; Linda Sartor, Christian Community Action; and Laurie Thrower, Leadership and Resources. They will be installed in August. PW resources available as a download! From Horizons Bible study resources, Birthday and Thank Offering resources, Mission Pledge resources, and more. Go to: downloads PW Downloadable Resource Catalog is available at the store: new PW-logo items, apparel and gift items, and more Presbyterian Women in the PC(USA) Presbyterian Women of Grace Presbytery F An Optional Way to Make a Quilt Square. (Suggested by Nancy Brandimarte of St. Andrew- Denton) Our newest Project: the Grace Presbytery Quilt was introduced by our Moderator Toni Deaton and Cluster Leader Nancy Brandimarte. All 163 churches in Grace Presbytery are invited to make an 8 inch square BLOCK of something memorable about their church. It can be sewn or printed by a copy machine onto fabric, labeled with your church name and town so that many generations of Grace Presbytery PW's to come can recognize their church at the Fall and Spring Gatherings on the quilt. Once pieced together, the Grace Presbytery Quilt will be brought to each Gathering and hung and displayed for all participants to see and enjoy. If your PW does not have a quilting group or Circle, you can make a copy of a picture of your church or rose window or anything else recognizable about your church on a piece of fabric backed paper (which can be purchased from Jo Ann's Fabric Store in packs of 3 block sheets: -paper-8-1-2inx11in-6-pkg/ html $8.99, can be ordered online). Just put the picture you want on the copier, and it will copy the picture from your church on the FABRIC side of the paper. Use a permanent pen or sew your church name and town onto the BLOCK, then BRING your BLOCK to the 2018 PW Fall Gathering at Camp Gilmont. Make your 8 inch square block oversize 8 1/2 inches, so we can trim all the blocks to the same size before piecing them together on the quilt. Good Luck! Call or me with any questions you may have about this project. Any materials or representative subject matter or process you might want to use will be accepted as long as it won't run, fade or bleed onto anyone else's work, and it must be able to be dry cleaned and made Scotch Guard spray preservable. THANKS so much! Have fun making and deciding what your church block will represent and look like...see you at the Fall Gathering with your CHURCH QUILT BLOCK. Article submitted by Nancy Merritt Brandimarte

7 Thinking About Starting a New PW Group? By Susan Jackson Dowd Thinking about starting a new PW group? Congratulations! As you may know, Presbyterian Women (PW) does not have members, as such, but participants. Participation in PW is open to all women who choose to be supportive of PW in any way. The PW Manual affirms this: Presbyterian Women intentionally seeks the inclusion of all ages, races, ethnicities and geographic locations so that it reflects the rich diversity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). All women who are members of the [PC(USA)] are considered part of Presbyterian Women (p. 5). You probably also know that PWs are guided by the PW Purpose, which speaks to the mission and ministry of PW, as well as PW s role in the PC(USA). (See PW s website for the Purpose.) PW is connectional, just like the PC(USA). The organization is organized at each level of the church so that it can support the church at each level. Because PW is connectional, a local PW who is moved to start a PW group is encouraged to seek advice and assistance from other Presbyterian women in her congregation, in other congregations, or at other levels of the organization. If you are starting a new PW group, you will want to speak with your PW in the Presbytery moderator or PW in the Synod moderator. patricia.longfellow@pcusa.org to learn who your moderators are. The PW Manual: A Guide for PW Groups offers invaluable and specific guidance and ideas on how to start a PW group (p. 13). It is actually very easy to get started your group can decide how to be PW in your congregation. Groups often begin by using the annual Bible study and/or participating in the Thank or Birthday Offering programs. The manual and other resources are listed below. PW Manual: A Guide for PW Groups; $6 (PWR16120; hard copy) or (PWR16121; download)* PW Manual: Guide for Treasurers; free from Shop (PWR17123)* 2017 PW Overview Power Point presentation information about PC(USA) connections and PW programs (available upon request). Introduction to Presbyterian Women (PW Purpose) brochure free from Shop; PWR16103* Celebration Giving brochure explains PW s giving and funding program. Free; PWR15031* Horizons magazine an excellent source for information, timely features and Bible study support; see presbyterianwomen.org/ horizons Quarterly Newsletter for PW Leadership; patricia.longfellow@pcusa.org to get on the list for the QN as well as PW blasts. Who Ya Gonna Call( staff directory; pdf available on the PW website) PW website women.org (which offers many free downloads. susan.jackson-dowd@pcusa.org with questions or comments. Visit or call to order. ** 7

Presbyterian Women Of Grace Presbytery Innovator c/o Karen Groman, Editor 2009 Ruidoso St. Waco, TX 76712 Save these 2018 dates! July 21 Grace PWCT Meeting St Stephen, Ft.

8 Presbyterian Women Of Grace Presbytery Innovator c/o Karen Groman, Editor 2009 Ruidoso St. Waco, TX Save these 2018 dates! July 21 Grace PWCT Meeting St Stephen, Ft. Worth August 1 Innovator deadline for submitting articles 2-5: Churchwide Gathering of PW in Louisville, KY Arise, shine, your light has come! October 6 Presbytery meeting at first Longview Grace Presbytery PW Gathering at Camp Gilmont Looking ahead: 2019 July: Synod of the Sun (SOS) Gathering at First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa Oklahoma Important reminder: When taking or submitting photos for Innovator articles, please remember while selfies are nice, newsworthy photos show action. They are not static. So unless the portrait shot is of the keynote speaker or other VIP, please limit the posed selfies! Ways to Stay Connected Patty Heeter, Communications Coordinator To find information, stay connected, and up to date you can go to gracepresbytery.org, click on Ministries, then Presbyterian Women. Here you will find links to resources, forms to be submitted, past issues of the PW Innovator and upcoming events. Our Grace Presbytery PW Facebook page that can be found by logging into your Facebook account and searching for "Presbyterian Women of Grace Presbytery". Feel free to invite all of your PW friends to join and post pictures and information about what your local group is doing. We will also use this page to post reminders about upcoming events. 8

P.W. Innovator. FIRST PC - KILGORE April 14 th ST. STEPHEN PC - Fort Worth April 28 th

P.W. Innovator. FIRST PC - KILGORE April 14 th ST. STEPHEN PC - Fort Worth April 28 th P.W. Innovator Presbyterian Women in Grace Presbytery Volume 145 Karen Groman, Editor 1st Quarter 2018 Highlights In This Issue: Spring Workshops PWs In The News 2018 Churchwide Gathering A Note from Toni