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1 February 15, 2018 The North Iowa Presbyterian E-News is a bi-weekly joint newsletter for the Presbytery of North Central Iowa and the Presbytery of Prospect Hill. If you would like to contribute to the E-News, please contact Jeannie Stolee in the Presbytery office at or northiowapresby@gmail.com Presbytery Staff: Rev. David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, Presbytery of North Central Iowa Rev. Dr. S. Glenn Wilson, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of North Central Iowa Rev. Richard Francis, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Prospect Hill Jeannie Stolee, Administrative Assistant If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving this communication, please or call Jeannie. 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. Normal Presbytery Office hours are Monday through Friday; 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

2 North Central Iowa February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1Council 5:00, First Pres., Ackley 2 3Mission Trip 4Mission Trip 5Mission Trip 6Mission Trip 7Mission Trip 8Mission Trip 9Mission Trip 10Mission Trip 11 12Ames Cluster 12:30, Mandarin 18Men s Retreat, Lakeshore Ctr. VMI 2:30 COM 5:00 Ackley First Cluster in Grundy Ctr. 11:30, Bethany Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed Tom Tewell Event 9:30, Bethany Lutheran, Iowa Falls 22Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 16Lakeshore Ctr. Mission Bd. Mtg. 11:00 Men s Retreat, Lakeshore Ctr. 23Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 17Men s Retreat, Lakeshore Ctr Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 27Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 28 2 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

3 North Central Iowa March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1Pastor/CP Retreat, begins at 3:00 2Pastor/CP Retreat ends at 2: Presbytery Meeting, First Pres., Cedar Falls 11:00 7 8CPM First Pres., Ackley 10: COM First Pres., Ackley 5:00 13Presbyte ry Snow Date 14 15All-Iowa Task Force, Northminster, Ames 10: Cluster in Grundy Ctr., Bethany 11: Spring Begins Good Friday Presbytery Office Closed 31 3 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

4 Prospect Hill February 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Lakeshore Ctr. Mission Bd. Mtg. 11:00 Men s Retreat, Lakeshore Ctr. 17Men s Retreat, Lakeshore Ctr. 18Men s Retreat, Lakeshore Ctr Moderator Team 10:00, Lakeside Pres., Storm Lake Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 22Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 23Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 27Jeannie on vacation Presbytery Office Closed 28 4 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

5 Prospect Hill March 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Session Records Review, Lakeside, Storm Lake 10:00 Training; 11:00 Review All-Iowa Task Force, Northminster, Ames 10: Session Records Review, Westminster, Sioux City 10:00 Training 11:00 Review Spring Begins Session Records Review, Lakeshore Ctr. 10:00 Training 11:00 Review Good Friday Presbytery Office Closed 31 5 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

6 Prayers of the Presbytery of North Central Iowa Week of February 18 Week of February 25 Week of March 4 Week of March 11 Week of March 25 Week of April 1 Week of April 8 United Presbyterian Church, Goldfield Rev. Sara Sutter First Presbyterian Church, Steamboat Rock CP Lynn Arends First Presbyterian Church, State Center Rev. Tom Bower United Presbyterian Church, Traer Rev. Brice Hoyt First Presbyterian Church, Jesup Rev. John White, Interim United Presbyterian Church, Clarion Rev. Bill Kem First Presbyterian Church, Marshalltown Rev. Dr. Rich King Rev. Tom Bower Prayers of the Presbytery of Prospect Hill Week of February 18 Week of February 25 Week of March 4 Week of March 11 Week of March 25 Week of April 1 Week of April 8 First Presbyterian Church, Estherville Rev. David Ullom First Presbyterian Church, Glidden Rev. Brian Camara First Presbyterian Church, Armstrong Rev. Suzanne Wobig United Church of Manilla, Manilla Rev. Vicki Fisher Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, George Rev. John Pea Presbyterian UCC, LeMars Rev. Janis Christensen First Presbyterian Church, Odebolt Bill Crawfor,d, CP 6 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

7 Churches and Pastors in Transition The following churches are in transition: Presbytery of North Central Iowa Collegiate Presbyterian Church, Ames First Presbyterian Church, Grundy Center First Presbyterian Church, Jesup First Presbyterian Church, Reinbeck Presbytery of Prospect Hill First Presbyterian Church, Alton Wheatland Presbyterian Church, Breda Elliott Creek Presbyterian Church, Bronson First Presbyterian Church, Cleghorn Union Church, Lake City Community Presbyterian Church, Lawton First Presbyterian Church, Sac City Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Storm Lake First Presbyterian Church, South Sioux City 7 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

8 Additional Prayer Concerns Please keep CP Wendy Pittman s daughter, Annie, in your prayers. Annie is a freshman in high school and this week had her second ACL knee reconstruction surgery. Please continue to keep Angie Reemtsma, daughter-in-law of Walt and Jan Reemtsma, in your prayers as she is hospitalized in Iowa City. Please keep the family of Anona (Elliott) Boone in your prayers. Anna passed away February 5, Her husband, Frank Elliott, was a former pastor in the Presbytery of Prospect Hill. Frank and Anna were very active in starting Wee Kirk in the Midwest and served churches in the Synod. Jeannie will be on vacation Wednesday, February 21, through Tuesday, February 27. The Presbytery Office will not be staffed during this time. You are welcome send an or call and leave a voice mail, and she will respond to those communications when she returns to the office on February 28. If you need assistance during the time Jeannie is away, please feel free to call: North Central Iowa business: David Feltman Prospect Hill business: Richard Francis North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

9 One Great Hour of Sharing Webinar The Office of Special Offerings is hosting a Webinar to discuss the 2018 One Great Hour of Sharing Offering, its themes and resources, and ways to encourage your church to participate! Wednesday, February 21, at noon (EST) Register here: Ministerial I.D. Cards The Ministerial I.D. cards for both Presbyteries will be available at the next respective Presbytery meetings. If you would like yours sooner than that, please let Jeannie know and she will mail it to you Lenten Concert & Lunch Series Join us Wednesdays at 12:10pm for our Lenten Concerts & Lunches! Each concert will begin with scripture reading and prayer followed by 20 minutes of music. After the concert all are welcome to join us in the Social Hall for a soup luncheon at 12:30. This year will feature the following performers: a February 21: Cara Lockard, Violinist February 28: Dr. Mariko Morita, Organist March 7: Patrick Marchant, Pianist March 14: Megan Grey, Vocalist March 21: Sue Feltman, Organist March 28: Neal & Kristin Petersen, Vocalists Westminster Presbyterian Church / 1301 Kimball Ave / Waterloo, IA / wpcw.org 9 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

10 Presbytery of Prospect Hill Session Records Review It s time for the annual review of Session Records. We will again have three opportunities for Clerks of Session to come together and share in this process. All events will take place on Saturdays: March 10: March 17: March 24: Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Storm Lake (use the door without the steps on E. 3rd St., then the Fireside room is just to the left when you come in the door) Westminster Presbyterian Church, Sioux City (the main entrance is on the north side of the building, around the corner from the parking lot. If someone has mobility issues, there is a ramp on the south side of the building; the fellowship hall is just inside) Lakeshore Center at Okoboji (use the front door of the Lodge) The record reviews will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. and will be done by noon or a little after. In addition, there will be training/orientation for new Clerks of Session beginning at 10:00 a.m. on each of the days. Experienced Clerks are also welcome to attend if you feel the need of a refresher or would like to get caught up on changes in the Book of Order. If you plan to attend the orientation/training, please contact the Presbytery office so we will know how many to expect. We have a new Session Minutes Review form available this year. It has been sent digitally with an to the Clerks. You can also download it from the Presbytery website ( If you need a printed copy, please let Jeannie know and she can send you one (northiowapresby@gmail.com or ). Our goal is to make this process as efficient and effective as possible. If you have questions, please contact me. Richard Francis, Stated Clerk clerk@prospecthillpresby.org North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

11 North Central Iowa Pulpit Supply Reimbursement Ordained Pastor: $150 per service; $100 for each additional service (plus mileage) CP or Student Pastor: $120 per service; $75 for each additional service (plus mileage) For Moderating Session: $75 plus mileage Mileage is to be reimbursed at the current IRS rate (54.5 cents/mile for 2018) Prospect Hill Pulpit Supply Reimbursement Recommended at the September 2008 Presbytery meeting that Pulpit Supply reimbursement for one service be $75 and/or $90 for two services in the same church or yoked churches, plus current IRS mileage rate per round trip mile (54.5 cents/mile for 2018) IRS Mileage Rates 54.5 cents for every mile of business travel driven (up 1 cent from 2017) 18 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes (up 1 cent from 2017) 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations 11 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

12 Prospect Hill 2018 Presbytery Meetings April 14 9:30 a.m. Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ida Grove July 14 9:30 a.m. Faith Presbyterian Church, Sioux City October 6 9:30 a.m. Lakeshore Center at Okoboji North Central Iowa 2018 Presbytery Meetings March 6 11:00 a.m. First Presbyterian Church, Cedar Falls (snow date March 13) June 11 If needed November 4 2:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, Fort Dodge The National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen will conduct their triennial conference at Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, April 23-26, Conference details and registration information can be found at: 12 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

13 Thoughts of Rev. David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, Presbytery of North Central Iowa Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I write this on Ash Wednesday. Tomorrow we will spend time with Rev. Dr. Thomas Tewell considering Spiritual Disciplines. I am convinced a major cause of the state of the current church is the lack of practicing the Spiritual Disciplines. Our pews are empty forgetting that Cooperate Worship is a spiritual discipline; it is not an option if there is nothing better going on. It doesn t matter if the preacher is dreadful, too liberal or too conservative. It doesn t matter if the hymns are a dirge or the singer can t breathe in between lines. There is a chance, God has a chance, every time you are there listening to the scriptures, praying for your neighbors, giving an offering, responding, Here I am. D. Elton Trueblood writes this in the Foreward of Richard Foster s CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE: The greatest problems of our time are not technological, for those we handle fairly well. They are not even political or economic, because the difficulties in these areas, glaring as they may be, (this was written in 1988) are largely derivative. The greatest problems are moral and spiritual, and unless we can make some progress in these realms, we may not even survive. This is how advanced cultures have declined in the past. It is for this reason that I welcome a mature work on the cultivation of the life of the spirit (p. IX). I use the book TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY for my spiritual journey. Here is the meditation for February 14: I must keep a time apart with God every day. Gradually I will be transformed mentally and spiritually. It is not the praying so much as just being in God s presence. The strengthening and curative powers of this I cannot understand, but I can experience them. The poor, sick world would be cured if every day each soul waited before God for the inspiration to live aright. My greatest spiritual growth occurs in the time apart with God (p. February 14). I hope you will be there tomorrow as we ponder worship, prayer, service, study, giving. The liturgy for Ash Wednesday includes this invitation: I invite you, therefore in the name of Christ, To observe a Holy Lent By self-examination and penitence, By prayer and fasting, by works of love And by reading and meditating on the word of God With love in Christ, David Feltman 13 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

14 Moderator s message Grace and Peace! Is it me, or don t you love when things go the way you've planned? Maybe it s because of my personality, but I enjoy knowing what the day will look like. I try to start my day off with a prayer to ask God to interrupt me and guide me as I go about my tasks, but my default is to dislike those interruptions. But aren't there sayings about God working in interruptions? About being open to the work of the Holy Spirit? To that end, I want to be able to find joy in the interruptions. A few weeks ago I was lamenting to my husband that it had been months since our family had enjoyed a quiet Saturday with nothing on the agenda. Between traveling, visitors at our house, and church related events, Saturdays had been very busy since December. We were anticipating a quiet Saturday at home on February 10th. In fact, I was counting down the days! Early on the morning of the 6th, however, my son woke up with a fever. Too sick to go to daycare, and then eventually diagnosed with influenza B, Everett had to stay home for all of that week. A snow storm forced us to all stay put on that Friday and Saturday. I had been hoping for one day at home as a family and I got a solid week. Now, influenza B is no fun. In fact, when the pharmacist filled all 4 prescriptions for Tamiflu she said, Wow, it s not fun at your house right now, is it? [The rest of us were on Tamiflu preemptively.] No, it s not, I said as I smiled and shook my head. Yet on the way home, I smiled and thought, actually, it s a lot of fun at our house. We re taking naps. I m catching up on housework. We re watching Paw Patrol a lot. We re resting. We re enjoying being together. There is so much joy in this interruption of a normally busy week right before Lent. I am grateful that my son s influenza B was mild and that no one else in the house got infected. I am grateful for the sanitize setting on our washing machine and for bleach. I found a lot of joy in this interruption last week. Where can you find joy this week? Blessings on your Lenten season, Rev. Sara Hill, Moderator Presbytery of North Central Iowa 14 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

15 Poor Richard s Almanac by Richard Francis, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Prospect Hill A few days ago my wife Kathy and I went to see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer s Stone at the Civic Center in Des Moines. As fans of the whole Harry Potter series, both the books and the movies, we had seen the film several times, but never like this: while the movie was being shown on the big screen, the Des Moines Symphony was playing the live score. It added a new dimension to the film, at least for me, and I found myself paying closer attention to the music. One other thing I found myself paying closer attention to was the end credits; you know, the part you always skip when you see a movie in the theather and the part you turn off when you re watching a video at home. The part where everyone who was involved in the film from the director down to the people who worked with the animals is listed by name. If one of your kids was listed in the end credits, you d probably watch them; otherwise, probably not. But we watched to the end, because the Symphony was playing the end credits music, all seven minutes and fifty-seven seconds of it. And now I know that Aaron Pfau was the lead animator. Coincidentally, I ve been reading the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles. All those who consider those your favorite books in the Bible, raise your hands! Except for a couple of verses (like the once-famous Prayer of Jabez, 1 Chronicles 4:10) most of us don t pay attention to Chronicles, partly because they cover the same period as the books of Samuel and Kings, and partly because let s admit it they can be pretty boring: Adam, Seth, Enosh; Kenan, Mahalalel, Jaret; Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech; Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The descendant of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. The descendants of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. The descendants of Javan: Elishah, Tarshih, Kittim, and Rodanim. The descendants of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The descendants of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. (1 Chr. 1:1-9 NRS) And so on, and so on, chapter after chapter. Why? Because record-keeping was important to the ancient Hebrews. Because every person was important in the sight of God and deserved to have their names recorded. It doesn t make much difference to me that the sons of Ullam were mighty warriors (1 Chronicles 8:40) but if Ullam was your grandfather, you d want his name on the list. 15 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

16 Poor Richard s Almanac, continued We keep congregational records for similar reasons. Each person who has ever been a member of your church, each person who was baptized in your church, each person who was joined in marriage in your church, each person who serves as a pastor to your church is important, and their names are recorded for that reason. We are surrounded, as the letter to the Hebrews says, by a great cloud of witnesses. (Hebrews 12:1) We may not get much out of the interminable lists of names at the beginning of Chronicles, but we can honor those who thought those names were worth preserving, even as we honor those, forgotten by us but remembered by God, who built our churches and made our current worship and service possible. And while we re on the subject, be sure to thank your Clerk of Session for the work they re doing. Blessings, Correction to Go Fund Me Webpage for Tanzania An incorrect Go Fund Me webpage link was given for the Tanzania fundraising. The correct link is: The Presbytery office will be closed on Good Friday, March North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

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18 Photos from North Central Iowa s Mission Trip to Beaumont, Texas 18 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

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20 223rd General Assembly St. Louis, Missouri June 16 23, North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

21 Meet the Missionaries Rev. Dr. Jonathan Seitz and Dr. Emily Seitz Taiwan Jonathan and Emily serve at Taiwan College and Theological Seminary in Taipei, where they help to prepare leaders for the Taiwanese church. Jonathan is a professor of theology and missiology. Most seminarians in Jonathan s classes will begin their ministries in Taiwan s small, rural churches. Jonathan also teaches lay leaders as part of the seminary s Lay Academy and pastors who return for continuing education. Emily is engaged in ministry through the home. Home presbytery: New Brunswick/Cincinnati E200383, D Burkhard Paetzold Central and Western Europe As a regional liaison for Central and Western Europe, Burkhard focuses much of his ministry on work among the Roma people, one of Europe s most marginalized groups. He facilitates and supports the efforts of mission personnel, church leaders, and community leaders who, while working alongside the Roma people, strive to fully include them in congregations and in society, improve their economic well-being and develop leaders among them. Because of the surge of Syrian, Iraqi, and other refugees moving to Europe, Burkhard has also focused on relief and development work in collaboration with European churches. Home ecclesiastical body: Evangelische Kirche Berlin Schlesische Oberlausitz (EKBO) - Bradenburg, Germany E200392, D North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

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29 A RULING ELDER COHORT FOR NORTH CENTRAL IO- WA PRESBYTERY Participation dream goal, at least one ruling elder from each of our congregations. Participants will sign a covenant promising commitment to the group and placing the dates for the eight sessions on personal calendars. Cost - $100 per participant per year. Dates Saturdays 9:30AM 2 PM October 8, 2016 January 21, 2017 April 29, 2017 July 15, 2017 Location Ackley First Presbyterian October 7, 2017 January 20, 2018 April 28, 2018 June 30, 2018 Led by Dr. Joe Small. Session 1: Origins: Calvin s unified plural ministry in Geneva Session 2: The loss of Calvin s vision and its potential recovery Session 3: Ruling elders as ministers of Word and Sacrament: Baptism Session 4: Ruling Elders as ministers of Word and Sacrament: Lord s Supper Session 5: Ruling Elders as ministers of Word and Sacrament: Proclamation Session 6: Ruling elders as Ministers of Word and Sacrament: Teaching Session 7: Councils of the church: discernment in session and presbytery Session 8: Spiritual disciplines for ruling elders and sessions The goal of the cohort, Ruling Elders who are *Scripturally - Broader and Deeper *Theologically Deeper with a basic understanding of the Book of Order, Confessions and Creeds *Spiritual Formation - Encouraged and resourced in the spiritual disciplines *Leadership - Understanding the role of Ruling Elder, learning how to support pastoral leadership and when to challenge it. *Koinonia - Connecting with other Ruling Elders, sharing best practices and supporting each other. 29 North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

30 Order Commission of the National Council of Churches, and a frequent participant in international ecumenical consultations sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Centre International Reformé. Dr. Small will be in Iowa for Oct. 8, 2016, October 7, 2017 and June 30, 2018, and teach with the aid of technology for the other gatherings. Dr. Small lives in Louisville, Kentucky. The Instructor Dr. Joe Small Dr. Small retired recently from his 22 tenure at the General Assembly Mission Council. Most recently, he served at the Council as Director of Theology, Worship and Education Ministries, where he directed the work of the Office of Theology and Worship, the Office of Theological Education, and Congregational Ministries Publishing. A graduate of Brown University, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Louisville, Theological Seminary. He has served the church in roles ranging from professor to pastor. Dr. Small is the author of To Be Reformed: Living the Tradition (2010), Let Us Reason Together: Christians and Jews in Conversation (2010), Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church (2010), Conversations With the Confessions (2005),Preservation of the Truth (2005), Fire and Wind: The Holy Spirit in the Church Today (2002), Committed Conversation (2000), and God and Ourselves: A Brief Exercise in Reformed Theology (1997), and has written numerous journal articles, study series, and theological papers. He is a core member of "Re-Forming Ministry," co-chair of the international Reformed-Pentecostal Dialogue, board member of the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology, member of the Faith and REGISTRATION DETAILS Sign me up I am committed! Name: Address E Mail address CELL: Church: o $ Check enclosed Make Check payable to: Presbytery of North Central Iowa Return this page along with check payable to: Presbytery of North Central Iowa Lakeshore Center at Okoboji 1864 Hwy. 86 Milford, IA North Iowa Presbyterian E-News

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