November 9, If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving this communication, please or call Jeannie.

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1 November 9, 2017 The 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 Donn Martens, Financial Director 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. Page 1

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3 Novembe r 2017 Presbytery of North Central Iowa November, 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2CPs, First Pres., Ackley, Noon 3 4 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 5Stated Presbytery Mtg., First Pres., Conrad 3:00 6VMI, John Calvin Room 2: Ruling COM, First Pres., MM West & East 10:00 19 Ackley, 20 5: Lakeshore Ctr Cluster in Grundy Ctr. Bethany Pres. 11:30 17Lakeshore Ctr. Bd. Of Dir., 11:00 24Presbytery Office Closed Elder Cohort 9:30-2: Presbytery Office Closed Page 3

4 Presbytery of North Central Iowa December, 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat All Iowa Task Force, Northminster, Ames 9:30 5VMI, John Calvin Room 3:00 6 7Ames Cluster, Mandarin, 12:30 Council, First Pres., Ackley 5: COM, First Pres., Ackley 5: Cluster in Grundy Ctr., Bethany Pres. 11: Presbytery Office Closed 31 Page 4

5 Presbytery of Prospect Hill November, 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat COM, Lakeside Pres., Storm Lake 10: Lakeshore Ctr. Bd. Of Dir., Lakeshore Ctr. 11: Presbytery Office Closed Presbytery Office Closed Page 5

6 Presbytery of Prospect Hill December, 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat All Iowa Task Force, Northminster, Ames 9: COM, Lakeside Pres., Storm Lake 10: Presbytery Office Closed 31 Page 6

7 Prayers of the Presbytery of North Central Iowa Week of Nov. 12 McCallsburg Presbyterian Church, McCallsburg Rev. Tom Poppe Week of Nov. 19 Week of Nov. 26 Week of Dec. 3 Week of Dec. 10 Amity Presbyterian Church, Reinbeck Darryl Widmayer, CP Burt Presbyterian Church, Burt, and First Presbyterian Church, Woden Rev. Dr. S. Glenn Wilson East Friesland Presbyterian Church, Ackley Lynn Arends, CP St. Paul s Presbyterian Church, Washburn Rev. Dr. Clemens Bartollas, Mod. Week of Dec. 17 For those Elders and Pastors who have gone before us in 2017 Prayers of the Presbytery off Prospect Hill Week of Nov. 12 The honorably retired pastors in the Presbytery of Prospect Hill: Rev. Clarence Beard, Rev. Peg Brinck, Rev. Marshall Brown, Rev. Donald Gibson, Rev. Donald Johnson, Rev. Dale Lint, Rev. John McKinley, Rev. Marvin Miller, Rev. William Moore, Rev. Stephen Saville, Rev. Howard Stepanek, Rev. Robert Tollefson, Rev. B.J. Ukena, Rev. Rex Wentzel, Rev. Ken Fells (serving as Moderator of Lakeside Pres. Church, Storm Lake), Rev. Duane Queen (serving as Moderator of First Pres. Church, Alta), Rev. Richard Francis (Stated Clerk, serving as Moderator of Wheatland Pres. Church in Breda) Week of Nov. 19 Week of Nov. 26 Week of Dec. 3 Pastors Serving in Validated Ministries Outside a Congregation: Rev. Ken Messner, Chaplain at Buena Vista University Rev. Cambria Kaltwasser, Ass t. Professor at Northwestern College Pastors who serve as Members-at-Large: Rev. Molly Dowell-Baum Rev. Donna Gray Rev. Charles Valenti-Hein Pray for the Presbytery staff Page 7

8 Additional Prayer Concerns Kathy and Richard Francis thank everyone for their prayers for Kathy. After a stay in the hospital in Carroll she is home and doing much better, with outpatient surgery scheduled for the end of this month. Please pray for churches around both Presbyteries who are in the process of filling leadership roles. Please pray for those who are dealing with metal illness and for those struggling to provide mental health care with inadequate resources. Page 8

9 Churches and Pastors in Transition The following churches are in transition: Presbytery of North Central Iowa Collegiate Presbyterian Church, Ames First Presbyterian Church, Ackley First Presbyterian Church, Albion First Presbyterian Church, Grundy Center First Presbyterian Church, Reinbeck Presbytery of Prospect Hill First Presbyterian Church, Alton Wheatland Presbyterian Church, Breda Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, Carnarvon First Presbyterian Church, Cleghorn First Presbyterian Church, South Sioux City Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Storm Lake Trinity Presbyterian Church, Wall Lake Please pray for Rev. John Pea and the Congregations of Zoar and Ebenezer Presbyterian Churches in George as they begin their ministry together. John was ordained at on November 5 and will be installed at Ebenezer Presbyterian Church on November 19. Please pray for CP Lue Baker and the congregations of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Carnarvon and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Wall Lake as they begin their new ministry together. Lue was Commissioned to serve these congregations at the October 28 Presbytery meeting. Page 9

10 Rev. John Pea was ordained on Sunday, November 5, 2017, at First Presbyterian Church in Manning. Congratulations! Back row, l to r: Rev. Richard Francis, Rev. Kevin Freese, Rev. Marshall Brown, Rev. Dale Lint, Ruling Elder Russ Stribe Second row, l to r: Rev. Brian Camara, Rev. Tim Harmon, Ruling Elder Gladys Schmidt, Moderator and Commissioned Pastor Lue Baker Front row, l to r: Ruling Elder Rebecca Brown, Ruling Elder Kim Fara (John s wife), Rev. John Pea, Ruling Elder Bonnie Schmidt, Rev. Nancy Anderson Page 10

11 Everyone is cordially invited to the Installation of Reverend Jennifer Olson. Reverend Olson invites Clergy and Commissioned Lay Pastors to wear red stoles and process for this special occasion. When: Sunday, November 12, 2017 Time: 2:00 p..m. Where: United Presbyterian Church 205 N. 24th Street Denison, Iowa Does your church pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child? If so, Gordon Siebring of the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in George has a deal for you: small wooden cars that you can include in your boxes. There is no charge for the cars, but Gordon would like to be reimbursed for the shipping. If you have questions or would like to talk to Gordon about including a car in your boxes, please call him at Page 11

12 Join us in celebrating the 50 th Wedding Anniversary of Bill and Elaine Crawford Open House from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday November 19, 2017 First Presbyterian Church in Odebolt, Iowa Your presence not presents is requested.. Questions: Contact us at crawfrdb@netins.net, wrc@netins.net, or buchheim@frontier.com Page 12

13 You are invited to the wedding of Rev. Brian Camara and Abigail Stonner! Sunday, December 3, :00 p.m. First Presbyterian Church 309 Idaho Street Glidden, Iowa We would love to have all of our friends from the Presbytery join us on this special day. Page 13

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16 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS Per Capita and Annual Report Forms Per Capita has been set by each Presbytery as follows: Presbytery of North Central Iowa General Assembly $ 7.73 Synod $ 5.40 Presbytery $20.26 Total $33.39 North Central Iowa annual report forms were handed to the churches who had representation at the November 5 Presbytery Meeting. The rest were sent in the mail the week of November 6. Presbytery of Prospect Hill General Assembly $ 7.73 Synod $ 5.40 Presbytery $24.00 Total $37.13 Prospect Hill annual report forms are in the process of being completed and will be mailed in the very near future. It is important that all forms be completed and returned to the Presbytery Office! Page 16

17 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS, continued The Clerk s Annual Questionnaire (CAQ) has been ed to each Clerk of Session in both Presbyteries. This year the questions deal with your church s relationship (if any) with the Belhar Confession (the latest addition to the Book of Confessions), One Great Hour of Sharing, Presbyterian World Mission and several other areas. Each Clerk should plan to spend between 20 and 30 minutes completing the survey. If your Clerk would prefer a paper version of the questionnaire, please let Jeannie in the Presbytery Office know and one will be mailed to you ( or northiowapresby@gmail.com). If you need, you can copy and paste the survey link in your browser: You don t need a password to use it. Research Services would like the survey completed by December 12, If you have questions, please contact Susan Barnett, the Associate for Survey Research in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at susan.barnett@pcusa.org or The Presbytery Office will be closed on Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 for the Thanksgiving Holiday. The Presbytery Office will be closed on Christmas Day, Monday, December 25. Page 17

18 2018 Presbytery Mission Trip February 3 10, 2018 Registration is now Open! We will travel to the Beaumont, Texas area, where we will stay at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Beaumont. The cost is $100 per participant. Participants will also be responsible for lodging and travel to Beaumont and back. There are firm registration limits, so participants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Further details for the trip will be sent to participants and offered at an orientation meeting. To receive a registration form, please contact Jeannie in the Presbytery Office at or northiowapresby@gmail.com. Page 18

19 The Young Adult Volunteer Program is now accepting applications. Encourage young adults you know to apply to a formative year of service and accompaniment. for updates, info and more! Program benefits include a regular stipend, housing, transportation and student-loan repayment options throughout the duration of the service year. For more info, visit the FAQ tab at the top of the YAV homepage. Thanks for helping spread the word! Page 19

20 Saturday Night Arts Program A Saturday Night Arts program will be held Saturday, November 11, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. at Hope United Methodist Church, 2203 S. 3rd Avenue in Marshalltown. Learn what draws area residents together each year to perform Handel s Messiah at an informative program. The program is entitled Getting a Handle on Handel and the Messiah, and will be presented by Janet Collison, who serves as conductor for the upcoming Messiah performance. The program features an exploration of the questions, What makes Handel Cool? and What s special about Messiah? A light-hearted PowerPoint slide presentation, created by Mary Giese, with narration and musical samples, will be included. The November 11 program is designed to be of interest to people of all ages, and is free and open to the public. Information about the upcoming performance of Messiah by the Central Iowa Choral Society, to be presented Sunday, December 3, 2017, will also be shared. This year s performance will be the 65th annual presentation in Marshalltown. Musicians from thirteen area communities will participate in the performance, which will be given at 3:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 202 W. Main Street, Marshalltown, Iowa. Sac City After 5 Please join us for our Precious Memories Supper Speaker: When: Monday, November 13, 2017 Where: Time: First Christian Church, Sac City, Iowa 7:00 p.m. Cost: $7.00 Beverly Swenson of Lincoln, NE, telling us how to hang on to the positive memories and let go of the negative Special Feature: Kathy Powell Schuette of Arcadia, IA featuring Inside & Out Garments Reservations: Cathy Staton Lavern Kraft Micki Quail Page 20

21 Update from Lithuania By Pastor Tom Bower The truth has finally reached me: Nine months of winter. Three months of spring. So they have said. Now it s sleet and wet snow. Soon real snow. So I bundle up! I m learning the ropes, so to speak. About the time I m feeling comfortable, my three months here will be up. Some of the touristy things are very interesting. I visited the Genocide Museum. That was much more than interesting. It took my breath away. After the Nazis annihilated 200,000 Jews in this country, the Soviets came in and got rid of the Lithuanian leader-class: intellectuals, religious leaders, government officials, etc., banishing them to Siberia or to the killing fields. I have not met one family who didn t have a relative involved. I ponder and grieve. These things were done in the 20th century by civilized people. Lord, have mercy. One of the American members of the church here is a professor at a local university. She invited me to a conference hosted at her university on Religion and Culture. I went for a full day. Presentations were in Lithuanian, Russian and English. You might say it was linguistic zoo! The contents of the presentation were stretching, thought provoking, theologically and sociologically challenging. Too much to discuss here. But I share with you the names of some of the presenters schools and universities. These will be names you ve never heard of before, but I m sure you ll want to memorize! Ural Federal University, Russia Masayrk University, Czech Republic Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania Polish Society of Anthropology of Dance, Poland Ivane Javakhishvila Tbilisi State University, Georgia A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature, Russia University Catholique de Louvain, Belgium Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria Razi University, Iran Gumoilev Euroasian National University, Kazakhstan Page 21

22 Meet the Missionaries Ellen Smith and Alan Smith Eastern Europe and Central Asia Based in Berlin, Ellen serves as the regional liaison for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, helping to connect congregations in the United States with partners in the region, especially through church twinning in Russia. Alan focuses on outreach to minority peoples in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the Roma people. Alan and Ellen work to develop long-term relationships across the boundaries of history, language, culture and denomination. Congregations with which they work often engage in joint projects that include summer camp ministry, orphanage ministry, drug rehabilitation and outreach to families with children who are disabled. Home presbytery: Coastal Carolina E200406, D Rev. Dr. Gary Van Brocklin and Marlene Van Brocklin South Asia As regional liaisons for South Asia, Gary and Marlene connect with global mission partners throughout the region. They help implement strategies that address the three critical global issues of poverty, evangelism and reconciliation. Their work involves schools, clinics and congregations of our partner churches, many of which have roots that reach back to early Presbyterian missionaries. Gary and Marlene are forming relationships with church leaders, accompanying other mission co-workers, and working to sow the seeds of peace and understanding in an area that is not always peaceful. In this setting, they strive to live out the good news of the gospel. Home presbytery: Western North Carolina/New Vision Church, Conover, NC E200365, D Page 22

23 Thoughts of David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, North Central Iowa Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Perhaps I have shared this with you before. My mother died in December 2001 after a 20-year struggle with Multiple Sclerosis, which placed her in a care facility for the last couple years of her life. My mother tended to keep up with the local news before national and world news, she was not engulfed in world events, but she did have a sensitive heart and I wondered, as one who believes body, mind and spirit are closely tied, if, after 9/11 she had just seen enough. And, an infection took her home. We keep being bombarded with the bad news. The shootings in the church in Texas, the massacre in Las Vegas. I cannot stand to watch the news after these events as reporters poke a microphone in the face of a startled neighbor or grieving family member. I fear we are becoming numb. Legislatively we do not come up with any answers to help prevent the next tragedy. Body, mind and spirit closely knit. Could we add community? What happens around us. I have returned to Rachel Naomi Remen s book MY GRANDFATHER S BLESSINGS to supplement my devotional reading. Remen understands body, mind, spirit.community. The back of the book describes her as a cancer physician, story teller, I would add therapist and teacher of other physicians that it is more than science. I quote from her introduction Dr. Remen s grandfather, an Orthodox rabbi and scholar of the Kabbalah, saw life as a web of connection and knew that everyone belonged to him, and that he belonged to everyone. He taught that blessing one another is what fills our emptiness, heals our loneliness, and connects us more deeply to life. I worshipped and brought greetings from the Presbytery to First Presbyterian in Mason City on October 29th. We remembered and thanked God for the life and ministry of Rev. Don Simmonds, who was the pastor there for 25 years, retiring in Don passed away a couple of months ago. The current Pastor of Mason City, Rev. Paul Collier, quoted a piece from one of my E-News articles from years ago. This is always good for extra points. The story is nearly a decade old. I shared in the article how we had lost power on our acreage at 3:30 Page 23

24 Thoughts of David Feltman, continued one morning. Our neighbor felt compelled to call us and tell us we ve lost power. I shuffled back to bed and by 6:30 a.m. when we woke the power was back. If our neighbor hadn t called, we would have slept right through it. That morning I felt compelled to call Mid-American and offer thanks to those workers who reconnected us in the rain, cold and wind. I punched through the maze of technological greetings to surprise a person at Mid-American by saying thank you. As I sat in the pew listening to Paul recall my ancient E-News article, I thought, I was in a better place then than I am now. I was more ready to bless a fellow traveler that day in 2008 than Sunday, October 29, It may have been a part of my decision to return to MY GRANDFATHER S BLESSINGS. It is a challenge to stay spiritually fit. One of the stories Rachel Remen heard from her grandfather is the legend of the Lamed- Vov, In this story God tells us that He will allow the world to continue as long as at any given time there is a minimum of thirty-six good people in the human race. People who are capable of responding to the suffering that is part of the human condition. These thirty-six are called the Lamed-Vov. If at any time, there are fewer than thirty-six such people alive the world will come to an end. (p. 8). May God give us grace and strength to respond to the human suffering of the world. With love in Christ, David Feltman Page 24

25 Poor Richard s Almanac By Richard Francis, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Prospect Hill Why are we called the Presbytery of Prospect Hill? Most Presbyteries have geographical names North Central Iowa, for example or names commemorating heroes of the faith, like John Knox or Giddings-Lovejoy. But we are named for a place, and an event. The place is a bluff in Sioux City overlooking the Missouri River. The event is a prayer meeting held in 1968 when Sheldon Jackson joined two Minister members of the Presbytery of Sioux City, T.H. Cleland and J.C. Elliott, on that bluff to pray that they might win the west for Christ. Sheldon Jackson is a famous name among American Presbyterians, even though his legacy has suffered lately as we have re-examined his evangelistic approach, especially among Native Americans. Nevertheless, the Prospect Hill prayer meeting deserves to be commemorated, if for no other reason than audacity. In 1869 the United States, and the Presbyterian Church, were still recovering from the Civil War, and the West that is, the states and territories west of the Mississippi River was still pretty wild. Furthermore, Sheldon Jackson was a small man whose health was described as delicate and wouldn t seem to be a likely candidate for someone who would head into that wild west armed only with a Bible. In fact, Jackson was turned down for overseas mission work and turned to the Presbyterian Board of Domestic Missions for assignments in Oklahoma (where he contracted malaria) and Minnesota. In the fall of 1868, Jackson left Minnesota for Iowa and offered himself to the Presbytery of Sioux City as an itinerant missionary to western Iowa and the regions beyond. 1 That led to the prayer meeting noted above, and to Sheldon Jackson traveling to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and finally, Alaska. Wherever he went he planted churches and established schools. In 1897, Jackson was elected Moderator of the General Assembly,. In 1913 the Synod of Iowa erected the monument that commemorates that event. The pamphlet, The Story of Prospect Hill notes that the project was approved at a Synod meeting in 1904, but it took eight years to raise the $2,000 necessary to put up the monument. Today the Prospect Hill Monument is owned by the City of Sioux City and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers from the churches of Sioux City and South Sioux City. The idea of winning the west for Christ was pretty audacious in 1869, even in the optimistic atmosphere of the time. But it can serve as a reminder to us today that we can still be audacious for Jesus, and that our business is still winning hearts and minds for Christ beginning with our own. Blessings, 1From the pamphlet, The Story of Prospect Hill Page 25

26 Moderator s Message Grace and Peace! I am the 2018 Moderator for the Presbytery of North Central Iowa. I am looking forward to the challenge of serving in this role! If you don t know me in real life, I am the Associate Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Dodge, a call I ve had since September My husband is also clergy and we serve the same church, which works very well for us. In my free time I enjoy cooking, catching up on my TV shows via hulu, and a good CrossFit workout. I m always behind on laundry. I have a 4 year old and a 5½ year old, so I m fairly well versed in legos, paw patrol and shopkins. For this year I ve chosen the theme of Finding Joy. Dave Feltman is already hard at work creating a good sermon on this theme and he s probably put way his Hope sermon. When I think about finding joy, I think about being intentional and finding the moments of grace in everyday life. This theme has been percolating in my life over the last few years as the verses about joy have leapt off of the pages of the Psalms in my morning devotions, as one of my go-to blogs is entitled Finding Joy, as I read Ann Voskamp s book One Thousand Gifts and led the subsequent study, and as I went to the CREDO conference and discerned that one of my goals was to have more joy in my life. I know that this theme is applicable not only in our individual lives but in our corporate lives as well. Yes, membership numbers are declining. Yes, there s never enough money. Yes, it hurts when people change their membership to another local church in town. Yes, despite this there is joy to be found. At our recent triennial COM visit, our session took time to celebrate what is going well. What a gift to be given the time to find joy in the midst of approving the 2018 budget! Where can we find joy in the life of our churches? Where can we find joy in our Presbytery work? Where can we find joy in committee work? Where can you find joy in your home? Joy is there let s look for it. Joy, Rev. Sara Hill 2018 Moderator, Presbytery of North Central Iowa Page 26

27 The Presbytery of Prospect Hill held its Presbytery Meeting on October 28, 2017, at Lakeshore Center at Okoboji. This page and the next contain some photo highlights of the meeting. Lakeshore Center was a beautiful setting for the Presbytery meeting. Lue Baker, Moderator, presided over the meeting. Rev. Robert Cook gave a mission talk on A Legacy of Light. See further details on that mission in this edition of the E-News. Page 27

28 Photo highlights of Prospect Hill s Presbytery meeting, continued Rev. Dale Lint was honored for his retirement. Rev. Tim Harmon (Lake Park) conducted Rev. John Pea s examination. Rev. Donna Gray, Vice Moderator, commissioned CP Lue Baker to serve at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Carnarvon and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Wall Lake. Page 28

29 The Presbytery of North Central Iowa held its Presbytery Meeting on November 5, 2017, at First Presbyterian Church in Conrad. This page and the next contain some photo highlights of the meeting. Rev. Kerry Carson, Moderator (Conrad) presided over the meeting, assisted by Stated Clerk Rev. Dr. Glenn Wilson (Burt and Woden). Rev. Loren Shellabarger (Kossuth Area Parish) and Rev. Ian McMullen (Maxwell) presented their reports. Rev. David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, gave his report. That report is printed in this edition of the E-news. Page 29

30 Photo highlights of North Central Iowa s Presbytery meeting, continued Rev. Kerry Carson, Moderator (Conrad) installed Rev. Sara Hill (Fort Dodge) as 2018 Moderator and Ruling Elder Judy Klepfer (Cedar Heights Community, Cedar Falls) as 2018 Vice-Moderator of the Presbytery. Rev. Sara Hill (Fort Dodge), 2018 Moderator, received the gavel, stole and cross from Rev. Kerry Carson (Conrad), 2017 Moderator. Laying-on of hands for the 2018 Moderator, Rev. Sara Hill (Fort Dodge) and Vice Moderator, Ruling Elder Judy Klepfer (Cedar Heights Community, Cedar Falls). Page 30

31 Rev. David Feltman s report Presbytery Meeting, November 5, The Annual Mission Trip will be February 3-10, 2018 to Beaumont, TX to aid in the recovery after the Hurricane Harvey limited registration on a first come first served basis. Please register through the Presbytery Office. 2. The Week of Christian Unity begins January 18, I urge all churches in the Presbytery to hold an ecumenical event, Worship, education or service. 3. October 31, 1517 was the date Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. Have you had conversation in your church about the Reformation and the ongoing reformation? 4. The BOOK OF ORDER is available through the Louisville office or on line. 5. The Healthy Living challenge is drawing to a close. 6. Please consider contributing to - The Capital Campaign at Lakeshore Center - Pastor s Education Debt Assistance Program - Macedonian Ministry Cohort Program paying it forward. 7. Applications will soon be available for Pastor s who want to apply for help with education loans. 8. Fourteen churches did not complete their GA reports for 2016, this is the highest number we have ever had. This does not give us a realistic picture of what is happening in our Presbytery. Jeannie Stolee is available to assist your Clerk with this in January. 9. There are items no longer being used in the Presbytery Office which are available for a donation on a table in the registration area 10. We will discontinue the PO box in Waterloo as the year ends. The Lakeshore Center address is THE address for the Presbytery. If you are sending mail directly to me, you can use our home address 9206 Hess Road, Waterloo, Please be sure to note the changes which are happening with the Pastor Cohorts. 12. You can still sign on for the Ruling Elder Cohort. The next one is November 11 th. 13. We celebrate all baptisms and will ask for folks to stand if there has been a baptism since our last Presbytery meeting 14. I have submitted a date for retirement, June 30, I have offered this early, so the presbytery will have adequate time to discern next steps. It is my intention, my prayer, my hope to finish well, to finish strong. What do we need to wrap up while I am still in this position? Is there a new endeavor we should begin? It is a joy to serve with you in ministry. Page 31

32 David Feltman has been cleaning out the Waterloo office and these items are available. If anyone has an interest in anything, please contact Dave or Jeannie. Page 32

33 A Legacy of Light A Mission for Solar Electrification On the Mountainside of Berlin and the Valley Below My first journey to El Salvador was in The objective for the 29-day trip was to learn about Third World poverty. I quickly learned it is a poverty that has a distinct odor and its image, especially of bloated children caused by hunger, became fodder for silent sobs in the night. For 16 days I received hospitality from the residents of the canton (dirt floor home community) El Tablon on the Berlin Mountain in eastern El Salvador. The home where I slept was the only one in the canton with a cement floor. The Civil war that lasted from 1980 to 1992 created a security-minded environment, so at night the door was securely bolted. Flickering flames of candles provided light in the darkness that when blown out amplified the scurry of the rats that made their home in the rafters above. It was an intense dark that made sleep fleeting for fear that one of those rats might fall on me. I thought about the children of the community and stories of those who had been bitten. It was an understatement to say it scared me. It was a moment in time when I promised myself and God that if I ever had an opportunity to bring light to the homes of that mountainside, I would do it. The first 14 days of my El Tablon experience were without a translator. The experience of daily life and the distant sound of war brought poverty near. It became a learning experience that no book, no classroom could teach. A familiarity with the people s lifestyle made me sad, broke my heart and made certain my faith journey would some way include the lives of the poor of that land. I organized yearly delegations to visit El Salvador. Then in 1994 I was invited by the priest of the Parish of St. Joseph to live among them for a year. Then the clincher of my faith journey came with the Priest s invitation for me to live and work with the Parish Team of the Parish of St. Joseph. In 2001 I moved to Berlin, El Salvador to work with the mission that took focus around water projects, education, medical care and agriculture development. The mission, known as Our Sister Parish Mission grew beyond my administrative abilities which led me to retire in The Bishop, with gratitude for the mission I had brought to the people of his diocese, presented me with a Catholic Lay Missionary Card with his seal of office and signature. In June of 2016, with recognition of my missionary card status, I received an invitation from Padre Jose Rameris, the priest at the Parish of St. Joseph, to work on the behalf of the Parish to develop a solar electrification project for the humble homes of the campisino families who farm the steep mountain slopes. Father Candido s invitation reminded me of the promise I made to God and to myself that I would bring light to the homes that had none if I ever had the chance. Twenty-six years later, I had the opportunity on a platter. And so, I accepted his invitation. To date we have installed solar lighting in 65 homes and have 52 current requests. The mission project is named A Legacy of Light. The Team Milagro and Otillia organize the families who need the solar systems installed on their homes. Carlos installs the solar systems and teaches the people proper use and care. I have known all three members of the team since I lived in Berlin for a year in I serve as fundraiser to pay for the systems, labor costs, administration and transportation. Page 33

34 The System The solar systems are purchased in the Capitol of San Salvador. Each one is composed of a ten-watt solar panel and three LED Lights, each charged with a four AA rechargeable battery pack. Each of the lights has the capacity to charge telephone batteries. They can also be easily disconnected from the charge wire and carried as a flash light, which provides considerable savings on the cost of flash light batteries. The dustproof, waterproof, bulb is enclosed with a heavy duty plastic to make it durable and nearly indestructible. The Cost of Each Solar Unit The three LED Lights, batteries, heavy-duty wiring, and Ten Watt Panel has a cost of $175 with a minimum purchase of 45 units. There is a $10 cost for labor of organizing families to receive the light and $10 for installation. Transport of the systems from San Salvador to Berlin costs $100 and local pickup transport to family homes on the mountainside is $45 per day. We allow three days pickup transport for delivery of 50 units. Carlos uses a bicycle for transportation to the homes for installation. Accounting of Donations To ensure proper accounting of donations, we contract with the Center for International Solidarity, CIS, a human service organization in San Salvador. The parent organization for CIS is Los Olivos CIS with an office located in Westmont, IL. The parent organization receives all donations for accounting and sends them to CIS in San Salvador, where checks are written to pay the cost. Receipts are required for each check written. Los Olivos CIS also sends letters to donors to serve as tax deduction declaration. We pay a charge of 5% for the services provided by Los Olivos CIS and the Center for International Solidarity. I have known the director of CIS, Leslie Schuld since beginning their work in Donations may be made to Los Olivos CIS and sent to A Legacy of Light, United Church Westside, 200 Main Street, Westside, IA No donation is too small. 52 Homes Identified to Have Light Installed The current project for A Legacy of Light is to install solar electricity in 52 more homes on the Berlin Mountainside. The budget to complete the project is as follows: $9100 cost of 52 units $1560 organizing and installation Labor costs $ 100 Transport from San Salvador to Berlin $ 135 Pick Up Transport of Solar Systems to homes $10,895 SubTotal $ % Accounting Costs $11, Total I serve the United Church of Westside, Iowa, and United Presbyterian Church of Vail, Iowa. Each of them has voted to include the Solar project in mission support. To date we have installed systems on 65 homes on the Berlin Mountain. Page 34

35 I want you to know and understand A Legacy of Light Solar Electrification Project is a mission of hope for families who have lived their nocturnal existence by the light of candles or kerosene lamps. I know you can imagine the difference light will make on family life. Besides creating a living environment of light with the flip of a switch, it will also allow children and youth to pursue a much-desired education. Every community on the mountainside has a school where morning classes are held. But, in an environment where every hand big or small, strong or frail is needed for most of the afternoon hours to gather wood, cook food, carry water, till the crop fields, and tend to infants, the elderly and the ailing, children hardly get to experience childhood as we know it. Yet they yearn to. And just like you and I, they hope for an education that will transcend tumultuous poverty and ignite the promise for better lives. The demand of their chores puts students in a race with the setting sun. They re typically forced to study as best as they can, often after dark, aided by the kerosene lantern s dim flickering light or even candlelight. Our prayerful request is that each church in the Presbytery of Prospect Hill will consider a $200 donation to support the solar project. Even if only 50 churches donated that amount it would result in a total donation of $10,000. That amount added to the $1,600 fund balance on hand would equal a total of $11,600.00, which would give us a surplus of $ after purchase and installation of the 52 solar system requests we currently have. Imagine the possibilities your mission donation would bring to the lives of the poor! Imagine also how pleased the Spirit of the Living God would be for you to shine light into the darkness of humble homes on the Berlin Mountain in eastern El Salvador. Thank you for hearing our story of hope created by the Legacy of Light Solar Electrification Project to bring illumination to every humble, dirt-floor home on the Berlin Mountain in Eastern El Salvador. Remember, no donation is too small. Please be as generous as you can. Pastor Bob Cook Hermano.robert1@gmail.com For a video on A Legacy of Light mission, please copy and paste the following into your web browser: Page 35

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37 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. Page 37

38 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 Address REGISTRATION DETAILS Sign me up I am committed! Name: 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 Page 38

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