PRESBYTERY CONNECTION

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1 PRESBYTERY CONNECTION A Bi-Weekly Newsletter of the Presbyteries of North Central Iowa and Prospect Hill April 4, 2019 To see North Central Iowa s calendar of events, please click here. The Presbytery Connection is a bi-weekly joint newsletter for the Presbyteries of North Central Iowa and Prospect Hill. If you would like to contribute to the Presbytery Connection, please contact Jeannie Stolee in the Presbytery office at or northiowapresby@gmail.com To see Prospect Hill s calendar of events, please click here. Presbytery Connection Deadline The next issue of the Presbytery Connection will go out on Thursday, April 18. If you or your church have something to be included in the Presbytery Connection, the deadline is 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17, If you know of someone who would enjoy receiving this communication, please or call Jeannie. Please consider making copies of this newsletter for your Session and running several copies to make available to your congregation. Presbytery Office Closed The Presbytery Office will be closed on Friday, April 19, 2019, in observance of Good Friday. At North Central Iowa s March 5 Presbytery meeting videos were shown concerning the Presbyteries of North Central Iowa, Prospect Hill and Des Moines partnering and sharing staffing and resources. These videos will be shared at Prospect Hill s upcoming April 6 Presbytery meeting. The videos can also be viewed by clicking here. ~ 1 ~

2 Prayers of the Presbytery of North Central Iowa Week of April 7 Week of April 14 Week of April 21 Week of April 28 Week of May 5 First Presbyterian Church, Marshalltown Rev. Dr. Rich King First Presbyterian Church, Algona, and First Presbyterian Church, Irvington Rev. Sara Hill, Moderator First Presbyterian Church, Waterloo Rev. Amy Wiles Rev. Pat Geadelmann, Associate United Presbyterian Church, Garner CP Justin Asche Pray for the Ministers in North Central Iowa who are active in Specialized Ministry: Rev. Barb Huisman Rev. Dr. Linda Smith Rev. Kerin Lang Sorensen Rev. Tamara EnTin Prayers of the Presbytery of Prospect Hill Week of April 7 Week of April 14 Week of April 21 Week of April 28 Week of May 5 Associated Church of Hawarden, Hawarden Rev. Erma Wolf Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ida Grove CP Shari O Bannon Wheatland Presbyterian Church, Breda Rev. Richard Francis, Moderator First Presbyterian Church, Sanborn Rev. Gregg Johnson Zoar Presbyterian Church, George Rev. John Pea Additional Prayer Concerns Please keep Rev. Bruce Baillie in your prayers. Bruce was recently diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, which is an autoimmune disorder that is treatable but not curable. Bruce gives thanks that his symptoms are improving. Doug O'Bannon, son of CP Shari O'Bannon, had his tests but will not be having a liver transplant at this time. They are going to try other measures. Please continue to remember Doug in your prayers, along with his daughter Chloe and Shari. Churches and Pastors in Transition The following churches and pastors are in transition: Presbytery of Prospect Hill Wheatland Presbyterian Church, Breda Elliott Creek Presbyterian Church, Bronson First Presbyterian Church, Glidden Community Presbyterian Church, Lawton Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Storm Lake First Presbyterian Church, South Sioux City Presbytery of North Central Iowa First Presbyterian Church, Algona/Irvington Greater Greene County Presbyterian Ministries First Presbyterian Church, Grundy Center First Presbyterian Church, Reinbeck ~ 2 ~

3 Our sympathy is extended to the family of Rev. Dr. Steven Harberts, who passed away on April 1, A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 5, 2019, at First Presbyterian Church, 208 W. State Street, Jefferson, Iowa. The family will greet friends following the service at the church. A private family burial will take place at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Greene County, Iowa. The full obituary may be read here. Condolences may be sent to: Denise Harberts 600 West Park St. Jefferson, IA Sac City After 5 Sac City After 5 invites you to their Would You Like Fries With That supper on Monday, April 15, 2019, at 7:00 p.m., at First Christian Church, 521 Park Ave., Sac City, Iowa. The speaker will be Joyce Poggensee of Harlan, Iowa: from menus to crucial choices. The Special Feature will be Sue Peyton of Sac City talking about the Quilt Fair. For reservations please call: Cathy Staton ~ Lavern Kraft ~ Micki Quail ~ ~ 3 ~

4 Christ in the Passover Jesus Last Supper was actually a Jewish Passover. Eli Birnbaum of Jews for Jesus will recreate the traditional Passover service and explain how it foreshadowed Jesus death and resurrection in a presentation called Christ in the Passover at First Presbyterian Church, 101 S. Center Street, Marshalltown, Iowa, on Sunday, April 7, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. Eli Birnbaum will set a table with items traditionally used at the Passover meal and detail their spiritual significance. He will also explain the connection between the events of the first Passover in Egypt and the redemption that Jesus accomplished, as well as the deep bond between the ancient Passover feast and the Christian communion celebration today. Jews for Jesus has presented Christ in the Passover at over 38,000 churches. It has been enthusiastically received by Christians who appreciate learning more about the Jewish backgrounds of their faith. Moishe Rosen, who founded Jews for Jesus in 1973, has also cowritten the book, Christ in the Passover, with his wife, Ceil. This seminal work includes a look at Passover in ancient times and how it is practiced today. It will be available after the presentation. Also available will be a DVD of the Christ in the Passover presentation with David Brickner, the executive director of Jews for Jesus, officiating. Brickner, a fifth-generation Jewish believer in Jesus, succeeded Rosen as Executive Director in Brickner has kept Jews for Jesus on the cutting edge as the ministry has expanded and established branches in eleven countries, including the United States, Brazil, Israel, Russia, France, and South Africa. We exist to make the Messiahship of Jesus an unavoidable issue to our Jewish people worldwide, Brickner states. There are still a few who haven t heard of us! Eli Birnbaum will be happy to answer any questions after the presentation. Call or visit for more information. There is no admission charge. Thoughts of Rev. David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, Presbytery of North Central Iowa Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Why are we so hard on the younger sibling? I preached on the gospel reading for last Sunday the parable of the prodigal son or the parable of the loving father. I concluded with the question why are we so hard on the younger sibling? The parable makes it clear that God stands on the edge of town scanning the horizon, arms extended, waiting for the wayward one. The resounding word in Luke 15 is There s more joy in heaven over one sinner s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue (v. 7); Count on it that s the kind of party God s angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God (v. 10);... we had to celebrate. ~ 4 ~

5 The brother of yours was dead, and he s alive! He was lost and he s found! (v. 32 THE MESSAGE). Why are we so hard on the younger sibling? There is the older brother. Whenever I preach on this text, I point out the Greek word presbuteros (older) from which we derive our name, Presbyterians. We choose elders to lead the church. I have fun with it. It is the Presbyterian, who has been at home doing all the responsible things, yet she does not understand the depth of God s love for the faithful ones or the wayward ones. I was at a gathering, this was not a church gathering, which is hard to believe in my life. The conversation turned harsh. There was little understanding or grace in the room for one who: can t get her life together financially, the poor struggles with addiction has lost his way has not pulled himself up by the bootstraps. I would guess many in the room are in church every Sunday. At least every three years this parable resounds, and there are many other biblical stories which proclaim the same message. Still we go on beating up on the younger sibling. Perhaps this is why God is putting the church through this time of reconstruction or judgment? There is little room for something new in God s church until we begin to see the wayward younger sibling in God s eyes. With love in Christ, Rev. David Feltman Pastor to the Presbytery Presbytery of North Central Iowa Poor Richard s Almanac by Richard Francis, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Prospect Hill We have a full agenda for our Presbytery meeting this Saturday, April 6 and that s good. It means that things are happening in the Presbytery of Prospect Hill, things that will move us forward in mission and ministry. We will install a new Moderator and Vice-Moderator. We will hear reports from our committees and organizations, including Lakeshore Center. Our partner Presbytery in Lakeshore Center is North Central Iowa, and their Pastor to the Presbytery, Dave Feltman, will give us an update on the campaign to pay off the Center s debt. This will be good news for us, as eliminating the debt will mean that our annual contribution to the Center $22,000 for 2019 will go entirely to operations instead of debt service. If you ve ~ 5 ~

6 ever had a mortgage, you know how much things changed when you paid it off or how much they will change when you do. We will have an update about our search, with the Presbytery of North Central Iowa, for a transitional Presbytery Leader. The search committee has been working hard and is getting close to calling someone who will take us into the next phase of our ministry together. We will also hear from the members of our Presbytery who have been working with the Presbyteries of North Central Iowa and Des Moines on a staffing plan that will enable us to share resources and better serve our congregations and pastors. The substance of the proposal can be found in the minutes of the October 27, 2018 Presbytery meeting, available on the Presbytery web page. Jan Christensen, who has been our point person in our work on Mental Health, will present a breakout session with discussion, and we continue to think together about our common response to the mental health crisis in Iowa. This has been a partnership between all the Iowa Presbyteries and the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, and the General Assembly voted in 2018 to make it a denominational emphasis as well. We will hear from a group who will be asking to form a Presbytery Task Force to help with education in South Sudan. Again, you can read more about it on the Presbytery web page. And we will worship together, receive an offering together, have fellowship around the table at the noon meal, and have a chance to catch up with each other. Presbytery is who we are, and I feel blessed to be a part of it. Blessings, Moderator Musings I wonder if people ever think about how much we are creatures of habit. How many of the things that we regularly do in our lives, we do them pretty much the same way each time. For example, when putting shoes on, I almost always start with the right one. If there is a reason, it escapes me. We live by our rituals. For the most part, they are pretty harmless, just a reflection of who and what we are. The rituals we find in church help us in our faith journeys. No, I am not going to have a sitting in my pew joke here. Our Sacraments are examples of meaningful rituals that we share as a faith community. Just as we use these rituals to hold the church together and make us feel comfortable, here in the Midwest we also use another ritual of using weather as a conversation starter because we are comfortable with discussing it. The weather has certainly been a topic of conversation with blizzards, heavy rains, rapid melting, bad roads, and a general mess across the Upper Midwest. It is painful to see what has happened ~ 6 ~

7 to our neighbors to the west, Nebraska, and also to the southwestern corner of Iowa. The damage is incredible. For many, the damage will be life-changing. Many ranchers have lost years of work and many farmers may find it impossible to farm their land this year because of the remnants of the flood. For many townspeople, rebuilding their homes and businesses will be a challenge. Infrastructure such as roads, water treatment plants, and sewage plants will take time to be rebuilt. It has been an incredible disaster. The number of reports of road closings across Iowa due to flooding in March on the Iowa DOT511 website has been unprecedented, and they were from all around the state. It has been March Madness. Remember that the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance can and will help in this disaster. Another type of March Madness is the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Things did not go as well as hoped for Iowa State and Iowa, but they both had fine years. Sports fans are always looking for a serious underdog to make a big run. Some years it happens, and some years it doesn t. Last year, Loyola University made it to the Final 4 and became darlings of the Tournament. Just as each year the basketball scene may have different teams, the Presbytery has had several committee members term out of their respective committee assignments with new members now on these committees. Thanks, with appreciation, to each of you that are no longer on that committee for your service. To the new members on those committees, best wishes. Remember, we are Easter people because He Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! Grace and Peace, Bill Crawford Moderator,, Presbytery of Prospect Hill Registration opens for Pastors School in May at Lakeshore Center It used to be Winter Pastors School; now it s simply Pastors School. And now registration for Pastors School, hosted by the Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation, is open. Pastors School will run May at Lakeshore Center at Okoboji. The Rev. Dr. Ken McFayden will be the main speaker. McFayden serves as academic dean of the Richmond campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary and professor of ministry and leadership development. He teaches courses in the areas of congregational leadership and administration. The schedule for Pastors School is at Schedule. Registration can be completed at Registration. ~ 7 ~

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13 Rebuild Blitz Volunteers Needed The following is from First Presbyterian Church in Marshalltown. Their Evangelism and Missions Committee met with Cassie Nemmers, Marshalltown Outreach Coordinator with Habitat for Humanity, who shared information about the Rebuild Blitz, which will be held April Volunteers can sign up on line at: iowahabitatforhumanity.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/ Volunteers can sign up for full or half-days. Volunteers do not need special skills, but they are welcome! Volunteers will assemble at a central site each day and select a project on a first come-first serve basis. Volunteers must sign up individually but can serve as individuals or with a team. Everyone will return to the central location each day for lunch, which is provided. Hard hats and work gloves will also be provided, and each volunteer will receive a T-shirt. Additional information is included on the following page of this Presbytery Connection. ~ 13 ~

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17 Accepting Apollos Applications, Transcripts and References Tuesday, January 15 through Monday, April 15, 2019 Could you use up to $3000 per semester for up to 3 years? You are eligible for an Apollos Scholarship from Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation if you are... A member of a PC(USA) Congregation Under care within a presbytery as an Inquirer or Candidate Enrolled as a full-time student in the Master of Divinity degree program in one of the 10 Presbyterian seminaries An individual who possesses quality of excellence for ministry CLICK HERE TO APPLY CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO ABOUT APOLLOS SCHOLARSHIPS years of financial aid to seminary students Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation 7101 Mercy Road, Suite 216 Omaha, NE ~ 17 ~

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