From Your Pastoral Presbyter...

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1 John Calvin Presbytery P. O. Box 787, Shell Knob, Missouri June 2, 2017 Pastoral Presbyter P. 1 Minute Review P. 1 Prayer List / Joys P. 2 Contact Info/Announcements P. 2 Woodland Great Grace 5K P. 3 Meet Our Pastors P. 4 Presbytery Days P. 4 Mission-Neosho First P. 5 Presbyter Meeting Highlights P. 6 Psalm 104 : 1-3 ( NRSV ) Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. From Your Pastoral Presbyter... Stewardship is often relegated to the fall months of the year as we begin to prepare our budgets for the next year but actually, stewardship is year round. Everything we do has a connection to stewardship. In the summer months, VBS could not be done without the stewardship of time, talents, and treasure. Imagine trying to set up a VBS without any of those things. Another use of stewardship in the summer is camp scholarships. Without generous people and willing children and young adults, camps would not happen. Then there as those churches who have special music during the summer so the choir can take a break. Again, wonderful use of time, talents and treasure. I guess my point is that we should not just talk about stewardship during budget time, but instead mention it all through the year so people can be more aware that stewardship is not just about money, but about being faithful with all our time, talents and treasure. The Rev. Charles Spencer talked to us about stewardship at the May Presbytery meeting and will be doing another presentation on October 21st at Equipping the Saints. I hope everyone gets at least one chance to hear him as he gives us wonderful suggestions as to how we can do stewardship better. Have a wonderful week! Pastor Susan The Annual Minute Review and Clerk Training June 3 at 10 a.m. Pittsburg Presbyterian Church, Pittsburg, Kansas If you are unable to attend please contact Melana Scruggs at melanascruggs@gmail.com to make arrangements to have your books reviewed. PAGE 1

2 Joyful, holy community of Christian believers, diverse yet united. committed to serving Christ in the church and in the world. Prepared by God through the Holy Spirit for mission and ministry. Prayers requested.. The congregations of John Calvin Presbytery For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, that they may know the peace that passes all human understanding in Jesus Christ our Lord. Churches that are seeking a new pastor, to understand God's call moving forward. JCPDA JC Living Waters Mission Team All Pastors of John Calvin Presbytery All who have been affected from flooding Dear Colleagues of JCP, Thank you for an extraordinary adventure while serving in this presbytery. I have been honored and blessed to work with many of you through the COM, as well as in two different congregations. I have been informed and enlightened at Presbytery meetings, and immensely enjoyed the sense of family there. The support of other Transitional/Interim pastors has been important and enriching. I will be serving 1st Presbytery in Charleston, Illinois, and will call Southeast Illinois Presbytery my new home. May you be aware of the grace of God in every moment. Mary E. Wright CONTACT. Pastoral Presbyter, Susan Rosenbaum By cell phone: or by pastoralpresbyter@gmail.com Stated Clerk, Melana Scruggs By cel phone: or by melanascruggs@gmail.com By mail: P.O. Box 46, Crane, Missouri John Calvin Presbytery website is jcpresbytery.com Please send your Shared Mission, Per Capita Apportionment and all special offerings to. John Calvin Presbytery, P.O. Box 787, Shell Knob, MO Please all items, joys, and concerns wishing to be at jcpresbytery@jcpresbytery.com by 12 noon on Wednesdays. PAGE 2

3 The Woodland Heights Presbyterian Church is happy to announce we will host our first 5K race. I have two requests of other churches. We are in need of helpers to be at stations to give out water to the runners and make sure runners stay on the route. If members of your congregation are willing to help, we want to mark your church as a sponsor of the race. If you would like to make sure your congregation is listed as a sponsor, we are asking others for a $50.00 or more donation to help us put on the race. The proceeds of the event will be used for the various mission projects of the church. The other request is to help us promote the race in the community. Thank you for all your help! Matthew Roberts, Pastor PAGE 3

4 I have a great respect for the Presbyterian Church s sense of Connection, Mutual Responsibility and Pastoral Concern for one another. I was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on May 23, 1949, second oldest of six children. I graduated from high school in Poplar Bluff in Our parents were highly committed members of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and we attended faithfully, church school, worship, youth group, vacation bible school and all other church-related activities. I am grateful to my parents for the example they set for us, perhaps it will say something about the kind of home we were raised in that two of my siblings are also ordained ministers. I was ordained to the ministry by the Christian Church (DOC) in Oklahoma on April 30, On January 19, 1974, I was married to my wife Janice, with whom I have shared a wonderful marriage of 43 years. We have been blessed with two sons; Matthew, who is married, lives in southern Arkansas and employed by the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife; and Christopher, also married, lives in Northwest Arkansas and is Director of Finance for JB Hunt Trucking Company in Rogers. We have been blessed with 4 grandchildren. My hobby is model trains while Janice is an avid reader and we both enjoy quilting! I have served as Interim pastor at Trinity Presbyterian in Shell Knob and now serve as part-time pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Aurora. I love the life God has given us, and feel blessed by my marriage, my vocation, and my years in the ministry. PAGE 4

5 Upcoming Presbytery Days.. June 15 at First Presbyterian Church Parsons Kansas July 13 at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church Kimberling City Missouri August 17 at First Presbyterian Church Nevada Missouri We will provide the mandatory boundaries training for persons serving churches in pastoral roles, from 10 a.m. until noon with lunch following. If you are staying for lunch please RSVP by Tuesday before Presbytery Day to: Each participant will be required to read the training manual before attending the training and then participate in case study discussions at the group meeting. The Boundaries Manual is posted on the home page of our web site, jcpresbytery.com. John Calvin Presbytery, We are the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40 Thank you John Calvin Presbytery for the $2000 grant given to us to be used for mission work in our local community. We lovingly looked at the outreach ministries here in Neosho. We had the directors of Help Center and Hope Kitchen come and speak to our congregation about their ministries. We have had a relationship with Care Net and know about their outreach program. It was decided by our session to give to the following ministries. $700 was given to Help Center which is a community food pantry helping families in need. $600 was donated to Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center. Care Net offers a medical exam for new moms, counseling, parenting classes, life skill classes, and pregnancy tips. Moms and dads are invited to use educational resources and earn credits to shop in the baby boutique. $700 was given to Hope Kitchen. Their mission statement says Hope Kitchen is a Christ inspired community effort to feed the hungry. A team of twelve plus of our members are scheduled to serve at Hope Kitchen June 27. As a church we are now more aware of these ministries and what they do. It is our hope that we have ears to hear and eyes to see where we can be more involved as a church and as individuals. We join hearts, hands, and resources in response to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his service, Neosho First Presbyterian Church 215 North High Street Neosho, MO PAGE 5

6 From the Moderator. Presbytery highlights May 18, 2017 Trinity Presbyterian Church, Shell Knob Missouri The 186 th meeting of John Calvin Presbytery was held at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Shell Knob, MO. It was a beautiful day, beautiful church, great people and a meeting that ended a little early. Speaking during morning worship was Rev. Charles Spencer, Executive Presbyter of Heartland Presbytery. He gave a message and educational component on Spirituality and Stewardship. During the business meeting Rev. Chris Miller was examined for membership into the Presbytery and for a call to Trinity Presbyterian Church in Springfield. Chris was welcomed to the Presbytery and supported by his parents and members of the Trinity Church. A Resolution of Thanks to the congregation of Westminster Presbyterian church from the session and congregation of Trinity Presbyterian church PCUSA of Springfield was read. Reverend Ellen Brantley, pastor of Westminster Presbyterian gave a prayer of thanks for those of Trinity PCUSA and pastor Chris Miller. Rev. Kent Hollingsworth was examined for membership in the Presbytery as an honorably retired member. Kent was welcomed back to the Presbytery after a two year absence. It was voted by the body to celebrate the mission and ministry of the Point Lookout Church, Point Lookout, MO and dissolve the church effective June 11, A celebration of the church will be held on June 11, 2017 at Hollister Presbyterian Church at 4:00. A motion was made by the Administrative Ministries Committee to place $800,000 from the sale of property with Community Foundation of the Ozarks. This motion passed. Rich Williams, co-moderator of the Mission and Nurture Committee, announced that the committee is following through with getting an International Peacemaker in the Presbytery this fall. Also the Equipping the Saints workshop will be October 21 at Southminster Presbyterian Church. Ted Scott was elected Moderator-Elect of COM. Lorraine Whittington reported on the successful meeting of the Synod PW in Branson in April. The new Presbytery labyrinth was on display. This is portable and can be borrowed by any member of Presbytery. Contact Susan Rosenbaum if you would like to use it some time. Thanks to the congregation at Trinity Presbyterian, Shell Knob for being a gracious host and feeding us well. Next meeting is August 7 at United Methodist and Presbyterian Church in Ash Grove, MO. Plan to be there and learn what is going on in the Presbytery. Submitted by Kathy Morriss, Moderator PAGE 6