The Grapevine CONNECTING THE CONGREGATIONS OF THE PRESBYTERY OF DETROIT March 2018 by the Rev. Dr. Allen D. Timm, Executive Presbyter Craig Van Gelder and Dwight J. Zscheile have made a great contribution about the mission of the church. Their book, Participating in God s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the Church in America (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018), changes the direction of mission. In the words of Gil Rendle, it reverses the mission field. Congregations who plan mission in their neighborhood, start thinking about the needs of their context. Then they evaluate the few resources they have, how they relate to the needs and then plan a mission. Van Gelder and Zscheile ask a different question, essentially, What is the mission of God in our neighborhood and how can we join it? Van Gelder and Zscheile see God as the primary agent of mission. This requires an understanding of the Spirit of God s activity both in the world and in the midst of the diverse and complex human reality known as the church A faithful future will emerge only through drawing deeply from the Bible and Christian tradition, discerning what stories and structures to keep and which ones to leave behind, and then engaging in a plethora of grass-roots experiments in relationships of mutuality with our neighbors (5). Whose Mission is It? After a thorough history and discussion of the changing church in a rapidly changing world, the authors remind us: God is a missionary God. Instead of the church having a mission on God s behalf in the world, God s mission has a church. The church is created and led by the Spirit meaning that the church is missionary by nature (221). God s mission created a world, and through covenant love formed a people to demonstrate God s way of life to the world. God s mission is trinitarian. God created or formed the world in love. God continues to reconcile broken relationships and desires all to live with love and justice. Jesus entered the world as God in the flesh, to share the place of humanity and embody God s reign, reconciling us to God (36). In the communal life of the Trinity we see God s vision for communal life. God s Spirit forms a people and leads them from bondage to freedom. The words Zscheile and Van Gelder use for the mission of the triune God are generative, creative, and redemptive, representing a God who desires a community which reflects the reign of God. But how do we engage the challenge? How do we see and participate in God s mission? If it is God s mission, we need to discern it. So, what is breaking the heart of God? The exploitation of creation, the brokenness of relationships, exploitation, people without the skills to join in God s creativity, God s people without access to food and healthcare. The church is a community of promise that shows the world how it can live in communion, and it has the resources to join God s work in reclaiming creation and community. Jesus invites us to follow him in discipleship as the word becomes flesh through our participation in God s Trinity of selfgiving love. We join God in making his love known to those who don t know it. In short, how can we join God in recreating community through the power of the Spirit? How can we join Christ in casting out demons and healing the broken hearted? Van Gelder and Zscheile offer no easy answers. They say the way to discern what God is leading us to join comes from practices of faithful attention to God s Word, to prayer, to one another, and to our neighbors, so that we can hear the Spirit s leading (273). This discernment is individual, and it is communal. We join God in our neighborhood and at work. We use our individual places of influence and we use the authority and resources of the church. This work joins God in building a just and whole society; we join God in introducing God s kingdom or reign, a different order for human life and community (275). In short, we join God in holistic mission: Being, Doing, and Saying. How we ourselves act and treat others shows the world God s reign. Then we engage in the community and join God in binding up the wounded. Finally, we interpret what God is up to so people identify the reign of God and give their hearts to join God s work. May we join God s mission as we demonstrate the kingdom of heaven to the world! ###
Join us for Advocacy Training Weekend A World Uprooted: Responding to Migrants, Refugees and Displaced People April 20-23, 2018 Washington, D.C. In a time of historically high levels of migration, we see that racism, xenophobia, sexism and religious bigotry are gaining a dangerous foothold in the public arena. Violent conflict, climate change and corruption each foment discord and raise the stakes for vulnerable populations. We believe that God is with the Dreamer, the migrant and the outcast; that God calls us to create places of sanctuary, to offer hospitality to the stranger and to welcome all regardless of faith, race, gender identity or nationality; and that we must break down the dividing walls that separate us, opposing the false narratives spawned of hatred and nativism. Join us April 20 for Compassion Peace and Justice Training Day at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Gather with your fellow Presbyterians as we look at how our church and our partners are confronting white supremacy and nativism while supporting refugee and migrant populations in our country and abroad. In plenaries and workshops we will analyze our current context and offer concrete tools for members and their congregations to address these urgent issues. We will learn how we build a unified public witness of subversive love amidst the abuse and hatred running rampant in our country. After Compassion Peace and Justice Training Day, join the ecumenical community for Ecumenical Advocacy Days, April 20-23. Almost one thousand Christian advocates join us every year for a weekend of workshops, lectures and concrete actions addressing the ills of our nation. The weekend culminates in Lobby Day on Monday, April 23, when we raise our voices in the halls of power for a more just, all-inclusive and equal society. We Celebrate these Clergy Ordination Anniversaries March JOHN BIERSDORF 60 LYNNE KOGEL 25 ADAM GROSCH 10 The Parish Paper Our organization s purchase of photocopy rights for The Parish Paper INCLUDES 1. Permission to provide copies to our staff and the congregations within our constituency in any of the following ways: E-mail, Postal, newspaper, newsletter, meetings, training events, and our Website. 2. Permission for each congregation within our constituency to (a) photocopy or electronically distribute for local use as many copies as it needs, (b) post them on its Website, and (c) quote sentences and paragraphs. Your congregation does NOT have permission (a) to delete the copyright notice on page 2; (b) to re-write, paraphrase, or change the wording of sentences and paragraphs; or (c) to give ANY THIRD PARTY other than your staff and constituents permission to photocopy or reprint (in any quantity, no matter how small, whether for free distribution or for sale). Presbytery of Detroit Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 17575 Hubbell Ave, Detroit, MI 48235 313-345-6550 313-345-7250 (fax) Info@detroitpresbytery.org http://www.detroitpresbytery.org http://www.synodofthecovenant.org http://www.pcusa.org Page 2 The Grapevine March 2018 Staff Executive Presbyter The Rev. Dr. Allen D. Timm, ext. 203 Stated Clerk The Rev. Edward H. Koster, ext. 201 Director of Operations Sandra K. Jensen, ext. 220 Hunger Action Coordinator & Temp. Executive Assistant Diane Agnew, ext. 207 Resource Center Director Kathi Johnson, ext. 215 Accounting Manager Pat McBride, ext. 209 Bookkeeping Clerk Rhonda Barley, ext. 200 Coordinators Hands-on Mission Michael Barconey, 313-903-6609 Transformation of Congregations The Rev. Dr. Richard Brownlee, 419-450-0466 Youth Hands-on Mission Charon Barconey, 313-770-5822
Peace Conference Announced for Metro Detroit The Rotary Club of Detroit, in conjunction with Wayne State University s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, has announced a two-day conference on "Peace in the Streets," addressing the root causes of violence and misunderstanding in our communities. This conference, will take place April 20 th -April 21 st at Wayne State University s Law School (located on W Palmer Ave, Detroit MI 48202) from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. Experts will lead participants through the three dimensions that provoke community violence: Peace in the Hood; Peace in the Home; and Peace in the Schools. The Conference, aimed particularly at a youth and young adult audience, will teach participants a hands-on approach to better understand and manage the roots of unrest, offering constructive and preventive strategies applicable to their own lives. Topics will include but are not limited to: police-community relations and crime prevention; ethnic/racial divides; immigration; domestic & inter-personal violence; familial disputes; combating human trafficking; inter-generational relations; bullying and suicide prevention; gender roles, parenting and anger management. The Conference will feature Hands across the Mile Roads events, demonstrating the desire of unity and cooperation between suburbs and the city of Detroit. Among the featured speakers and presenters during the two days will be: Dr. Carl Taylor of Michigan State University; Pastor Barry Randolph of the Church of the Messiah; Operation Ceasefire youth advocates; the Michigan Peace Team; collaborating police officers from Detroit, Southfield and Dearborn; State of Michigan health and policy innovation specialists; and Rotary Peace Scholars from across the nation. The conference will include Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, known internationally for his courageous peacebuilding across divides, and his inspiring book, I Shall Not Hate. For more information, please contact Frederic Pearson at ab3440@wayne.edu or (313) 577-3453. Conference fees are $30 for adults and $15 for youth. Those interested in attending should visit and register at www.detroitpeaceinthestreets.org. # # # See poster on back.