October 12, 2017 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 319-233-1747 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 email 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. www.presbynciowa.org www.prospecthillpresby.org
Many have given to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) to assist with the serious needs after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Thank you! The following excerpts are taken from a letter received from Rev. Dr. Laurie A. Kraus, Director, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: As the director of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), I m writing to acknowledge that many of you have already responded to PDA in these past several weeks to serious needs in famine-stricken South Sudan and among those ravaged by wind and flood in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. We approached you and your members again as Irma struck a bare ten days later, because these extraordinary catastrophes and the needs they engendered cannot be doled on out a first-come-first-served basis. As Jesus said, the last shall be first. So I thank you for what you and your congregations have already done, and I am asking you to reach even more deeply and do more, for the sake of those who always stand at the end of every line. Many of you are aware that PDA responds through presbyteries and provides both early emergency support and long-term resources, spiritual care, and rebuilding support. Everywhere I travel, Presbyterians and neighbors of other faiths tell me, Thank God for the Presbyterian Church, for the blue shirts! We know you will be with us long after others have left, until our streets and our lives are restored. This is a trust we take seriously and a call we want to help the Church continue to live into. This letter shares some ways your members, your session, and your presbytery can participate in being repairers of the breach and restorers of streets from Barbuda to Beaumont, from Key West to Katy. First: You can continue to GIVE. There are two Designated Relief (DR) Accounts set up to receive donations for Harvey and Irma: US Hurricanes (DR000169) and Atlantic Regional Storms (DR000194). Second: You can ACT. On PDA s website (pcusa.org/pda) you can find out how to plan a work trip to help vulnerable neighbors rebuild their homes, or put together Gift of the Heart cleanup buckets and hygiene kits as a children s or congregational activity. Work teams for long term rebuilding will be needed for several years to come. PDA s Call Center (866-732-6121 or pda.callcenter@pcusa.org) can sign you up and get you on your way to becoming part of our blue-shirt team. Finally: You can PRAY. Pray for those affected, for those responding, for churches in damaged areas and become a light for their neighbors and a sustaining community of Christ, for the unity that transcends differences to work through chaos to restore not just physical needs but also peace among neighbors.
Presbytery of North Central Iowa October 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5Ames Cluster, Mandarin 12:30-1:30 6 7 8 9COM, First Pres., Ackley 5:00-8:00 10 11 12CPM, First Pres., Ackley 10:00-4:00 13A Day with Dr. Thomas Long, Lakeshore Center 9:00-4:00 14Fall Academy Class, Lakeshore Ctr. 15Fall Academy Class, Lakeshore Ctr. 16 17 18 19Cluster in Grundy Ctr., Bethany Pres., 11:30-12:30 Mental Health Mtg. 12:00 20 21Session Records Review, First Pres., Waterloo 9:00-12:00 22 23Macedon ian Ministry Cohort West 10:00-2:00 24 25 26Macedon ian Ministry Cohort East 10:00-2:00 27 28 29 30 31
Presbytery of North Central Iowa November 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5Stated Presbytery Mtg., First Pres., Conrad 3:00 6VMI, John Calvin Room, 2:30-3:30 7 8 9 10 11Ruling Elder Cohort 9:30-2:00 12 13COM, First Pres., Ackley 5:00-8:00 14 15 16MM West & East 10:00 Cluster in Grundy Ctr., Bethany Pres. 11:30 17Lakeshore Center Bd. of Dir., Lakeshore Ctr., 11:00 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Presbytery of Prospect Hill October 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10COM, Ebenezer Pres., George 10:00-12:00 11 12 13A Day with Dr. Thomas Long, Lakeshore Center 9:00-14Fall Academy Class, Lakeshore Ctr. 15Fall Academy Class, Lakeshore Ctr. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24Boundari es Training, Lakeshore Center 10:00 25 26 27 28Stated Presbytery Mtg., Lakeshore Ctr. 9:00 29 30 31
Presbytery of Prospect Hill November 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14COM, Lakeside Pres., Storm Lake 10:00-12:00 15 16 17Lakeshore Center Bd. of Dir., Lakeshore Ctr., 11:00 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Prayers of the Presbytery of North Central Iowa Week of Oct. 15 Grand Ji Vante (formerly Presbyterian Village), Ackley Diane Martin, CLP Chaplain Week of Oct. 22 Week of Oct. 29 Week of Nov. 5 Week of Nov. 12 Week of Nov. 19 Barclay Presbyterian Church, Waterloo Larry Fuson, CLP The Synod of Lakes and Prairies Staff Central Presbyterian Church, Nevada Rev. John Molacek McCallsburg Presbyterian Church, McCallsburg Rev. Tom Poppe Amity Presbyterian Church, Reinbeck Darryl Widmayer, CLP Prayers of the Presbytery off Prospect Hill Week of Oct. 15 Trinity Presbyterian Church, Wall Lake Rev. Richard Francis, Moderator Week of Oct. 22 United Church of Westside Rev. Robert Cook, Stated Supply Week of Oct. 29 The Synod of Lakes and Prairies Staff Week of Nov. 5 Pray for our ministry in the nation Week of Nov. 12 Week of Nov. 19 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 at Lakeside Pres. Church, Storm Lake), Rev. Duane Queen (serving at First Pres. Church, Alta), Rev. Richard Francis (Stated Clerk, serving at Trinity Pres. in Wall Lake, Wheatland Pres. in Breda and Emmanuel Pres. in Carnarvon) 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
Additional Prayer Concerns Please keep the Kesley Presbyterian Church in your prayers as it has voted to dissolve and end its ministry in Kesley. Please keep Rev. Tamara EnTin, who served at Kesley Presbyterian Church, in your prayers. Please pray for Cedar Heights Director of Music, Sue Feltman, and her husband, David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery of North Central Iowa, as they travel to Italy and back. Praise God for good news from Rev. Dr. Glenn Wilson s medical team, who has determined that he does not need to undergo surgery on his carotid artery. 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.
Churches and Pastors in Transition Collegiate Presbyterian Church in Ames is seeking a head of staff. The Pastor Nominating Committee is at work. Our thanks to Rev. Craig Palmer, who is serving as interim. First Presbyterian Church in Albion is in transition after the retirement of CLP Bea Lebuda. First Presbyterian Church in Ackley is searching for a pastor. Please keep the congregation in your prayers. First Presbyterian Churches in Reinbeck and Grundy Center are searching for a pastor. Please keep these congregations in your prayers. Wheatland Presbyterian Church in Breda, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Wall Lake, Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Carnarvon, Lakeside Presbyterian Church in Storm Lake and First Presbyterian Church in South Sioux City are congregations in transition between pastors. Please keep the congregations of these churches in your prayers. Please pray for the Congregations of Zoar and Ebenezer Presbyterian Churches in George and their pastor-elect John Pea. Please pray for the active Administrative Commissions at First Presbyterian Church in Cleghorn and First Presbyterian Church in Alta. Please pray for Rev. Jennifer Olson and United Presbyterian Church of Denison as they begin their new ministry together.
PRESBYTERY OF PROSPECT HILL BOUNDARIES TRAINING Attention all Pastors/CLPs in the Presbytery of Prospect Hill: You are required to keep current on boundaries training by attending one training at least every three years. The COM and the Synod of Lakes and Prairies are offering the following one-day workshop: Date: Tuesday, October 24 Time: 10:00 a.m. Place: Lakeshore Center at Okoboji If you have attended any other training this past year, please make sure a copy of the completion certificate is forwarded to the Presbytery Office. If you have questions, please call Tim Harmon, COM Moderator, at 712-832-0062 or Richard Francis, Stated Clerk, at 712-265-1167. PRESBYTERY OF NORTH CENTRAL IOWA ADDITIONAL SESSION RECORDS REVIEW Attention North Central Iowa Clerks of Session: Because several people were not able to attend either of the September Session Records Reviews, one additional, and final, review has been scheduled: Date: Saturday, October 21 Time; 9:00 a.m. noon Place: First Presbyterian Church 505 Franklin St. Waterloo
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 712-470-1832.
First Presbyterian Church of Lake Park will be celebrating 125 years of Prairie sown faith on October 15, 2017. Everyone is invited to join us that day. Our Worship Service is at 10:30. We will have an awesome Presbyterian potluck meal at noon. Following that at 1:00 we will have an old fashioned hymn sing. Please join us for any part or all of the day!
Sac City After 5 Please join us for our Hole in One guest night potluck supper When: Monday, October 16, 2017 Where: Time: First Christian Church, Sac City, Iowa 7:00 p.m. Cost: $7.00 Speaker: Erv Smith of Moline, Illinois, who tells his story of recovery from alcohol addiction. Special Feature: Mrs. Dorothy Smith will share music. For reservations call: Cathy Staton Lavern Kraft Micki Quail 712-660-8629 712-662-3561 712-662-7953
First Presbyterian Church, Waterloo to Host Series on Aging and Healthcare First Presbyterian Church, Waterloo will host a series of presentations on current health care issues faced by aging populations this fall. The sessions will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6:30-7:30 pm beginning September 19 and extending through October 24, with a different topic featured each night. The programs will be held in Calvin Hall at the church, located at 505 Franklin St. The public is invited to attend at no cost. No registration is required. The remaining program schedule is as follows: Tuesday, October 17, 2017 Transitioning into Facilities Dr. Elaine Eshbaugh, Associate Professor of Gerontology, University of Northern Iowa Tuesday, October 24, 2017 Elder Abuse Shelby Bennett, Elder Rights Specialist and Social Worker, Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging Questions may be directed to Rev. Amy Wiles or Rev. Pat Geadelmann at the church office: 319-233-6145.
Meet the Missionaries Rev. Mary Catherine (Kay) Day Rwanda Kay prepares men and women for pastoral ministry by teaching English and practical theology at the Protestant University of Rwanda, a joint project of the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda and four other Protestant denominations. The school places a special emphasis on equipping students to facilitate reconciliation, mutual respect, and societal development in Rwanda, which is still scarred by the 1994 genocide. Kay is deeply involved with her students and the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda. Kay says, I am humbled that my small gifts can help build his kingdom in Rwanda as the people are strengthened to rebuild their country. Home presbytery: Pittsburgh E200502, D507524 Rev. Sarah Henken Colombia Sarah serves as a peace initiative promoter and pastoral accompanier with the Presbyterian Church of Colombia (IPC). Work for peace and reconciliation has been a focus of the PC(USA)/IPC partnership for more than 20 years. As Colombia strives to heal after decades of civil war, Sarah collaborates with the Peace Commission of the IPC to develop activities and educational materials. The commission s initial focus is on local church communities in three presbyteries and the populations surrounding the congregations. Sarah facilitates partnerships between IPC and PC(USA) constituents in order to build energy and capacity for mutual mission, and she also coordinates the Young Adult Volunteer site in Colombia. Sarah is based in Barranquilla. Home presbytery: San Fernando E200475, D507536
Anecdotes from Lithuania by Pastor Tom Bower They say winters are long here. Well, winter seems to be settling in. Rain, rain, rain. So people on the street are bundled up and there are umbrellas everywhere (and stocking caps like mine!). I wonder if the snow will be wet snow (like Seattle) and disappear quickly or will it stick. I use public transportation and do a lot of walking. The bus system in the city is excellent. The International Church here (English speaking) is supposedly interdenominational, but we re associated mainly with the Lutherans in the country. We have communion every week around the rail - intinction and common cup. We do all four lectionary texts every week. We meet in the Lutherans building and my apartment is rented from them in the church complex. They have put up a statue of Martin Luther since this is the 500th birthday of the Reformation and there are a variety of Reformation celebrations. Last Sunday night, we had a choir concert with orchestra. It was a 65 voice choir with a 25 person orchestra. It was half in German and half in English. Let me tell you, it was worth the trip to Lithuania just to hear it. It was first class! A couple weeks ago, someone mentioned that there was a Christian radio station in the city. I wanted to learn more about it but didn t know how to find out. The next day, I was out on the street looking for a copy shop. My printer was broken down. I grabbed a guy at random and asked if he knew of a copy shop. He said in perfect English, Yes, there s a brand new one three doors up. Come on. I ll take you to it. So he took me, stayed with me and translated for me. In the conversation, I discovered he was the manager of the Christian radio station! Random? One out of 500,000. Go figure. He took me back to the station headquarters and I discovered that he is actually CEO of six Christian radio stations in the country! He, a Lithuanian, was, needless to say, very excited about Christian ministry in this country. Both the British Embassy and the Danish community have asked me to help with a couple events. The British have a service of Remembrance in November. They invite all of the other European Embassies. The Danes have capitulated to the English language, as they seem to have more English speaking spouses among themselves than native Danish speakers. So they ve asked me to help plan and speak at their Christmas celebration on December 3 (the day before I leave). So, I m stretched, but it s a good stretch. Take care. We are all in ministry together.
Thoughts of David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, North Central Iowa (This is a rerun of a previous article) Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I came across the Dream of Bishop Wesley Frensdorff in my preparation for the one day Council retreat. I offer a portion of it for your reflection: Let us dream of a church in which all members know simply and surely God s great love and each is certain that in the divine heart we all are known by name. A church in which Worship is lively and fun as well as reverent and holy; and we might be moved to dance and laugh; to be solemn, cry or beat the breast. People know how to pray and enjoy it frequently and regularly, privately and corporately, in silence and in word and song. The Eucharist is the center of life and servanthood the center of mission. A church Affirming love over death as much as life after death, Unafraid of change, able to recognize God s hand in the revolutions. Denying the separation between secular and sacred, world and church, since it is the world Christ came to and died for. Let us dream of a church A ministering community rather than a community gathered around the minister. Let us dream of a church So salty and so yeasty that it really would be missed if no longer around; Where there is wild sowing of seeds and much rejoicing when they take root, But little concern for success, comparative statistics, growth or even survival.
Thoughts of David Feltman, Pastor to the Presbytery, continued A church so evangelical that its worship, its quality of caring, its eagerness to reach out to those in need cannot be contained. A church Where Peacemakers and healers, abhorring violence in all forms (maybe even football), as concerned with societal healing as with individual healing; With justice as with freedom, prophetically confronting the root causes of social, political and economic ills. And finally, let us dream of a people called To recognize all the absurdities in ourselves and in one another, including the absurdity that is LOVE, Serious about the call and the mission, but not, very much about ourselves. Who, in the company of our Clown Redeemer can dance and sing and laugh and cry in worship, in ministry and even in conflict. From Reshaping Ministry: Essays in Memory of Wesley Frensdorff, Josephine Borgeson and Lynne Wilson, Editors, Jethro Productions, 6066 Parfet Street, Arvada, Colorado 80004, 1990 Robert Webber, Professor of Theology, Wheaton College The Christian Century, September 24, 1968, p. 808 What is the dream for the Church, your Church, our life together as a Presbytery? Seeking to be faithful, David Feltman
Poor Richard s Almanac By Richard Francis, Stated Clerk, Presbytery of Prospect Hill The Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) requires that churches (and Presbyteries, and Synods) carry insurance. The language is pretty straightforward: Each council [that is, Session, Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly] shall obtain property and liability insurance coverage to protect its facilities, programs, staff, and elected and appointed officers. In the Book of Order, shall means you will or you must. No exceptions. In addition, we ask each Session to do an annual review of the insurance coverage to make sure it s current and adequate to the needs of the church. This is often neglected, but more than one church in my experience found that, when they asked for proposals from more than one company, they were able to improve their coverage and reduce their costs over the policy they had been carrying for years without review. It s not the most exciting thing we do, but anyone who has to file a claim because of a fire or storm damage will tell you just how important it is. Something that can be overlooked when reviewing insurance is the pastor s property. Most policies cover some personal property left in the church building, but the coverage is small, and wouldn t normally cover books, robes, a laptop computer, and the other kinds of things that pastors often have in their studies. (I usually had a guitar or two lying around.) If your insurance is provided by a company that specializes in church coverage, they have probably included this, but it s worth checking, just to make sure. In addition, pastors who live in a manse need to insure their personal property, since the insurance carried by the church only covers the building. Fortunately, renter s insurance is pretty inexpensive, and the church might consider adding it as part of the terms of call. I know of one church that chose not to carry liability insurance on the grounds that you can t get blood out of a stone. In other words, they believed that no one would sue the church for damages, because the church didn t have any money. What they didn t realize is that without adequate insurance, the elected and appointed officers could be held liable and their personal assets could be at stake. I am not qualified to give detailed advice on insurance coverage, and I wouldn t presume to recommend companies. This is just a friendly reminder that we all need insurance, we all need to keep it up to date, and we need to think carefully about how much and what kind of insurance we need. In the end, it s just good stewardship of the property entrusted to us. Blessings,
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.
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 51351
RESOURCES FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE 500TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REFORMATION Keeping congregations creative and open to what God is doing in the world by Paul Seebeck Presbyterian News Service LOUISVILLE With Reformation Sunday approaching October 29, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is providing a wide range of resources for churches commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation They include a Commemorate Reformation Sunday website, Theological Conversations series on Reformation topics and a video providing a 500-year perspective on the Reformation. We want Presbyterians to engage with the best of the Reformation, says Charles A. Wiley III, coordinator of Theology and Worship in the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA). According to Wiley, the Reformation matters today because it insists that God in Christ, by the power of the Spirit, loves us without condition, comes to us in Word and Sacrament, is not confined by any church structure, and calls us to love God with our lives, regardless of work or station in life. The Reformation confirmed that every Christian life belongs to God and is to be lived out in Christian vocation, says Wiley, which makes a huge difference in how we live. Resources on the Commemorate Reformation Sunday website provide helpful suggestions for worship and living in ways that reflect the cultural values of being a Reformed people. Two things we don t talk a lot about when discussing the Reformation are creativity and openness, says Michelle J. Bartell, coordinator of Theological Education and Seminary Relations for the PC(USA). But these are vitally important, to stay creative and open to God personally, but also to what God is doing in the world.
Reformation, continued Bartel believes the Reformation is about looking forward, not back. She s been excited to see the wide range of voices writing for the monthly Theological Conversations Series which Theology, Formation & Evangelism ministries, launched in 2015. We intentionally wanted to have theological conversations this year, that Martin Luther himself started 500 years ago, says Bartel. The diverse voices we ve been listening to are truly reflective of how open we are, to being reformed by God. Topics discussed in Theological Conversations this year are: Seeking a Correctable Conscience, 500 Years and Counting, A Legacy of Faithful Dissent, Three Fulcrums for Reform, Words Matter, The First 500 Years, and Theology and Bravery. Each paper, which includes a reading along with a set of questions to invite conversation, can be downloaded by going to: www.presbyterianmissioin.org/ministries/theology-formation-andevangelism/theological-conversations/. The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation was precipitated by Martin Luther s posting of his 95 Theses about the church and its need to reform, on the doors of the All Saints Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517. To understand why the Reformation happened, who its leaders were, how it changed the world and still affects us today, you may go to www.presbyterianmission.org to watch a video: The Reformation: A 500 Year Perspective.