Dear Friends,
The expectation of every Presbyterian pastor is that he or she will serve the larger church, not just their local congregation. Through the years I have served on Presbytery council, as a member of CPM committee on Preparation for ministry, and on boards for a public university with emphasis on sharing the gospel and a seminary with emphasis on forming good pastors. I have even gone to General Assembly as a delegate. Last January I was asked to serve on a national program, the “Re-Forming Ministry Program” as a co-moderator for our area. The session and I thought this was a good way to fulfill my obligation to the larger church.
What is Re-Forming Ministry about? This is what our office of Theology and Worship has to say...
“Ministry’s common, comprehensive theological task is done in, with, and on behalf of the church. Too often, theology is understood as an academic task confined to theological schools. The theological task – serious, sustained attention to the core of Christian faith and life—is the vocation of the whole church. Within the whole church, however, three ministerial offices are called to exercise a shared teaching office – pastors, professors, and church officials.”
“Re-Forming Ministry addresses the interaction of three centers of ministry: pastors and their congregations, theological faculty and their schools, and church officials and their judicatories. Pastors, theological faculty, and church officials have become disconnected; they do not exercise a shared teaching office in and for the church. Re-Forming Ministry will form four distinct, yet related clusters of pastors, church officials, and theological faculty that will meet over a 5 year period to explore basic theological and ecclesiological issues.”
I think the point is how each of us pastors, presbytery officials, and professors can help us be the church in our world today. Or in the office of theology words, discovering new ways to think the faith together, in order to strengthen our ability to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in this time and place.
Monday through Wednesday of this week I have been in Colorado Springs at the Re-Forming Ministry meeting. I even emailed Rich Thompson to see if we could meet which I was in his neck of the woods. This is my first meeting. We will see what we are called to do. In the meanwhile, please remember to pray not only for our ministry at Southminster, but for the ministry of the PC(USA) as it seeks to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Take it from here,
Love, Wendy
Did you know...?
...that John Calvin’s 500th birthday is July 10? John Calvin was born 500 years ago in northern France. He was trained as a lawyer and became excited by the new movement that was concerned with putting the Bible in people’s hands, having the worship services in the local language, and encouraging singing by the congregation. He spent the rest of his life attempting to make the Bible clear to students, professors, and working folks.
All around the world, people are celebrating Calvin’s 500th birthday. Several thousand will be going to Geneva, Switzerland, in early July to mark the event. (A scholar from Princeton Seminary is lecturing about Calvin in Japan for one month, to give you a sense of the magnitude of this celebration.) Chicago Presbytery will be honoring this anniversary at their October Presbytery meeting, and Southminster will recognize Calvin’s birthday on Reformation Sunday in October.
Announcements
Because the 4th of July is on a Saturday, the church office will be closed instead on Friday, July 3.
The Session will hold a special meeting this Sunday, July 5, at 10:45 a.m. in the parlor to consider applications for Youth Advisory Delegate to the 2010 General Assembly. Young people who are between the ages of 17 and 23 and who are interested in the work of the church are encouraged to apply. You MUST have your application turned in before the start of the special July 5 meeting! (If you need to contact Barb in the church office to get an application, note that the office will be closed on Friday.)
Summer Sunday School: We will NOT have Sunday School this Sunday, July 5, due to the holiday weekend. Children will remain in worship with their families. We will, however, have worship bags available for the children. Please feel free to take home the activity sheets but please leave the laminated sheet, crayons, etc. Thank you.
This Sunday―and the first Sunday of every month―is the day we bring offerings for the People’s Resource Center. The July emphasis is laundry detergent and cleaning supplies. Donations can be placed in the narthex (near the stairwell to Fellowship Hall).
Women’s Breakfast meets the first Monday of the month –that’s this coming Monday, July 6 – at 8:00 a.m. at IHOP in Danada East. New friends are always welcome!
Take Me Out to the Ball Game! It’s time again for Southminster’s annual Kane County Cougar baseball outing! It’s time for good food, good fun, and Jake the Frisbee Catching Dog! All this can be found on Monday, August 24, at 6:30 p.m. And best of all, the tickets are only $5.00! So, sign up for tickets promptly! Watch for a sign-up sheet in the narthex. We have only 20 tickets, so get your name on the list promptly. If there are other questions, call Caroline Linde at 630-469-9482.
VBS Registration: There are only four weeks before our 2009 Vacation Bible School! How about registering early this year? We want to see you at “Crocodile Dock” July 27-31 from 6:00-8:30 p.m. Click here to go to our web site and download the information and registration forms, or call the church office, or check the bulletin board in the narthex. A registration form was also included with the July Dialogs, which went out earlier today.
Items Needed: In order to keep the costs of VBS down, we welcome any donations you may be interested in purchasing or borrowing. The Dialog has a complete list of these items. Please visit the CE bulletin board and take one or more of the color-coded fire-flies and return the item(s) to the church office by the date noted. The children will also be collecting school supplies for the PRC for their VBS mission project. Visit the VBS link on our website for a list of these items. Please contact Laura Baer at 630-469-9149 or at smpcce@ameritech.net with any questions and thank you for your generosity and willingness to help!
From Christian Ed.:
A new school year means we need new teachers! We still need teachers for Sunday School starting in September—men as well as women. There is an opening in middle school, and room for additional teachers in each of the grades, as well as substitutes. We have a pre-printed curriculum, which makes planning a whole lot easier. The more teachers we recruit, the more scheduling flexibility there will be. Would you please prayerfully consider serving our children in this important ministry?
We need to hear your voice for the “Second Helpings.”
Sunday School parents: We hope you’ve heard by now about the planning of an exciting idea to augment children’s Christian education, which we are tentatively calling “Second Helpings.” Please see the full write-up in the narthex and the drop-box where we are inviting you to leave comments. Please talk to Pastor Wendy, Blair Nelson, or anyone in Christian Ed if you have questions.
The Deacons would like to offer Valet Parking year round. Would you be willing to help? Please sign up at the bulletin board at the entrance of the church. We also ask that those of us who are more able bodied please park at the back of the lot, leaving room for those who would be blessed by parking closer.
Family Camp Fun! Want to make this summer a memorable one with filled with worship, community, and fun? The Presbyterian camp at Saugatuck, MI is close to home and offers all this, and more. The Family Week Camp, July 19-25, still has openings. Can’t fit an entire week into the family’s schedule? Check out the Family Camp Kick-off the Week, August 1-4, or the Family Camp Short Week, August 4-7. Call 1-800-728-1164 for more information or visit the camp web site and register online.
