Presbyfest is back!  This year’s festival of all things Presbyterian will take place on Saturday, November 14 at Oak Grove Presbyterian in Bloomington.  The theme is “Celebrating John Calvin and Four Centuries of Reformed Lay Leadership.” The Keynote speaker for this year is Cynthia Rigby, Professor of Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Information on classes will be available in July.  If you are a congregational lay leader looking for ideas or resources to further the ministry at your congreagation, then Presbyfest is for you.  Click here to download a flyer (which includes a worshop submission form in PDF format).  

Seeking Workshop Proposals

Do you have a topic that you would love to present at Presbyfest?  If you are interested, you can also download a form to fill out.  Don’t delay, the deadline for applications is June 15.  Completed forms can be sent to presbyfest@ptcaweb.org or by fax to 612-870-0698.  Click here to download the submission form. 

As we announced a few months ago, next week, May 17-23, General Assembly Council staff will be taking unpaid furlough leave as one of our measures to provide savings in the 2009 General Assembly Mission Budget during this challenging economic time. I am grateful to my colleagues for their personal sacrifice for the sake of General Assembly mission during this time.
 
During the furlough week, no work may be performed by GAC staff. Compliance to the “no work” rule is critical in order to comply with applicable federal and local laws, therefore most GAC offices will be closed next week.
 
We have arranged for a few staff to work during the week, in the event of an emergency. These staff will take their furlough leave at another time.
 
In the event of an emergency, these are phone numbers that you may use:
 

 
Other offices at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, including the Office of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation and Presbyterian Women, will remain open during this week. Here are direct dial numbers to their offices:
 

• Churches and individuals interested in calling PPC about These Days and Theology Today should call (800) 624-2612.
• Individuals and churches with questions about TheThoughtful Christian.com should call (800) 554-4694.
• Churches and individuals wishing to place orders should call Cokesbury at (800) 672-1789.
• Bookstores who wish to place an order should call (800) 523-1631.

 
GAC staff will return to the office on Tuesday, May 26, following the Memorial Day holiday. Thank you for your continued partnership in ministry.

Linda Valentine

It is our goal at Clearwater Forest that no camper who wishes to camp will be denied due to financial limitations.  Last year over 200 scholarships were given totaling nearly $16,000.  At least one of every four campers in our summer programs received financial assistance to attend camp.  We all know that there are many families facing serious financial pressures and we want to make sure that camp is a possibility for every person who wishes to attend.
 
If you are a family wondering if you can afford to send your child to camp this summer, I encourage you to apply for a scholarship.  To apply, please go to our web site at www.clearwaterforest.org  and print off a scholarship application under the 2009 Summer Camps tab.
 
If you are a family that has the means to help build our scholarship fund, I ask that you consider making a special gift this year to help make camp possible for another family that may be in need.  We do not have enough in our scholarship fund to cover all the requests that we project for this summer.  Our goal is to raise $20,000 for our Scholarship Fund by June 14th which is the first day of summer camp.
 
Thanks for considering a gift to our Scholarship Fund so that camp is a possibility for everyone. 
 
David Jeremiason, Executive Director

From Presbyterian Outlook:

Numbers don’t show everything, but sometimes the big statistical picture can help explain some churches’ leadership matching dilemmas.

Marcia Clark Myers – who is director of the Office of Vocations for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and whom Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly, has given a shout-out for the way her statistical presentation had the audience buzzing (both in the room and via Twitter) at a recent meeting of denominational leaders – has spent time and energy recently pulling together numbers regarding leadership in the denomination.

Her bottom line: the PC(USA) has some mismatches between those trained for ministry and what the denomination needs.

The future leaders of the church will need to be flexible and creative, able to serve at a time of new denominational and religious realties. Among the types of ministerial leaders the PC(USA) will need: church planters; those who can transform older congregations into new ways of being; and those capable of “hospice” ministry, who can guide congregations that won’t survive faithfully through their final days.

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