This Week
- December 18- 12:30 PM Preparation for Ministry Committee, Presbytery Office
- December 24-25– OFFICE CLOSED, Christmas Holiday
- December 31-January 1- OFFICE CLOSED, New Year’s Holiday
News from the Presbytery Office
Mission Giving Deadline
It is not too early to begin reminding people that contributions for the year 2009 must be given to the church by December 31, 2009 or mailed in an envelope postmarked December 31, 2009. Monies received after the start of 2010 cannot be attributed to the 2009 year. The deadline for monies sent to the Presbytery office must be postmarked by Tuesday, January 5, 2010.
New IRS Mileage Rate
The IRS mileage rate for 2010 will be 50 cents per mile.
Submit Salary Changes to the Board of Pensions Online!
Church treasurers can now submit salary changes or confirm salaries online through a new feature on Benefits Connect, the Board’s secure benefits web site. To register, go to the Pensions website, http://www.pensions.org. Under the Benefits Connect logo, click “register” and follow the step-by-step instructions for creating your user profile and establishing your password. (NOTE: This is for submitting info to the Board of Pensions. You must still submit a Terms of Call worksheet to the Presbytery.)
News from the Missionaries of the Nile Valley
Letter from Moirs
Click here for a recent letter from Larry and Barbara Moir who teach at Bethel Evangelical Secondary School in Ethiopia. http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/letters/moirl/moirl_0912.htm.
Letter from Braaksmas
Here is a letter just received from Del and Debbie Braaksma who live in Uganda and work with RECONCILE helping to bring peace in the midst of tribal conflict in the south Sudan. http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/letters/braaksmad/braaksmad_0912.htm.
News from Our Churches
Trumpeter Available
Trumpeter Tom Hunt is available to perform solo concerts, worship music, banquets, gatherings, etc. Meet Tom this Saturday, December 19 at Borders Books, 2101 Niles Cortland Rd., SE, Warren, OH 44484 from 2 to 4 PM. Tom will be signing his CD, “Fitting Tribute”. His website is: http://www.tomhunttrumpet.com.
Grief Support Group
Pastor Hurray of Mountville Presbyterian Church will be leading a Grief Support Group that will begin on Wednesday, January 6th at the church. They will meet for an hour (11 AM to NOON) for six weeks to be a support group that will include reflections on how others deal with grief, sharing our grief, praying about our grief and what the Bible offers to help us with our grief, action plans to deal with our grief and a service for saying not only good bye, but so long! There will be room in the group for sharing. Take home papers will be provided to work on grief at home between meetings. Please call Pastor Hurray to sign up for the group at 724-368-1102.
Work Trip to Houma, LA
Mt. Jackson Presbyterian Church is planning our work trip south and would like to invite other churches to join us. This year we are going to the Presbyterian Disaster Camp in Houma, LA. The camp in Pearlington, MS is closed. There are no longer any camps in Mississippi. The dates of the trip are Saturday, February 13 – February 20. They do not start working until Monday. We plan to leave Saturday and arrive in Houma on Sunday. The cost of the camp is $20 per day for room (pod) and meals plus the cost of the vans. We figure it will be approx. $275 pp if you are riding in the vans. Please let us know by December 31 if you want to join us this year for Katrina relief. Please contact Bill Gwin at wlgwin@att.net or 724-667-8321.
Workshops, Conferences and Local Events
Continuing Education Opportunity
Westminster College will host a live broadcast of “Main Themes in Orthodoxy: How an Ancient Tradition Illumines Our World” presented by Dr. Edith M. Humphrey, the William F. Orr Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. These seminars will take place on January 13, 20, and 27. For a copy of the brochure, contact the Presbytery Office.
Continuing Education Opportunity
Westminster College will host a live broadcast of “Main Themes in Orthodoxy: How an Ancient Tradition Illumines Our World” presented by Dr. Edith M. Humphrey, the William F. Orr Professor of New Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. These seminars will take place on January 13, 20, and 27. For a copy of the brochure, contact the Presbytery Office.
The Presbytery of Shenango 