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News from the Presbytery Office

General Assembly Link

The following link includes a letter from the General Assembly Moderator and links to information on several major actions of the General Assembly.  Often information coming out of General Assemblies in the media is less than accurate.  This will provide for you more precise information.  http://ga219.pcusa.org/news/2010/7/10/post-general-assembly-pastoral-letter-moderator-an/

It’s your story! It’s our story!

We have an amazing opportunity to share through a national television broadcast the story of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s long term response to hurricane Katrina and the thousands of volunteers who have walked alongside the people of the Gulf Coast. But we need your help!

Coming Home: Hurricane Katrina 5 Years Later explores the relationships between survivors and volunteers and stories of how they have touched each other’s lives. It is a documentary about what it means to survive a disaster and face the long term recovery process. It’s a story about how the Presbyterian Church and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance stayed with the survivors long after the news teams left. It’s a story about how thousands of ordinary Presbyterians made an extraordinary difference in providing hope for the real people who lived through the hurricane and its destruction.

This is a wonderful opportunity to share the ministry and faithful commitment to long-term recovery that Presbyterians have made!

Coming Home: Hurricane Katrina 5 Years Later was selected to be part of the “Horizons of the Spirit” religion series, a cooperative effort of NBC-TV and the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission for nationwide broadcast starting September 12, 2010 and will be available for broadcast for a period of six months on your local NBC affiliates. The documentary is available free to NBC affiliate stations – BUT THEY MUST REQUEST THE PROGRAM. Here’s how you can help:

• Contact your local NBC affiliate and ask them to order and air “2010 Horizons of the Spirit Series” – Coming Home: Katrina 5 Years Later It is available through the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission from September 12, 2010 through March 12, 2011. Find your our local NBC affiliate.
• Tell them this would have a positive effect upon your community. If you or members of your church participated in a volunteer mission trip to the Gulf Coast, let them know.
• Encourage others in your congregation and community to spread the word and contact their local NBC stations today!
• Learn more and a download a bulletin insert on the PDA website.

Teaching Younger Youth?

There are resources for teaching younger youth available online or at the Presbytery’s Resource Center.

FAQ: Faithfully Asking Questions is based on actual questions posed by youth. In this quarterly curriculum, the answers to their questions come from Scripture, creeds, and the Presbyterian Study Catechism. During the 2010-2011year the focus is on questions about the Apostles’ Creed. This resource is available online from pcusa.org/webelieve or, you can borrow a hard copy of the fall quarter from the Resource Center. Each of the 13 easy-to-teach sessions suggests activities appropriate for the young adolescent age group.

For those who want a full-year, in-depth study as a preparation for Confirmation class, the “survey courses” are also available. At the Resource Center we have copies of the one-year survey courses of the Old Testament, the New Testament, “I Know My Bible,” (a one-year survey of the whole Bible,) and a study of Church history.