Coming Events
June 1- 1:00 PM GA Commissioner Training, Presbytery Office
June 3- 6:00 PM Missional Outreach Project, Trinity Presbyterian Church
June 5- 9:30 AM Council, 1st Greenville
Joys
Tod Custer, pastor at Christ Church, has attained a master chaplain certificate from the International Conference Police Chaplains. This certification requires 10 years in the Ellwood City Police Department chaplain program, of which he was a co-founder. He also was required to have completed 350 training hours, but Tod did 830 hours.
Representatives from ECO Visiting Shenango Presbytery
Revs. Dana Allin and Bryan Wenger (click here for bios) will be in Shenango Presbytery to represent ECO (Covenant Fellowship of Evangelical Presbyterians) on June 5-6. Several churches are considering ECO for a request for dismissal from the PC(USA) and Shenango Presbytery’s Special Committee on Denominational Issues is providing this assistance for their discernment. A public meeting will be held at East Main Church (Grove City) at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, June 5. There will be opportunities for individual sessions and others to meet with Dana and Bryan on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Contact the Presbytery office if you would like to be included.
Preliminary Announcement for GA Bus Trips
- Saturday, June 30: Opening Worship, Exhibit Hall, Moderator Election
- Wednesday, July 4: Seminary Lunches, Exhibit Hall, Plenary Sessions, Fireworks
Lunch Conversations for Pastors
What’s going on in Shenango Presbytery these days? Why stay in the PC(USA) at this point in time? What does my congregation need from the Presbytery in this strange new season? If these or related questions resonate with you, you are invited to join three pastors in the Presbytery for lunch and conversation on Thursday, June 7, 11:30 AM at New Wilmington Presbyterian Church. Food will be provided. Hosted by Bill Crooks, Ralph Hawkins, and Glenn Hink. RSVP tooffice@nwpresby.org. Questions to ralph@nwpresby.org or 724-946-3541.
We have Presbyterian Planning Calendars available for $9.00 each!
Engage Resource Books
If you attended the recent Engage Worship hosted by the Evangelism Committee, the resource books that were mentioned are now available at the Presbytery Office. They are also available online for download at http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/evangelism/engage/.
Warning to Church Treasurers
The IRS disallowed a charitable contribution deduction made by a couple to their local church. The taxpayers took the case to Tax Court who sided with the IRS. Here are the facts. All churches and nonprofit organizations must provide a properly completed contemporaneous written acknowledge for aggregate annual receipts in excess of $250. In this case, the taxpayers were provided with a receipt by the church. The issue at hand was that the receipt was deficient in that it did not include any indication, as required, that no goods or services were provided in consideration of the donation. The church reissued a new receipt stating that no goods or services were provided, which was rejected by the IRS and the Tax Court. According to the Tax Code the receipt must be contemporaneous. The only acceptable contemporaneous receipt under the Tax Code is the receipt the taxpayer has when the return is filed. If your church’s annual contribution report to your members does not include this statement or similar wording:
In order to comply with the substantiation requirements of IRS Code Sec. 170(f)(8)(B), no goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution.
…then you are in jeopardy of causing a member’s tax deductible contribution to be disallowed! [Thanks Bill McKnight, CPA at Trinity Church, Mercer]
What Led to the Sudan Partnership?
The following article http://www.pcusa.org/media/uploads/today/pdfs/junjul12_intoalltheworld.pdf by Michael Parker, director of international Evangelism for PC(USA) World Mission and former teacher at Nile Theological College, will appear in Presbyterians Today for the upcoming General Assembly in Pittsburgh. It explains the deep commitment to world mission among western Pennsylvania Presbyterians.
New Director of Outdoor Ministries Hired for Lambec and Westminster Highlands
Scott Henderson has begun as the new director for the Presbyterian Camping Association. (Bill Mills will continue as interim through the summer program so that Scott can get acclimated.) Scott comes with extensive experience in business as well as executive director in three Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center settings. We hope to be able to introduce him at the June 26 Presbytery meeting. He will also be introduced at the August 4 “Highland Rocks” event. Read more…
The Right Now, Right Here Missional Project
How are you and your congregation doing with the emerging focus of ministry outside the doors of your church? building relationships with people who don’t go to church? building relationships with people who have questions about Jesus, or who don’t know about Jesus at all? How would you like to do better? A missional experiment is beginning in Shenango Presbytery, right here, right now. Interested pastors, elder, mission team representatives, etc. have begun discussions and planning to have Rev. Dr. Angel De La Cruz work as an outreach ministry in our Presbytery. If you would like to be part of this missional experiment come to the next meeting on Sunday, June 3rd at 6:00 PM at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Mercer, PA.
News From the Churches
Choir Director Wanted
Are you looking for a fun and blessed challenge in the church? Please consider coming to work at Shenango Presbyterian Church beginning in August of 2012. We are looking for a director to lead our choir. We enjoy Christmas and Easter cantatas, we have the possibility of chime and children’s choirs too. We are fun and flexible. This is a paid position. Please call Amy Na 724-654-2322 or 724-510-4357 for more information.
The Presbytery of Shenango 