This Week:

March 2- 1:00 PM Sudan Group, Presbytery Office
March 6- 10:oo AM PMC Continuing Covenant Group, Westminster College
March 8– 2:30 PM GA Commissioner Orientation, Presbytery Office
March 10- 9:30 AM Personnel Reviews, Presbytery Office

News From The Presbytery Office

Last Minute – Important Opportunity
A speaker from International Justice Ministry http://www.ijm.org, a very important mission organization, will be at Harbison Chapel at Grove City College this evening at 7:00 PM.

Chili Earthquake
Every time there is a natural disaster in the US or internationally, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is involved on your behalf, to provide both immediate and long term assistance.  You can send funds through the Presbytery Office.  Simply mark them for the cause that you or your church wishes to support (Haiti, Chili, etc.).  Your “One Great Hour of Sharing” offering this Easter includes support for PDA.
For long term recovery efforts (as we have seen with Katrina and which will follow in Haiti), there are several ways to respond:

News from the Churches

2010 Ukraine-Slovakia Mission Trip
This trip is sponsored by East Main Presbyterian Church and Slovak Folk Crafts.  It is led by Anne and Dave Dayton.  The two possible dates: May 12-26 or June 14-27.  Contact the Daytons for more details anne@daytons.org.

Needed

Organist or Pianist for Wurtemburg Presbyterian Church for Sunday morning choir practice and worship service.  Reply to wpresbyterian@zoominternet.net or PO Box 709, Ellwood City, PA  16117.

World Day of Prayer Service at Slippery Rock PC
Slippery Rock Presbyterian, Ellwood City, will be holding a World Day of Prayer Service on Friday, March 5 at 1:00 PM.  “The service and powerpoint presentation have been written by the women of Cameroon, and will be observed by women worldwide.  The theme is ‘Let everyone who has  voice, Praise His name.’  From the first sunrise in Papau, New Guinea to the last sunset in New Zealand, women from all over the world will join voices to praise God and pray for the wellbeing of fellow women, children, families and to end the oppressive situations that deny anyone an acceptable way of life.”  There will be a time of fellowship following the service.

Needed – Stair Glide
Bethlehem PCUSA, Sharon, is in need of a stair glide to make Fellowship Hall more accessible to those with hip and knee issues.  If you have a used one for sale or know of any church that does, please call Pastor Robbie Arnold at 724-983-0194.  Thank you!

Local Workshops, Events

Peace Studies Coffeehouse and Poster Exhibition
“The artistic fight against Holocaust denial” : speaker Dr. Ronit Fisher from Western Galilee College, Israel will be presented on Wednesday, March 10th, 7:00 PM in Mueller Theater, McKelvey Campus Center, Westminster College.  Dr. Fisher is a Jewish history scholar and the daughter of Holocaust survivors from Eastern Europe.  The event is free and open to the public.  A dessert reception will follow the talk.  All are welcome to attend.

Lectures at First Presbyterian, Youngstown
Dr. Daniel Aleshire, Executive Director of the Association of Theological Schools, will speak at First Presbyterian Church, Youngstown on March 23 with the following topics:

• 4:00 PM Leaving the Promised Land for the Wilderness: The Changing Status of Congregations, Ministry, and Theological Education
• 7:00 PM Shepherd, CEO, Entrepreneur, and Social Worker: Pastoral Leadership and the Work of God’s People

Call for reservation information: 330-744-4307

This Week:

March 2- 1:00 PM Sudan Group, Presbytery Office

News From The Presbytery Office

Gary Smith of Grove City College Writes About Faith in the Nation’s Founders

Gary’s books get national notice as you can see from this link:
http://www.visandvals.org/The_Founders_How_Christian_Were_They.php

News from the Churches

2010 Ukraine-Slovakia Mission Trip
This trip is sponsored by East Main Presbyterian Church and Slovak Folk Crafts.  It is led by Anne and Dave Dayton.  The two possible dates: May 12-26 or June 14-27.  Contact the Daytons for more details anne@daytons.org.

Needed

Organist or Pianist for Wurtemburg Presbyterian Church for Sunday morning choir practice and worship service.  Reply to wpresbyterian@zoominternet.net or PO Box 709, Ellwood City, PA  16117.

Needed
Church secretary needed to provide secretarial and administrative services to the minister and church members.  Must possess good interpersonal, writing, and computer skills.  Hourly position at $9/hour with no benefits for 6-8 hours per week.  Send resume to: Rev. Nicola Vitiello, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, 2426 Scrubgrass Road, Grove City, PA  16127

Needed – Stair Glide
Bethlehem PCUSA, Sharon, is in need of a stair glide to make Fellowship Hall more accessible to those with hip and knee issues.  If you have a used one for sale or know of any church that does, please call Pastor Robbie Arnold at 724-983-0194.  Thank you!

The next stated meeting of Shenango Presbytery will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 6:30 PM in Grove City College’s Sticht Lecture Hall.

Highlights of the meeting include:

– Prayer for the Sudan

– Retirement Service for Rev. Bill Blacksmith during the COM report

Get the docket and map of Grove City College online at http://www.shenango.org/News/meeting.htm.

This Week:

February 16- 7:00 PM Committee on Ministry, Neshannock, NW
February 18- 1:00PM Evangelism Committee, Presbytery Office
February 19- 12:30 PM Preparation for Ministry, Presbytery Office
February 23- 6:30 PM Presbytery Meeting, Grove City College (We will be posting the docket as soon as it is available.)

News From The Presbytery Office

Possible Savings for Church Electric Bills
The Synod of the Trinity has provided a way for churches to save money on their electric bills.  We will be posting two documents on the “News” page of the Presbytery web site on Wednesday with more details.  If you are interested, you will need to fax or email your electric bill to the number indicated on the flyer by the end of the week.

Annual Report Deadlines
Annual Report information was due to the Presbytery Office by January 31st.  Please try to get those worksheets to us as soon as possible – especially the necrology report and any changes in Clerk of Session contact information.  We’re still missing reports from about 21 congregations.  The deadline for reporting your statistical information to GA is Midnight on February 23rd. Annual report packets were available for pick-up at the November Presbytery meeting, any packets not picked-up at that meeting were mailed to the Clerk of Session the following day.

Record Attendance at LeaderFest 2010
LeaderFest attendance was 224 plus 20 presenters.  39 churches were represented.  The evaluations were very positive with many saying “best ever”.  Thanks to the Christian Education Committee led by Moderator Monica Hamilton and Volunteer Staff Margaret Trautman.

News from the Churches

Mini-Missions Fair at Ebenezer
Ebenezer Presbyterian Church (2426 Scrubgrass Road, Grove City) will hold a Mini-Missions Fair on Feb. 21st at 6 PM, snow date Feb. 28th.  Come enjoy desserts, hear at least five speakers, and browse displays.  For more information, call the church at 814-786-7004.

Mission Dinner
Clen-Moore Presbyterian Church will be hosting a Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner from 4:30 – 6 PM on February 25.  All proceeds will benefit the mission trip to the Dominican Republic, with a special emphasis on getting a wheelchair for a young woman there, and helping with the cost of taking medicine to the people.  Cost is $6.00 per adult, ages 3-12 $3.00, Children under 3 are free.

Needed
Organist or Pianist for Wurtemburg Presbyterian Church for Sunday morning choir practice and worship service.  Reply to wpresbyterian@zoominternet.net or PO Box 709, Ellwood City, PA  16117.

Needed
Church secretary needed to provide secretarial and administrative services to the minister and church members.  Must possess good interpersonal, writing, and computer skills.  Hourly position at $9/hour with no benefits for 6-8 hours per week.  Send resume to: Rev. Nicola Vitiello, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, 2426 Scrubgrass Road, Grove City, PA  16127

Needed – Stair Glide
Bethlehem PCUSA, Sharon, is in need of a stair glide to make Fellowship Hall more accessible to those with hip and knee issues.  If you have a used one for sale or know of any church that does, please call Pastor Robbie Arnold at 724-983-0194.  Thank you!

Workshops, Local Events

Westminster College Lectures – CANCELLED
The lectures with Fr. Phillip Linden, professor of theology, Xavier University, New Orleans, LA scheduled for February 21-22 have been cancelled.

Prayers
Joe MacDonald’s (Sandy Lake) mother (99 1/2 years old) died on February 5.

Church and Financial and Tax Questions??
Thanks to Bill McKnight’s help we now have in the Presbytery Resource Center the “PPC Guide to Religious Organizations.”  It covers every imaginable topic including:  contribution, receipts, payroll taxes, internal controls, fraud, illustrated financial statements, etc.  It is in non-technical language in a loose leaf format easy to copy.  You are welcome to check it out.

This Week:

February 11– 12:00 PM Sudan Travel Team, Presbytery Office
2:00 PM Nile Valley Missionary Support Team, Pres. Office
February 15– 3:30 PM Nominating Committee, Presbytery Office
7:00 PM Leadership Development Team, Pres. Office
February 16- 7:00 PM Committee on Ministry, Neshannock, NW

News From The Presbytery Office

Weather Alert
Due to predicted weather conditions, the Presbytery Office will most likely be closed tomorrow.  Please call before stopping by.

What are the Trends in Your Church?
Click here http://www.pcusa.org/research/pres_syno1.htm to see the 10-year statistical trends in your church.  Numbers do not tell the whole story, but the story is never complete without the numbers.

Prayers
Bill Lowry’s (worked with us in establishing the Sudan partnership) wife passed away this past weekend.

Annual Report Deadlines
Annual Report information was due to the Presbytery Office by January 31st.  Please try to get those worksheets to us as soon as possible – especially the necrology report and any changes in Clerk of Session contact information.  We’re still missing reports from about 25 congregations.  The deadline for reporting your statistical information to GA is Midnight on February 23rd.  Annual report packets were available for pick-up at the November Presbytery meeting, any packets not picked-up at that meeting were mailed to the Clerk of Session the following day.

News from the Churches

Mini-Missions Fair at Ebenezer
Ebenezer Presbyterian Church (2426 Scrubgrass Road, Grove City) will hold a Mini-Missions Fair on Feb. 21st at 6 PM, snow date Feb. 28th.  Come enjoy desserts, hear at least five speakers, and browse displays.  For more information, call the church at 814-786-7004.

Valentine’s Dinner
Leesburg Presbyterian Church will be hosting a Valentine’s Dinner on February 13, 2010 (4:45 and 6:45 PM).  All proceeds benefit the Steele Mission Project (an elderly couple in the Leesburg area in need of some home repairs).  Tickets are $12.50 per person.  The menu features stuffed chicken breast or braised steak.  Babysitting is free and live entertainment is included.

Mission Dinners
Clen-Moore Presbyterian Church will be hosting two dinners to help with their mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

1. This Saturday, February 13, there will be a Liver and Onions dinner from 5-6 :30 PM.  All proceeds will benefit the mission trip to the Dominican Republic.  Cost is $6.00 for adults.
2. February 25 will be a Spaghetti and Meatball Dinner from 4:30 – 6 PM.  All proceeds will benefit the mission trip to the Dominican Republic, with a special emphasis on getting a wheelchair for a young woman there, and helping with the cost of taking medicine to the people.  Cost is $6.00 per adult, ages 3-12 $3.00, Children under 3 are free.

Needed
Organist or Pianist for Wurtemburg Presbyterian Church for Sunday morning choir practice and worship service.  Reply to wpresbyterian@zoominternet.net or PO Box 709, Ellwood City, PA  16117.

Needed
Church secretary needed to provide secretarial and administrative services to the minister and church members.  Must possess good interpersonal, writing, and computer skills.  Hourly position at $9/hour with no benefits for 6-8 hours per week.  Send resume to: Rev. Nicola Vitiello, Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, 2426 Scrubgrass Road, Grove City, PA  16127

Workshops, Local Events

Westminster College Lectures
Fr. Phillip Linden, professor of theology, Xavier University, New Orleans, LA will be speaking at Westminster College:

1. Sunday, February 21, 7 PM: Vespers sermon (chapel): “Totalization or Global Communion”
2. Monday, February 22, 7 PM at Beeghly Theater:  “Theology and Identity: Cultural Limitations and Cosmopolitanism”

PAM Conference
The Presbyterian Association of Musicians Westminster Conference will happen July 11-16, 2010 at Westminster College.  The featured theme will be “A Psalm of Praise for All Seasons: Stewardship of the Earth, Lament, Thanksgiving and Praise”.  For more information and registration, go to the PAM website: http://www.presbymusic.org.

Back Home
The group traveling in the Sudan has returned home safely.

Valentine’s Dinner
Leesburg Presbyterian Church will be hosting a Valentine’s Dinner on February 13, 2010 (4:45 and 6:45 PM).  All proceeds benefit the Steele Mission Project (an elderly couple in the Leesburg area in need of some home repairs).  Tickets are $12.50 per person.  The menu features stuffed chicken breast or braised steak.  Babysitting is free and live entertainment is included.

News From The Presbytery Office

What are the Trends in Your Church?
Click here http://www.pcusa.org/research/pres_syno1.htm to see the 10-year statistical trends in your church.  Numbers do not tell the whole story, but the story is never complete without the numbers.

Annual Report Deadlines
Annual Report information was due to the Presbytery Office by January 31st.  Please try to get those worksheets to us as soon as possible – especially the necrology report and any changes in Clerk of Session contact information.  The deadline for reporting your statistical information to GA is Midnight on February 23rd.  Annual report packets were available for pick-up at the November Presbytery meeting, any packets not picked-up at that meeting were mailed to the Clerk of Session the following day.

New Year, New Elders
As your sessions re-organize for a new year of church business, don’t forget to encourage new elders to sign up for eLink .

News from the Churches

Mini-Missions Fair at Ebenezer
Ebenezer Presbyterian Church (2426 Scrubgrass Road, Grove City) will hold a Mini-Missions Fair on Feb. 21st at 6 PM, snow date Feb. 28th.  Come enjoy desserts, hear at least five speakers, and browse displays.  For more information, call the church at 814-786-7004.

Needed
Organist or Pianist for Wurtemburg Presbyterian Church for Sunday morning choir practice and worship service.  Reply to wpresbyterian@zoominternet.net or PO Box 709, Ellwood City, PA  16117.

Report from the Africa Mission Trip

As eLink subscribers know, Shenango Presbytery has a group traveling in Africa.  We will be posting emails from them but because this material is on the worldwide web we cannot use sensitive words because of the security of our hosts.

Sent at 5:00 pm Africa time on Sunday, February 2, 2010

Today was another great day for us.  We left about 8am to see some small pyramids and another archeological site about 3.5 hours north of the city.    The sites were fascinating and the desert setting was very striking.  Some of you will be surprised to see pictures of your loved ones riding on a camel!

After the pyramids we visited a church in a desert town called Shendi.  We had a wonderful visit with the church there. This town is very much dominated by Muslims and things are hard there for the church.  The church members asked us to pray specifically that God would work in a way that would give them more freedom to worship.

We were told before we came how much the Christians here would be excited about our coming, but nothing can really prepare you for the overwhelming warmth that awaits you here.  The ladies of the church apologized for the modesty of the refreshments they served us when we came.  Mind you, it was mid afternoon and they brought each one of us cold bottled water, then a soda, followed by cookies and candy.  I said to them, “What else could we possibly want?”  We told them that the best thing to give as a welcome is one’s heart, and that this they had given us in abundance.

We would also ask you to pray that God would help us and our brothers and sisters here to bring this time together to an ending that would fulfill all the good plans God had for this important time.

Grace and Peace,

Jim Leuenberger

Report from the Africa Mission Trip

As eLink subscribers know, Shenango Presbytery has a group traveling in Africa.  We will be posting emails from them but because this material is on the worldwide web we cannot use sensitive words because of the security of our hosts.

Sent at 11:30 pm Africa time on Sunday, January 31, 2010

Sunday was the day we visited the churches.  We were divided into 5 teams of two each. Each team visited a church in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening.  We had to preach at all 10 services.  Since we only had 4 ordained pastors, 2 of our elders had to step up and preach.  I am happy to report that Miriam Gwin and Phyllis Buck accepted the challenge and did a great job.  We are proud of them and trust that their ministry will be used of God to strenghthen the case for the expansion of women’s role in the church here.

We have been very busy.  The itinerary that was planned was extensive to begin with, and many visits have been added to it.  We are having a very rich experience.  Please pray for the group’s health and energy for these last two days.  Pray also that the Lord woud complete the work he wants to do in and through us here.  I feel that both are happening to a remarkable degree.  I could not be more pleased with the way things have gone.  This is a great group, welcomed and hosted by a wonderful church, and strengthened by our gracious God.

For the group, Grace and Peace to all ,

Jim Leuenberger

Report from the Africa Mission Trip
As eLink subscribers know, Shenango Presbytery has a group traveling in Africa. We will be posting emails from them but because this material is on the world wide web we cannot use sensitive words because of the security of our hosts.

Sent at 11:30pm Africa time on Jan. 27, 2010

We are very impressed with the church leaders here. They are very bright capable and dedicated. I am deeply impressed at the way they carry out the visions God puts on their hearts. They believe God is calling them to start new presbyteries and they begin them. They feel called to feed the hungry people of the western part of the country and they risk their lives going to do it. They feel called to begin a church in a remote area and send out a 23 year old newly trained evangelist and the work commences and succeeds through the power of God and their obedient sacrificial and trusting service. These are not people of mere words but of bold action.
Everyone on the trip is well and healthy. We greet you all.
Jim Leuenberger