Our participation in PC(USA) Mission Challenge ‘07 begins on Saturday, October 20th! Is your congregation ready?

On Sunday, Oct. 21 or 28, please use the bulletin inserts you received in the mail. Some extra copies are available at the presbytery office, or call (800) 872-3283 for additional inserts.

Our guest missionary, Ted Wright, sends the following message to us:

“Nearly 50 of us missionaries are spreading out to visit 144 presbyteries. We represent every continent and variety of work–covering the spectrum of PC(USA).

“When I come to Scioto Valley, Oct. 19-25, I want to share information about Presbyterian mission. What in the world is the church doing today? Where? Why? How? Who are your missionaries (not only the ones you know)? What is our life like? How can a local church connect?

“Using some of my own stories and experience, I’ll try to put a face on world mission. I will invite both my audience and the churches in general to build (or build upon) a relationship with a missionary of their choosing. I will have some DVDs, PowerPoints, and a table display. And, of course, I will be available to answer people’s questions.”

Mission Challenge ‘07 is the largest event of its kind ever carried out by our Presbyterian church.

You and your congregation are invited to be part of this new movement. Please make sure that your and some other members of your church attend one of the six evening gatherings:

See the complete Mission Challenge ‘07 schedule for PSV here!

Rev. Ted Wright will visit First and Second Presbyterian Churches in Portsmouth on Wednesday, October 24th. Ted and Sue Wright were appointed in July, 2005 to serve as regional liaisons for east and central Africa with special attention to Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. Their focus is on the Evangelism and Church Growth Program in southern Africa.

All those who have an interest in missions are cordially invited to be our guest(s) at Second Presbyterian Church for dinner at 6 p.m. followed by a presentation by Rev. Wright at 7 p.m. Second Presbyterian Church is located at 801 Waller Street (corner of 8th Street and Waller Street).

We ask that you call the church office (740-353-4159) no later than Monday, October 22nd to let us know the number attending from your congregation. This will help us greatly with food preparation.

(Editor’s Note: for more information, including other churches which are hosting events, please see 2007 Mission Challenge comes to the Presbytery of Scioto Valley.)

During October, 2007, over 140 presbyteries will be visited by a mission co-worker for one week.  These missionaries will be inviting every PC(USA) congregation to be in relationship with at least one PC(USA) co-worker. The goal is to increase our understanding of the needs of the mission field and to enhance the sense of support for our mission workers. 

Presbytery of Scioto Valley will host Rev. Ted Wright from October 19 to 26. Until his appointment as a mission co-worker, Ted was the pastor and head of staff of the Langhorne Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia for 22 years. During that church’s partnership with a congregation in Zimbabwe, Ted and his wife, Sue, felt God’s call to serve full-time in Africa.  Since July, 2005, they have served as regional liaisons for east and central Africa with special attention to Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Angola. 

First Presbyterian Church, Delaware — Saturday, Oct. 20 at 5:30 pm Potluck dinner (table service and beverages will be furnished); 6:15 pm Program 

First Presbyterian Church, Mt. Vernon — Sunday, Oct. 21 at 6 :30 pm Program 

St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Columbus — Monday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 pm Program 

Hilliard Presbyterian Church — Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7:00 pm Program 

Second Presbyterian Church, Portsmouth — Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 6:00 pm Light dinner, 7:00 pm Program.

First Presbyterian Church, Athens — Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7:00 pm Program 

Please encourage and arrange for interested members of your congregation to attend one of these gatherings!

For further information, contact Bruce Henderson at the Presbytery office (1-800-244-7207), home (1-740-344-8826), or email (kbhenderson1806@msn.com).

For more information on Ted Wright, see http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/profiles/wrightc.htm

Photo of new 2007-2010 Certified Lay Pastors class which began in August. Class participants include:  6 Presbyterians (Bob Bowers, Lori Kasberg, Kae Merold, Bob Moore, Bob Potts and Zegeye Moroda) and 4 United Church of Christ  (Kim Carter, Daniel Dempsey, Michael Garrison and Rise Schneeider).  

(Note: the 2007 CLP Brochure is available in PDF, formatted for printing.)

The Presbytery of Scioto Valley Certified Lay Pastor Program (CLP) In Partnership with The Central Southeast Ohio Association of the United Church of Christ (CSEOA)

CLP Program 2007-2010 Courses

• Old Testament Survey
• New Testament Survey
• Preaching
• Theology
• Worship And Sacraments
• Presbyterian Polity
• Church Administration
• History Of The Reformed Faith
• Pastoral Care
• Christian Education
• Spirituality
• Ethics

The certified lay professional program also includes mentor relationships, an annual consultation with the clp committee, a summer program on homiletics and education in the small membership church and final exams.

Read the rest of this entry »

Download this information in a PDF

Mark Your Calendars! Presbytery Events in 2007—2008 from Your Congregational Nurture Committee!

Older Adult Ministry Liaisons Gathering — November 12th at Hilliard Presbyterian Church. If your church has a Liaison, encourage them to come to learn and share.

Partners In Education — January 5, 2008 at Gahanna, Jackson and Hilliard Presbyterian Churches. Classes will include Elder, Deacon and Clerk training as well as advanced officer training and classes for teachers and church leaders.

Jr./Sr. High Retreat and Confirmation Retreat — These retreats will be held jointly at Camp Akita on February 8-10, 2008.

Spring Fest will be March 8th at the OSU Theater Department Building. Plenary Speakers with be Dr. Darrell Guder, Princeton Seminary Academic Dean and author of Missional Church, and Martha Lee Bohn McGahan, Gulfport, Mississippi, youth director and passionate mission work trip coordinator in Katrina relief. Mark your calendars!

Older Adult Ministry Liaisons Retreat – April 16-17, 2008 at the Procter Conference Center near London, OH. Guest Leader will be Barbara Bruce, author of Mental Aerobics: 75 Ways to Keep Your Brain Fit.

In October, 2007, 144 of the church’s 173 presbyteries will host a mission co-worker for one week. The 48 misssionaries who will participate in this visitation have given a total of 622 years of service throughout the world, an average of almost 18 years per person.

The purpose of this major emphasis is to inform members of Presbyterian churches about the work our denomination is doing in the world and to ask each congregation to select at least one mission co-worker and build a relationship with that missionary through prayer, correspondence, and financial support.

Presbytery of Scioto Valley will host mission co-worker Ted Wright from Oct. 19 - 26. Our Global Missions Committee has scheduled gatherings each evening in regional locations so that Presbyterians from every church in the presbytery can attend one of these gatherings. More about Ted Wright and the schedule of gatherings will be in the next issue of this Newsletter.

Over 50 mission contact persons in 44 churches are now receiving a monthly message of information about missions.

Those persons will be sharing this news with their local mission/outreach committee and their Session. This network will be a means for the mutual sharing of information and opportunities between churches as well as from PSV Mission Partnerships.

If no one in your congregation is receiving the news from PSV Mission Network, please provide the presbytery office with the name, phone number, and email address of the person who will receive and distribute these communications.

Contact Presbytery of Scioto Valley

The 200th meeting of the Presbytery of Scioto Valley was highlighted by worship led by the Rev. Carol Wickersham, from the Presbytery of Lakes and Prairies. She challenged the Presbytery to think about peace also to work for it in large and small activities.

New pastors, James Gear (Columbus Brookwood), Leigh Holder-Bobo (Columbus Hoge Memorial), and Michael Phillips (Washington Court House First) were introduced.

At the request of the Presbytery of San Jose, Brett Swanson (pictured) was examined and approved for ordination. He has been called to be associate pastor at the Columbus Boulevard church.

In other pastoral transitions, Charlotte O’Neil has moved from 1/2 to 3/4 time at Delaware Old Stone and Donald Coleman has become associate pastor at Delaware Liberty. New interims are Tim Jones at Grove City First, Alex McDougall at Galloway, and Paul Van Horn at Nelsonville First. Jeff Connar will serve as commissioned lay pastor at Columbus Calvin, Dwayne Lee will serve as CLP at Frankfort First, and Linda Plummer will add Oak Hill Horeb to her CLP duties at Oak Hill Bethel. Marian Redding is now stated supply pastor at Iberia. November 1st will see Jeffrey De Yoe begin as pastor at Worthington and Stuart Ritter become interim at Columbus Broad Street. Phil Hazelton and Rawley Boone were granted honorably retired status.

The proposal from the Mt. Gilead church, presented in September 2006 and postponed to this meeting, asked that the Presbytery take the position that “compliance with the standards for ordination adopted by the whole church in the Book of Order is an essential of Reformed polity” was defeated.

The mission partnerships report noted that the major upcoming activity will the week-long Presbytery’s joining in the Mission Challenge ‘07. Ted Wright, area coordinator for central and southern Africa, will be in the Presbytery October 20-26th andz will meet at area gatherings, including Presbyterian Women and Hanging Rock.

The Presbytery Resource Center was granted permission to proceed with the organization of a partnership network of Presbytery Resource Centers in Ohio, in the Synod of the Covenant.

A well done video presentation on the Youth Triennium was presented.

A lay pastors class of 4 Presbyterians and 3 UCCs were welcomed at the September 2007 Presbytery Meeting.

This marks the completion of our first class partnering with our United Church of Christ colleagues.

The Trustees announced that they had concurred with the Committee On Ministry oversight committee for Worthington Highlands to grant the church $30,000 for September 2007 through August 2008 and not do the projected funding for the third year of the original plan.

A motion was referred to Presbytery Council to have the presbytery meetings scheduled at the same time on consistent dates.

CORRECTION: The next presbytery meeting will be at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Columbus on Tuesday, November 20, at 10 a.m.