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Midweek Musings August 21, 2019 edition

Young Adult Volunteer Commissioning Sunday

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust…” ~Psalm 71:5

New Castle Presbytery

Schminkey will return temporarily

as NCP Stated Clerk The Presbytery’s Committee on

Leadership, in consultation with the Presbytery moderator, has asked former

Stated Clerk RE Robert Schminkey, to serve temporarily as Stated Clerk as the

search for an Interim Connectional Presbyter begins.

Schminkey will begin his part time service September 1 following the departure of

our Connectional Presbyter, the Rev. Jessica M. MacMillan, who has resigned to accept a call in Cleveland, Ohio effective August 31.

During his tenure Bob will work with staff, prepare for our September, November and possibly January meetings, do the

necessary follow up from those sessions, and participate with the Committee on Ministers and Congregations and the Committee on

Coordination.

He will be presented for election at the beginning of the September 17 Presbytery meeting in Easton.

Bob’s contact information as of September 1 will be: StatedClerk@ncpresbytery.org; (302) 518-0097 (cell)

Upcoming Events

9/08 - Installation of Rev. Carol

Fisher, New Covenant

9/13-

14/19 - 244th Synod Assembly

View Presbytery calendar: here

Midweek Contents

Board of Pensions News . . . . . . .17

BOP Workshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Community Announce . . . . . . . .25

CPMM Candidate Reflection . . . .9

Employment Opportunities. . . . .23

Health Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

In Sympathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Interfaith Peacemaker . . . . . . . . 19

International Peacemaker Visit .. 12

Just Worship Event . . . . . . . . . . . 2

LUMOS Campus Ministry . . . . . .8

Mission Advocate . . . . . . . . . . . .21

New Pastor/Installation . . . . . . . . 5

Opportunities for Healing . . . . . .18

Our Churches – Donations Safe. .11

Our Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Our Pastors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PC(USA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

PC(USA) Calendars . . . . . . . . . . 20

Presbyterian Historical Society . .14

Related Organizations . . . . . . . . 26

Share the Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Unglued Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

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Just Worship Event

An extraordinary event will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 2,

2019 at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

in Austin, Texas, led by stirring preachers,

exceptional musicians, and talented workshop

leaders. As Project Director for Just Worship, I am

excited about this event and its potential to change

the way the church sees the essential connection

between how we worship and how we work for

justice. As a member of New Castle Presbytery, I’d

like to invite you to come and see for yourself what

God is up to! Read on to learn more about the event and how you can attend at very little cost.

The first Just Worship conference took place in September of 2018 on the campus of Columbia Theological

Seminary. We were African American, Latinx, Korean, African, and white, worshiping God together and

taking part in bringing in God’s reign of justice and peace. We learned from each other and prayed with each

other, we sang and praised and cried and laughed together. We gathered at a table where there is room for

everyone and plenty for all. We marveled at how the Holy Spirit took hold of us in life-changing ways. This

gathering was the first event of the Just Worship initiative that enables participants to see and enact the crucial

relationship between justice and worship.

You can be part of the next Just Worship event in Austin. Full scholarships are available for registration and

lodging! More information and registration can be found at https://www.presbymusic.org/just-

worship.

In addition to three stirring plenary sessions, workshops will offered on anti-racist preaching, liturgy that does

justice without doing violence, how singing helps us in the struggle for justice as we pray for God’s kingdom to

come.

Two signature events promise to enlighten the Austin gathering. On the first evening, conferees will join Josh

Blaine’s community sing at the Texas state capitol. Blaine’s organization, Finding Our Voice, seeks to equip

people with community-building and protest songs to sing at public gatherings. He will meet with us the

following morning to discuss the experience.

The second evening features a performance of Manos Undocumentadas / Undocumented Hands. This bilingual

cantata, directed by composer Jorge Lockward, tells the stories of undocumented workers, the people who

hire them, and the complexities that arise. A discussion of the work will be held the following morning.

Preachers, plenary speakers, and workshop leaders include Paul Roberts, president of Johnson C. Smith

Theological Seminary; Margaret Aymer, Professor of New Testament at Austin Presbyterian Theological

Seminar; Jennifer Lord, Professor of Homiletics and Liturgical Studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological

Seminary; Carolyn Helsel, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Austin; and Kimberly Bracken Long, Editor of

Call to Worship. A number of accomplished musicians will be on hand, including Tony McNeill and Phillip

Morgan (who led us at Big Tent), Eric Wall, and Dave VanderMeer.

A photo-essay exhibit titled Undocumented Stories will be on display through the course of the conference.

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The Just Worship event will also be the subject of a professionally-produced documentary, directed by Scott

Galloway of Susie Films. This film will eventually be distributed to churches around the country, along with a

discussion guide, to broaden the reach of the Just worship initiative. Thanks to a grant from IGNITE and

support from the denomination, we are able to fully fund this project! Watch for the premiere right here in New

Castle Presbytery!

Come and be part of this extraordinary experience, where we will sing, pray, lament, and celebrate together.

Remember, full scholarships are available for registration and lodging! For more information:

https://www.presbymusic.org/just-worship

Just Worship is a cooperative effort between Austin and Johnson C. Smith Seminaries, the PC(USA) Office of

Theology and Worship, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians.

As shared by NCP Member-at-Large, Rev. Dr. Kim Long

In Sympathy

It is with our sincere condolences that we share the news of the passing of

Elder Judy Carton (Westminster-Rehoboth), spouse of NCP minister

member Rev. Barbara Macfie.

Many of you may know Judy as she was a commissioner to Presbytery and

served as Worship Committee Chair and member of session at

Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Judy’s obituary with memorial service information “to be shared at a later

date” is available online here.

Please hold Rev. Barbara, the Westminster church, family and friends in

prayerful sympathy.

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Unglued Church – Sharing

News from the Project

NCP Says Farewell to

Rev. Jessie MacMillan

Our reception on August 19

to bid farewell to Jessie was

bittersweet and we thank

all who attended!

Tracy, Jessie and Donna

Jessie receiving a beautiful gift presented by Tracy on behalf of the

Synod of the Mid-Atlantic

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New Covenant PC Welcome new Pastor!

New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Middletown welcomed their new pastor in June. The Rev. Dr. Carol C. Fisher moved from Colorado with her husband, Jay, and the congregation graciously welcomed them into their church family.

Carol and Jay are both native Virginians, and yet, they have spent their lives serving God in several different states. But now that they are back on the east coast, they truly feel like they have “returned home.”

Carol has over 30 years of ministry experience, serving at three churches as Associate Pastor and at three others as Pastor/Head of

Staff. New Covenant feels blessed to have the opportunity to benefit from her vast experience as well as her extensive education. Dr. Fisher’s education includes a Master of Arts from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Richmond, VA); a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary (Richmond, VA); and a Doctor of Ministry from Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur, GA).

Carol has hit the ground running at New Covenant Church. She senses the enthusiasm and deep commitment that seem to fill the congregation with hope and excitement about what God will do in their midst. Together with the leadership at New Covenant, Carol has helped the church come up with a new logo and tag line. Its purpose is to visually explain the church’s mission to reach out and welcome all people.

The church plans on increasing its outreach in the MOT community, becoming known as A Community of Christ with Open Arms. It is Carol’s hope that the

community comes to understand the deep love the congregation has for God and their desire to welcome all people with their open minds and hearts. Carol explains that the

congregation supports giving of themselves in many ways to honor and serve God, and they gladly accept and

appreciate each person as a unique Child of God.

The congregation is eager to receive direction from God, and they do not find their worth in merely being church members. Rather, they strive to be dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ. The church deeply appreciates the importance of community, for each of us needs others to help us through difficult times, so that we might live the

abundant lives God desires for us.

New Covenant and Dr. Fisher invite this community to join us as we navigate the waters of life. Come and experience a COMMUNITY who knows, loves and serves Christ with OPEN ARMS – open to giving and

receiving from God and the community.

It is our hope that the MOT community will sense the deep love and commitment New Covenant Church has

for serving God in Delaware. Our worship is at 10:00 am every Sunday, followed by fellowship and

refreshments. Every one of you is invited to join with us as partners in ministry! In fact, you are cordially invited

to Carol’s installation service at 2:00 pm on September 8, followed by the church’s annual Steak Fry at 3:30 pm.

To be added to the Steak Fry guest list, please call the church office on 302-378-4446. We’d love to welcome

you! Our address is: 1125 Jamison Corner Rd. at the intersection with Boyd’s Corner Rd.

For further information contact: Rev. Dr. Carol C. Fisher, cell 303-888-0706 or pastornewcov@gmail.com.

Hope to see you soon!

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NCP Installation Service (View installation services on our calendar here)

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Our Partnerships - Congo What’s new with our Congo Partnership?

In anticipation of the renewal of our Partnership Agreement with Kananga Presbytery in the Democratic Republic of Congo which will be considered at the Sept. 17 Presbytery meeting, we are

offering several opportunities for you to learn more about what’s happening there and our vision and hopes for the future. There will be a pre-Presbytery

seminar at the Easton Church on Sept. 17 from 2:30 to 3:30. You will meet our Congolese guest Adams

Cassinga, founder and CEO of ConservCongo, a nature conservation-aligned NGO which fights

poaching, promotes scientific tourism and environmental conservation through education. You will also hear from our New Castle Presbytery Congo

Partnership team about the impact our relationships, prayers and funding have had on the churches in

Kananga Presbytery, on our mission co-workers and on the surrounding communities in which they

minister. One significant impact we will share is the trauma healing led by our mission co-worker Christi Boyd. There will also be a brief presentation during

Presbytery, and introduction of Adams Cassinga.

Then in October, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Serge Makolo, current director of IMCK, the Presbyterian-founded hospital that serves many residents in

and around Kananga. He is one of the speakers at the Congo Mission Network meeting in Knoxville October 17- 19 and will be itinerating throughout the month of October. He is with us Oct. 5-9, first in the southern part of the Presbytery, and then in the north. All are invited to a “lunch and learn” with

him at Chestertown Presbyterian church on Tuesday, Oct. 8 from 12- 2 p.m. He is most interested in visiting hospitals, particularly emergency rooms and labs so if you have any contacts with hospitals,

please let us know. More details of his visit and opportunities to meet with him will follow.

Thank you for your prayerful support. It gives them much hope to know others are remembering them and their hardships.

Blessings and peace, Laurie Loveless, NCPCP convener

Adams with bonobo rescue from traffickers

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Update from the Lumos Presbyterian Campus Ministry/

University of Delaware

Pastors: Please send the Lumos Campus Ministry the names and email addresses of any student who

will be attending UD this year. Our email address is nholy@udel.edu.

The slow, quiet days of summer will soon give

way to the sight and sounds of students coming to the

University of Delaware campus. Summer has given Nona

Holy, our pastor, time to catch her breath, reflect on the

work of the last year. Now with the Steering Committee

and student officers, she looks forward to reconnecting

with students who’ve been involved and welcoming

arriving students who are looking for a home away from

home.

The Campus Ministry house is fully occupied for

this coming year. The Lumos Steering Committee

worked this past year to define and refine four areas of

ministry that will be our focus going forward. Three

ongoing initiatives are:

Creating a strong sense of community among the residents who live at Lumos House;

Exploring big life questions while enjoying fellowship over weekly Lumos lunches; and

Exploring vocation, through our interfaith conversation group, illumine, where participants discuss the

call to live with integrity so that their beliefs and life choices align.

In September, we’ll launch a new mental health support initiative for students that offers daily social

media posts for their reflection as well as information on where students may access mental health resources on

the University of Delaware campus. In addition, we are repurposing a portion of the first floor of the Lumos

House into a SoulSpace, where students can gather to work on creative projects to help them relieve the stress

they experience. The space will be managed/curated by a UD student who helped us bring this concept into

reality. Other types of support will be launched as funds and time allows.

Hear the words of one grateful parent: “I want to thank you for the place that you provided by son, Jackson,

these past two years. Jackson told me about how meaningful the Wednesday lunches were throughout the year.

And, Jackson and I want to give you a Panera gift card, so that others, who can’t afford to buy lunch, might join

those conversations.”

And that is why we all do what we do in this campus ministry!

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CPMM Candidate – Reflection with “Certified Ready”

Deb Trevino

Being Transformed

When I entered Seminary, I knew I would experience growth in all areas of my life.

However, I was surprised at how soon that began to happen.

The first required course is one called “Transforming Seminary Education,” which

took place over two weeks during August. The two professors worked to dislodge our “imbedded”

theology, that which we held without examining its origin or implications. This is composed of what we

are taught about God and the church and our place in it as children. It includes the subtle messages we

internalize from the people around us. We learn to focus on the

“other,” which seemed to include the poor and those struggling

with racism, feminism, womanism or sexual orientation. We

spoke of liberation theology and how those who have been

“marginalized” have found the way to speak out and advocate for

themselves. I began to apply this new teaching as I spoke up for

myself as a woman who is totally blind. The more I attempted to

draw similarities and include the disabled in the accepted

marginalized groups, the more I seemed to come against a stone

wall of unreceptivity. My impression was proven true on the final day of the class.

Each day began with a devotion prepared by 3-5 students. The final morning, we were instructed to pair

up and sing to one another. I noted that students moved around the room and obviously paired up with

one another. I stood there not knowing what I should do. As my anxiety increased, the group began to

sing to one another, “I need you, you need me, we need each other to survive.” As I stood there alone, this

seemed blatantly hypocritical and I left the room in tears.

I sat on a sofa in the hallway examining my feelings of hurt, anger, rejection, and complete exclusion from

my classmates. After all, I had been speaking of the need for a place at the margin for the disabled.

A young African-American woman came out of the classroom.

“What’s wrong, Deb,” she asked, “What happened in there?

“This proves what I have been saying for two

weeks, I began. There has been an elephant in the

room that no one sees. When the entire class paired

up and I was left standing alone, the professors

didn’t even come over to investigate,” I explained

through my tears.

“I’m so sorry,” She said with obvious concern and

sympathy in her voice.

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“It’s okay,” came my immediate and life-long response. My way of trying to gain inclusion was an

attempt to put others at ease by accepting their discomfort as a matter of course.

She was silent for a moment. Then, with a firm voice, she said, “No, it’s not okay.”

My life was changed in an instant. I write this story 11 years after this experience and I sit with tears in my

eyes because of the beautiful gift of solidarity this young woman gave me. I was finally able to proclaim,

“Damn it, it’s not okay to treat me like I’m not here. You can’t exclude me just because you don’t know

what it’s like to be blind. If you took the time to know me you would understand that I’m more like you

than different from you. Teaching inclusivity while being exclusive is down-right hypocritical. I refuse to

sit in my little corner and be silent anymore.”

I began to understand that it is not my responsibility to put others at ease in my presence; they must own

their emotions and reactions. To be more exact, I must be comfortable in my skin. Though blindness is

part of my life and it is inescapable, it does not define me as a person.

As I progressed through seminary, I began to speak up more often in an attempt to raise awareness of the

fact that we need more than wheelchair ramps and electronic door buttons, which were installed while I

was on campus, to become inclusive of the disabled. Sometimes simple things are needed such as

provision of a document in accessible format, often a mere MS Word version of the print copy passed out

to others. Accessibility and inclusion could mean the use of a microphone in class so that all can hear the

professor.

We need to be sure that all are included in our work toward Compassion Peace and Justice. While sitting

in many church services when CP&J work is discussed and we speak of marginalized groups we serve,

mention is made of the poor, those oppressed because of race, gender, sexual orientation and refugees from

war and exploitation. Though I absolutely support these causes, my heart cries out, “What about the

elderly and disabled? Who cares about their needs and what they have to offer the church? Why are they

ignored even though they live among us? Why is there a cachet surrounding resources sent abroad? We

like to speak of helping the marginalized but I contend that the elderly are too often dismissed as having

nothing more to offer the church and the disabled have not yet made it to the margins! I submit that these

populations have a great deal to offer in the way of experience in navigating life, building one’s faith in the

midst of adversity, creating in us a healthy dose of humility and gratitude for our abundant blessings.

If you are interested in being part of true inclusion of the disabled, just introduce yourself and allow a

conversation to begin. If appropriate, you could ask the simple question, “Would you like some

assistance?” Your offer will either be accepted gratefully or

politely turned down.

Transforming Seminary Education transformed my life and

we should all seek that transformation as we work to

include all of humanity’s gifts in the rich fabric of life.

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Our Churches – Keeping Donations

Safe Brought to you by our Disaster Recovery

Coordinator, CRE Pam Ruarke as printed in

Church Law & Tax

View the full article here.

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PC(USA) International Peacemaker to Visit

NCP

PC(USA) International Peacemaker Erlinda Quesada from

Costa Rica will be visiting NCP October 1 thru October 7. She and Karla Koll, acting as her translator, will be sharing

the powerful story of how she has fought transnational corporations and her country’s government in order to

provide clean water for the Caribbean region.

Erlinda Quesada has been an activist since her early twenties. She first became involved in the social ministry of the Roman Catholic parish in Guácima. Later she served as coordinator of women's

ministries for the Limon Diocese. For two years she coordinated a women's training program for Catholic Relief Services. In 2000, she and other activists became alarmed by the

negative impacts of the expanding pineapple plantations in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. In 2004, she helped to found the National Front of Sectors Impacted by Pineapple Production (FRENASAPP). She is the coordinator and community promotor for FRENASAPP in the Carribbean region of Costa Rica. She served for ten years on the

city council for the municipality of Guacima. Currently she serves as president of the Environmental Council for the Tortuguero Conservation Area.

MEET ERLINDA QUESADA! Ocean View Presbyterian Church will be hosting

Erlinda’s visit. Open time has been scheduled on Thursday, October 3, late afternoon or evening and

on Friday, October 4 before 3 PM.

On Saturday October 5, we will be hosting

her presentation from 9:30 AM until noon at

Ocean View Presbyterian Church, 67 Central

Avenue, Ocean View, DE.

Everyone is welcome to join us for this

program. Come to hear her inspiring story.

For more details or if you are interested in

having her visit, please contact Marlene

Quinn at 302-753-6348.

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Workshop to be held within New Castle Presbytery

Wednesday, October 2, 6-8:00 p.m. Presbyterian Church of Dover, 54 S. State Street, Dover, DE

Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations

Brings a pastor and congregational leadership together to work toward

financial sustainability by providing financial education and consultations to both the pastor and

congregational leaders.

Members of session or the Personnel Committee or any other congregational leaders, along with the

pastor, participate in a single, two-hour training session. This training teaches congregational leaders

to understand the financial realities of those who answer God’s call to congregational ministry; and

appreciate the role justly compensating their pastors, including benefits, plays in the vitality of the

Church; and

Pastors who covenant with their congregational leadership to complete the program receive:

a grounding in financial literacy and financial management skills by completing online learning modules in two series,

individual financial counseling with Ernst & Young Employee Financial Services,

and the opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $10,000, which may be used to reduce or

eliminate the educational or other debt, or to boost personal savings in the Retirement Savings Plan.

More information is available on pensions.org, Healthy Pastors, Healthy Congregations.

PRE-REQUISITE: Prior to registration, please contact Martha Reisner, BOP Church Consultant,

to discuss requirements for participation. (mreisner@pensions.org; 215-587-7049)

Registration is required no later than Wednesday, September 25. Register online at:

https://forms.gle/1MikRGd5ahH8aNqB8

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Presbyterian Historical

Society

The Presbytery staff visited the

Presbyterian Historical Society

recently and deposited important

records to preserve

the minutes of

Presbytery, church

registers of closed

churches, grant files

containing financial

funding and more.

The PC(USA) Book of

Order encourages

congregations, mid

councils and national

agencies to deposit

vital records of

permanent value in

PHS’s secure,

climate-controlled

archives, Other than

shipping, this service

is free of charge.

PHS also provides in-

house digitization

services for PC(USA) congregations, mid councils and national agencies. High-quality

digital facsimiles give you unlimited remote access to collections and protect materials

from damage and deterioration by eliminating the need to handle fragile paper

originals. All PC(USA) entities receive a discounted rate for this service and congregations

or mid councils with a PHS membership receive further savings.

Historical collection of records preserves and shares the story of the American

Presbyterian experience, all in one location staffed by archival experts in their field. Find

out more about preserving church records: www.history.pcusa.org/records or visit the full

website for details about membership, archiving, journal subscriptions and more!

www.History.pcusa.org

Makemie, Witherspoon and McMillan in the background Jessie MacMillan, Donna Scully, and Tracy Keenan

joined by PHS archivist David Staniunas

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Our Pastors – Rev. Terry Dougherty, Ocean View PC

A Sermonic Reflection on the Books of Ezra/Nehemiah

On Sunday, August 4th, I preached the first of two sermons on Ezra/Nehemiah,

inspired by the work of the plenary speaker at the Engle Institute for Preaching at

Princeton Seminary, Dr. Roger Nam. In that sermon I acknowledged the fine

historical content of these two books of the Bible, and summarized the history of

the 2, 3 or 4 returns from the Babylonian/Persian exile between approximately 539

and 438 BCE. I talked about the theological/ideological ascription of that return

(unitized) under the direction of God (a view not necessarily shared by a

succession of Persian kings), and about the theological/literary linkages to the crossing of the Jordan in the

book of Joshua. I talked about the legal/social chaos lived out in the Judean/Transjordean world subsequent to

the return. Finally, I talked about the lived experience of these returnees who became administrators (in the

name of God, and largely for the sake of leading a vassal state) – resistance by those who had been “left

behind”, scarcity and demand caused by misfeasance and the unrelenting demands of tribute. The consequence

of all that is the theological/cultic call of Ezra for a return to pure Temple worship and public life (and that’s a

whole ‘nother Bible study!).

Sunday, Aug. 11th; Ezra/Nehemiah

“While we may perhaps agree that what I believe is not directly within

my control, some of my beliefs are indirectly within my control, at least

in part. First, what I accept has a long-term influence upon what I

believe” [Alvin Plantinga, Faith and Rationality, p. 38 (emphasis mine) ].

In the case of the leadership of the returnees from exile, we are forced to

consider a religious body – representative of the whole – that will countenance sending numerous women and

children off into the desert – where most, if not all, will certainly die. A fixed idea, that God’s approval must be

what is at the root of their trouble, and all human trouble, has brought them to this point (Ezra 9 & 10;

Nehemiah 13).

I – We- must grant this is happening under all the pressures I recited last week: Financial and military pressure

from Persia, which demands tribute, and sent this group of folks to assure it would be received. Active

resistance to their presence and purposes by those who had been “left behind”, those made up of a wide variety

of “Canaanites”, those who constitute what are best summarized as “the Samaritans”. The two-directional

failure of assimilation and community. The sense of impending disaster and disappearance as a (minority)

community. Consciousness of failure and unsustainability. Loss of identity.

Still – they countenance sending off innumerable women and children to die, in the name of a racial/social

purity they claim the right to define. They say they do so because of abominations – one of which is the

accusation of child sacrifice. How one cures the abomination of child sacrifice by sending the children to die is

maybe above my pay grade; it just looks monstrous.

In the framework of a racial/social complex whose foundational laws/commandments in Leviticus demand

they care for widows, orphans and sojourners, they countenance creating widows and orphans, and rejecting

rather than helping them; blaming the victims for the crimes.

“…what I accept has a long-term

influence upon what I believe.”

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 16 -

Still, they countenance sending off innumerable women and children to die, in the name of racial/social purity

under their God – a God who, in our shared origin story, Genesis, and in Wisdom books such as Job and Ruth,

and in the book of Psalms, and later in our own new Testament – a God who celebrates and boasts of the sheer

variety of Creatures He has made. Fish, trees, birds, plants, geography, topography, sea, sand, rock, stream,

moon, stars … People.

Despite all that variety, and the claim that God is perfect, a God of deliberate order as well as multiplicity:

despite all that, they say that, in this one case, God has made a mistake. They say that God couldn’t possibly

have meant to make human beings so various – even though we clearly are and always have been. They offer to

fix God’s mistake – “you’re welcome, God!” – if God will just relax a few dozen laws and commandments.

They offer a shortcut to an easy solution to rebellion and false worship – and to their own problems. They

could at last, they dreamed, live their life apart – in their own temple, behind mighty walls – feeling faultless and

justified.

But our God created relationship and mutuality in the very act of creating; the

interactivity and intermingling of the constituent parts of the creation is its glory.

People are not exempt; to the contrary, people are very much a part, God’s co-

creationists. Our God demands the long road of suffering and burden bearing,

and of love throughout that suffering. Christ commands a road of mutual

support and uplifting, of gentleness and patience and willingness and kindness.

Christ demands sacrifice in the name of love; the sort of sacrifice He willingly

made; the sort that might not obviously work out in our own time. Our life is

one of sharing, not hoarding; of love, not fear, and above all of community, not

isolation.

The reason above all others I love the Bible, and which I think is its greatest legacy for us, is its sheer honesty.

These people moving across its pages succeed and fail; they’re stubborn and they’re open; they love and they

fear and they hate. One moment they serve with love; the next they confront with violence. They agree with

each other and their God, then confront each other, and their God.

Right in the midst of their many failures, they discover beauty and

holiness. They – and we! – are on a road of becoming who and what

God made us to be. They and we are not there yet. Our road still lies

ahead, a striving for justice and a striving for joy.

This story, of Ezra and Nehemiah, was in my mind a failure; a

compound failure. And for our sake, this was a very public, and a

shared, failure. As I said last week, the exile did not “cure” these 50,000

people of all that was wrong, or sinful, or misunderstood in them – but it

shines a light for us. We don’t have to make the same mistakes; we can

be more generous, more loving, more patient. Rather than scapegoat,

we can move slowly, deliberately and painfully through our own history

and flaws – those known and those unseen and unrecognized. We can repent of them, and move away,

lastingly, from them. We can examine ourselves honestly, in the light of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

AMEN.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 17 -

The latest edition of PCUSA News encourages:

Pastoral leader of “1001” ministry called the “Mother Teresa of Kalispell”

Races, faith traditions come together during moving ceremony remembering those enslaved

As gun violence escalates, churches wrestle with how to

protect worshippers

Finding renewal in a busy church culture

And more!

Read the full edition here.

Board of Pensions

The latest Board Connections includes:

Employee Spotlight: Meet Peter Maher, Assistant Director of Investments

Board University launches holistic retirement seminar

New Extended hours for service! Monday

through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. EST

Managing risk while saving for retirement

And more here.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 18 -

Opportunities for Healing

For more information regarding observances and history, view the website dedicated to 400 years of inequality here

“There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus .”

~Galatians 3:28

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 19 -

INTERFAITH PEACEMAKER, New Castle Presbytery

Rev. Tom DavisIn

Interfaith Veterans Workgroup August 2019 President’s

Report

Dear fellow presbyters,

A July Meeting Update

The minutes of the July 24th meeting, held at the

Bayada Health Care Building, are attached. New member, Tim McLaughlin, attended, and also a visitor from

the Power Breath group, Susan Scott, who has served as a hospice chaplain. Owing to many members taking

vacation in August there will be no regular meeting this month. Our next scheduled meeting will be 7:00 p.m.

on September 18th at the Bayada Health Care Building, 750 Shipyard Drive at the Christiana waterfront in

Wilmington.

Update on Veterans’ Peace Videos Project

The Veterans Peace Videos project produced an initial instructional video with editing help from Scott Michels'

students returning home from incarceration. Scott has a studio in the Bellevue Community Center. You can

watch the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDgmiYEb1G8&feature=youtu.be

Jack Sanders and I visited the Middle East Gallery of the Penn Museum on August 31st in order to meet with a

guide there who served as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Iraq. He introduced me to a colleague at the

museum who just finished a master's degree involving digital storytelling. I was delighted, since the Veterans'

Peace Videos Project planners might benefit from his knowledge. He since sent me the attached "Cookbook"

for digital storytelling. It's very thorough, and I feel I will need to distill some essentials from it to make it useful

for our purposes.

Last Saturday I took photos and video of the pollinator meadow on the grounds of Lower Brandywine

Presbyterian Church, working with Don Coats, a bee expert in that congregation. I gave some youngsters there

brief instructions on how to video using their cell phones, and they went right to work! Currently Don and I are

editing the footage. So, we expect to have the second Veterans' Peace video online soon.

Veterans’ Hikes Continue Despite Very Hot Weather

Thanks to Jack Sanders' dogged determination the summer hikes continue despite sweltering heat. Hikers are

finding trails with lots of canopy!

Meditation Programs Update

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction: I met with Dr. Jenna Tedesco and National Guard Chaplain, Andy

Warner, to make plans for reaching out to National Guard soldiers and their families with MBSR training.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 20 -

Power Breath: IVW Power Breath meditation participants include Ed Strickland, Ted Garrison, Tom Davis

and his wife, Alice. We are practicing individually each day and meet monthly with instructor, Sandeep

Karode, for refresher training.

Plans for Worship on Eve of Veterans’ Day

IVW welcomes new member, Rev. Kate

Morgan, newly arrived pastor at IVW's

headquarters church, the Presbyterian

Church of the Covenant. Kate is a Marine

Veteran, and she is very interested in

working with IVW to reduce veteran

suicide in Delaware. Pastor Kate has

invited me to preach at the church on

November 10th, the day before Veterans'

Day. My sermon theme will be: What courage means in combat, and what it means when a veteran returns to

civilian life. There will be a breakfast at 8:30 that morning to honor all military veterans. All veterans and their

family members are welcome! The address is 503 Duncan Road, next door to the Mount Pleasant Elementary

School. Please RSVP by November 3rd at 302-764-9007 so that the cooks know how much food to prepare.

Peace, Tom

TCDavis, President, Interfaith Veterans Workgroup; 302-507-6012 mobile; E-mail: tcd123@gmail.com

PC(USA) Planning Calendar

Orders for NCP – Update The PC(USA) Store has confirmed orders placed by the Presbytery are expected to ship

by the end of August. As soon as they have arrived, an email to those who ordered will be

sent confirming the “awaited arrival”!

Thank you for your patience as we work with the new timeframe for receipt of this beloved and valuable publication.

Mark your calendars! Sunday, November 10th

(the day before Veterans Day) Rev. Tom will

preach at PCOC with a sermon titled “What

courage means in combat”.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 21 -

MISSION ADVOCATE, New Castle Presbytery and

Co-Facilitator, MAC (Matthew Action Committee)

Terry Lee Dykstra

The American Way

Presbytery Friends, The American way of life should not be confused with the Gospel’s way of life. We need to allow ourselves to be used by Christ through the Church to bring healing and wholeness. Matthew 25 calls us to follow Christ’s instructions to stand in solidarity with the powerless, the poor, the down-trodden, the marginalized.

Xenophobic, racist, nationalism is not the way of the Gospel.

The church is called to embody God’s mission in the world. We attend to the huddled masses at our border.

• We attend to the homeless, the widow, the orphan.

• We attend to the suffering from lack of water, lack of food, and lack of health care.

• We attend to those fleeing war and oppression.

• We attend to those in distant lands served by missionaries on our behalf. God’s agenda in Central America, in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, America, and all of the lands and islands that dot the seas should be our agenda too. As the hymn says, “They will know we are Christians by our love.”

Blessings and peace, Terry E-mail: terrydykstra@gmail.com

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 22 -

EDUCATIONAL

OPPORTUNITY - Health

Ministry

August – National

Farmers Market Week

Hello NCP Friends!

Farmer’s Market Week (in early

August) helps promote affordable,

competitive prices and special

programs for low-income families,

thus allowing farmers markets to

expand access to fresh, healthy food

in communities that need it most.

Unlike supermarkets, with their

beguiling aisles of soda, candy and

potato chips, farmers markets put

fruits and vegetables front and

center and create a shopping

environment where nutritious foods

are not only affordable, they’re

celebrated. Vsit the NCP Health

Ministry webpage to learn more

about Farmer’s Markets, including

how they impact our community,

promote local farmers, and help to

optimize our overall health here.

Be safe, be well! Stephanie

Stephanie Scully Eskridge, RN,

BSN

Questions?

healthministry@ncpresbytery.org

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 23 -

Position Church/Organization

Full-Time Pastor,

Interim Pastor

positions and

Church Educators

New Castle Presbytery

View open positions and associated ministry information form links here.

View MIFs for additional

information

PASTOR/HEAD

OF STAFF

Chestertown Presbyterian Church 905 Gateway Drive, Chestertown, MD The Presbyterian Church of Chestertown, located a historic

college community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is seeking

a pastor who combines good leadership skills, creativity,

personal warmth, and humor with a loving spirit and a

strong faith to lead our active, enthusiastic,

multigenerational and mission-oriented congregation.

Visit us at presbyterianchestertown.org and view our MIF

#10981.AB on the PCUSA CLC website.

Choir Director &

Organist

First Presbyterian Church-Newark 292 W. Main Street, Newark, DE FPC, a 400-member church with a strong traditional music

program and excellent pipe organ, after the retirement of

their 10-year Choir Director & Organist, is searching for

their next Organist & Director for its 24-member choir.

Send your resume by July 19th to 292

W. Main Street, Newark DE 19711 or via email:

humanresources@firstpresnewark.org.

High School Youth

Ministry

Coordinator

Limestone Presbyterian Church (LPC) 3201 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE Part-time Sr. High School Ministry Coordinator opening for

planning and implementing a dynamic program of spiritual

growth, education fellowship and service opportunities for

nurturing the youth in their faith. Full position description

available upon request.

Limestone Church at: limestonepc@comcast.net or via

phone (302) 994-5646

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 24 -

Café Coordinator Community Presbyterian Church 519 Rogers Road, New Castle, DE Community PC is seeking a part-time (9 hours/week)

Program Coordinator for a new and innovative program of

events for the entire family to provide a source of health,

wellness and empowerment tools for the community. View the position description here.

Call or email to apply:

(302) 652-0129 or

Rev.Fredahanna@gmail.com

Drummer First Presbyterian Church of Newark 292 W. Main Street, Newark, DE

Seeking a drummer for Sunday morning Contemporary

Worship Service. A digital drumset is available, or your personal drumset is permissible for use. Rehearsal time is

Sunday at 8am with service time beginning at 9am.

To schedule an audition, please contact Larry at 302-545-0143.

Full-Time Pastor Siesta Key Chapel 4615 Gleason Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34242 Seeking full-time solo pastor to respond to God’s grace in

Worship, fellowship and praise. Eager to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior as we follow the Spirit’s call

to love one another, proclaim the Gospel and serve the World

God Loves. View the full MIF #10232.AC0 on Church Leadership Connection and their website at:

https://siestakeychapel.org/

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 25 -

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS & NEWS

DATE EVENT LOCATION

9/8/19

10:30 a.m.

Elsmere Presbyterian Church

606 New Road, Wilmington, DE

9/13/19

7:00 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church-Milford 101 S. Walnut Street, Milford, DE

2nd Friday proudly presents Cool Jazz played live by Mike Kelly. Mike will be presenting a live

performance of classic songs in a format called “Music Minus One”. Music Minus One is a form of Karaoke, but having a live player do the melody while still having a full band accompaniment. 2nd Friday is a free, family-oriented program

9/22/19

4:00 p.m.

Presbyterian Church of the Covenant 503 Duncan Road, Wilmington, DE

From Western Classical to the West Indies: Ben

Goldman, percussion

The Third Season of The Arts at Covenant kicks off with a musician who fuses together multiple styles and repertoires, one numerous

instruments…all in one concert! Ben Goldman is a versatile drummer and percussionist who “demonstrates his aptitude to adapt.”. He holds a BFA from California Institute of the Arts and an MM from University of Delaware.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS NEWSLETTER - 26 -

New Castle Presbytery 1102 W. Church Road

Newark, DE 19711–2506 (302) 366-0595 office ● (302) 366-0714 fax

www.ncpresbytery.org Hours: Monday-Wednesday (SUMMER HOURS through Labor Day)

8:30 am—4:00pm

Thursday (Staff available via email) & Friday (Office closed)

Staff – Rev. Tracy Keenan, Missional Presbyter – Ruling Elder Bob Schminkey, Interim Stated

Clerk

– Ruling Elder Lynette Kenton, Treasurer

– Donna L. Scully, Administrator

Officers (2019) – Dianne Deming, Moderator

– Charlie Collier, Vice Moderator

NCP Resource Personnel (2019) – Rev. Tom Davis, Interfaith Peacemaker

– Rev. Nona Holy, LUMOS Campus Minister

– Colleen Smarr, Bookkeeper

– Terry Dykstra, Mission Advocate

– Pam Ruarke, Disaster Recovery Coordinator

– Martha Reisner, Board Of Pensions, Church

Consultant

PCUSA Communications

Presbyterians Today

Related Organizations

– Presbyterian Church (USA)

– Synod of the Mid-Atlantic PC(USA)

– Board of Pensions

– Administrative Personnel Association

PC(USA)

– Lumos/Presbyterian Campus Ministry

(UD)

– Interfaith Resource Center

– Meeting Ground Inc.

– NCP Guatemala Partnership

– New Hope Pastoral Counseling

– Pacem In Terris

– PCUSA Investment & Loan Program

– Pilgrimage Ministries

– Presbyterian Foundation

– Presbyterian Men

– Presbyterian Women

– Teledavis

– Westminster Village

Presbyterian Outlook

Presbyterian News Service Presbyterian Mission Yearbook

Presbyterian Communicators Network

NCP OFFICE UPDATE!

OFFICE CLOSED Labor Day, September 2

In observance of the National Holiday