Pictures are live from July Stated Meeting

Posted by Seattle Presbytery on Thursday, July 23, 2015

Code For the Kingdom Recap

By Chris Lim (RE, Indonesian PC):

About a hundred people gathered for the first ever Code for the Kingdom @ Microsoft on July 10-11. We prayed, worshiped, hacked (kids did too!), pitched and celebrated–it was an amazing time. Read more.

Here are some pictures, videos and tweets from the event. You can read my thoughts on the winning projects here.

One participant shared, "Initially I registered as a photographer volunteer to participate in "Code for the Kingdom" event, because I never thought I was capable of handling a software project of real user impact. But after discussing with the tutor, I suddenly got some idea. Why cannot I use the algorithms I learned in Bing for biblical verse ranking? Although got the initial idea, there are a lot of technical challenges. But I really felt that God inspired me to attack my limitation. With the help of two tutors, my project "Bible insight" got the second place out of three, winning $100 gift card. I don't think I deserve the prize, but this event was really a spiritual treasure for me!"

Show of solidarity for Charleston church shooting victims

(Photo: Heather Graf, KING 5 News)

Thank you to the many Seattle Presbytery leaders and members who participated in the Seattle rally and march on Tuesday, July 7 to show solidarity for the Charleston church shooting victims. KING 5 News covered the event.  Watch the story here.

Interested in Partnering for Chap Clark Seminar?

Calvin Presbyterian Church in Shoreline, WA would like to host a Chap Clark Seminar on Saturday, September 26, 2015.

Calvin proposes to host this seminar with your help through partnership and sponsorship of Presbyterian churches in the area.  As a partner, your church’s staff will attend free of charge and your church’s name will be included on all promotion materials.  The cost of the seminar is $3,500.  This expense will be covered by ten Presbyterian churches partnering at $250 each, and approximately 75-80 paying registrants.

Our vision is to invite all churches and their staff and congregants, as well as publicizing broadly to schools, Younglife, parents and others who work with children and youth. 

We are proposing the following fee schedule for non-sponsoring church staff and others: 

$15 for church staff and pastors

$10 for parents

$20 for both seminar sessions

See seminar session details below.
Event Details
Join other parents, pastors, youth and children’s ministry staff as we explore what it means to take seriously the spiritual formation of children and adolescents.  Chap Clark, Fuller Seminary Professor of Youth, Family, and Culture, and best-selling author, will provide training and tools to help us understand the adolescent experience, and faithfully journey with children and youth as they become followers of Jesus. 

Two seminars will be offered:

10am – 12 noon:  For clergy and church formation leaders to discern ways we can better minister to families and equip parents to walk with their children and adolescents on a journey of faith.

1pm – 3pm:  For parents to learn more about the world of adolescents and discover ways to be more intentional about faith formation at home. 

Karen Kirkman, Director of Family Ministries at Calvin Presbyterian Church would love to talk with you about this seminar with Chap Clark and answer any of your questions.  Her e-mail is families@calvinpc.org, or call her at (206) 542-6181. 

PC(USA) Leaders Issue Statement on Church Burnings

A hate-inspired tragedy like the murder of nine worshipers at the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, causes people of good conscience not only to grieve, but to reassess their attitudes about race, and moves people of all races to come together and take actions that reflect new commitments to heal long-standing wounds in the United States.

Read more.

Equip Your Congregation to Mentor Vulnerable Youth of Color

The 4C Coalition Can Equip Your Congregation to Mentor Vulnerable Youth of Color in King County 

In recent years, many churches have foregone the one-week mission trip to other parts of the US, or abroad, in favor of responding to significant issues of poverty, homelessness, abuse, and disenfranchisement right at home.  Such a shift provides for long-term, life-changing relationships that can bring hope, justice, and healing to people who live in the same region, but who, in significant ways, live worlds apart.

The 4C Coalition is a local non-profit (the 4 C’s stand for: Clergy, Community, Children/Youth, Coalition) that has seen great success in turning around the lives of boys and girls aged 12-18 throughout King County. About a year ago, members of Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church (MBPPC) began a partnership with the 4C Coalition.  MBPPC is hosting 4C Mentor Trainings to build one-to-one mentoring relationships with vulnerable youth of color in King County.  MBPPC is hosting these one-day trainings on Saturdays throughout the year. Along with hosting women and children from the Mary’s Place Shelter, MBPPC members who have completed the one-day training have been matched with youth from Seattle to Auburn, Issaquah to Vashon Island.

The 4C is supported by such agencies as King County Superior Court, City of Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, United Way of King County and the National CARES Mentoring Movement. The 4C has provided academic, social, positive peer relationships, increased school attendance, decreased suspensions, expulsions and truancy as well as provided material support to families struggling to give their children a good footing in transition from childhood to adulthood. 

Why not get your congregation involved?  It is easy to do, and the benefits to the people of King County are immeasurable.

Take a look at this video and consider getting started today.  You can contact the 4C Coalition, Donald Cameron @ 206.972.3426 or by email at donc@the4ccoalition.org.  

In addition, look for a table staffed by Don Cameron of the 4C Coalition /Seattle Cares as you arrive at the July 21 Presbytery meeting at Rainier Beach PC.

Sincerely,

Pastor Leland Seese

Mt. Baker Park Presbyterian Church

PC(USA) Stated Clerk issues statement on Supreme Court's action on marriage

The Reverend Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The 221st General Assembly (2014) and the presbyteries ratified the following definition of marriage:

Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives. The sacrificial love that unites the couple sustains them as faithful and responsible members of the church and the wider community...

Read more.

The Office of Constitutional Interpretation has prepared a helpful set of FAQs for pastors, sessions, and mid councils to use in response to the decision of the Supreme Court.

Read this post in 한국의 and Espaňol.

New Book of Order (2015-2017) Available

The new Book of Order (2015–2017) is now available for ordering. It incorporates seven constitutional amendments approved by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 221st General Assembly (2014) and a majority of the presbyteries.

Read more.

SeaPres Office Parking in June

An important note about parking at the SeaPres office (1544 S. Snoqualmie St., Seattle, WA 98108) for the entire month of June: we do not have any regular, reserved parking spaces available this month. Street parking is also limited due to parking lot closures at the VA Hospital nearby. 

Please call or email EJ Lee before visiting the office or to schedule appointments, as our office will be working remotely and off site this month. Seattle Presbytery/Synod parking spaces will be available to use again beginning July 1. Please do not park in spots marked Walsh Construction. Thank you for your cooperation.

CPE Program Available At VA Puget Sound

The CPE program is available again at VA Puget Sound after a two year hiatus.  

We are trying to put together an extended unit for the fall fromSeptember 9, 2015 to January 8, 2016.

Contact: 

Rev. Beverly K. Hartz, MA BCC

ACPE Supervisor

Chaplain Services

VA Puget Sound Health Care System

1660 S. Columbian Way

Seattle, WA  98108-1532

206-768-5210

Beverly.hartz@va.gov

VA Puget Sound Health Care System is accredited for Level I and Level II by The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc., 1 West Court Square, Suite 325, Decatur, GA 30030, 404-320-1472, www.acpe.edu.

Coaching Study Needs Your Help!

Coaching Research Needs Your Help!

Hello, my name is Jeff Gephart.  I'm an ordained teaching elder of 16 years and currently at large in Seattle Presbytery and finishing a doctorate at Seattle University.  I have a desire to help pastoral leaders sustain themselves in ministry over the long haul.

To that end I'm conducting a study of the coaching of clergy as part of my dissertation.  If you wish, you can read a more thorough introduction here and also read the consent form .

Would you consider participating?  Qualified participants must be currently serving a congregation and have used a coach at some point in the last few years.  If you are willing to share your perspective on your coaching experience email me today at gephartj@seattleu.edu with your name and your email and I will send you the link to the online survey.  Your name and email will only be used for the purposes of this study and kept confidential.  Thanks!

Regards,

Rev. Jeff Gephart, M.Div.

Ed.D. Candidate, Seattle University

gephartj@seattleu.edu

PresbyFest 2015 Pictures!

Together we shared an enlightening and engaging day featuring Mike Breen, Tali Hairston, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Bev Shrumm, James B. Notkin, and Caz Minter.

Posted by Seattle Presbytery on Thursday, May 21, 2015

2015 VBS Collaboration Poll

Is your church planning a VBS for the summer? If you're interested in sharing costs and/or collaborating, please click the button below and add your information. Thanks!

Nepal Earthquake Disaster Assistance

“And after the earthquake….the sound of sheer silence, and a Voice said: ‘what are you doing here?”

— 1 Kings 19:12–13

Situation

Thousands are dead or injured from the massive earthquake and aftershocks that shook Nepal and neighboring countries on April 25th. The quake, the worst in more than 80 years, struck just west of the capital of Kathmandu and destroyed towns and mountainous villages.  The government of Nepal has officially requested international assistance and declared a state of emergency.

PDA Response

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance's (PDA) is providing emergency aid through our partnership with ACT Alliance. Members of ACT Alliance which have been working in Nepal for several years are on the ground and already working to assist many who have survived the quake, by distributing immediate life-saving supplies such as water, food, shelter and medication.

Give: Financial support for relief efforts can be designated to DR999999 with reference to Nepal. Gifts can be made online, by phone weekdays between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (EST), or checks can be mailed to Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburg, PA 15264-3700.

Act: Learn how your congregation can help families who have lost everything in the devastation. Stay informed and like us on Facebook, download resources and share updates with your congregation.

Pray: Pray for those who suffered loss of family or those who are working tirelessly to provide rescue, humanitarian aid, and spiritual and psychological support.

For more information, visit www.pcusa.org/pda.

Confession of Belhar approved by presbyteries

Office of the General Assembly

Louisville

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted through its presbyteries to add the Confession of Belhar to The Book of Confessions. The final step will be a vote at the 222nd General Assembly (2016) meeting June 18–25 in Portland, Oregon. View a video message from the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, which also is available in Spanish:[Español] andKorean[한국어]. Share those videos, as well as other Belhar resources available at pcusa.org/belhar.

Learn more.

Welcome City of Glory Fellowship!

Excerpt From April 21 EP Report:

As you may know, we’ve been seeking to plant new churches again as a presbytery. The first step in that process is to discern and support those new things God is leading us to explore. Over the past year, God has led us to partner with a number of new worshipping communities, and now through the faithful work of Catalyzing Missional Communities, we welcome City of Glory, an east-African worshipping community. City of Glory worships at and is a ministry partner with Steel Lake Presbyterian Church in Federal Way. Let’s pray for Rev. Lauden Kangele as he leads this new church plant. Rev. Kangele will be the second pastor from the Presbytery of East Africa to join our presbytery. 

Free Double Doors & Pews Available

A church in Everett undergoing renovations is giving away two sets of double doors (6' wide, 7' high, each set) and pews (20' long - a dozen of them) and a set (15' long - 1/2 dozen of them). Pick-up needs to happen by the weekend of 4/18-19. Contact Gary at 206-571-3402. 

CRE Program Summer Courses

The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that we will be offering three summer courses for Commissioned Ruling Elders (CLP/CRE), scheduled from June 1 to August 23, 2015.  We would appreciate it if you would pass on this information to those who might be interested and/or advertise it in your newsletter or other publications.

• Introduction to New Testament – Dr. Annette Huizenga
• Presbyterian Polity – Dr. Scott Nesbitt
• Reformed Theology – Dr. Gary Eller

As always, current students can register by going online at http://udtslearning.net/mod/page/view.php?id=15076 or by contacting Carla Gibbons, Distance Education Coordinator (CGibbons@dbq.edu or call 563-589-3630 / 1-888-207-8218), to pay by credit card or check.  The tuition rate is $380.00 per course.

New students can apply to our lay ministry program by going to http://udtslearning.net/ and then click on "CLP Registration Information" for application and course information. 

Finally, we encourage you to regularly check our continuing education website (http://udts.dbq.edu/edu.cfm) for upcoming events. 

Godly Play Curriculum Materials Available

Rose Hill Presbyterian Church has the teaching tools and wall hangings for the Godly Play curriculum. We are no longer using Godly Play. Is there a church in the Presbytery that would like to have them? If you are interested contact Gwen North 425-827-4649 or gwen@rosehillpc.org.