EPNews 2010 01/28
-
Committee on Administration
-
EPC Women In Ministry - Faith Focus 2010
-
Family Gathering Homecoming
-
Dana Cadman begins as the EPC's Communications Manager
-
Networking Conference for Leaders of Small Churches
-
Pray for the EPC this week
-
Hand-Crafted Cross Give Away
-
Church Plant News
Committee on Administration
The Committee on Administration (COA) met at Faith EPC in Brooksville, Florida on January 18-19. Among the business conducted was a review of it’s “Mission, Goals, Vision and Outcomes for 2009-2010,” which was presented to the General Assembly in June 2009 at Cornerstone EPC in Brighton, Michigan.
The purpose section of this document states, “Our constitution declares that the church is “to organize itself as it deems best for the propagation of the Gospel, the advancement of the kingdom, and the edification of the whole church” (Book of Government, 16.22.H). We believe that we are in an historic moment in which organizing ourselves for the special opportunities and challenges before us is prudent and essential.”
In a wide-ranging discussion of the twelve goals listed, two goals were identified as timely for the COA to pursue aggressively in 2010. They are:
1. “To establish only those boards, agencies, committees, commissions, staff positions, institutions, and office structure necessary to meet the goals of the church.”
The COA, which began reviewing the programs and staffing of the General Assembly office last year, will continue and expand their evaluation to include the entities listed above.
2. “To lead the EPC towards becoming a truly first class equipping, training, leadership development denomination. Towards that end the COA shall:
a. Provide leadership in discerning, nurturing and promoting missional objectives at the national and Presbytery level in order to help, encourage and enable local churches to pursue this goal.
b. Provide assistance to the Presbyteries as they offer encouragement, training and other helps that the local congregations may be effective in such areas as evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, strategic planning, financial stewardship, officer training, missional orientation and other facets of effective Christian life and ministry.”
In partial pursuit of this goal Reggie McNeal and Richard Pratt, featured speakers at our 2010 General Assembly will certainly help inspire and equip us.
EPC Women In Ministry - Faith Focus 2010
Faith Focus 2010: Eagles’ Wings Transition Home Tirana, Albania
As EPC Women In Ministry enters the third year of supporting the Faith Focus/Eagles’ Wings Transition Home for Adolescent Girls in Albania, the focus is to support and equip the staff that play many different roles in the lives of the girls that take place both inside and outside the home.
A Staff Support Team will travel to Albania from March 22-29, 2010 to provide the staff of Eagles’ Wings training in areas that they have recognized a need for through the first year of operating Eagles’ Wings. In addition, there will be the opportunity to provide workshop/seminars in similar areas of need for the missionary network in Albania. The team consists of women who are master’s level counselors and social workers and bring expertise in specific areas that will be addressed.
Led by Claudia Tahan (Ashland EPC, Vorhees, New Jersey), the team members are Laurin Maddux (Second Presbyterian, Memphis, Tennessee); Keri Christiansen (Christ Fellowship Church, Ft. Collins, Colorado); Sugar Wheeler (Signal Mountain, Tennessee); and Julie Johnson (Second Presbyterian, Memphis, Tennessee).
Family Gathering Homecoming
The EPC World Outreach missionary community will gather June 16-22, 2010 for a "Family Gathering Homecoming" in the beautiful Rocky Mountains at Keystone Resort near Dillon, Colorado, about an hour's drive from Denver. It will be a week of relaxation, fun, fellowship, worship, training, and general pampering before mixing and mingling with those coming to the General Assembly meeting to follow at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church. “Blessed To Be A Blessing” is the theme for the week. Speakers will include Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah, Assistant Stated Clerk Ed McCallum, former World Outreach Director Jeff Chadwick;, Pastor Jim Murphy of Faith EPC Loveland, CO, and member of the World Outreach Committee, and Pastor Doug Klein of Faith Church Aurora, CO. Members of area churches will provide music during the week.
You can be a blessing to these missionary families. The missionaries themselves pay into a conference fund annually for this event, but the fund needs a boost from other sources as well. World Outreach Director George Carey is appealing to churches and/or individuals to prayerfully consider blessing our missionary families with a gift of up to $1,000 for the expenses of this week.
To donate:
-
Make check payable to Evangelical Presbyterian Church
-
Designate "WO Family Gathering Fund"
Mail to:
World Outreach
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
17197 N. Laurel Park Dr. Ste 567
Livonia, MI 48152-7912
Questions?
Dana Cadman begins as the EPC's Communications Manager
We are pleased to introduce , the Communications Manager for the General Assembly, who began this new, part-time position the week of January 18.
We are grateful that the Lord led us to a person who is experienced in the field and who was available and excited about working with us. Dana, who operates Cadman Communications, has more than twenty years of experience planning, writing, and editing technical, training, and marketing documentation for firms in the Metro-Detroit region. He is the author of "Web 2.0 for Non-Profit Organizations" and is working on the sequel, "Social Media for Churches." Dana speaks regularly at conferences for nonprofit organizations and conducts seminars on social media around Michigan. He will be a valuable resource to us as we improve our existing electronic and print communications, enhance the collaborative work of our committees, and move intentionally into the possibilities that social networking offers us as a connectional, missional denomination.
"I am very excited about this opportunity," says Dana. “In this position, I will be able to combine my love of teaching, my experience in social media and Web technologies, and my passion to help churches spread the Gospel of Jesus. The EPC's basic tenet of giving each congregation freedom within the context of our Essentials of Faith is a very 'Web 2.0ish' philosophy – that puts the EPC ahead of most NPOs I've worked with.”
Dana and his wife Julie live in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Dana has been part of Faith EPC in Rochester and was part of the launch team of their daughter church, Kensington Community Church. Dana and Julie have three adopted children and together started ARC of Hope (formerly Cadman Foundation) with the goal of providing "hope and healing for foster care and adoptive families."
Networking Conference for Leaders of Small Churches
"Small Church, Significant Impact" is the theme of a March 3-5 Networking Conference for Leaders of Small Churches at Bear Creek Church in Lakewood, Colorado. Come to meet colleagues in similar ministry settings, to engage topics of special interest to small congregations, and walk away with some next steps in mind for your church and a group of people to support and pray for you as you take them.
March 3-5, 2010
Bear Creek Church, Lakewood, CO
Registration: $50 (scholarships available)
Lodging: Holiday Inn, Lakewood, CO
More information on schedule, lodging, and registration
Pray for the EPC this week
Many of our churches are holding their annual congregational meetings this Sunday. As you pray for the EPC, won’t you join in praying especially for those churches that will elect officers, approve budgets, receive reports and set their sights on the future the Lord has for them at their congregational meetings?
Hand-Crafted Cross Give Away
A beautiful cross created by expert woodworker Dan Franssell of Faith EPC in Kingstowne, Virginia is available as a gift to an interested church. The cross measures 7 feet by 4 feet, is made of cherry and walnut with an ebony inlay, and has a stainless steel center (The pictured cross, which hangs in the Sanctuary of Faith EPC is similar, but has a brass inlay). The estimated value of this cross is several thousand dollars, but for the cost of shipping, Dan and RE Helen Franssell would like to give it away. If you’re interested, please contact the Franssell’s at .
The Office of the General Assembly thanks Dan and Helen for their generous offer.
Church Plant News
North Point EPC (Peabody, Massachusetts), launched “Every Square Inch,” a new educational series that explores how Christianity plays out in the areas of art, business, politics, and more. The first gathering on January 24 featured Toddy Burton, filmmaker and professor of communications arts at Gordon College, Jean Sbarra-Jones, visual artist/painter and art instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Art, and Norman Jones, actor/director and professor of theatre arts at Gordon College. They talked about how they integrate their faith with their vocations.
The series, which convenes the fourth Sunday of the month will focus on business (February 28), the media (March 28), politics (April 25) and science (May 23). North Point launched in September, 2009. Its pastoral leadership team is David Cook and Tom and Donna Petters.
