Oct. 26 Enews: Synod Assembly Livestream Opportunity

	October 26, 2023 The Synod of the Trinity Being More Together Synod of the Trinity Annual Synod Assembly coming to Bedford next week Watch: PC(USA) Co-Moderator Ruth Faith Santana-Grace to speak at gathering The Synod of the Trinity will hold its annual gathering of commissioners and presbytery leadership Sunday through Tuesday, Oct. 29-31, at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort. Among the highlights of the gathering will be the Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace, the executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Philadelphia and a co-moderator of the 225th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), who will deliver the sermon for opening worship on Monday morning and also a keynote address later in the afternoon. The Synod is making her two speaking times available for viewing through the Synod's YouTube channel. Here is Ruth's speaking schedule: Monday's opening worship: 9:15 a.m. Monday's keynote address: 1:30 p.m. Click here to watch Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery reflects on 50 years of ministry in Ohio, WV Presbyterian Women Synod PW elects new officers, names mission project The Presbyterian Women of the Synod of the Trinity have been busy! They had their annual gathering in July in State College where they raised more than $2,500 for local missions. Part of those funds supported the PW's mission project, Welcome Home SIS – A Safe Space for System Impacted Survivors project. The project, located in Ohio, helps women who have been released from incarceration rebuild their lives for successful re-entry into society. Also at the summer gathering, Joyce Johnson from Kiskiminetas Presbytery was elected the PW's new moderator, and the Rev. Jane DeFord was named vice moderator for programs. The Synod PW's October newsletter is also available. Find a link to it and all of the news surrounding this great group by clicking here. Lehigh 'Nones' and 'dones' and Presbyterians Two pastors from Lehigh Presbytery were part of a study group that recently interviewed 225 people from their region and beyond who identify as “nones” and “dones” — individuals with no religious affiliation (“nones”) or persons who have walked away from a religious tradition for one reason or another (“dones”) — to find out their values, hopes and goals. The results were interesting to say the least. "We discovered that 'nones' and 'dones' insist upon an environment that is honest to admit its historic mistakes that have often caused great pain and suffering in the name of God. Churches that want to engage young adults need to be open and inviting, both in attitude and teaching." For more on the findings of the research, click here. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) PDA providing assistance to areas in Israel, Palestine
Overture writing guide available for mid councils Is your presbytery considering writing an overture for the 226th General Assembly (2024) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) but don't know how to go about it? A resource guide has been created to help. Overtures are items of business that have been approved by a presbytery (with concurrence of another presbytery) or a synod and shall request the General Assembly to take a particular action, or approve or endorse a particular statement or resolution. To view this resource on how to write an overture, click here. Welcome new pastors! Gleaned from presbytery newsletters in the Synod of the Trinity region, we recognize these pastoral changes in our region: PRESBYTERY OF DONEGAL **Josh Gill will be installed as pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Downingtown on Nov. 12. **Maggie Niles will be installed as the associate pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Malvern on Nov. 19. **Gabby Wiley will be ordained at Donegal Presbyterian Church in Mount Joy on Nov. 19. SHENANGO PRESBYTERY **Marsha Parrish will be ordained at Unity Presbyterian Church in Mercer on Nov. 5. UPPER OHIO VALLEY PRESBYTERY **Jane Schockey was installed at the First Presbyterian Church of Toronto on Oct. 15. Advent resources available A seven-page interactive guide from the PCUSA Store offers a variety of resources for Advent 2023. There are books for group study, individual devotion, preaching and worship, as well as options for children, youth and all-ages education. Click here for more information and to order. Carlisle seeking presbyter leader The Presbytery of Carlisle is searching for a Presbytery Leader for Vision and Transformation (formerly the Executive Presbyter position). For a full description of the position and to review the Ministry Discernment Profile, click here. __________________ Job Opportunities A complete listing of job openings from this region is available on the Synod website by clicking here. Cyber-Security tips Are you seeing more spam emails in your inbox these days? Do you have trouble figuring out which ones are legit and which are a hoax? A Corp’s General Counsel, Mike Kirk, has provided tips on vigilance against hacking, phishing and ransomware that should be of interest to all councils of the church. For tips on how to avoid hackers, phishing and other nastiness, click here. Thriving on the Vine Celebration set for Nov. The Presbytery of Philadelphia is holding a “Thriving on the Vine Celebration & Equipping Event,” which is a gathering for smaller congregations, on Saturday, Nov. 18, at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia. Rev. Dr. Ray Jones III from the Presbyterian Mission Agency will be the keynote speaker. The day will include workshops for congregations and leaders as well as opportunities to share and hear stories of the ways churches are thriving. More information and preregistration are available by clicking here.
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