Merry Christmas!
Welcome to the December 2024 edition of Together the newsletter of The Fellowship Community. There is so much to say this month! We have launched a new website that we hope effectively casts TFC's vision and mission, connects us to our leaders and churches, and welcomes new people to our network.
The National Gathering registration is up and running, and we are excited to be in Lakeland, Florida March 25-27, 2025. Be sure to register yourself and invite pastoral and lay colleagues to be part of this important event. The board is excited to provide space for encouragement, inspiration and worship.
On behalf of TFC board of directors, thank you for your ministry that proclaims the good news of Jesus to communities all over the world. This is the time of the year when events and personal ministry increase. It's easy for leaders to be lonely dealing with our own disappointments and loss. You are not alone. As you lead others, may you know the love, joy, peace, and hope of this Advent season and celebrate the birth of Jesus in meaningful ways with family and friends. May God surprise you with his presence as he did with Mary, "for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation." (Luke 1:49-50)
Together in Christ, |
Mike McClenahan, TFC Board President |
|
|
National Gathering March 25-27, 2025 with a pre-gathering for pastors starting on March 24 First Presbyterian Church Lakeland, FL
Featured speakers include ECO's Kaitlyn Wood, as well as Jim Davis & Michael Graham, co-authors of The Great Dechurching. |
|
Regional Connections Opportunities to Connect with TFC and our Partner Organizations |
|
Zoom Gathering Third Thursday of each month but NOT meeting in December 10:00 - 11:00 am eastern |
| Zoom Gathering for DFW area leaders Third Thursday of each month 2:00 pm central |
|
If your region is not listed, we are working on plans for something in your area. If you'd like to help organize a TFC event in your area, please email us at office@fellowship.community. |
|
“The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air…” That’s how The Lord of the Rings movies begin. I know this because I’ve seen them a hundred times. Or at least, I’ve seen the beginning a hundred times, before dozing off and waking up halfway through the movie. “There’s something in the air.”
As we lean into Advent, it feels like there’s something going on. It’s in the air. I feel it, here and there. I hear it, now and then. It’s a holy thing, a sacred thing, a presence-of-God thing, though I wasn’t looking for it in the ways or places it showed up. A couple recent trips have put me on planes and in airports, which are often fertile people-watching locations but not necessarily dependable Holy Spirit connections. We live, after all in a culture where fewer and fewer people pay attention to Jesus, hostility towards things of faith is high and polls tell us church involvement is steadily heading downwards. If Advent is a season of Christian waiting, it seems one might wait a long time to sense faith in public places. Or maybe not.
TFC Board secretary Dan Baumgartner feels Jesus in the air this Advent. |
|
As we prepare to transition from Advent, our season of waiting turns to a season of wonder, a season of magnificent hope and expectation, walking in awe of the miraculous that we ourselves have been able to see and behold. We welcome the new year and with it, yet another reminder of God’s steady faithfulness for and unto each of us. Thank you, Lord!
My Fellowship experiences over the past few weeks have been filled with volleys to and from, passing names of speakers, ideas for workshops, bands and themes. Each of these conversations have carried the same foundation, regardless of whom they were with…let’s continue to create meaningful opportunities to be challenged, equipped, and encouraged all while being surrounded by women and men who have grown deeply connected through our shared faith and experiences.
TFC Coordinator for Connections and Recruitment Ray Garcia reflects on preparations for the upcoming National Gathering and connections within TFC, |
|
|
|
Thoughts on Presbytery Voting from Board members |
|
Timothy Scoonover shares two questions that have helped him navigate conversations in his presbytery. |
| Cynthia Betz-Bogoly invites you to show up for your presbytery's vote. |
|
Preparing to Vote on the Amendments |
|
The following is an article written by founding TFC Board Member Jerry Andrews. An earlier version was posted and distributed this spring at our National Gathering when the then Olympia Overture was sent to the General Assembly. This article, rewritten and revised, was published in the most recent issue of Theology Matters. Several other articles on the subject can be found there as well. This essay is meant to help us all consider what is now a proposed amendment coming from the General Assembly. It is written in several short parts lending itself to form the basis of several two-minute speeches for your presbytery as it prepares to vote. It has served well as an interpretive piece for Sessions and Congregations. Thank you to Theology Matters for giving us permission to reprint this article.
|
|
TFC is committed to helping churches find compatible leaders - and vice versa! To that end, we invite you to check out the "Find a Call" page on our website, where you can see a variety of open positions throughout the country. We have received quite a few new postings recently, so be sure to stay connected!
We are also looking for ways to improve this feature, so please think about how we might serve best in this area and send us any ideas or feedback. |
|
|
|
O God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. |
|
Do you have an idea for a future story? Are you involved in a ministry others need to know about? Let us know, and we'll include it in a future month's Together!
Are you interested in learning more or becoming part of the Fellowship Community? Click here for more information. |
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment