Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5
Welcome to the November 2025 edition of Together, the online newsletter of The Fellowship Community. As I look back on this past year, I am full of gratitude to God for his goodness, love, and faithfulness. His goodness takes all the seemingly randomness of our lives and works it together for good--he redeems, saves, forgives, convicts, guides, comforts, inspires, and encourages us for his purposes. As we look forward to 2026, I want to encourage you and your ministries to do three things you'll find in this newsletter:.
- Register for the National Gathering. April 28-30 at Zionsville Presbyterian Church in Zionsville, Indiana with a special pastor pre-gathering on April 27. Registration is open today! Take advantage of the early bird special and scholarships. We will gather, equip and encourage each other around the theme "Hope and a Future" from Jeremiah 29:11.
- Help us build a TFC Leadership Pipeline with younger and future leaders. Last week 25 pastors from all over the country met to work our team to brainstorm a dream of what it would look like to recruit, train, place, and launch 250 new leaders in the next 10 years. But we need your help identifying those we would like to invite to a cohort and to join us in Zionsville. Below is the invitation from the team.
- Give financially to support the ministry of TFC. We have a Giving Tuesday goal to raise $50,000 in scholarships for future/younger leaders, small church leaders, pastor spouses, and missionaries. Since we announced the campaign last month, we have received $5400 in scholarship gifts. Thank you and help us make our goal a reality. We also rely on the yearly gifts of churches and individuals who financially support TFC to reach $150,000 in yearly support. See more about giving to TFC here.
I have been to all six regions this year to worship together and hear stories of how God is at work, from ESL tutoring in Bryan, Indiana, to the Dream Center in Columbia, PA, to ordinands in Durham, NC, and a young adult camp in Red Lodge, MT. Amy and I have met with pastors who are struggling in their calls, and others who are energized by a new season of growth and change. We are inspired by sessions who take seriously their call to lead their churches in times of uncertainty within and outside their churches. God is good and faithful.
This is a new season of growth for TFC--gatherings in six regions, new partnerships and a leadership pipeline to move us forward in God's mission and to look to the future with anticipation of God's goodness, love and faithfulness to every generation.
Together in Christ, |
Mike McClenahan TFC Executive Director |
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April 28-30, 2026 with an optional pre-gathering for pastors starting the evening of April 27 Zionsville Presbyterian Church Zionsville, IN
Featured speakers include: Kara Powell, Scott Sunquist, and Drew Hyun! |
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New TFC Leadership Pipeline
Since the 2025 TFC National Conference in Florida, a Leadership Pipeline Task Force has been laying a foundation to recruit, train, place, and launch a new generation of leaders in support of TFC churches around the country. Our passion is to situate the TFC as a relational network that actively recruits new ministers and CREs, helps to train them in practical pastoral skills, cultivate placement opportunities by directly coordinating with PNCs, CPMs, and COMs, and launching them into strategic ministry opportunities in TFC churches around the country with ongoing support and mentoring.
By living out this strategy together, we envision a future within 10 years in which TFC has together raised up 250 new TFC leaders in the PCUSA.
Want to help us make this happen with us? Our immediate goal is to recruit 30 younger/future leaders to join us at the TFC National Gathering in April 2026. Know of someone in your church who might be interested in joining us? We’d love to hear from you!
Daryl Ellis Executive Pastor Presbyterian Church of the Master Mission VIejo, CA |
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Giving Tuesday
On Giving Tuesday, December 2, The Fellowship Community is joining churches and leaders across the country to strengthen the shepherds - the pastors, spouses, and future leaders who pour themselves out in ministry every day.
Our goal is to raise $50,000 to provide scholarships for 170 attendees at our 2026 National Gathering:
- 50 Future Leader Scholarships ($15,000)
- 60 Small Church Leader Scholarships ($20,000)
- 35 Pastor Spouse Scholarships ($7,500)
- 25 Missionary Scholarships ($7,500)
These gifts make it possible for those who couldn't otherwise attend to gather for renewal, encouragement, and equipping for faithful ministry.
Mark your calendar for December 2, and stay tuned for stories of how your support changes lives. |
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I’m very new to the grandparenting game. Anne and I have a 1 ½ year old granddaughter in New Jersey, Ellie. And another coming in Seattle this month. We currently exist in that rather strange place of walking with parents approaching the end of life, while also helping our kids who are starting to have children. Recently we had two weeks on the east coast (NYC, NJ), with extended Ellie-time which included: playing, going to the park, walking, reading books and learning more about being grandparents. With our own kids all in their thirties, I had forgotten some of both the sheer delight and very hard work of caring for little ones. Spending time with Ellie feels like watching a miracle unfold, and I was drawn back to the scripture texts in Matthew 19, Mark 10 and Luke 18, all of which contain the well-known story of Jesus blessing children. All three quote Jesus saying “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
TFC Advisory Board member Dan Baumgartner invites us to contemplate the lessons that we learn from a child. |
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With You Always
With You Always is a grassroots movement emerging among Presbyterians that seeks renewal in global mission involvement. This is a Kairos moment in Presbyterian mission sending, precipitated by the PC(USA) leadership decision to no longer send mission coworkers. Some of these missionaries continue to affirm their call to serve, and partner churches and ministries welcome them. With You Always stands in the gap to accompany these individuals, as well as congregations that don't know how to continue their global mission support. The initiative is facilitating connections and networking to "resend" mission workers at the website below.
With You Always came into being as a result of concern among mission network leaders and took shape as a major focus at the New Wilmington Mission Conference. An eight-member “With You Always” coordinating team is working to involve individuals, congregations, presbyteries, mission networks, and mission-sending agencies to urge God’s people to renew their calling as the sent people of God. A prayer initiative is beginning to propel this renewal effort. |
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Regional Connections Opportunities to Connect with TFC |
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Zoom Gathering Third Thursday of each month 10:00 - 11:00 am eastern |
| Zoom Gathering for DFW area leaders Third Thursday of each month 2:00 pm central |
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Zoom Gathering Second Thursday of each month 1:00 - 2:00 pm pacific |
| In-person Gatherings Third week of January San Diego, CA Pasadena, CA Lunch with The Outreach Foundation and the President of the Evangelical Seminary of Ukraine Details TBA. |
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Save the Date Mini-Retreat Saturday, March 7, 2026 Perkasie, PA Details TBA. |
| Zoom Gathering Thursday, December 4, 2025 4:00-5:00 pm eastern |
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Zoom Gathering Third Thursday of each month 1:00-2:00 pm eastern |
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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!
If you would like to post a position on our site, please send us an email. All positions welcome - pastoral, administrative, mission service, etc.
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. |
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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. |
Thanks for reading and connecting with us. Reach out with any questions, and know that we are praying for you and your ministry. |
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Board Members Timothy Scoonover - President Cynthia Betz-Bogoly - Secretary Jim Witherow - Treasurer Paul Cunningham John Fullerton Eric Hoey Sung Joo |
| John Joseph Jennifer Kenney Daniel Ko Tamara Mitchell Clint Tolbert Jonathan Tony Jason Tucker Jill WIlliams |
| Staff Mike McClenahan - Executive Director Ray Garcia - Coordinator for Connections & Recruitment Andrea Hall - Administrative Coordinator Brittany Kirkpatrick - National Gathering Coordinator |
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