Church Leadership Development Day
For new and experienced church leaders
- Saturday February 11, 2012
Snow Date: Saturday February 18 - 8:30am–Noon plus optional “Working Lunch” courses 12:15–1:45
- At the Perinton Presbyterian Church,
6551 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd (Rt 31)
Perinton, NY [ map ]
- Seminars for new and experienced:
Elders, Deacons, Clerks of Session, Treasurers, Trustees, and Pastors
- Registration Fee: $5 per person
- Registration Deadline: Monday February 6
- Boxed lunch: $5 additional (must be pre-paid and ordered in advance), or brown bag your own
- Registration Form
- Flyer
Brought to you by your Resource & Education Committee.
Six Morning and Five “Working Lunch” Courses
Courses of Interest for Elders, Deacons, Clerks of Session, Treasurers, Trustees, Christian Educators, Pastors, Commissioned Lay Pastors, and others!
Schedule
| Registration | 8:30 |
| Worship | 9:00 |
| Morning Courses | 9:45–Noon |
| “Working Lunch” Courses | 12:15–1:45 |
- Lunch
- Bring a brown bag lunch or order a boxed lunch for $5. Lunches must be pre-ordered and paid for in advance. No lunches will be available for purchase on the day of the event.
- Snow Policy
- If there is a severe storm, the seminar will be postponed to Saturday February 18. Tune to 1180 AM (WHAM) for cancellation announcement.
Morning Courses: 9:45–Noon
Choose One of the Six Courses
- More Than Business, or Busy-ness: Education for Ruling Elders
Rev. Amy Williams Fowler, Presbytery Leader - "As there were in Old Testament times elders for the government of the people, so the New Testament provided persons with particular gifts to share in discernment of God's Spirit and governance of God's people...Ruling elders are so named not because they "lord it over people" the congregation, but because they are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life." This is a part of the definition of Ruling Elder in the new Form of Government in the Book of Order. We will explore together what it means to serve as an elder today, with a particular focus on the mandates to be engaged in discernment of God's Spirit and to strengthen the faith and life of your congregation.
- Are There Really “Demon Deacons”?
Rev. Bruce Boak, Presbytery Moderator and Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Pittsford - Demon Deacons may be on the gridiron of Wake Forest University, but they can also be within a Presbyterian Church. Here is a brief course on how you can become one (or avoid one). Guidelines for serving communion, how to visit in a home or hospital, and when to serve a tofu casserole if necessary will guide the class. The use of grapevines and gossip will help us appreciate ministry and the eight common hand gestures for enhancing deaconic piety will be illustrated. Where to wear nametags will be explained and effective coffee blends for receptions will be available for sample. Presenter Bruce Boak from Pittsford is a deacon dilettante more than a demon, but he says, “Being a Deacon is really the best and most delightful office in the church of Jesus Christ.” Armed through discussion, informed with drama, illustrated in video, and detailed on newsprint the course will simmer with rudiments from the Book of Order to practical things like “how to avoid getting burned at the stake.” There will be a test.
- Help for Clerks of Session
Rev. Val Fowler, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley and Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Honeoye Falls - Class Objective: To provide helpful resources for the questions, concerns, and duties of clerks of session while paying attention to the spiritual and practical aspects of serving as a clerk.
Format: An interactive experience in which the leader will bring knowledge, information and expertise, and participants also will learn from one another. The course always begins with developing a list of questions the participants bring and includes a commitment to respond to those questions.
Who should attend: Clerks of session—past, present, or future. Whether you have been a clerk of session for hours or years, you will find this event helpful, encouraging, and supportive. Pastors are welcome and encouraged to attend.
What you should bring: Your heart for ministry and service, your questions and concerns, a copy of the 2011/2013 Book of Order (or purchase one at the book sale table). Participants will receive a copy of the Handbook for Clerks of Session.
To prepare for this course: Come with one or two questions you hope to have answered. - Church Treasurer Information and Support
Rev. Merl Galusha, retired Presbyterian Pastor, former Presbytery Treasurer, and current Presbytery Financial Administrator - This will be a practical workshop to help all church treasurers find their way through the thicket of church financial systems, Federal and State government regulations, and accounting principles. Be sure to bring your own questions and we will take time to discuss them. We will also take a look at clergy and lay employee salary and benefit issues, mission and per capita contributions (and clarify which goes where in our denominational system) and accounting and reporting standards. A “Guide for Church Treasurers” will be given to everyone who attends!
- Essentially for Trustees, Finance and Property Elders
George Gray, Elder and Chair of Presbytery’s Board of Trustees, Member of Third Presbyterian Church - Fulfilling your property and financial responsibilities in the Body of Christ does not have to be complicated or dreary. It's a vital ministry in your church! Come and get the answers to everything you want and need to know to be an effective servant to the Lord and your church family. This user-friendly seminar will discuss building, finance, legal, insurance and energy use issues. It will be useful for first-time trustees as well as those with experience. Is your church a hub of community activity? This seminar will discuss the issues surrounding building use by outside groups.
- Clergy /CLP Roundtable: Getting Healthy Together
Rev. Neil Frood, Jr., Presbyter for Pastoral Care and Development - Recently I read the following from a Board of Pensions website that really struck a chord with me. It was under the heading: Get Inspired.
“You can make big improvements in your life and you don’t have to do them all at once. In fact, it’s small, gradual changes that create lasting well-being, whether it’s with your spirituality, in your vocation, in your personal finances, or with your health.”
This workshop will explore some small steps we can take to improve our overall well-being, especially in the area of improving our health.
“Working Lunch” Courses: 12:15–1:45
Choose One of the Five Courses
- #1 What Does The New Form of Government Mean For Our Session? Rev. Val Fowler, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley and Pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Honeoye Falls
- For clerks of session, pastors, CLPs, and ruling elders This course offering will be conversational, interactive, and will provide resources for sessions to consider and implement changes in light of the New Form of Government. Participants will leave with a printed guide for their own and their session’s reflection and action. Participants are asked to bring a copy of the 2011/2013 Book of Order, or purchase one at the Book Sale Table, as that will be helpful in making sense of the resources that will be provided.
- #2 “So Now What?” Rev. James Renfrew, Pastor of the Byron Presbyterian Church
- We’ve tried this and we’ve tried that. But we’re still in the same spot. So now what?
Your congregation may be dealing with one of these conditions: An aging congregation. The disappearance of youth. Fewer young families. Declining membership. Community invisibility. Backwards-looking vision. Stuck leadership. Just one of these can be one too many. So now what?
If any of these situations are happening at your church, you are not alone. Even the healthiest congregations face challenging circumstances from time to time. Your congregation may have tried some things to address these circumstances, but may not be seeing much improvement or change. So now what?
The Congregational Development Committee is eager to assist our congregations in a variety of ways: prayer, funding, access to coaches and training, problem-solving and strategizing. This working lunch session will be a discussion that frankly identifies the challenges we face, and will aim to match congregations with helpful expertise, training and coaching opportunities, and funding sources. That’s what! - #3 “Suffer Little Children…?” Conveners: Migration Working Group Members, Mission and Advocacy Committee
- Albert Camus, a French novelist, spoke to a group of Christians about their silence while millions of Jews were killed by the Nazis, saying, “What the world expects of Christians is that Christians should speak out, loud and clear, and that they should voice their condemnation in such a way that never a doubt could rise in the heart of the simplest man. Perhaps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which children are tortured, but we can reduce the number of tortured children.”
Suffer the Children, a panel discussion about the effects of current immigration law and practices on the lives of children, will cover topics from health care to education to the trauma of separation of children from parents when parents are picked up and held at detention centers. The time for Presbyterians to speak out the truth of what happens to the most vulnerable and least powerful persons caught in the snare of immigration laws and practices is now. Come and be equipped to speak out on behalf of children, whose voices are rarely heard. - #4 Training to Administer Extended Communion Rev. Nancy Reinert, First Presbyterian Church, Caledonia, and passionate about the celebration of the sacraments
- This training opportunity is offered to ruling elders and deacons to enable them to share the blessings of the Lord’s Table with those who are physically isolated from the community’s worship. We will review both the theology of the sacrament and the practical logistics of carrying it to the people. Join us to share experiences and to prepare ourselves for this joy-filled ministry
- #5 The Use and Misuse of Power in the Church Rev Jerrold D. Paul, Th.M., Ph.D., Interim Ministry, Psychotherapist and Consultant to Churches, Organizations and Businesses
- The exercise of power is a God-given part of what it means to be a human being created in the image of God. In the church we tend to shy away from talking about power because we think it is too “political”, or too “worldly.” In doing so we end up ignoring the 800 pound gorilla in the room, (i.e., the church parlor, meeting room, sanctuary or Sunday School rooms) and end up disempowering ourselves and diminishing our effectiveness as God’s agents in the world.
In this workshop we will explore the concept of power and its use and misuse in the church, not simply as an intellectual exercise but as a practical way of learning how to exercise power in a more honest, legitimate and effective way. Special attention will be given to the various ulterior ways power is often exercised and how to effectively counteract these practices.