Presbytery Prattle

YELLOWHEAD PRESBYTERY

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Edson
October 2008

Presbytery Prattle

Reporting on the Yellowhead Presbytery Meeting

at Edson United Church, Oct.15-16, 2008

It’s been a very busy time within our Churches and Presbytery!

Past Chair –Lilley Glebe chaired the meeting. Chair Curtis’ Tufts spouse and ministry partner Nel Ouwens is now home from a hospital stay and will recoup from a serious, fairly rare heart condition. Our Prayers are with her and the family in this recovery time.

We welcomed new Ministry personnel Rev. Danielle James (Fort Saskatchewan) and Rev. Terry Shillington (Fort McMurray) as well as alternate lay representative Gail Chidlow (Hinton P.C.) and guest observer –Ministry student Murray Speer, to our meeting.

Nominations – We still are looking for a Vice-Chair (Elect), a 4^th Chaplain, a Communications Division chair and a Pension Convenor. For the last two positions, interested folk within your congregation could be added as a Member-at-Large.

Ministry, Personnel &Education – E & S : There are two discernment committees in process now.

Oversight – Visitations are being set up for 8 Pastoral Charges and a visitor information/training session will be offered on Sat. Nov. 1 at Athabasca United Church.

Pastoral Relations –There was a transfer in of 2 Ministry memberships and transferred out another combined with a retirement request. Supervisors were assigned to __ Pastoral Charges for a variety of reasons and 1 change of Pastoral Relations was requested. Two Joint Needs Assessments are to be set up.

U.C.W- The Presbyterial Annual Meeting Theme in Feb. 09 is ‘Three P’s: Past, Present and Possibilities’. Theme speaker is anticipated to be Rev. Britt Jessen.

The Week to End Poverty was celebrated Oct.12-19/08. A Child Well-Being Initiative combines KAIROS and U.C.W. energies. There is a DVD on Child Poverty Action(ANWC –UCW produced) available from Janet Walter janetrw@xplornet.com .

The Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada ( www.wicc.org ) celebrates their 90^th year of existence until May 2009.

The U.C.W. Spring Day of Enrichment is in the planning stages.

United Church General Council will be meeting in Kelowna, B.C. in August 09. Remits (proposals) dealing with some revising of G.C. committee structures etc. were voted on, to send to that 40^th General Council Meeting. If the remits receive a simple majority vote from all the Presbyteries, then General Council will explore going ahead with the noted change. If simple majority is not received, the change will not be considered.

Communications – Presbytery was introduced to Communication possibilities by Gord Booth. He explained about interconnected systems for video conferencing between Churches and/or residences (especially in winter). The Division did also review some of the Pastoral Charges’ record books.

Christian Development – Lifelong Learning funds are still available for events happening this fall. TUXIS (Youth Parliament –over Christmas holidays) also has some funding available for 4 participants. See convenor Lilley Glebe with your applications (found on the Yellowhead website under Lifelong Learning).

Annual ANWC Conference – 2 Jr. High and 2 Sr. High participants will be sponsored by Yellowhead C.D. committee. Please inform your interested youth to watch for the forms that will go out to the Church offices. A decision will be made at or around the Feb. Presbytery meeting.

The visitation was completed for Surprise Lake Camp this summer. Camp Mack’s will be done next summer. Camp Mack is encouraging a great Grandparent’s (or even parent’s) gift for youngsters who are hard to buy for – A SESSION/ WEEK AT CAMP! (with an early bird discount as well). More info will come over the YHEM system.

New Possibilities – This is a collaboration between Yellowhead and Edmonton Presbyteries in regards to offering Church Development in areas that are rapidly expanding. Their report will be presented by the team which includes Rev. Britt Jessen to both Yellowhead and Edmonton Presbytery Executives on Wed. Oct. 22 in Edmonton.

Emerging Spirit – Phase II will be presented Jan.30-31/09 in St Albert, with a modified Phase I to be offered on Sat. Nov.1 at Sunnybrook United Church in Red Deer.

Page 2.

Finance – Our Treasurer reported that 93% of the Pastoral Charge Assessments are paid up. His budget for 2009 will include a 5% increase in assessments to Pastoral Charges.

The Mission Support Grants were finalized by the committee and $49,900 will be requested from the portion that ANWC gets from the National United Church. Four Pastoral Charges have requested assistance for the coming year.

The Alberta Northwest Conference 2009 will see no registration or facility fees charged. Yellowhead Presbytery is in favour of a meal package to be available for delegates to purchase.

Stewardship – Individual Pastoral Charge Commitment Sheets for M & S will be available on the ANWC Website and they will be due in Feb.2009.

Church in the World – Issues that are being explored include : the Church can’t let the voice for social justice and the environment be lost in the current economic downturn; the Proposal for an Ad Hoc Committee on energy issues was reviewed; KAIROS is hoping for good involvement for an energy issues discussion when Church denomination heads visit Fort McMurray in May 2009; the Living in Right Relations Gathering (Pinawa) in Manitoba encouraged the ongoing dialogue that identifies strategies for justice and reconciliation between Aboriginal and Non- Aboriginal peoples; the ‘Widening the Circle’ event being planned by ANWC UCW for May 2009 will invite ethnically and denominationally diverse people to examine justice issues; and the Lubicon dispute is STILL not resolved –the Alberta Government refuses to negotiate further.

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