To Whom It May Concern:

Thank you very much for providing the transportation to the Presbyterian Youth Triennium conference that occurred two weeks ago. I am incredibly grateful for the support you gave that allowed me to attend this amazing, life-changing event!

I learned a lot during Triennium and grew in many ways. One thing that really struck me was the sheer energy and power of 4,000 Presbyterian youth in one place. When in worship, it was incredible to hear everyone in the auditorium singing or speaking responsively together as one voice. Knowing that there are that many other people very similar to me is incredible! The worship services that week were both moving and very energetic. Our small group time was a lot of fun too. I met twenty-three other people from all across the country who are all very welcoming, caring, and full of faith. Our discussions and activities were quite engaging, and I learned a great deal from the whole group. The camaraderie between us was instant; we always said that our small group was the best, and we truly meant it. The theme of the week, Hope is in Our Midst, was clearly evident in every part of the conference. The curriculum, worship, songs, small group activities, and exhibition halls covered many aspects of hope, some of which I will remember and carry with me for the rest of my life. During the Saturday worship service, we took communion, and I was able to be one of the many servers that day. That experience was unlike anything I had ever done before; it was really special for me to be able to help serve thousands of people. Not only was the camp a great experience, I was able to meet many people both in my own presbytery and from all over the U.S. and form relationship with them.

Again, I really appreciate the opportunity that you gave me to attend Triennium this summer. I had a wonderful time, and I hope to use what I gained from this experience to impact the lives of others in the future.

Sincerely,

Laura Mackey

Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2007 delegate

First United Presbyterian Church of DePere

Editor’s note: More pictures of the event can be viewed here

On July 22, sixteen of us traveled to Storm Lake, Iowa (six of us in a rented mini-van) to join over 600 fellow Presbyterians at Synod School. As a “first timer” I was promised an exceptional experience and so it was. We were an intergenerational community at worship, study and play. It was stimulating, enriching and fun.
Convocation was “our van’s” favorite time. The speaker was Carol Bechtal, Professor of Old Testament at Western Theological Seminary. She also wrote the 2008 Presbyterian Women’s Bible Study on Jonah and Ruth. Great!
Over 60 workshops gave a lot of choices – “heavy” (Spiritual Transformation Reformed Theology) “medium” (Bad Girls of the Bible, Luke’s Gospel) and “light” (Rug making, Tye-dying).
Multiple activities went on all day long, from 6:30 breakfast until 10:00 p.m. close of the live music coffeehouse. This first timer never made it to the coffeehouse – but they said it was great fun!! I’ll get their next year!
–Anne Dropp

Pastor Gail Irwin (Preble), Pastor Scott Marrese-Wheeler (Marshfield), and Lay Pastor Jean Hamersky attended the Washington Island Forum sponsored by the Wisconsin Council of Churches and The Christian Century, July 9-13. Dr. Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia was the speaker and Rev. Lee Ann Bryce from Rochester, New York was the forum daily worship leader. Each morning began with a fresh and meaningful worship time that renewed the soul, and then the engaging and dynamic Dr. Long spoke about the changing and competing voices of preaching today. It was a time of worship, study, fellowship, good food, and relaxation on beautiful Washington Island. About 200 people were in attendance.

Next year’s Washington Island Forum will be in June and the speaker will be Diana Butler-Bass, who will be speaking on The Practicing Congregation: Imagining the New Old Church.

submitted by Jean Hamersky

“Celebrating the Patchwork of Life” is what we did at the recent Gathering of Presbyterian Women in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies. Anderson Auditorium, the location of the plenary sessions, was beautifully decorated with quilts from every Presbytery including the beautiful quilted banner from Winnebago Presbytery.

Our Bible Study leader was Sylvia Washer, the retired Executive Presbyter of Mission Presbytery in Texas. Her presentations were very thought provoking. We heard about happenings at Forbearance Church from Charlotte Johnston. Mary Tatem helped us look at our lives from God’s perspective. Danelle Crawford McKinney got us all moving and Louise Davidson brought us information from the CCT.

The workshops were as varied as the women attending the Gathering - - my personal selections included receiving information on our new mission program in PW - - “Mission Matters.” I also attended a workshop entitled “Quilts and the Underground Railroad.”

We were all asked to bring a yard of fleece for an on-site mission project. 111 Lap and Nap robes were finished during the Gathering and dedicated at Saturday morning’s plenary. The incoming officers of the Synod Coordinating Team were installed namely:Elizabeth Swee, Moderator; Linda “Kitch” Shatzer, Secretary; Joan Berglund, Historian; Virginia Dietz, Moderator of Search Committee; and Ann Rock, Search Committee.

The offering recipients were Denise England, a new mission worker to Egypt; Presbyterian Disaster Relief - Katrina; and Bicycles for workers in the Republic of the Congo. The total offering received was $4,490.00.

There was also areas for shopping: Soul Desires Bookstore - Hands Around the World Gift Shop and The Connecting Thread which offered resources for PW, Celebration Giving and many important tools for keeping us connected to the church worldwide.

Three women from Winnebago Presbytery attended the Gathering, Gert Walsh, Nancy Siewert, and Jan Nelson. Want to hear more? Ask us!

Submitted by,

Jan Nelson

Having just completed the eight required courses for CLP (Commissioned Lay Pastor) through the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary Distance Learning Program, just what did I learn?

To start with the required courses are: Pastoral Care & Counseling, Fundamentals of Christian Education, Reformed Theology, Introduction to New Testament, Introduction to Old Testament, Introduction to Preaching, Reformed Worship & Sacraments and Presbyterian Polity.

These courses are done on-line through the Internet. To access the site go to: www.udtslearning.net. To gain acceptance into the classes, you have to first register and sign up for a one month On Line Certification Class. This class is designed to show you how to use the system. There is a fee for this class and is mandatory. Payment can be by credit card or check. You will have to enter a user name and password to gain access to the class. After completion of the mandatory class, you can select which course you want to enroll in. The current fee is $250 per course. There is no required order to the courses. You will be asked to submit a short biography. They also like a picture if available.

Each course required text books which are listed and can be purchased for a reasonable fee from Amazon.com.

Each required class is 12 weeks long. You will be able to read the biographies of your class mates as well as see their picture, if they submitted one. You will also read about and see your assigned instructor.

The instructor will post just one week’s assignment at a time. It will identify the reading materials and questions you must respond to. You not only have to respond to the questions but also to the submissions of at least two of your classmates. You will also find areas where you can request prayers or share joys. You can also find an area where you can just chat with classmates. The instructor will post responses to your answers throughout the week.

Class structures will vary depending on the subject. In some cases you will look up the answers in the text books. In other cases you will provide your own answer. In either case you are encouraged to challenge your classmates responses, provided you do so in a gentlemanly manner. I found, however, that in most instances, the responses were favorable and encouraging.

Attendance in the classes in required. If for some reason, you are unable to participate for a week, they ask that you communicate your concerns with the instructor. Each instructor provides his/her e-mail address for this purpose. There are no second chances. If you fail to complete any class, you are removed from the entire program.

You will not be graded. Active participation is necessary for completion. You will receive a letter of completion from the school. They do offer a certificate on fancy paper for an additional fee.

I found the instructors to be highly qualified, highly motivated, honest, compassionate, caring, fun, and of course helpful.

As to be expected, they cram a lot of information into a short period. You will get out of the program only what you put into it. You can just scratch the surface or you can dive deeply into the program. You have the option of taking more than one class at a time. While this may shorten the number of months you are enrolled, I strongly urge the taking of only one class at a time. My actual class time was around 20-30 hours per week. This included reading, submitting and responding. There were many occasions where there was a lot of humor going back and forth. Even the instructors would get involved.

To answer my own question…..What did I get out of it? First let me say that I have no regrets in getting involved. I know that God knew me while I was in the womb. He elected me, and in spite of my sinful nature, He gave me the gift of grace. My acceptance of his offer was my enrollment in the CLP program. I learned that the only reason I exist is to glorify God. I learned that the church is not a building with walls and floors but it is us, the very Body of Christ. I learned about the governing of a church, its structure and where I fit into that structure. I learned to prepare a worship service, how it is structured, and how to prepare sermons. I learned about different methods of providing Christian Education. The most valuable lesson came to me in the form of faith. Because of this program, my faith has grown and I have become a better Christian. I found out that God’s plan for me was being fulfilled.

I am thankful for being called, and that I am surrounded by family and friends who believe in me. I learned that it was my destiny to serve Jesus, and this CLP course has given me the tools to go forth with His gospel.

The ages of my classmates varied from early 30’s to Senior Citizens. For your information, I am 71 years old.

I highly recommend that anyone who feels the call consider this great opportunity.

Having completed the courses, am I now a Lay Pastor? No. I now have to go before the Committee on Ministry for final approval. I have to demonstrate to the committee that I am worthy of being commissioned, and ready to accept the responsibility that goes with the title of Lay Pastor.

I would be most happy to answer any questions you may have. I hope I have piqued your interest in following the Lord. When you leave the pew take the words of the Bible with you, for therin lies the truth. Winnebago Presbytery can provide you with a means to contact me personally.

Your Brother in Christ,

Richard Kreager
First Presbyterian Church of Winneconne