August 20, 2007

Christ Have Mercy Upon Us

God, I thank you that I am not like other people . . . These words were read in many of our churches on October 28th. This was the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18. As the Rev. Jamie Dale of Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church – Woodbrook said in his sermon, neither of these are folks we desire to emulate. And yet I must confess that there are times when I have been tempted to utter exactly the same words about people with whom I disagree. For me, at least, it is easier to judge than to be humble.

I write you at the beginning of another difficult week in the life of the Presbytery. Once more, we are faced with an overture to General Assembly that offers great sustenance to some while at the same time is deeply troubling to others. Words have been spoken about the importance of justice and the authority of scripture. At this moment, it seems that many of our hearts have been hardened and it has become more difficult for us to hear each other’s pain, each other’s hope.

At such times we are tempted to discount what others bring to the table, to the conversation, to the meeting. We are tempted to think to ourselves, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people.’ I appreciated what I heard at Brown Memorial Woodbrook. Jamie told us to recognize our own need for mercy since (according to those “Reformed” tenets) none of us are worthy. As we move through this week, let us remember that we have not applied for membership in God’s family, God first claimed us. As children of God, we are brothers and sisters. “Christ have mercy upon us” – we plead. Let us emulate this same mercy as we consider each other.

Blessings,

Peter Nord

Inside this issue

Upcoming Events:

Presbytery Stated Meeting Nov. 15^th

Take Note/Act Now

§ Overtures

§ SAMI Open Meeting & Lunch

§ Annapolis Day

§ The Big Event!

§ Franklinville 8^th Holiday Bazaar Plus

§ Silent Art Auction

§ Benefits Talk

§ CPR Training

§ Thanksgiving Sermon Resources

Prayer & Praise

Presbytery of Baltimore

Prayer & Praise

Please pray for:

The Presbytery of Baltimore and for:

· those who may feel estranged as a result of Thursday’s Stated Meeting;

· wise decisions that state legislators will, hopefully, make for all of us during the MD General Assembly Special Session;

· new church development pastors Ron Johnson and Tim and Saranell Hartman;

· Gretchen Van Utt as she ends her interim ministry at Harundale Presbyterian Church and for Tracey Davenport as she begins her ministry there;

· and, for Heather Shortlidge as she takes up her ministry at First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis.

Contact Information

The Presbytery of Baltimore:

Phone: 410-433-2012

or 800-511-0087

Office E-mail: office@baltimorepresbytery.org

Website: www.baltimorepresbytery.org

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Call or email Alice McGee

Take Note/Act Now

Baltimore Presbytery Items

The Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Baltimore will be held 1pm Thursday, Nov. 15^th at Lochearn Presbyterian Church.

Overtures for the 218^th General Assembly. Advocacy or controversial overtures are subject to the Presbytery’s two meeting rule and will be presented at the Nov. 15^th Stated Meeting and considered for a vote at the January Stated Meeting. For more information, contact the stated clerk, Vaughn L. Brown Jr. at vbrown@baltimorepresbytery.org. or click controversial issues.

The SAMI Committee will host an Open Meeting & Free Lunch at 11:30am on Thursday, Nov. 15^th at Lochearn Presbyterian Church (prior to the Stated Meeting). Meet your SAMI rep and learn about 2008/2009 mission plans, endowment programs and a speaker series to serve your church’s mission needs. RSVP wmorgan@baltimorepresbytery.org by Tues. Nov. 13^th.

Save the Date! Presbytery of Baltimore in Annapolis Day. On Monday, Feb. 4th, the Presbytery will sponsor Annapolis Day in Rm. 170 of the House of Delegates building. Everyone, including youth -- is welcomed to participate in this event to witness state government in action.

Save the Date! The Big Event will be held Saturday, Feb. 23^rd at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park. This year’s event is entitled, “Does Presbyterianism Have A Future,” and features keynote speaker, Dr. Barbara G. Wheeler, Pres. of Auburn Theological Seminary.

Church Notices

Franklinville Presbyterian Church will sponsor its 8th Holiday Bazaar Plus from 9am to 2pm on Sat., Nov. 17th at the church, 11846 Franklinville Rd. in Kingsville. There will be gifts galore, crafty bargains, nifty needlework, free stuff and much more.

Catonsville Presbyterian Church will host a Silent Art Auction to benefit the Santi School Project in Ramche, Nepal from 7pm to midnight on Nov. 17^th at the Load of Fun Gallerie,

120 W. North Ave. in Baltimore. For more info., click SANTI SCHOOL - Our School

Synod and General Assembly Items

Tune in at 3pm ET on Thursday, December 13^th for the Board of Pensions annual Benefits Talk event on Tax Tips for Ministers and Churches. This is a free event, although participants are limited. The deadline for registration is Nov. 19^th. To register, click: The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Other Items and Events

Church Leadership, health ministry, ushers and lay persons are invited to attend a training on Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation at 1pm on Saturday, Nov. 17^th at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore County. To register, contact MedStar TeleHealth at 443-777-7900.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, The National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Program is offering two free worship resources that show the connection between the harvest of food and the faithful. Download "At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving" & "Our Daily Bread: Harvesters of Hope and Gardeners of Eden" at www.nccecojustice.org/faithharvestworship.html

Also on the Presbytery of Baltimore website

Find past issues of Tidings at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/midweekmail.html.

See new Church Announcements at: http://www.baltimorepresbytery.org/announcements.html Presbytery Yearly Calendar

Tidings is provided through your support of the Presbyterian Church

Peter Nord, Executive Presbyter

pnord@baltimorepresbytery.org

Bill Millen, Associate Executive

bmillen@baltimorepresbytery.org

Vaughn L. Brown Jr., Stated Clerk

vbrown@baltimorepresbytery.org

Deb Milcarek

Associate of Mission and Justice