| Pastoral Letter to those affected by the oil spill |
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As the oil spill continues in the Gulf of Mexico and our prayers are with all those affected by the spill, Bruce Reyes-Chow, PC(USA) Moderator; Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly; and Linda Bryant Valentine, Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council have published a pastoral letter to those affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.
Read the letter on the Office of the General Assembly website. |
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| Monmouth Presbytery e-News
June 7, 2010 |
| Monmouth Presbytery Reminders
Monmouth Presbytery Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. (Pre-meeting exploring, seeking, and imagining creative and vital ministry for today. BEFORE the scheduled Presbytery Meeting from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm) at the First Presbyterian Church of South Amboy, 150 North Broadway, South Amboy, NJ 08879, 732-721-4516. Please start submitting the materials you would like included in either the Docket or Packet. If I don’t receive your materials by the DEADLINE (Monday, June 14th), please be prepared to bring 120 copies to the meeting for distribution. Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
Terms of Call – Please mail them to the Monmouth Presbytery, Attention: Barbara, P.O. Box 369, Tennent, NJ 07763-0369 or email them to Barbara.
Annual Reports – Please mail them to the Monmouth Presbytery, Attention: Barbara, P.O. Box 369, Tennent, NJ 07763-0369.
Announcements, Upcoming Events or Classified Ads – If you have any that you would like posted on our Website or inserted in our Newsletter, please email them to Barbara. |
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News from our congregations
We have no new stories this week!
Well, that’s not exactly true – there must be new stories but they haven’t reached the newsletter (probably holiday traffic). Please send yours in and we will share!
And, as the strawberry season in New Jersey winds down, Saturday is a good day to attend the Strawberry Festival at Shrewsbury and feast on the goodness of locally-grown berries!
Visit the Mission Cafe to read “oldies but goodies” and watch for new ones, posted as they come in.
Also check out Events in our Congregations (also listed below in Calendar of Events) |
| Food for thought on the oil spill
From Boston.com - AP Photographer Charlie Riedel just filed the following images of seabirds caught in the oil slick on a beach on Louisiana’s East Grand Terre Island. As BP engineers continue their efforts to cap the underwater flow of oil, landfall is becoming more frequent, and the effects more evident. (8 photos total)
From the NCC Eco-Justice Ministries, Peter Sawtell’s weekly column Eco-Justice Notes Deepwater Failure: “There have been any number of failures related to the flood of oil into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon fiasco. Each of those failures is lamentable, and each fuels the anger that many of us feel with this continuing crisis. Over the last week, though, I’ve come to the conclusion that the most important of the failures is of our worldview.
. . . On a societal scale, we live out the saying, “It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” We live from a belief that there are no problems that can’t eventually be fixed. As a result, risks are not taken seriously.” Read the entire article.
In the NY Times, Andrew Revkin notes that the “Macondo Prospect, the name for the reservoir of oil slowly draining into the gulf – is considered a small deposit. While its dimensions remain poorly known, BP officials have estimated it contains no more than 100 million barrels of oil. That’s five days and change worth of American demand for this precious fuel.”
How, then, shall we live?
Reflection on the Oil Spill and Simple Living:
“As the oil spill continues in the Gulf of Mexico, I feel a bit stuck. I cannot remember such an ongoing environmental disaster. And what can I do?” Katie Holmes in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Environmental Ministries Office has posted a reflection on the Gulf Coast oil spill and how we might respond.
Read her answer.
Green Living Living green means practicing our faith through caring for the creation. Scripture and the Reformed tradition call humans to be stewards of the earth and to participate in God’s call to justice. Living into God’s call is a responsibility that requires effort on our part as global disciples. Navigating through the world and living with a keen environmental awareness embraces this call. Each of us has the power to make choices that reflect our faith commitment to preserve life. Together we can live each day in homage to God by living green and sharing our witness with the world. Download Green Living  and explore expanded content in the online version. |
Upcoming events
 For regularly scheduled meetings of committees and other groups, please go to the Calendar page of the presbytery’s website
Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 2 p.m. in Rumson – Deanna Witkowski Trio – also at 9:45 a.m. worship
Sunday, June 6, 2010 – The Chapel Handbell Ringers at Red Bank Church – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 12, 2010 - Shrewsbury Strawberry Festival – 9:30 am – 2:30 pm
Revive! Justice Revival-June 11, 12, and 13 in Trenton, NJ. An exciting interfaith event inspired by the EnVision conference of June 2008 and the Sojourner Community’s call for national “Justice Revivals.” Speakers include Shane Claiborne (invited), Bart Campolo, Cornell West, and more.
Sunday, June 13, 2010 -1st Presbyterian Church, Bordentown hosts COFFEEHOUSE / CONCERT featuring: Benjamin Wilton, acoustic guitar / vocals,Mike and Flora, guitar, trumpet, vocals -suggested minimum donation $10
Saturday, June 19, 2010 – Ecumenical Family Picnic sponsored by NJ Council of Churches
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 – 5:30-6:30 p.m. (PRE-Presbytery meeting) at South Amboy – Fact Finding Forum
June 24 – 27, 2010 - Big Interfaith Event in Princeton
Saturday, July 17, 2010 – Gather at the River – Presbyterian Women in New Jersey
August 13-22, 2010 – PC(USA) missionaries Jeff and Christi Boyd from Cameroon will visit Monmouth Presbytery
Saturday, October 2, 2010 at First PC, Matawan – Spaghetti for the Soul |
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