August 9 – An inconvenient truth, circa 2010

In This Issue An inconvenient truth, circa 2010 Updates from the Presbytery New on the Mission Cafe Upcoming Events Classified Ad An inconvenient truth, circa 2010 – Food for Thought from Presbyterians Today By Vernon Broyles III In placing blame for the Gulf catastrophe, we should admit our own complicity. There is no way to know how long the environmental catastrophe caused by the explosion at BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico will plague us all – yes, all. The first response in all quarters, of course, was to cast blame: first BP and the drilling company; then President Obama because the government’s response was too slow and too small – though, ironically, much of that blame came from Tea Party types who want little or no government in the first place; then the counterattack, blaming George W. Bush and his Republican predecessors for cronyism in the permitting process for offshore drilling and lax oversight of those who received the permits. The truth is that there is enough blame to go around for everyone, including us. We are all complicit in the culture of individualistic consumption that demands more and more petroleum, and there is precious little political will to support the kind of genuine, radical change in our living patterns that would reduce our consumption of fossil fuels. We are simply not ready to give up our lifestyles. The difficulty lies, in significant measure, in the tangled web of economic dependence we have woven. Read more Learn more about creative, hands-on actions at the PC(USA) Enough for Everyone and the Just Living series. Quick Links Monmouth Presbytery Main Website Mission Cafe Monmouth Presbytery Clerk’s Corner Hunger Action and Advocacy Monmouth E-News (archived newsletters)

Monmouth Presbytery e-News August 9, 2010 Updates from the Presbytery Jump Start Your Fall Planning-New Resource and Programming Conversation-Tuesday, August 10 at 6:30 p.m. New at the Clerk’s Corner: Finding Stewardship Resources One of the biggest challenges for church leadership is finding good Stewardship resources for worship and education – and, yes, for that annual campaign that most of us start to get really concerned about this time of year, as we move ahead with planning for the fall. PCUSA mission workers Jeff and Christi Boyd will be visiting Monmouth Presbytery August 15-22 – see details of their visit. Please remember to send Terms of Call and Annual Reports to Monmouth Presbytery, PO Box 369, 446 Tennent Road, Tennent, NJ 07763-0369 Please e-mail announcements, upcoming events, and classified adsto Barbara Treasurers’ Information: The July 2010 year-to-date giving recaps of Per Capita and General Mission/Special Offerings are now available for review on the Presbytery website under “Documents” and then “Treasurers’ Information.” If there is a discrepancy, please contactHoward Dunbar as soon as possible (732-446-7605). Please note that giving recaps will no longer be e-mailed or mailed. New on the Mission Cafe Eco-Justice Notes: Out of Intensive Care – The blown-out Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has finally been plugged. Three and a half months of damage and despair can move into a time of restoration and healing. Now is an appropriate time for faith communities to mark the occasion with worship, prayer and action. PDA Rapid Information Network – PDA RIN Updates August 5, 2010 Pakistan flooding, Haiti, continuing need for Gift of the Heart kits. Update from Corporate Accountability: UN affirms human right to water, bottled water sales recede further Crafters and Shoppers: Hope Presbyterian Church, Tinton Falls – Annual Pumpkinfest – September 25, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. New from the Presbyterian Hunger Program: Just Purchasing: Practicing Our Faith at the Market From the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program – Seeking Peace, August 3, 2010 34th Racial Ethnic Convocation – October 1-2, 2010 Salvadoran Coffee Farmer speaking tour with Equal Exchange and Catholic Relief Services Tuesday, August 10 – Jump Start Your Fall Planning - 6:30pm – 8:30pm - Presbytery of Monmouth August 13-22 - PC(USA) missionaries Jeff and Christi Boyd from Cameroon will visit Monmouth Presbytery Sunday, August 15 at 9:15 a.m. - Worship at First PC, 4 East River Road, Rumson Tuesday, August 17 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. “Sandwich Seminar” at Plumsted Presbyterian Church, 14 Front Street, New Egypt Tuesday, August 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. – “Eat and Greet” at Allentown Crossroads Youth Center – pizza, ice cream, post-Triennium conversation, and “The Africa Game” Wednesday, August 18, 6:30 – 8:15 p.m. – Presbytery Dinner – Supper and Sharing at Church on the Hill, 10 Cold Indian Springs Road, Ocean – supper and sharing are free, but please R.S.V.P. by Sunday, August 8 Saturday, August 21, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Westminster PC Garden, 94 Tindall Road, Middletown – tour the new PAR (Plant a Row for the Hungry) Garden, visit with representatives from Rutgers University Master Gardeners of Monmouth County, meet and greet Christ and Jeff Boyd, hear from Westminster’s Garden Team about how to start a garden at your church, learn what’s happening with the Food Sovereignty initiative in Cameroon. Sunday, August 22 at 10:00 a.m. – Worship at Church on the Hill, Ocean Aug. 27, 2010 - Benefit Concert – ‘Friends Of Susan Lisle’ - Hope Presbyterian Church, 1189 Hope Rd. Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 – 7 pm with Reception to follow. Tuesday, September 21, 7-8:30 p.m. Forum on Ocean County homelessness – at Hope Presbyterian Church, Lakewood Saturday, September 25, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Hope Presbyterian Church, Tinton Falls - Annual Pumpkinfest Saturday, October 2, 2010 at First PC, Matawan - Spaghetti for the Soul – a conference for women Saturday, October 16, 2010 at Hope Presbyterian Church, Tinton Falls -Presbyterian Women of Monmouth Fall Gathering Sunday, Nov. 14 – Watchung Ave. Presbyterian Church, N. Plainfield and Monday, Nov. 15 – Drew Theological School, Madison - Ground for Hope-New Jersey – Environmental Education and Leadership for Clergy, Laity, Seminarians, and Seminaries April 8 – 10, 2011 – Women’s Retreat – Camp Johnsonburg Presbyterian Center Note: for regularly scheduled meetings of committees and other groups, please go to the Calendar page of the presbytery’s website Classified ad 14′ by 5′ Board Room Table The Red Bank Church has a 14 foot by 5 foot board room table that needs repair and refurbishment.  It is available to any church that would be interested.  Can be seen most any time by arranging with Bill Faust,bill@wgfaust.com or 908-415-7875.