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Prayers for Tornado Victims & Recovery Efforts
Presbyteries of Des Moines, Prospect Hill & North Central Iowa
Join us in sending prayers and condolences to the families affected by the recent tornadoes across the state. Our hearts go out to those experiencing loss of loved ones and property.
Please be assured Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is aware and in contact with the communities in the storms' paths. Both physical and emotional recovery will take time - and we are planning to provide ongoing support. For now, the best thing we can do to help is wait and let the professional rescue teams do what they have been trained to do. Once a centralized recovery effort is defined, we will contribute and work with them.
Meanwhile, if you would like to make a financial contribution to the efforts, checks can be mailed to the address below with memo line "Tornado Relief Efforts". You can also give online at dmpresbytery.org, prospecthillpresby.org,
or presbynciowa.org.
Office of the Presbyteries
1864 Highway 86
Lakeshore Center At Okoboji
Milford, IA 51351-7267
Should you or your church community have a specific need, please contact our office at 319-233-1747. We are available and ready to help.
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Boundary Training
As required by G-3.0106 of the Book of Order, the synod has developed two videos to assist congregations and presbyteries in boundary training and in the review or writing of policies.
Videos
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Presbyterians at the UN Commission on the Status of Women
by Carolyn Grice
At the spring synod meeting Carolyn Grice, Teaching Elder, Presbytery of Missouri River Valley reported on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
Until this experience I never knew we had a Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations. It is staffed by Sue Rheem. Her office is in the Church Center directly across the street from the UN.
This was the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. There is still a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done. What I heard more than anything is that the time to talk is over. It is time to implement actions to bring about change around the globe. Again, this being #68 the sessions continued to share how so many women around the world facing so many issues and exploitation.
CSW is the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The world is at a crucial crossroad for gender equality. Globally 10.3 per cent of women live in extreme poverty today, and they are poorer than men. Progress towards ending poverty needs to be 26 times faster to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. (In 2015, countries agreed on the need for comprehensive financing for development, adopted a new sustainable development agenda, and charted a universal and legally binding global agreement on climate change).
Read more
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Carolyn Grice at synod meeting. | |
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Since becoming the first Matthew 25 synod in the PCUSA, more of our leadership, congregations, and presbyteries report being energized by the positive impact on their ministries. The synod is committed to step up, sign up and share opportunities to increase congregational vitality, and lift up the bold vision to confront systemic poverty and racism. Community connections in all six states are made through food distribution partnerships, reconciliation centers, service collaboratives, and innovative facility cooperatives.
The synod looks forward to evolve and expand the momentum through its motto - 25 for '25 - focusing on Matthew 25 for 2025 to build relationships based on welcome and reconciliation.
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June:
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Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Vital Congregations: Join ministry leaders for support, explore the 7 Marks of Vital Congregations, and share ideas, challenges and resources. Register here! Wednesdays, June 12 and 26, 3–4:30 p.m. EDT.
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Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Eradicating Systemic Poverty: Join ministry leaders for support and to share ideas, dreams, challenges and resources. Register here! Thursdays, June 6, 13 and 20, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. EDT.
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Matthew 25 Continued Conversations: Intersectional Priorities: Join ministry leaders to explore your questions and needs around the intersectional priorities of climate change, gender justice and heteropatriarchy, and militarism. Register here! Tuesday, June 18, 3–4:30 p.m. EDT.
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#WEARORANGE to End Gun Violence - June 7-9, 2024
National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend is observed every June to honor Hadiya Pendelton and the more than 43,000 Americans killed with guns and approximately 76,000 more shot and wounded every year. Why orange? It’s the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others and a color that has become the symbol of the gun violence prevention movement. Here is a history of Wear Orange as a reminder, and also what last year’s National Gun Violence Awareness Day looked like across the nation.
In 2024, the 10th National Gun Violence Awareness Day will fall on June 7, the first Friday of the month. That will kick off Wear Orange Weekend on June 7-9, which will feature virtual and in-person events across the nation.
Congregations can participate in several ways:
- Urging their congregation to wear orange to worship services. Clergy can wear orange, too, including robes or stoles!
- Lighting up their building in orange. The National Cathedral has participated in this way for several years, and Everytown for Gun Safety is able to provide orange filters to go over exterior floodlights to show your community that your congregation demands an end to gun violence! Everytown can also provide orange placards to go in windows or doors.
- Participating in or hosting community events for Wear Orange Weekend.
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Praying for an end to gun violence. Bishops United Against Gun Violence has created liturgical resources for this purpose. While these prayers are written from a Christian perspective, they can be adapted for other faith traditions.
- Sharing your work and your concern on social media. There will be a toolkit for you and your faith community to use to promote Wear Orange Weekend and call for an end to gun violence.
Ways to Participate
This article originally appeared in FRESH IMPRESSIONS the newsletter of the Presbytery of Milwaukee.
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2024 Evangelism Conference
A Lifestyle That Exudes Justice
Come join us for this journey into a more expansive and authentic understanding and practice of evangelism! October 3-5, 2024
For too long, evangelism has been used to grow our churches or convert people to a certain way of believing in God. This expression of evangelism has hurt many people and promoted injustice. We will explore how we are called to embody the good news of God’s healing and compassion through A Lifestyle that Exudes Justice!
Registration Fee:
In-Person: $175 Virtual: $75
**Spanish and Korean simultaneous interpretation will be available if requested in your online registration.
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Presbyterian Women
in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies builds community and affirms women’s calls to leadership and spiritual growth.
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Office closed on Memorial Day
May 31-Aug 30 Office closed on Fridays
Synod School, July 21-26
Buena Vista University, Storm Lake, IA
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Presbyteries and churches share your news with the Synod! | |
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Keeping In Touch is a monthly publication of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
To subscribe email: office@lakesandprairies.org
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