March 21, 2024
In this edition . . . .
Announcements
From the Desk of
Tara Spuhler McCabe, Dir. Congregational Dev. & Mission
A Good Friday for All – Interfaith Vigil
March 29 – Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
Global Mission Partnership Grants Proposal Deadline – March 31
NEXT CHURCH National Gathering
“On the Ground”
April 8-11– Falls Church, VA
Dialogue for Peaceful Change Training
April 15-19 – Lewinsville Presbyterian Church
National Capital Presbytery Leadership Training
“Leading with Energy, Intelligence, Imagination, and Love
April 27 – New York Avenue Presbyterian Church deadline to register – April 17
Hymn Festival
May 17&18 – Bush Hill Presbyterian Church
A word from your Nominating Committee: The nominating committee needs your help to identify wonderful candidates for the next Vice Moderator, with the hope this person will go on to be our Moderator. If you are interested in serving as Vice Moderator when the current term ends in 2024, or know someone who would be fantastic as a connector, collaborator, and moderator of our shared work in the presbytery, please fill out the Nominating Form, indicate "Moderator/Vice Moderator," and share a little about your sense of call and giftedness for this work. Submissions are due April 1.
Also, it's nominating season for all committees! You can also use the form to self-nominate and indicate interest in serving in other roles in the presbytery. Questions? Reach out to Patrick Hunnicutt, Nominating Committee Chair, at p.hunnicutt@wpc-alex.org
Looking for the NCP Directory? It can be accessed through ACS’ ChurchLife App – a free mobile app where you can look up fellow members’ contact information and see where they serve in NCP! If the app isn’t for you, view via a website. Contact Dina dbickel@thepresbytery.org to get set up.
“In our joyful anticipation of Easter, we're excited to share a creative endeavor by one of our Presbytery's own, Rev. Crawford Brubaker. Their recently published children's book, "Hope's Journey: The Tale of the Easter Bunny," offers a unique and touching narrative that intertwines the playful story of the Easter bunny with the profound journey of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. This tale invites young readers and their families to explore the Easter story through the eyes of Hope, a bunny who witnesses the miracles, teachings, and ultimate triumph of love that Easter represents. It's a wonderful resource for parents and educators looking for meaningful ways to introduce the essence of our faith alongside familiar Easter traditions. Available here: Hope's Journey: The Tale of the Easter Bunny by Crawford F Brubaker, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com) or here: Hope's Journey: The Tale of the Easter Bunny: Brubaker, Crawford F: 9798218378684: Amazon.com: Books
Greetings People!
1. Over 45 of our 103 congregations have participated in a congregational CAT. Your participation is providing real time data that informs us what support and skills are useful for specific congregations. AND as you take the Landscape Survey, this will provide the Presbytery with real-time data as to how to best organize our budget and committees Deadline to submit is March 22nd! All Minister Members, Commissioners, Clerks, and members are invited to participate.
2. After Easter, NCP and the CAT Team interpreters will provide a Three-Part Series on what to do with your CAT! Monday nights from 7pm – 8pm via ZOOM platform. Registration is now open for all sessions. Use this link to register: NCP Events | National Capital Presbytery (thepresbytery.org)
Topics will be:
• April 8th Hospitality Plan! Data is reflecting our faithful congregations are mid to lower in their energy and satisfaction around hospitality and welcome. This is also one of the quickest fixes. WE will guide how to make and update a HOSPITALITY PLAN! Every church deserves to have one.
• May 13th Vitality Paralysis. Maybe we have too many options and not enough energy ? This session will focus on how to wade through the data with MissionInsite as it relates to Missional and Religious Preferences
• June 10th Spiritual Vitality! It will not necessarily increase your membership BUT it does affect your volunteer and financial impact. We will focus on how these matters for the whole IMPACT of your local congregation and community.
• BONUS in-person session on April 27th! Leadership Training Event. Data is reflected through low trust in Governance, Leadership, and high anxiety of Conflict we have to be more present and effective for HARD CONVERSATIONS. Join trained facilitators through Dialogue for Peaceful Change as some team building models are shared.
Even if your congregation has yet to participate in a CAT since 2020, you are welcome to join these sessions as we hope they will share the good news of how we are all connected in impact and growth opportunities for each congregation.
3. Dialogue for Peaceful Change Training, April 15-18 at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church. Please see the flyer within this TM for information about how to participate!
Peace and Courage,
Rev. Tara Spuhler McCabe
A Good Friday for All Interfaith Vigil
Friday March 29th, 6:00 pm
Saint Mark Presbyterian Church 10701 Old Georgetown Road N. Bethesda, MD
Gather in prayer, word and song for the hostages, the Gazan people, humanitarian aid and for a better tomorrow.
Next Deadline for Global Mission Partnership Grants Proposals
The Global Mission Network (GMN) is soliciting applications for the National Capitol Presbytery (NCP) Global Partnership Grants program from congregations for new cooperative initiatives between congregations and their global mission partners. The next deadline for grant applications is March 31
The program supports interactive, hands-on global mission projects with impact on the community. Preference will be given to new initiatives; applications may be submitted for continued funding in years two and three of a given project. Some preliminary work should be done to assess feasibility before applying, so that the project has a reasonable chance of success and some way to measure when success has been attained. Priority will be given to projects where there is an established relationship and a high level of confidence in the incountry team and where there is a plan for project sustainability. Projects with Presbyterian ecumenical partners are encouraged, but this is not a requirement.
This is a matching grant program; the contribution of your congregation toward the project in both money and labor will be considered. A congregation may submit only one application each year. Travel costs will not be considered, nor will reimbursement grants. Grant proposals requesting up to $5,000 will be considered, for $5,000 in matching funds.
A written report and presentation will be required in the year following the award outlining how the funds were spent, the progress of the project to date including impact on the community and plans for the future. Partnerships with grant awards will be required to provide information to be included in the NCP Global Mission Partnerships Directory, available for download on the NCP GMN webpage at https://thepresbytery.org/the-work-of-thepresbytery/committees/mission-coordination/global-mission-network
Proposals are due to NCP by email by March 31 to Judith Dahmann (jdahmann@mitre.org) using the NCP standard application (download from www.theprebsytery.org) and addressing specific questions for global grants (part 2).
For more information contact Judith Dahmann (jdahmann@mitre.org).
