May Birthday Greetings
Alice Anderson
Edwin Andrade
Bob Angus, HR
Stan Bliss, HR
Leslianne Braunstein, HR
Joseph Chen
Jay Click, HR
Gary Cook, HR
Camille Cook Howe
Denise Diaab
Kerry Stoltzfus, HR
Whitney Fauntleroy Teresa, Suder, HR
Quinn Fox
Victor Hamel
Fuad Khouri
Larry Lees, HR
Aaron Nagel
Carl Rush
Lynn Staton-Hoyle, HR
Jessica Tate
Dan Thomas, HR
Mark Tidd, HR
John Wagner
Emilee Williams
Gloria Yi
From the staff of National Capital Presbytery john, david, dina, heather, lajuan, tara and tempest
National Capital Presbytery
and Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC, invite you to the installation service of Rachel Vaagenes on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church.
Register for Bible and Church Music Conference 2024 today! Come listen to leaders and speakers like Rev. Dr. Brian Blount and Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner. For more information about BCMC 2024, please visit https://massanettasprings.org/programs/bcmc.
The Rev. Dr. Jean Coyle, HR, in 2023 published Death of a Doctor in Derryville. The novel's protagonist is a female minister in her first pastoral call. On her first day in her new pastorate the minister and her daughter find the body of a beloved church member on the first pew of the sanctuary. The story soon involves investigation of medical doctors and church staff. The book is available through July 31 from Politics and Prose Bookstore in D.C., Death of a Doctor in Derryville by Jean M. Coyle | Politics and Prose Bookstore (politics-prose.com)
Henry Brinton, pastor of Fairfax Presbyterian, has written another Mill Street Mystery, titled War Bug. It explores the question: What hope do we have for the healing of our communities, shattered by a global pandemic and a toxic political environment? War Bug opens a window on the riverfront town of Occoquan, Virginia, and offers glimpses of social upheaval through chapters that alternate between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. In 1862, Quaker resident Ann Bagley fears that her sons will abandon their pacifism and join the newly established Confederate army. Troops march through the town and shots are fired, enflaming secessionists and Unionists alike. Many pledge their support to the South and send their sons to fight, while others favor the North and take stands as abolitionists. In 2022, Harley Camden, the pastor of struggling Riverside Methodist Church, fears that civil war will return to Occoquan. Facing cultural and political polarization, he tries to care for his congregation and keep the peace, even as he lends a hand in the archaeological dig of a Quaker house with a mysterious grave. But when people begin to die in acts of brutal violence, he encounters an evil that is deeper than history and more deadly than partisan strife. Book is available online, including amazon: https://www.amazon.com/War-Bug-Henry-G-Brinton/dp/B0CX3H78KY/ref=sr_1_1 Henry is happy to offer free book talks to churches throughout the presbytery.
Announcements:
Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.”
- Matthew 20:25-26
Dear Friends,
At our upcoming stated mee�ng on May 19, the presbytery will elect a new Moderator and Vice Moderator, who will be installed in September. I wanted to take a litle bit of �me to talk about the role of a moderator in our system.
In my third year as a pastor, one of the elders at the church I served told me he had been nominated to serve as presbytery moderator and asked what I thought. I said I was pleased he was and is a man of deep faith and wisdom, had been ac�ve in the presbytery, and I knew he would bring many valuable gi�s to the role. “No, no,” he said, “what do you think about me being your boss?” I laughed at this, but then I realized he was serious, and so I explained that he wasn’t being invited to serve as a bishop with authority over pastors, that he wouldn’t be a “boss,” but rather a colleague in the ministry of the presbytery.
A moderator of a session, a presbytery, a synod, or the General Assembly has the same basic founda�onal responsibility to preside at mee�ngs of these church councils. The Book of Order gives the moderator “the authority necessary for preserving order and for conduc�ng efficiently the business of the body” (G-3.0104). The moderator’s role is one of guidance and facilita�on— to help the body accomplish its work of prayerful discernment. The moderator may offer advice or rule on maters of procedure, but these rulings may be appealed and reversed by the body. Trust is a key ingredient in the rela�onship between a moderator and the council the moderator who ensures that the rights of members are respected, and that business is conducted fairly and expedi�ously, will seldom be challenged. In return for its trust, the body is freed to carry out its responsibili�es confidently and efficiently.
The moderator of a presbytery celebrates transi�ons with our congrega�ons, represen�ng the presbytery at services of ordina�on and installa�on, asking the cons�tu�onal ques�ons of the minister, and declaring the minister ordained or installed (W-4.0403, W-4.0404). In NCP, the Moderator sits as a vo�ng member of the Leadership Council, which meets monthly, and which guides the work of the Presbytery through vision building, strategic planning, and coordina�on.
Our Moderator guides us, prays with and for us, and helps us live as the expression of Christ’s church that God calls us to be.
I am grateful for the NCP Moderators I have worked with thus far Elder Shani McIlwain (Faith) and the Rev. Dr. Chris Deacon. They have each enriched the life of our Presbytery through the par�cular gi�s they have brought to this role. I look forward to discovering whom God has called to be the next Moderator when the Presbytery meets on May 19!
Grace and Peace,
Rev. David A. Baer, Stated Clerk
Saturday, May 11, 2024 in McLean, VA
The Reformed Institute and the John Leland Seminary are hosting Rev. Dr. David Chao of Princeton Theological Seminary for a morning lecture, discussion, and breakfast on Saturday, May 11, 2024 from 8:30 am to 11am. His address is titled: Reformed Identity, Christendom, and Global Christianity: The Case of Asia.
It will be held at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in McLean, VA. For people in town this is an IN-PERSON event (out-of-town participants may have virtual access). Join us to learn how the identity of Reformed Christians is shifting away from old models of Christendom to the new reality of global Christianity especially in Asia. We are grateful to the John Leland Seminary for co-sponsoring this event!
David C. Chao is director of the Center for Asian American Christianity at Princeton Theological Seminary. He teaches courses on Asian American theology and organizes academic programming in Asian American theology and ministry. His research and writing focus on Asian American theology, the uses of Christian doctrine for liberation, the convergence and divergence of Protestant and Catholic dogmatics, and the theology of Karl Barth.
He is grant co-author and project editor for a translation grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities to the Karl Barth Translators Seminar. He is co-leader of a Henry Luce grant project titled “Religiously-Inspired Asian American Coalitional Justice Work.” He is principal investigator of a Louisville Institute-funded project titled “Stories of Faith, Resilience, and Politics: First-Generation East Asian American Christians.” Dr. Chao is a graduate of Yale University (BA), Regent College (MDiv), and Princeton Theological Seminary (ThM, PhD). He is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Association for Asian American Studies. Chao has a wide range of pastoral experience with Chinese American, Korean American, and Pan-Asian churches and ministries and is an active member of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
His Publications include: Asian American Christian Theology: An Introduction and New Perspectives (under contract with Wiley-Blackwell), and Concursus and Concept Use in Karl Barth’s Doctrine of Providence: Nature, Grace, and Norms (forthcoming from Routledge).
Immanuel Presbyterian Church is located at 1125 Savile Lane, McLean, VA 22101. For more information, and to register, visit: https://reformedinstitute.org/
May 13th
Vitality Paralysis
Maybe we have too many op�ons 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 grow your membership BUT it does affect your volunteer and financial impact. We will focus on how this maters for the whole IMPACT of your local congrega�on and community.
The CAT Team interpreters are hosting a Series on what to do with your CAT! Monday nights from 7pm – 8pm via ZOOM pla�orm Use this link to register: NCP Events | Na�onal Capital Presbytery (thepresbytery.org)
Registra�on is open!
COMMITTEE
USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
IN STEWA�DSHIP
Thistalkwilloverviewrecentdevelopmentsin thefieldofAlbyshowingspecificexamplesof howitcanbeusedforstewardship.Thegoal ofthetalkistoprovideanorientationto generativeAl,aswellasbackgroundabout whyithasdevelopedsorapidlyinthelast year.Themainfocuswillbeonspecific examplesandusecasesthatillustratesomeof thenewwaysAlisbeingusedtogeneratetext, images,musicandvideo.Thoughthetalkwill coversometheoreticalsubjects,themaingoal istoempowertheaudiencetogetstartedor godeeperinusingAlforpracticalpurposes. Nopreviousbackgroundorexperienceis necessary. .,_,. 11 14 May2024 a 11:00AMonZOOM Register Now
DR. ADAM KEHOE Speaker
Dr. Kehoehasanacademic backgroundinmachine learningandAl,andhehas workedasatechnology consultantsupporting stewardshipprogramsforthe PresbyterianFoundation.
• • • • • • • • • • • National Capital PRESBYTERY MISSIONAL PASTORAL· STEWARDSHIP
THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUNC VOICES AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
A lot of emphasis has been placed on the role of Young Adult Advisory Delegates at General Assembly. GA planners are working to ensure YAADs are connected and their voices are heard at the upcoming gathering in Salt Lake City. Daniel Presa served as a YAAD at the 225th General Assembly in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2022.
GETTINC TO KNOW THE PASTORS OF UTAH
Just north of Salt Lake City is the town of Ogden,with a population of nearly 87,000. It is considered a gateway to ski resorts such as Snowbasin, Powder Mountain and Nordic Valley. Nestled in this beautiful town is First Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Jon Draskovic, pastor, leads a congregation committed to engaging with the community in a number of ways.
Click here to ofJ_en video in Vimeo
ISSUE NINE I APRIL 2024 PAGE 3 LI • II
Click here to ofJ_en video in Vimeo
