FIRST MONDAY

December, 2015   First Monday is a monthly posting to Church Professionals and committee members in The Presbytery of the Miami Valley from the Presbytery Staff including information of events and news of interest as submitted by appropriate Presbytery entities. Publication of such information does not imply presbytery endorsement of the views and opinions expressed or implied. This month we have included: 1. The Prayer List

2. The December Calendar

3. Tom’s Thoughts are on Christmas Time. 4. Presbytery News – What’s Happening Around The Presbytery. Job listings, articles, flyers

and brochures – take a close look for news affecting you and your church community! If there are any questions about the December committee meetings, please contact your committee chair.

Submissions must usually be emailed by the 25th of the month or the last working day prior in order to be placed in the packet. Email submissions to Tom Oxley at the Presbytery, tom.oxley@miamipresbytery.org.

MIAMI PRESBYTERY PRAYER LIST

December, 2015

6 December Presbyterian Church of New Paris, located at 15 North Spring Street, New Paris. Moderator Ron Schultz.

13 December First Presbyterian Church, located at 1130 Highview Drive, Fairborn. Pastor Karen Cassedy.

20 December Westminster Presbyterian Church located at 990 Old Springfield Pike, Xenia. Pastor Don Smith.

27 December Westwood Presbyterian Church, located at 1068

Stahlheber Road, Hamilton. Pastor Norm Godfrey.

3 January First Presbyterian Church, located at 215 West Columbus

Street, West Liberty. Moderator Rob Fulton.

The Presbytery committee or group we ask you to pray for: For the month of December, please keep the Network Support and Grants Committee in your prayers. Thank you.

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Christmas Time Once Again  

Thanksgiving is done for another year, although the leftovers are still in the refrigerator.  Advent’s first 

Sunday is also now in the past.  The Holidays are here.  Gifts are being bought and some already going out in 

the mail so the grandkids will have them in time for Christmas.  Already, I have had my first fire in the 

fireplace and the tree is up and lit.  The only thing missing is snow, and I fear that will be here soon enough.   

 

As we prepare ourselves for the major Christian holy day of Christmas, let’s not forget that others are also 

preparing for their own holy days.  The December calendar looks like this when you add all the known holy 

days: 

 

6  o Saint Nicholas Day ‐ Christian  

8  o Bodhi Day  (Rohatsu)  ‐ Buddhism  o Immaculate Conception of Mary ‐ Catholic Christian  

12  o Feast day ‐ Our Lady of Guadalupe ‐ Catholic Christian  o Mawlid an Nabe  ‐ Islam  

16‐25  o Posadas Navidenas ‐ Hispanic Christian 

14  o Mawlid an Nabi  ‐ Islam 

21  Solstice o Yule  ‐ Wicca/Pagan northern hemisphere  o Litha  ‐ Wicca/Pagan southern hemisphere  o Yule ‐ Christian  

24  o Christmas Eve ‐ Christian  

25 o Christmas  ‐ Christian  o Feast of the Nativity  ‐ Orthodox Christian  

25‐Jan 1  o Hanukkah  ‐ Jewish  

26  o Zarathosht Diso (Death of Prophet Zarathushtra)  ‐  Zoroastrian  o St Stephen's Day ‐ Christian  o Kwanzaa – African Americans 

28  o Holy Innocents ‐ Christian  

30  o Holy Family ‐ Catholic Christian  

31  o Watch Night ‐ Christian  

 

It seems like just saying Merry Christmas skips a lot of Christian holy days, let alone all those others to be 

celebrated by friends and neighbors, some we know and some we haven’t met yet.  So, Happy Holidays to all 

my friends around the Miami Valley. 

First Monday Job Corner: Drop us a line if there is a job opening you need to fill at your church (and please let us know if you want it continued in future months – we are only running ads month by month, so need to know if your church wants it continued). Huber Heights: Faith - Part-time church secretary needed (12 hours/week). Must have computer skills, including experience working with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Publisher; Website knowledge preferred. Good interpersonal skills are essential. Pay is hourly, no benefits included. Please send resume to faithpastor5555@aol.com or mail to: Faith Presbyterian Church, 5555 Chambersburg Road, Huber Heights, OH 45424. Please note that the Presbytery website also lists some area job hunting assistance. If you know of somebody in your congregation that needs some help looking for their next job, please share that information with them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Churches are invited to share programs, job openings, and news with other churches of the presbytery. Just email print ready information to tom.oxley@miamipresbytery.org. Churches are asked to create and maintain a file for copies of presbytery meeting packets for a two year period. This should help with answering any questions that congregation members may ask of church staff regarding actions taken at presbytery meetings. As of this writing, packets are available at http://www.miamipresbytery.org/pmv_presby_docs.htm back through the March special meeting of 2013. The interfaith Forum of Greater Dayton Mark your calendars now to attend our fall programs: more information to be announced. 10 December 2015: Interfaith Forum of Greater Dayton Social

The Huber Heights Foundation awarded its first Community Grant to Faith Presbyterian Church in Huber Heights. The $500 grant will be used for Faith's tutoring program with Valley Forge Elementary School. Volunteers work with at-risk second and third graders to help them prepare for and pass the third grade reading test. Pictured from left to right are Mary Skare, tutoring program coordinator and member of Faith; Pastor Maggie Gillespie; Ronnie Redd, Huber Heights Community foundation; and Larry Sussman, Principal at Valley Forge Elementary.

Oxford Presbyterian Church Presents! “A workshop on connecting with younger generations” 

Saturday, February 6, 2016   9:15a.m.‐12:30 noon with Jason Santos 

  

Jason Brian Santos is the Mission Coordinator for Youth, College, and Young Adult Ministries at the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the National Director of UKirk. He is an ordained teaching elder in the PCUSA and holds a Ph.D. in practical theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of A Community Called Taizé (IVP, 2008) and Sustaining the Pilgrimage (IVP Academic, 2016). He currently resides in Louisville, KY with his wife, Shannon and his two sons, Judah and Silas (aka Tutu). In his spare time, he plays and designs board games.  

 Schedule:   Registration from 8:45 am‐ 9:15 with coffee and refreshments  Workshop 1:  (9:15‐ 10:30) Intergenerational Ministry as the foundations for making connections  Workshop2:  (10:45‐ 12:30) Young Adult Faith Formation: Absolutely everything you need to know about emerging adulthood.   Have you ever wondered why there aren’t many young adults in your congregation? Or, better yet, have you ever asked the question, how do we minister to the college students and young adults we have in our community? If your answer is yes, this workshop is for you! In this comprehensive seminar we will unpack the current state of young adult faith in order to illuminate why the mainline church is struggling to reach this generation. Particular attention will be placed on how young adults think about religion, faith, and spirituality, and how we might more faithfully journey with them during this life stage.   Registration and Contact Information: Oxford Ohio is home to Miami University, with enrollment of over 18,000 student, with many from around the globe. This setting will provide a laboratory for reflection on the challenges and opportunities for connecting with young adults in the church’s broader mission field.  You may contact Rev. Hart Edmonds, Interim Senior Pastor at the church office at 513‐523‐6364 or his email at pastorhartoxfordpc@gmail.com  Registration cost is $5.95 which includes breaks, materials and a simple lunch. Yes______lunch      No_________lunch  Deadline is Monday, February 1, 2016.     

Presbytery of the Miami Valley

Registration Information Who: Youth completing grades 8-12, who are active members of a local church. The delegation will consist of 20 youth and 4 adult advisors. Cost: Registration $505.00 per person. The Presbytery will cover a third of the cost and provide

transportation. Sending congregations and participants are each expected to pay $170.00. Where: The 2016 Presbyterian Youth Triennium will be held at Purdue University in West Lafayette,

Indiana. Participants will be housed in campus dormitories. When: Tuesday, July 19 – Saturday, July 23, 2016

How Do I Apply to be a part of the

Presbytery of the Miami Valley Delegation to Triennium? 1. Tell your Pastor/Youth Director/Clerk of Session why you would like to attend the Youth Triennium. 2. Ask for the church’s spiritual and financial support 3. Ask your Pastor/Youth Director/Clerk of Session to recommend you by clicking this link:

http://westminsterdayton.org/youth/triennium.html 4. Once the registrar receives your church recommendation, you and/or your parents will receive an email with

a link to more information and lots of forms to be filled out and returned to the registrar. 5. All recommendations should be received by February 15. For More Information: Visit the Triennium website: www.presbyterianyouthtriennium.org Contact Presbytery Registrar: Nancy Hodgkins at 937-223-7285 or nancy@westminsterdayton.org.

! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Questions? Contact Nancy Hodgkins at nancy@westminsterdayton.org or 937-223-7285

Presbytery of the Miami Valley!PYC Network encourages you to!!

SAVE THE DATE!

Spring Youth Retreat April 1-3, 2016

at Kirkmont Center !for youth in grades 7-12 !and their adult leaders