by Anita WrightWhen we entered the opening gathering for the May Mission & Ministries Commission meeting, we were told to bring our chairs into the inner part of the room. There we sat in a semi-circle. It created a discomfort around the room because it was not what we were used to doing. Everyone waited for...
By Nancy TalbotThe 2019 January 25-26 Synod Mission & Ministries Commission meeting began the next two-year term for presbytery representatives. As we said farewell to some representatives at the November 2018 meeting, we welcomed at this meeting people elected for the first time to represent their presbyteries. You can see that the new members bring a...
By Nancy TalbotWith the term cycle shift approaching with the new year, at its November 2018 meeting, the Mission & Ministries Commission (M&MC) thanked the Commission members and Synod officers who are rotating off its roles and bid them farewell. We are so grateful for their gifts, their service, and their ministry! We will miss each of...
By Harold DelhagenOne of the primary responsibilities of a Synod is to serve and care for its member presbyteries. In our New Way Forward, the manner in which this responsibility is carried out has changed significantly. Our values now call us to focus on serving rather than directing, listening rather than telling, and working from as...
In addition to great fellowship and conversations among Commissioners, Young Adult Advisory Delegates (YAADs), and Observers, the Synod Assembly also had the privilege of welcoming some special guests as well…
Amid the many fruitful conversations that comprised the 2018 Synod Assembly’s business, the Assembly officially elected officers for the Synod’s upcoming leadership terms.
By Nancy TalbotThe 2018 Synod Assembly was organized by a “worshipful work” approach to our business and conversations. As we moved through the different elements of the meeting, each corresponded with an aspect of the Reformed order of worship, which helped to ground us in our spiritual identity and to remind us of our ultimate purpose...
This was the first assembly to be held under the Synod’s New Way Forward, which was adopted at our 2014 Assembly. Using the foundational values of blue skies and unencumbered spaces, the Assembly flowed back and forth between sharing stories and information from across the Synod and governance work. The sharing included Minutes for Mission from...
"It is because one antelope will blow the dust from the other's eye that the two antelopes walk together"- African Proverb.This is one of my favorite African proverbs because it describes the critical role of community in fostering insight, awareness and unity. When we come together as members of the body of Christ, the Holy Spirit...
Another innovative step in living out the New Way Forward took place as the Synod of the Northeast Mission and Ministry Commission met April 1-2 to do the work of the church in a new way. The commission spent intentional time slowing down, setting aside the “business” of the church, reflecting together on Isaiah 43:19, and...