Nurturing the health of the Body of Christ through
caring for its pastors.
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Visit
www.pastoralcarenetwork.org
Learn
more about PPCN
and our 11th Annual Gathering
PPCN Officers:
President: Dan Corll
Pittsburgh
Vice President: Julie Johnson
Palo Duro
Secretary: Carol Allen
Chicago
Treasurer: Alan Baroody
Savannah
Editor: Stephen McCutchan
Salem
Members At Large:
Christine Sage, Pacific
Joe Sandifer, Greater Atlanta
Lou Snead, Mission
Ken Waddell, Cherokee
Denominational
Advisors:
Marcia Meyers,
PCUSA Office of Vocation
Helen Locklear,
Board of Pensions
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A
perfect gift to recognize the excellent work of pastors
A CD designed to support pastors, featuring song
writer david bailey
Cost: $10
To
order call 1-800 524-2612
and ask for item OGA-08-099
_________________
Join these Judicatories
in Supporting PPCN
Mission
Salem
Savannah
Mid-Kentucky
Central Florida
Synod of South Atlantic
Greater Atlanta
Philadelphia
Cherokee
Northeast Georgia
Chicago
Providence
Palo Duro
Grace
Pittsburgh
Carlisle
Louisville
Mid-Atlantic
De Cristo
Flint River
Visit our
website for details
on how to join.
www.pastoralcarenetwork.org
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Steve
McCutchan
Editor
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Paul's Letter to all
ministers
Via
the PPCN Board
We
have just concluded our board planning meeting in
preparation for our annual conference in San Francisco
on October 25 - 28. In both our reading of some recent
research on clergy health and some information from
the seminaries and our Vocation Agency, we were once
again struck with the challenge of ministry in our
time.
With
slight emendations, we offer Philippians 1:3-11 as our
letter to the clergy in the Presbyterian Church and
all clergy around the world.
Grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
We
thank our God every time we remember the work of the
clergy, constantly praying with joy in every one of
our prayers for all of Christ's faithful clergy,
because of your sharing in the gospel from the first
day until now. We are confident of this, that the one
who began a good work among us as clergy will bring it
to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right
for the Presbytery Pastoral Care Network to think this
way about all clergy, because we have felt your
prayers, sometimes as "sighs too deep for
words," for all of you share in God's grace with
us, both in our efforts and in the defense and
confirmation of the gospel. For God is our witness,
how we long for all clergy with the compassion of
Christ Jesus. And this is our prayer, that your love
may overflow more and more with knowledge and full
insight to help you determine what is best, so that in
the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,
having produced a harvest of righteousness that comes
through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
We
hope many of you can join us in San Francisco, but
whether you can or not, know that we are praying for
you and your work.
The Presbytery Pastoral Care Network
Note to GPs and COMs
Feel
free to adapt our adaptation of Philippians 1 and send
it to the clergy of your presbytery. We do not need to
be acknowledged as initiating the idea. Let it be a
sincere prayer on your behalf for all the hard work
that they do.
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Coaching,
Mentoring, Spiritual Direction
And
More
ELEVENTH
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
OCTOBER
25-28, 2010
San
Francisco Theological Seminary
WHO IS THIS
CONFERENCE FOR?
Our
annual conferences are designed to help presbytery
leaders (staff, committees, volunteers) learn about
the essential best ministry practices at the
presbytery level that promote clergy wellness in a
pro-active way rather than simply responding to crises
situations dealing with ministers.
This year our focus is to
help presbyteries learn about practical models for
supporting pastors in ways that strengthen their
leadership capacities, deepen their spiritual life,
and encourage accountability for effective ministries.
We
will also address the changes that are taking place in
the PCUSA and how ministry leaders will need to adapt
to these changes for the 21st century Church.
Leaders
include:
Marcia
Myers- the Director of the Vocation Agency
of the GAC office of the PC (USA)
Laurie
Ferguson - the Director of the Auburn Ministry Coaching Institute and
a PCUSA minister.
Joe
Sandifer -the pastor to pastors in the Presbytery of Greater
Atlanta.
Samuel Hamilton-Poore--Assistant
Professor of Christian Spirituality, San Francisco
Theological Seminary
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A
website, www.hand2handcontact.org
offers
10 things you should know about returning veterans.
You can go to their website for the complete list but
let us mention the top three.
First,
returned veterans are exhausted when they get home-physically,
psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually
exhausted. They often do not have the energy or focus
to talk for long periods of time. It will take some
time for them to adjust, so follow their lead;
Second,
there is nothing black-and-white about what has
happened to them. Almost always there are good things
that come from a deployment experience. Likewise,
there are some pretty difficult things that they face
once they are back home. Do not make any assumptions
about their experiences;
Third,
and perhaps most importantly, they are not the same
people they were before they deployed. But do not
assume that is a bad thing. The Service Member may
come home more confident and with better
problem-solving skills. He may return with a deeper
sense of gratitude for the comforts that he used to
take for granted or she may have found a greater sense
of purpose and direction than she ever had before.
Yes, there may be many unseen wounds of the soul and
spirit. But there are tremendous resources to help
heal those wounds, both for the Service Member and the
Service Member's family, and an ever growing number of
people who truly care and want to help.
There is
not some quick program that will make things all
right, but congregations and clergy can work at
providing a welcoming presence, with an open heart and
an open mind but also providing space for the returned
veterans to find their place. We live in an impatient
society who doesn't mind making an effort to help
people in need as long as it can be done quickly and
then we move on to our own agendas. Perhaps we need to
explore again the meaning of sanctuary and explore how
we might offer that for ourselves as well as others.
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Kathy
Platoni, a Clinical Psychologist who has worked in
this field has identified some signs to look for that
might indicate difficulty for a soldier transitioning
back into society.
1. Vivid
flashbacks and recurrences of images from the war that
are painful, intrusive repetitive, and undesired
2. Nightmares
that are disturbing in nature, often with
associated sleep disturbances (i.e.: Insomnia,
nighttime awakenings)
3. Social
isolation, alienation, and withdrawal
4. Remaining detached
or emotionally distant from others, even in their
presence
5. Difficulty or
inability to experience or express emotions
appropriately (for instance, crying when sad or
grieving)
6. Remaining on
"high alert" status (hyper vigilance) and
scanning the surrounding environment continuously
7. Obvious startle
responses to loud noises, being approached or touched
by others
8. Excessive boredom
with the commonplace and ordinary aspects of life on
the home front, thrill-seeking and looking for the
"adrenalin rush", while posing unnecessary
risks to self and family members
9. Finding little
worth, meaning, or purpose to life on the home front
and longing to be back in the war zone to find it
10. Preoccupation with bitter and
angry feelings directed towards a society or
government for maltreatment, exploitation, and failure
to keep promises, as has been the case with veterans
of previous wars
11. Feeling confused, angry,
or cynical in regard to one's fate in life; pessimism
and hopelessness about one's future and any
possibility of altering what lies ahead.
Congregations
who seek to be welcoming need to avoid acting as if
they are hovering over a returned soldier waiting for
signs of abnormality but being aware of possible
behaviors that might indicate the returned soldier is
having problems may be helpful. Almost as important as
anything is to convey to such soldiers that although
you could not possibly understand what they have been
through, you are available and a supportive presence.
There are some key theological elements of our faith
that provide needed resources in such a situation
The first
is the meaning of sanctuary. Next is an understanding
of Sabbath. Third is a deeper understanding of
liturgy, particularly as it centers on confession,
forgiveness, and healing. Sometimes it is at such
challenging moments that we renew our awareness of the
power of our own faith.
In the
meantime, keep this web site on your saved list, www.careforthetroops.org.
It is a good source for excellent resources.
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