growing congregations that passionately engage their...

A Newsletter of the Presbytery of New Covenant

July | August 2018

Growing congregations that passionately engage their communities to make disciples.

Making History Today

Clerk’sCorner

Mission and Ministry

Mission and Ministry

Youth News Events EventsCommunity News

Stated Meeting of the Presbytery set for Saturday, July 21 at Pines Presbyterian Church, Houston

2 3 4-6 7 8 9 10 11this edition

Some might remember the Ed Sullivan Show where there was a performer who kept plates spinning on the top of thin rods. As a child, it was exciting to watch him keep all of the plates from falling on the floor. Planning a presbytery meeting often feels a lot like keeping those plates spinning.

We will be gathering at Pines Presbyterian Church, 12751 Kimberly, on July 21. The current plan is to have some pre-presbytery conversations around some current topics such as gun violence, suicide, and disaster planning/recovery. These conversations would begin at 9:00 am. In our worship at 10:00 a.m., we

Pines Presbyterian Church, Houston

Presbytery of New Covenant-Looking at the Numbers In the beginning of each new year, clerks of session are asked to complete the Session Annual Statistical Report which reflects the membership data of the congregation at the end of the previous calendar year. In looking at the numbers for 2017, there are many encouraging signs. First, we did not dismiss any congregations to other denominations! That was the cause for

the major membership loss in 2016. We added 632 new members across our presbytery. 25 of our congregations had a net gain of at least one member – some were in double digits. The largest increase in any one congregation was at Grand Lakes in Katy where the net gain was 39 new members! The Woodlands Community increased by a total of 17, St. Philip by 14, Westminster in

Nacogdoches by 10. Those with a net gain of 9 were First in Sugar Land, and St. Luke’s in Houston, while St. John’s in Houston increased by 8, as did Tiki Island Chapel. Heights increased by 10% with a net increase of 7. Other congregations with net increases were New Hope in Katy, Korean Young Nak, Christ in Houston, Atascocita, First in

will consider where we are now one year after Harvey. Our preachers for the day will share their insights from their experiences with the storm and the recovery efforts, as well as where they find hope. The business of the General Assembly will be a large topic as we hear from those who have served as commissioners. Many participants have expressed, “there have been profound moments during our deliberations.” At the moment of this writing, we are in the middle of the debate on divesting from the fossil fuel industry. People from the Presbytery of New Covenant have been working to oppose divestment for several years, recognizing that this is an important issue for us in Southeast Texas. There will be other topics for us to consider during the day. Please plan to join us on July 21st.

Numbers continued on page 4

Lynn HargroveEditor

Carrie WalkerLayout

Patricia BrantleyCirculation Manager

New Covenant Connections is a freely provided, non-profit newsletter, published in its entirety for the Glory of God by:The Presbytery of New Covenant1110 Lovett BoulevardHouston, TX 77006713-526-2585

Circulation: 246 print, 1345 digital

Next deadline: Tuesday, August 14, with distribution by the end of the month.Email: [email protected]

Send changes of address to:Patricia [email protected]

The Presbytery of New Covenantwww.pbyofnewcovenant.org

NEW COVENANTCONNECTIONSJuly | August 2018Volume 24, Edition 4

2 | July - August 2018 | New Covenant CONNECTIONS | pbyofnewcovenant.org

A Classic Letter Letters can be important. Abraham Lincoln once wrote a letter to his son’steacher. He also wrote a letter to Mrs. Bixby of Massachusetts who lost five sons in the Civil War. He wrote a letter of encouragement to his son’s best friend, Robert Latham, whose father had died several years before. The apostle Paul wrote letters to fledglingchurches, some of which he helped start. Letters are important. In January 1914 James W. Skinner, a Presbyterian minister who was called to start a school two years before in Kingsville, Texas wrote a handwritten letter to a young man, S. Brooks McLane, who had inquired about a teaching position at that school. Ithas become a classic and honest expression of the challenge of Christian discipleship in that particular endeavor. Here it is: Dear Mr. McLane: Yours received. Contents noted with interest. We are up to eyes in work. Can use you, but the school has no money (Have not drawn a cent for myself since July). I’ll make you a proposition. There’s nothing in for you financially. You could do more for yourself financially. You could do more for yourself taking a job on a farm. It isn’t our estimate of service and its value, but the lack of finances. Here it is: Come to us at once. Take hold wherever there is need. Stay till close of session June 1st & I’ll get you somehow $100. No salary, just pin money. Not $100 a month, but $100 for the whole time. If you want to come, you needn’t write, nor wait to get ready. Just get a pair of old overalls, heavy shoes, & hit the road. I don’t know exactly what you may have to do. Perhaps teach a little,

sometimes follow the plow, drive the harrow or disk, care for the calves, run the engine and cutter, preach by the way, any one of a possible 100 odd things. Room in the shack where the boys camp. Eat with the rest of us in the barn – any old way – out at 5:30 a.m. & in (all in) at 9 p.m. If you conclude to come do not make the mistake of thinking this is a developed institution. It is all in the process of making – rough & tumble and out in the wilderness. You can be as completely out of the world as if you were in the Congo. We are 5 miles out from Kingsville, and the road is mostly thro the brush. We get mail three times a week (sometimes). No daily paper, no phone, no – nothing – just Tex.-Mex. 30 husky Mexican boys & us old folks. Don’t come unless your (sic) game. The coyottes (sic) will get your goat. You won’t have any expenses except to get here & get away. We don’t smoke. Can’t go to the movies. Wear our old clothes & a blue shirt. One laundried shirt and collar will last you a month for Sunday service if you take ‘em off before milking time. The boys run the wash machines & go through the motions with other clothes. Got the picture? It’s a woodcut. If you want to come in the face of it all, just wire me the fact and come on. If you come on the a.m. train, stop at Kingsville, and if no one meets you ask for C. H. Flato, Jr. & tell him you’d like to get out to Tex.-Mex. If on the p.m. train, go to Ricardo, and walk 2 miles up the track (back) to the 1st light on your left hand. Chunk the dogs. They bark but don’t bite – often. Holler when you hit the barbed wire. Yours truly, J. W. Skinner

Making History TodayRev. Dr. James S. Currie, Executive SecretaryPresbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest

pbyofnewcovenant.org | New Covenant CONNECTIONS | July - August 2018 | 3

Clerk’s CornerRev. Lynn Hargrove, Stated ClerkPresbytery of New Covenant

As I write this, we are preparing for the biennial General Assembly.This is the national “convention” for the denomination where elected commissioners meet to make decisions about the business of the church. Many of the “people in the pews” wonder why any of this matters and if the decisions made here make any difference in their local congregation. Others might threaten to leave the denomination if votes don’t go their way. Watching the assembly at work is an interesting process. Commissioners and delegates representing every presbytery in the country are assigned to serve on a committee. It is in these smaller groups that recommendations are made to the plenary where the commissioners will make the decisions about each recommendation. Committees deal with issues like social justice, the Middle East, the environment, denominational structure, and changes to the Book of Order. There are passionate people on varying sides of any of these topics. Let’s take the environment. Many of us would agree that global warming is real, and that our use of fossil fuels is a contributing factor. There is a group that advocates for different agencies in the denomination to divest from all fossil fuel companies, choosing to “make a statement” about the issue by how we invest our money. There

are others that acknowledge the harm that is being done to the planet and advocates that we continue to be in dialogue with those companies in which our funds are invested to encourage them to look at renewable sources of energy production. Our national economy is built on the use of fossil fuels and petrochemicals. Many of our church members have made their living working in support of this industry – whether it is working in the plants or providing legal or other services. Houston is the home of many of the largest petrochemical corporations. We are also home of one of the largest ports in the country where goods are transported in and out of our country. Ships and trains and trucks run on petrochemicals. Houston is also the home of one of the largest medical centers in the world, employing thousands of people caring for patients of all ages with all kinds of medical diagnoses. Hospitals use a lot of plastic products and plastic comes from petrochemicals. Much of this becomes waste which needs a place to go after it has been used. Think about how fossil fuels are used in your own home. Many of the products we use on a daily basis are made of plastic. Many of these are single use and then become disposable. Some communities are outlawing

plastic grocery sacks, and products made of polystyrene. What would it mean if we were take seriously “reduce, reuse, recycle,” and to consider the choices that we make every day? This is one of many complicated issues before the church today. My prayer is that the decisions made here in St. Louis will not anger the people in the pews of the Presbytery of New Covenant. Hopefully we can agree that things need to change, and that we all have some responsibility for the solution. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has divested from other industries in the past, such as the tobacco industry, for profit prisons, those that violate human rights, or produce weapons. The divestment list for 2018 can be found here: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/wp-content/uploads/MRTI-2018-GA-Long-Form-Proscription-Divestment-List-FINAL.pdf We may not agree on the issues, and we all strive to be faithful in how we practice our discipleship. May we not see this as an “us” and “them” and demonize those that don’t think the way that we do. May we find our common witness to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as we care about the planet over which we have dominion.

223rd General Assembly

Next Connections Copy Deadline Tuesday Connect Copy Deadline

The next deadline isTuesday, August 14 for the September/

October issue. Send articles and photos to Lynn Hargrove at

[email protected]

Copy deadline forTuesday Connect is Noon Monday.

Send your announcements toTuesdayConnect@

pbyofnewcovenant.org

Saturday, November 17, 2018St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

5308 Buffalo Speedway, Houston

2018 Presbytery Meeting


&Harvey Recovery Update We have reached the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. With our churches and community members helping to rebuild our area. I want to thank everyone for their support! Hurricane Season is here once again and we want you to feel prepared. There will be Hurricane preparedness meeting that the Office of Emergency Management will be speaking at on Tuesday, July 17. The Presbytery of New Covenant has 3 official sites through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. I am thankful for the amazing volunteers and staff members who provide hospitality to those who come from all over the country to help our area. PDA’s commitment to helping the survivors of Hurricane Harvey is greatly appreciated. Clear Lake Presbyterian Church and Webster Presbyterian Church work together with Fuller Disaster Recovery in Galveston County and surrounding areas to help survivors of the hurricane. With their hard work they will be

finishing their 12th home soon. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Beaumont volunteers have been working hard in Jefferson County. They have worked on 35 different homes with groups returning to homes to ensure the homeowner knows they are not forgotten and helping to make sure their homes livable. Bringing groups from all over the country, the hospitality shown by St. Andrew’s has been a wonderful host site for groups sent by PDA. St. Andrew’s is excited to have hired a construction coordinator to help oversee the groups

Volunteer workers

and to find projects. He was hired with a grant funded by PDA. Pines Presbyterian Church has opened as an official PDA host site. They have already been taking on groups and will now be in the PDA database. We are grateful for their commitment to helping the community in West Houston. If you would like to help with Hurricane recovery or have any questions, please contact Beth Kauffman at [email protected]

6 at First in Pearland, and 5 each at First in Sugar Land and St. Andrew’s in Beaumont, and Korean Central reported 35 adult baptisms, with 17 other congregations reporting at least one. This is great news! Other numbers to track are Christian Education, where almost 5000 people participate – about 32% of our church members. 1394 of those are youth and young adults. And there were 351 reported from birth to age 3, with a total of 1025 in preschool or elementary ages. We can thank the 483 teachers that were reported! We were more ethnically diverse in 2017. We are now 80.7% white (2016 showed 84%). Asians are the second largest ethnic group in the presbytery (9%), followed by Black/African American/African (5%), Hispanic

Numbers, continued from page 1

Alvin, Brenham, St. Luke’s in Cleveland, First in Crockett, Gulf Prairie in Jones Creek, First in Galveston, First in Pasadena, First in Silsbee, St. Andrew’s in Beaumont, Oak in Houston, and St. Paul’s in Needville. Several of these congregations had hurricane damage due to Harvey which were challenges toward the end of the year. They are across our presbytery – urban, suburban, small towns, and more rural. This is something to celebrate!Another celebration is in the number of baptisms that happened in our congregations in 2017. 123 children received the sacrament of baptism, along with 61 adults. Korean Central took the lead with 12 children baptized, followed closely by Pathways and First in Conroe with 10 each. Northwoods and Grand Lakes reported 8 each,

(4.1%), Native American (.7%), Middle Eastern (.1), and other (.1%). What is not reflected in these numbers are our many new worshipping communities, many of which are “racial ethnic”. We are younger, too. 15% are 25 and younger, and 18% are 26-45. The total of those two categories are almost equal to those 65 and older (35%). The 20 year age span of 46-65 makes up 32% of our members. While we lost more than we gained overall, it was easy to see a couple of congregations “clean their rolls” due to their large loss of members. It is a good practice for sessions to review their active members at least annually. This is the number on which a congregations “per capita” apportionment is based. Overall, we seem to be stabilizing, and that is worth celebrating!

Taking a little well deserved break


&Jewish-Presbyterian Dialog

The Jewish-Presbyterian dialog group was formed in 2004 after the General Assembly considered boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) as a way of pressuring Israel to change their approach to people living in the Gaza Strip and West Bank areas of Israel. Many local Jews were concerned about this action and did not understand why another faith group would take such action against the state of Israel. The Rev. Mike Cole, New Covenant Presbytery’s former General Presbyter, encouraged Rabbis and other interested people of the Jewish faith to sit down with a group of Presbyterians and talk about what was happening with the PC (U.S.A.) nationally. Thus, a dialog was

born between these two faith groups and has remained active since then, periodically meeting to break bread together and explore questions about one another’s faith and share viewpoints on current events that affect everyone. The group has prayed together, shared Hanukkah, Passover, Christmas and Easter celebrations. In addition, the Dialog group has provided student scholarships and fully supported a Peacemaking Volunteer at Hand in Hand (or Yad B’Yad) School in Jerusalem for a year. This is a Pre-K-12 school with equal numbers of Arabs and Jews obtaining an education through bi-lingual classroom instruction. In 2014, 15 members of the dialog group, including Presbyterian clergy, Rabbis and both Jewish and Presbyterian lay people traveled to Israel for an 8 day tour of Israel and have conversation with the many stakeholders living there. Those stakeholders included Palestinians, Israeli Arabs, Jewish settlers in the West Bank, other religious denominations with a presence in Israel, and many “lectures” representing political groups,

The travel group at Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem.

The Dialog group meets every four to six weeks for lunch and informal discussion. The Presbytery, ADL and AJC host these gatherings. The group includes a few Christians of denominations other than Presbyterian along with Conservative and Reform Jews. If you are interested in gathering with this group for respectful discussion please contact Garry Schoonover, [email protected].

newspapers, educational institutions, the IDF, etc. An amazing highlight was being able to meet with the Chief Sharia Law Judge and Spiritual Advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, who spoke to us and answered questions for a little over an hour at the Presidential compound in Ramallah. We also toured historic sites, the Wailing Wall, Old Jerusalem, Golgotha, Bethlehem and many other sites before heading north past Jericho to the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, and Nazareth. What an eye opening experience to share with our Jewish friends.

Iftar Dinner at St. Thomas From May 15th to June 10th this year, Muslims across the world celebrated the holy season of Ramadan. Ramadan is a time for prayer, fasting, and a renewed focus on our dependence on God and our gratefulness for God’s blessings upon this world. Additionally, it has become a tradition that the evening meal which breaks the fast, or Iftar, is a time of celebration and fellowship where the whole community comes together to eat. And in the US, it also becomes a time for education and bridge-building. On the evening of June 3rd, St. Thomas (Houston) co-hosted an interfaith Iftar Dinner with the Islamic

Institute. Over 120 people gathered to meet, learn, and break bread together (as well as hummus, baba ganoush, rice, chicken, and a whole bunch of veggies!). In addition to learning about Ramadan, we heard from several speakers from both groups on the importance of interfaith dialogue. As the evening concluded it was clear that new friendships began, and a connection was made between the two groups. We certainly hope to continue our engagement in the near future! To learn more about the two hosts, visit their websites at www.theislamicinstitute.org or www.stthomaspc.org. Participants enjoying dinner

22 children are receiving direct services. Countless families are taking advantage of Family Night services. Hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturers are providing educational opportunities to the community through All Ears! Center at The Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church. All Ears! is also working collaboratively with Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands to ensure the needs of the community are met. The mission of All Ears! is to empower families of children who are deaf and hard of hearing, without financial burden, who have chosen listening and spoken language as their child’s communication option by teaching them listening, speaking and literacy skills in order to promote independence. If you would like more information about All Ears! Listening & Language Center, please contact Shelley Mathay at [email protected] or 281-615-5475. You may also visit allearscenter.org.


&Hearing Center adopted by Woodlands PC All Ears! Listening & Language Center is blessed to be adopted as a mission of The Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church. All Ears! is a non-profit dedicated to empowering children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families to develop listening and spoken language. In other words, we teach deaf children how to talk with the goal of mainstream school by kindergarten. When these children are mainstreamed by kindergarten without special services, it saves the tax payers over $400,000 per child. 3 of every 1,000 babies are born with hearing loss. 95% of these babies are born to families who listen and speak who want their children to communicate using the same language that they do. With the assistance of hearing aids and/or cochlear implants, children who are deaf can learn to listen and speak. There are several aspects of the family focused All Ears! Center that make it unique. We provide Auditory Verbal Therapy sessions for families. These sessions focus on the development of listening, language and speech skills for children with hearing loss by guiding and coaching the parents. Family Nights consisting of parent support, education and

camaraderie are provided free for anyone in the community. The critical time period for developing the listening part of the brain is birth to three years of age. Parents at All Ears! Center may receive services as soon as their child fails a newborn hearing screening. Those services range from community resources, Auditory Verbal Therapy, Infant-Toddler Play Group, Family Night, mentoring, preschool classes with hearing peers and summer camp. 90% of what kids learn by kindergarten they learn by overhearing. Therefore it is important for children learning how to listen and speak to have good language role models. The Early Learning Program, another Woodlands Community PC mission, is a state licensed preschool. The Early Learning Program and All Ears! work closely together to ensure excellent speech, language and social skills are overheard and observed by All Ears! students. All Ears! Center staff work on specific speech, listening and language skills. Then the students have an opportunity to practice and perfect those skills with age appropriate hearing peers from The Early Learning Program. All Ears! Center was established in 2014 with 5 students. Currently

It Takes a Presbytery

Rev. Ryan Kim and congregation of Lake Church, celebrated their first anniversary with a wonderful worship

service at Grand Lakes Presbyterian Church on June 3, 2018, where they currently share space. Lake Church started their gatherings shortly before Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston andthe surrounding areas last year. Lake Church rallied together and reached out to families who were hurting the most after Harvey in their area. The first baptisms in the church were new members that were connected to the ministry through Harvey assistance!

The congregation of Lake Church

The worship service was also a visible reminder of the role that our Presbytery and larger denomination takes in the process of planting a church. Rev. Andrew Gans from Pines Presbyterian Church, (a partner church) Garry Schoonover, the Evangelism and Church Growth Chair, and Rev. Lynn Hargrove the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery were there to celebrate this wonderful milestone with the congregation. Please continue to pray for this vital new ministry.

&

pbyofnewcovenant.org | New Covenant CONNECTIONS | July - August 2018 |7

Hurricane Season is Here, Be Prepared

I saw the notice on the electronic street sign, flash backs started. Last year I was a hurricane innocent, moving from California to Houston after Ike. Earthquakes I knew. Hurricanes, zilch. Looking back there was no way to really prepare for Harvey. The usual- get gas, food, medicines, be prepared to evacuate, those preparations helped. I remember called two organizations that we helped with diapers and baby wipes. “Come get your supplies, they are in our narthex and might get wet.” With added comment, “You might need them before we could get them to you.” For us, a pair of brass candlesticks, our big bible, a communion table and diapers were the only things to survive Hurricane Harvey. Devastation caused by over 4’ of water to our church was heart breaking. We were struggling, Harvey could have been the death knell for us. The outpouring of help and Holy Spirit inspiration, has given us new life and purpose. Before Harvey, people thought we had closed. The covered stained glass windows made us, look boarded up. The front sign barely emitted enough light for the weekly sermon info. To those driving by, it looked like no one was home. The first day we could get to the church, snakes and fish swam out the front door. Even the strongest of heart, might have cried “Uncle”. But,

God had a plan for us. The second day, people began to arrive. Over 60 good souls came to muck out and clean up from Clear Lake, Texas City, Webster, even people stranded from around the country came to help. Fuller Center for Disaster Rebuilders repaired the heating and air-conditioning, gutted and put back bathrooms, and de-molded the ceiling. In three days, the sanctuary was gutted and all the debris removed. An 18-wheeler full of survival supplies pulled into our parking lot. We stacked supplies on borrowed shelves, pallets and tables. We were able to distribute food, clothing, diapers, cleaning supplies, etc. to over 650 people. We received a call from SAS/San Antonio Shoes, “We want to give people shoes, can you help?” We hosted the biggest shoe giveaway SAS had done in one day. 1800+ people received 2000 pairs of shoes, T- shirts and socks. A constant stream of people lined up for supplies and shoes over the weeks. We were alive and being Christ’s hands and feet in our community. Almost every church on FM 517 was damaged, all found other places to worship. We stayed, worshipped on the lawn, visible to all who drove by. The first Sunday after Harvey was Communion, with borrowed Communion cups, plates, and chairs Visiting college students provided music for worship. Prayer and hope were given to all who stopped by. Some who stopped and worshiped that Sunday are still with us, others received comfort and moved on. The Houston Chronicle wrote an article. The New York Times photographed our service and the pictures were relayed to other papers across the country. Our service streamed on Facebook. For 10 months, individuals, churches and organizations, have kept tabs on our ministry to this community. They have responded with donations and bibles,

hymnals, and/or monetary donations. Churches have adopted us and helped with our various ministries; the Christmas Closet, “Cheery Cheeks” (our diaper ministry), gift cards for sundries and building supplies and the quilt ministry. Churches groups have traveled to Dickinson and helped with projects. The latest, was a group of young people from First Presbyterian Church in Mesquite, TX. The L.I.F.E/ Living In Faith Everyday bell and youth choirs, led worship, redesigned and planted the Memorial Garden. Each week, God has provided and we have been able to meet the needs of our hurting community. Harvey brought devastation and grief, and I marvel at the wonders and miracles God has given us and others. I am reminded of John 15, about the vine and the branches. Through Harvey, God pruned us. Clutter was swept away, sacred cows were discarded. The deadly, “we’ve always done it that way,” attitude is gone. Hope is strong, recognition of God’s hand in our recovery is on everyone’s lips. We’ve been stepping out in faith and have been reborn. We have been with new members, baptisms and new ministries. God has made it clear, There is a purpose for us. The lights are on, stained glass windows can be seen clearly in the night, it is obvious God’s people are at home. Open and welcoming to all who hurt, or are looking for a place to find peace, strength, fellowship and comfort, a place to call home.

By Kathy Sebring, Pastor,First Presbyterian Church, Dickinson

Thanks Cheery Cheeks

Flood damage

&


VBS FunCongratulations, Sharon Darden St. John’s Presbyterian Church enjoyed a fun Vacation Bible School last weekend. The new schedule was well received with a Friday evening and Saturday morning and afternoon devoted to the venture. The program is for adults and children and we enjoyed good participation from some of the Single Parent Family Ministry families who live on campus in the PCHAS houses.

On June 15th I was blessed to celebrate 50 years as a full time employee with The Presbytery of New Covenant PC(USA). I started working in 1966 at the age of 16 as a summer

employee at the old Central Presbyterian Church on the corner of Montrose and Bissonnet; my first and only job. The office was on the third floor, and on the

main floor was a night club called the “Sanctuary”. I was hired by the office manager Patricia Richardson, to work for Brazos Presbytery. Later I worked for Gulf Coast Presbytery (UP) the northern church of the Presbyterian Church and Brazos Presbytery (US) was the southern church. Rev. Bill Fogleman was my first boss and Rev. Larry Spencer was my supervisor. I have out lasted 7 bosses (I think I can remember): Rev. Bill Fogleman, Rev.

Pete Hendricks, Rev. Dick Siciliano, Rev. Jack Boelens, Rev. Don Roulett, Rev. Stew Coffman and Rev. Mike Cole. I have worked with so many other staff members: associate presbyters, educators, librarians, print staff, secretaries, administrative assistants, financial directors, volunteers and summer youth help. I was around when “Killer Miller” worked for Brazos Presbytery – WOW! Patricia Richardson taught me how to type, run a mimeograph machine, cook, answer the phone, and whatever else that needed to be done in an office. Reverends Stew Coffman and Mike Cole taught me to laugh every day. The office moved to the parking lot of First Presbyterian Church, Houston and then moved to the Montrose and Westheimer area which has been an eye opener in many ways since 1992. I have worked with staff, churches and volunteers who have made this time go by so quickly. There have been some sad memories and there have been many great memories. THANKS EVERYONE for making it possible!

Sharon Darden

VBS participants

CEDEPCA Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America

I was planning to write an information letter for Presbytery of New Covenant to inform them of the history and activities of CEDEPCA when the recent volcanic catastrophe happened in Guatemala. CEDEPCA

had its origins for pastoral studies in Central America in the 1970s. Since its inception it has added Bible classes for lay individuals, Women’s Studies, and Disaster minister. New Covenant Presbytery has had a covenant relationship with CEDEPCA since the 1990s providing support and having many members of Presbytery involved in activities with CEDEPCA throughout Central America for the last 25 years. The Disaster ministry program helps communities prepare for disasters (volcanoes, earthquakes, mudslides, and hurricanes) which occur too

frequently. After an event, CEDEPCA provides psychological intervention (often overlooked by other groups), emergency food and water, seeds for replanting, hygiene kits, water filters, and food/clothing packets. They are in Antigua now participating in all these activities. In addition, Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston sent medical personnel to stabilize burned individuals and have transported 6 children to Shriners Burn Hospital Intensive Care Unit in Galveston. Assistance through donations can be made to CEDEPCA USA directly on their website, www.cedepca.us. Others may wish to volunteer at Ronald McDonald House in Galveston where family members stay during the child’s hospitalization.

Water filter distribution in Chimaltenango

Youth Mission Trip in Texas City Our Children Want to Help:New PC(USA) curriculum

30 junior and high school youth and adults from 4 churches in our presbytery (St. Thomas PC Houston, Atascocita PC, St. John’s PC Houston, and Pines PC Houston) joined forces for a week-long mission experience in Texas City. We partnered with Reach Beyond Mission, a 501 c(3) affiliate ministry of the Disciples of Christ. Our youth and adult chaperones engaged in a variety of experiential activities such as educational sessions based on biblically based justice education curriculum that addressed poverty, charity, justice, and systemic issues. Our evening speakers included Reverend Caroline Hamilton-Arnold, who is the Associate Director of “Week of Compassion” (the DOC equivalent of One Great Hour of Sharing), and Dan Cohan, PhD: Civil and Environmental Engineer at Rice University. We studied several scriptures in worship throughout the week: Jesus healing at the pool at Bethesda (John 5:1-15), Creation (Genesis 1), and Jesus fulfilling the scripture in the temple (Luke 4:14-21). During the course of the week, both our Senior and Junior High students participated in “Food for a Week,” a simulation of what it is like to live at/below the poverty

line and provide food for your family for a week. Our daily work included hurricane recovery; working on homes that needed to be gutted, as well as completing trim on windows and doors of homes damaged by the hurricane. We also put up insulation and drywall on a home and a church, and volunteered at the Texas City Food Bank. In the middle of the week, we were shown great hospitality by the members of First Christian Church, Texas City, who provided us a lovely meal and good fellowship. The trip was a great success! Thank you for your prayers and support leading up to and throughout the week! Our participants, worked hard and helped others, and were richly blessed by the experience and learned a great deal!


Mission trip participants gather at First PC, Texas City

Workers installing insulation

The Jerry Can curriculum nurtures and encourages our children’s natural desire to help people in need. Jerry Can represents

the one common denominator in all disasters around the world: the need for clean water to survive. The Jerry Can cartoon was created to be a fun,

energetic character for children to connect with as they learn how to respond to disasters with prayer and generosity. This five-lesson resource, separated by grade level, makes an excellent program for a Sunday school series or a week-long Bible School. The curriculum includes: • LessonswithJerryCan,writtenby Christian educators • Mapexercisestoteachchildren about our global community • Fun-to-doarts,crafts,andgames to extend the learning experience • Scienceexperimentsblendedwith words from the Psalms • Wayschildrencanrespondtohelp others • Suggestionsformusicandsnacks (recipes included) Use this link to request this FREE curriculum: https://presbyteriangifts.org/jerry-can-curriculum/

July 4 Fourth of July Presbytery Center will be closed

July 12 Fresh Elastic Presbytery Resource Center

July 9 Tools for Building Resilience: Managing Stress in the Workplace and Beyond St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Beaumont

July 12 HerStory Quilts Webster Presbyterian Church, Webster

July 14 Resilience and Renewal for Disaster Responders Presbytery Resource Center

July 17 Disaster Preparedness Presbytery Resource Center

July 21 Presbytery Meeting Pines Presbyterian Church, Houston

July 31 - August 2 Weekday Ministries Conference Houston Marriott Westchase

August 14 Connections deadline for the September - October issue

September 27 Coffee House Live St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Houston


Please register and save the date - Monday, July 9, 2018. For all those who have responded to Hurricane Harvey. Participants will learn essential elements of enhancing professional resilience, how to transform one’s life from stress of reactivity to calm effectiveness of intentionality, and tools for coping with stress and building resilience. To register, click the link below or copy it into your browser: https://www.curveymonkey.com/r/Beaumont-PDA. For more questions, contact Beth Kauffman at 832-438-4538. This workshop will be held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 1350 N 23rd St., Beaumont, TX, from 8:30 a.m. to Noon. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. Sponsored by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbytery of New Covenant and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Beaumont.

Tools for Building Resilience:Managing Stress

in the Workplace and Beyond

Resilience and Renewalfor Disaster RespondersA Time to Rest, Refocus, Recharge

Please register and save the date - Saturday, July 14, 2018. For all who have responded to Hurricane Harvey. The benefits of this workshop is to enjoy time and space for rest and relaxation, share experiences that impacted you, recognize and learn to alleviate common signs of stress, strengthen positive connections in your life and to learn tools and develop a plan for resilience. To register, click the link below or copy it into your browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HOUSTON-PDA. For more questions, contact Beth Kauffman at 832-438-4538. The workshop will be held at the Presbytery of New Covenant, 1110 Lovett Blvd., Houston from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Sponsored by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Presbytery of New Covenant.

Are YouPrepared?

Disaster PreparednessThis event will have a speaker from the Emergency Management Office to help ensure you feel prepared for this hurricane season. They will go over having a plan, what should be in your kit, how to prepare with your pets and who to contact if you’ll need assistance in case of an evacuation

Tuesday, July 17, 201810:00 a.m.Presbytery of New Covenant Office1110 Lovett Blvd Houston, TX 77006

Fresh Elasticfor Stretched-Out Educators


SAVE THE DATES:Thursday, July 12 at 7:00 p.m. the public is invited to a Gala Reception for HERStory quilts. Susanne Jones will be at Webster Presbyterian Church, 201 W NASA Parkway, Webster. Also on July 13 and 14 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. an ARTDo workshop led by Susanne Jones for average and experienced quilters. Visit [email protected] for more information. Come and view HERStory: A Celebration of Strong Women, curated by Susanne Jones, on display at Webster PC, now through September 9. Throughout history women have struggled to have a voice, and we got it in the USA in 1920—the right to vote. Let’s celebrate the amazing things that women have accomplished since then. These art quilts honor athletes, authors, artists, aviators and astronauts, business leaders, educators, entertainers, mathematicians, scientists, writers, and world leaders. Groups may request a docent guide by calling the church office at 281-332-1251.

Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services (PCHAS) welcomes individuals, churches and church groups to purchase school supplies for children in need. PCHAS will provide a supply list, along with the child’s first name and interests. Together, we can help the children in our care go back to school with the supplies they need to succeed. If you would like to ensure these children are ready for school, please contact: Sara Craig, Director of Development at 417-576-0124 or [email protected] We request that all items be delivered to PCHAS by July 27.Thank you!

SAVE THE DATE Spiritual Pilgrimage:The Transformational Potentialof Mission Trips

Please mark your calendar now tojoin us for Fresh Elastic on Thursday, October 25, 2018 from 11:30 a.m. to1:30 p.m. at the Presbytery Center, 1110 Lovett Blvd., Houston.

This fall, Coffee House Live will be celebrating its fifth anniversary of providing great live music concerts at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (5308 Buffalo Speedway, Houston). Coffee House is kicking off the Anniversary Celebration season by presenting “An Evening with Ruthie Foster - solo”, on Thursday, September 27, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. Ruthie Foster is a Grammy Award nominee, Texas-based singer-songwriter of blues, folk, soul, and gospel music. This public concert is open to all. No tickets are required. Donations are welcome at the door. Doors open at 7:00 pm. Show at 7:30 pm. Coffee and dessert/snacks are provided. For more information visit: http://www.sapch.org/coffee/ or the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/coffeehouselive/.

For our congregations and pastors in transitionFor our staff – for their health and wellbeing

For those who are diagnosed with cancer, and for their care teams and caregiversFor those still recovering from Hurricane Harvey as we approach the one year mark

Happy Anniversary First Presbyterian Church of Huntsville, celebrating 170 years in ministry.

Congratulations to Rev. Jake Gonzales, HR on the birth of his grandson Keegan Scott Lopez,born Thursday, June 21, 2018.

Prayers for Margaret Plunkett, sister of Rev. Jim Currie, First Presbyterian Church of Pasadenaand for Bobby Caldwell, brother of JoAnn Currie, First Presbyterian Church of Pasadena.

Margaret and Bobby have been diagnosed with cancer.

Prayers for RE Barry Webb, First Presbyterian Church, Pasadena on the passing of his sister-on-law,Cynthia Webb on May 27, 2018 in Littleton, MA. Services were held Friday, June 22, 2018 in Bedford, MA.

Prayers for Rev. Steve Thorney and family on the passing of his father, RE Charles Edward Thorney, Jr. Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church, who passed on Monday, June 18, 2018.

Services were held on Saturday, June 23, 2018 at Woodlands Community Presbyterian Church.

Prayers for RE James Hooper, Pinecrest Presbyterian Church, Houston. Recent health concerns.

Prayers for Jessie Kuehner (Webster Presbyterian Church, Webster)and her 9 month old son John, recently hospitalized for GI infection.

Prayers for Rev. Kelvin Cox (POP Ministry) and family on the passing of his 5 month old grandson, Marcellus Uriah Joseph Cox passed on June 15, 2018. Services were held on Saturday, June 23, 2018.


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