Advice on Running Meetings

If there is one thing Presbyterians know, it's meetings. People are in and out of the Presbytery office for multiple meetings a day. And that's on top of all the meetings they have at their individual churches. A question that many who sit through these meetings have is whether their time is being used efficiently or not. Reid Hastie's New York Times article this week addresses how to run an effective meeting and use the time of everyone involved wisely. I can't think of a more timely topic for Presbyterians.

Lenten Preaching Help

Need some help getting ready to preach this Lenten season? The Presbytery of Carlisle has your back. On February 12 from 10 AM to noon at the presbytery office, Lancaster Seminary professor Julia O'Brien will be leading a seminar to help you think about some of the issues in the lectionary passages for Lent. Please call 717-737-6821 to RSVP. Click here to see a publicity flyer for the event.

Getting to Know Alban

Are you familiar with the Alban Institute? The Alban Institute is an independent center of learning and leadership development with a focus on congregations. Alban stands at the forefront of knowledge and experience regarding congregational vitality and positive trends across denominations and faith traditions.

The Presbytery has an Institutional Membership with Alban, which means that we get a copy of each of the practical, congregation-focused books they publish each year. If you need practical help on a congregational issue, chances are Alban has something for you. And your Presbytery Resource Center is the easiest place for you to access this wealth of useful information. Click here to see a list of new and forthcoming titles.

Songs for Christmas

If you think about it, blogging is an act of giving. So, in my last post of 2008, I give you a special gift, Sufjan Stevens Christmas songs. These songs come from Sufjan's excellent Christmas box set, Songs for Christmas. Watch the video for "Put the Lights on the Tree" or download two fantastic original Christmas songs, "Sister Winter" and "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever," by right clicking on the links and saving them.

Merry Christmas! See you on Wednesdays in 2009.

Princeton Young Adult Conference

Princeton Seminary is holding a conference on ministering to young adults (especially those aged 18-29) on May 14-16, 2009. Jeffrey Arnett and Rodger Nishioka will be the lecturers. Contact either this site or (609) 497-7914 for more information.

East Regional APCE

The East Regional APCE will be held April 27-29 in Chambersburg. The keynote speaker wil be the Rev. Dr. Joyce Ann Meyer. The theme will be "We Can't Talk About That!" For more information, contact Deb at dmadden@fpcal.pa.net. Mark your calendars!

New Advent Resource

Better late than never. Tired of the commercialization of Christmas? Economy forcing you to tighten your belt this year? A new Advent resource called Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway?: Ideas for a Christ-Centered Holiday arrived today from Alternatives for Simple Living.org. This simple pamphlet contains ideas on how to transform your celebration of Christmas from rushing to the mall to a simpler, more meaningful holiday. Order it here or check it out from us today!

NOOMA Tomato

The latest offering in the NOOMA DVD series explores one of the hard sayings of Jesus, “Whoever finds their life will lose it and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Mt. 10:39) Rob observes that there is a part of us that has to be right, needs to look good, wants to be admired, and wants to win. We spend a lot of mental energy trying to maintain this image of ourselves. He argues that it is precisely this false self that Jesus calls on to die. Most of us refuse to die to these false selves, but Jesus calls us to die to them so we can truly live.

Watch a preview below.

12 Tips for a Low Carbon Christmas

The NCC has just released a list of 12 recommendations to make this Christmas a low carbon Christmas. How many can you implement this year?

Looking to Simplify your Advent?

Tired of spending time in malls during Advent? Looking for a way to simplfy your life and catch a deep breath of peace this Christmas? Help has arrived. Instead of tracking down a gift for someone who really doesn't need it, give a gift in honor of your loved one to someone who really needs a gift this Christmas. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has downloadable and printable cards on their website ready to be given to the people on your list. The cards read:

A gift has been sent in your honor to
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

May the knowledge of this gift
and God’s gift of love
fill you with peace during this
special season
and in the New Year to come.