your sTory Telling Effective church newsletters By Rick Frennea - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

your sTory Telling Effective church newsletters By Rick Frennea • editor of The Edgewood Epistle • Edgewood Presbyterian Church

Your identitY Telling your story Who are we? What do we have to say (share)? What is the life of our congregation?

Your identitY Telling your story Does your newsletter refmect the focus and personality of your congregation?

INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE EDGEWOOD E Tie monthly newsletter of Edgewood Presbyterian Church a fundraiser for our youth aPriL 2011 ALSO INSIDE 2 Pastor’s Peace Yard sale will raise money to 3 Worship More diverse, help fund scholarships for 4 News & Notes 5 Church Life youth retreats and Montreat. 6 Nurture notes more inclusive 7 Mission news on thE CovEr INSERT In a step to formalize our ‘open-hearted, Calendar open-minded’ welcome, Session to vote on affiliation with More Light Presbyterians. PLus: Session approves affiliation with More Light. PagE 4 EdgEwood dgewood’s new mission statement declares that “as E PrEsbytErian a diverse and inclusive community of believers, we ChurCh (usa) celebrate our unity in Christ.” One of the ways Session has 850 Oxmoor Road, identifjed to more fully live this mission of being a more Homewood 871-4302 diverse and inclusive community is through an affjliation 769-0244 (fax) EdgEwood PrEsbytErian ChurCh with More Light Presbyterians. www.edgewoodpc.org 850 Oxmoor Road Sunday worship 9:30 a.m. Birmingham, AL 35209 Sunday school 10:45 a.m. More Light is “a network of people seeking the Wednesday supper 5:45 p.m. Phone: (205) 871-4302 full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, min - staff Address service requested istry and witness of the Presbyterian Church rev. sid burgess (USA).” More Light affjliation can help us Pastor attract the large number of gay persons who 942-5907 grew up in the church but who are no longer active. We also can sidburg@aol.com MorE Light attract younger heterosexual couples, some with children, who foruM rev. debbie feagin have gay and lesbian friends and want a church that is welcoming Supply pastor ◗ The Adult II and affjrming. The goal is not to become a “gay” church but one 979-3248 Sunday school class where all that come in the name of Christ are welcomed. debbifeagin@aol.com will host an open forum about what Churches that have embraced the More Light concept have said amanda Klimko affiliation with More the process impacted their work and witness on other justice Music director Light Presbyterians issues, such as disability rights, economic justice, environmen - means. Pat fitzsimmons tal justice, global justice, hate crimes, HIV/AIDS, health care, Organist ◗ when: Sunday, homelessness, hunger, immigration, labor, racial justice, universal April 10, 10:45 a.m. tara hewitt human rights, and women’s rights. Edgewood approaches More Youth director ◗ where: Light affjliation having already engaged most of these issues. Fellowship hall Lavon Chaney “OPEN HEARTED, Join the Adult II Sunday school class in the fellowship hall after Office manager & OPEN MINDED” worship on April 10 for an open forum where questions and con - bookkeeper cerns about affjliating with More Light will be freely discussed. on the web: www.edgewoodpc.org

internal CommuniCation Telling your story Be transparent • Be comprehensive • Be instructive

thE EdgEwood I A thE EdgEwood I A R N R N E E T C T C H H Y Y B U B U E pistlE S E pistlE S R R E E C C R R H H P P ( ) ( ) A A U S U S The monthly newsletter of The monthly newsletter of Edgewood Presbyterian Church Edgewood Presbyterian Church FEBRUARY 2009 MAY 2009 Special offerings Table Talk for mission Coffee Shop Two offerings in May will let us support Something new on Sunday mornings for the new, disaster relief, refugee assistance and youth. the occasional, the young – and the curious. T F he PCUSA encourages churches to give generously to ollowing worship, upstairs in the fellowship hall, Edgewood Edgewood support mission. Financial support is an important aspect Stephen Steward is leading a class for young adults Presbyterian Presbyterian Church Church of the connection between churches and the work done in (the twenty- and thirtysomethings in our congregation). The 850 Oxmoor Road 850 Oxmoor Road mission around the world on your behalf. Edgewood will have focus is discussion and fellowship around Homewood Homewood the opportunity this month to give in support books (sometimes films) and their spiritual 871-4302 871-4302 www.edgewoodpc.org www.edgewoodpc.org of two significant ministry efforts. relevance. The class began on Jan. 25 with a Sunday worship 9:30 a.m. Sunday worship 9:30 a.m. dozen people. Their first book is “The Shack.” Sunday school 10:45 a.m. Sunday school 10:45 a.m. Since 1949, Presbyterians have joined with mil- Wednesday supper 5:45 p.m. Wednesday supper 5:45 p.m. lions of other Christians through One Great Hour “When I first came to EPC,” Stephen says, “I of Sharing to share God’s love with people experi- found it difficult to find a place to go after the ser- STAFF STAFF encing need. Edgewood will take this offering on vice. I hope that you can come on by and see if this Sunday, May 10. Our gifts support ministries of Rev. Sid Burgess Rev. Sid Burgess class is a place for you.” disaster response, refugee assistance, and commu- Pastor Pastor Just as we can study the Bible through a literary 942-5907 942-5907 nity development that help people find safe refuge, Kalthoma, a refugee from Darfur, is part sidburg@aol.com lens, as we have been on Wednesday evenings, we sidburg@aol.com start new lives and work together to strengthen of a group resettled through One Great can also study literature through a Biblical/spiritual their families and communities. The Presbyterian Janice Philpot Janice Philpot Hour of Sharing funds. lens, Stephen says. For those who may not feel that Hunger Program receives 36 percent of undesig- Church administrator Church administrator 322-6258 they have a solid grasp of the Bible, this can be a 322-6258 nated One Great Hour of Sharing gifts, while the Self-Development of jpatchurch@aol.com jpatchurch@aol.com non-intimidating way in. People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance each receive 32 percent. Amanda Klimko Amanda Klimko As the church became less the focus of Americans throughout the last The Pentecost Offering is traditionally received on the day of Pente- Music director Music director half of the 20th century, many in younger generations began to lose cost (May 31). It provides a direct way to meet the needs of children at Pat Fitzsimmons Pat Fitzsimmons sight of the Biblical sources which permeate much of modern thought. risk, youth and young adults. Congregations are encouraged to keep 40 SPECIAL Organist Organist In other words, it’s easy to lose sight of the forest (Biblical and histori- percent of the offering to support ministry with children at risk in their OFFERINGS Continued on page 4 communities. The General Assembly’s portion provides leadership de- Debbi Feagin Debbi Feagin ◗ One Great Christian Nurture Christian Nurture velopment opportunities for Presbyterian youth and young adults and Hour of Sharing, ABOUT THE BOOK supports children-at-risk programs at the national level. The General Sunday, May 10 Patricia Burch Patricia Burch ◗ “The Shack,” by William P . Young. A man receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, Assembly Council divides the remaining 60 percent among ministries Youth director Youth director ◗ Pentecost inviting him back to the shack where his youngest daughter may have been murdered. with youth and young adults (25 percent); young adult volunteers (25 Offering, Sunday, Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back percent); and child advocacy ministries (10 percent). May 31 into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his world forever.