165th Anniversary Request

As you know this year is the 165th anniversary of Des Moines Presbytery. Our November 11 Presbytery meeting at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Johnston, will have the theme of Remember, Rejoice, Renew.

It seems a long way off, but I am writing to ask your help to make this a meaningful celebration. We are requesting that each congregation submit a one page synopsis of their church history or an antedote about themselves and the ministry they have been a part of in these 165 years.

It is our goal to have these collected by October 10 at the Presbytery office where they'll be complied and printed for everyone at the November Presbytery meeting. Please send your history or antedote to the Director of Communications Kim Coulter at pbycommunication@qwestoffice.net or 515-276-4991.

We would also like to have a Presbytery-wide choir to celebrate our anniversary for the worship service. If you have members of your church choir who would be interested in participating, please contact me, Emily Seeger at seeger@q.com or 712 243-4519.

Thank you for your time and efforts to make this a celebration to remember!

In Christ,
Emily Seeger (First United Presbyterian Church, Atlantic)

Attend the 2008 PCN Regional Conference

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

Note: Please pass this on to the person(s) in your congregation responsible for church communications (such as the church newsletter and/or website) and technology.

Dear Friends in Christ,
As the Director of Communications for the Presbytery, I'd like to personally invite you to the 2008 Regional Conference being held August 25-27 at Stronghold Conference Center in Oregon, Ill. The purpose of these regional conferences is to help religious communicators at the church, presbytery and synod level learn how to improve their communications from leading experts in the field, as well as learning from each other.

The conference will include presentations on podcasting, social networking, designing websites, how to improve your writing and reaching the unchurched and “dechurched.”

Keynote speaker for the conference is Adam Walker Cleaveland, a recent graduate of Princeton Seminary and a candidate for ordination as Minister of Word and Sacrament. When he is not preparing to become an ordained minister, he does web design for various religious groups around the country. He will talk about “Web 2.0” and its impact on the church. (You can find out more about Adam by going to http://pomomusings.com/)

As many of you know, I participated in the National Conference held in Louisville, Ky., last summer. It was a great opportunity to fellowship with other communicators and learn new ways to enhance the communication within our Presbytery. Communicators, whether it is putting together the church newsletter, or working on a church website, is more than simply sharing information. It is also about being witnesses to Christ, of showing a "more excellent way" as the Apostle Paul once said. The conference helps remind and renew us to our common mission as followers of Jesus Christ. I hope you will consider attending this event. It is open to anyone who is interested in communication: pastors, chaplains, administrative assistants and communication volunteers. If you have financial needs, General Assembly has set aside some resources for scholarships.

To register online, go to the Presbyterian Communicators Network homepage (www.pcusa.org/comnet/events.htm). You can also download the scholarship application.

If you have any questions about the conference, or need a ride to the event, feel free to contact me at pbycommunication@qwestoffice.net or 515-276-4991.

– Kim Coulter, Director of Communications, Presbytery of Des Moines