PYT 2010 has Plenty of Time

The joy is that there are two delegations from the Presbytery of Des Moines at Triennium: a group of 30 from Westminster Presbyterian Church, and a more motley crew of 10 of us from several places around south central Iowa. We motleys arrived around 5 p.m., after a nicely benign day of travel in our 15 passenger van. Settling in Wiley Hall and then dinner happened at the Ford dining hall - and then, Oh! Worship!

I was in the second balcony on the Purdue University Hall of Music as it unfolded. The theme for the PYT gathering is "For Such a Time As This." We are all Esther, is the suggestion, of course. A worship troupe led us into the story dramatically. Staging captured eye and accompaniments ear. An ensemble as able as any 5-piece rock band could be, kept 6,000 worshippers on their feet. Former GA Moderator the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, preaching, invited participants to throw themselves into the story.

A bit of late-night recreation, meeting with the adult advisors, and a final check-in with the kids before bed. To sleep, perchance to dream. With a new day hours away.

This is very, very good.

Rev. Steve Bowie, Presbytery of member at-large
Bloomfield Christian Church

Don’t Miss Between a Rock and a Hard Place, April 23

The Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center is sponsoring a full-day workshop on Friday, April 23 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Ave., Des Moines. The event is open to pastors, other church staff, chaplains, spiritual directors, Stephen Ministers, mental health and other health care professionals as well as interested laypersons.

Loretta Ross, an ordained Presbyterian pastor, spiritual director, and founder of The Sanctuary Foundation for Prayer in Topeka, Kan., will present Between a Rock and a Hard place: Obstacles, Resistance, and Pitfalls to Spiritual Growth. Loretta was a guest speaker at PrairieFire a 2- to 3-year program in spiritual renewal and formation last November.

Cost is: $50 (includes lunch) and the event is from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Register by contacting the Center 515-274-4006 or info@dmpcc.org, or by completing the registration form (copies are available at the Presbytery Office) and mailing to: DMPCC, 2929 Westown Pkwy, Ste. 110, West Des Moines, IA 50266.

Additional information can be found on our website: http://www.dmpcc.org/ under the Special Events tab. Questions about this workshop, the center’s Pastoral Care Specialist program, or PrairieFire can be directed to: Kathy Reardon, RN, MS, Spiritual Director at kreardon@dmpcc.org or 515-274-4006.

Local Senior Highs Connect with El Salvador Youth

Recently, Michael Sinklier, PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer to Peru, went to El Salvador with the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines’ delegation. Here he describes his visit and the new mission with the youth there.

“I had the opportunity to meet with a young man from the community where our sister parish is located in San Francisco, El Salvador. He and a group of young members had come to a meeting being held in the newly constructed church and were there to make a request of the team from Westminster. He introduced himself as Niwman Oswaldo Cruz Hernandez and told the gathering that one year ago he and 12 other adolescents came together to create an official youth group of the church of San Francisco and that today, one year later, that group had doubled in size to 26 members. Niwman went on to tell us that while the group has no formal budget, this year they would like to host two events at the church, inviting youth from neighboring churches to come to San Francisco in order to build relationships and network with other youth groups in the area.

"The request was made for $350 that would last them one year and allow them to host two events. In response to the need, the Westminster Senior Highs have agreed to donate $350 of the funds raised from their 2009 Christmas Wreath sales to the San Francisco youth group. A letter and photograph of the Senior Highs will be sent to the youth group in El Salvador along with the funds.

"Because of the continuous support the Westminster congregation has show their youth, they too are able to do mission for other youth groups, even across the world.”

Synod School, here we come!

Editor's Note: This week, our Presbytery blogs will focus on Director of Communication Kim Coulter's experience at Synod School. This annual event is sponsored by the Synod of Lakes and Prairies each year and over 600 people attend from all over the country. Kim is attending not only as a part of her family's vacation, but she will also be teaching a class "What are Web 1.0 and Web. 2.0? The Computer Revolution and How to Keep Up with the Kids". Each day, class participants will learn about various Internet tools and how to connect with their kids and network with other Presbyterians. This blog will give you a glimpse of Kim's daily activities. Comments are welcome and encouraged. Enjoy!

Day 1, July 26
My Sunday began with worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines. The sermon was given by the Interim Pastor Rev. Stu Ritter, on "More than we can Imagine". Afterwards, the Senior High class members and leaders presented a slide show of their recent summer mission trip to Montana. They had a great time working on site improvements at the Glacier Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center, located on Flathead Lake. They finished the 9-day trip by white-water rafting and camping along Flathead River. After lunch, the Coulter family headed to northwest Iowa, stopping along the way in Dallas Center at the First Presbyterian Church, to pick up another participant.

Synod School is held at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. Each year, registration and check in is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, followed by dinner at 4:45-6:30 p.m., with worship from 6:30-7:15 p.m. Afterwards, free time can be filled by attending a mini-course of a weekly class offering or a movie and fellowship. Then it's off to bed in the campus dormitories. More tomorrow...

Kim Coulter, Director of Communication
Presbytery of Des Moines