The Presbytery of the Palisades

Ignite! Evangelism Worshop

Sam Stone — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:49:28 -0500

Chris Walker

Discover ways to lead your church into new growth through personal evangelism and hospitality.

Led by Rev. Chris Walker (www.EvangelismCoach.org)

Monday, March 15 at
First Presbyterian Church Englewood

Click here for the event flyer

Click here for online registration

Highlights of the Stated Meeting, January 26, 2010

Maha Faragalla — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:12:28 -0500

The meeting was hosted, for the first time, at the newly acquired premises of the Presbyterian Church of Passaic. Members of the Presbytery were welcomed into the well lighted spacious sanctuary. The atmosphere was a reflection of the joyful and hospitable welcome extended by the Pastor, Rev. Raymond VandeGiessen.and the congregation.

The Pre-Presbytery meeting presented and explained in detail the New Proposed Structure to the attendees. Click here to view the The Power Point Presentation, prepared by the Council Chair, Rev. Donald Brown.

The worship service was coordinated by the Rev. Fran Thiessen. Members of the Presbytery participated in the moving service by offering prayers and reflections to our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The offering was dedicated to the crisis relief efforts in that country.
Highlights in summary:

The installation of the Moderator, Sophie Corporan, and Vice-Moderator, Sam Stone, and transfer of the Symbols of Office. Rev. Donald Brown, former Moderator, presided and propounded the constitutional questions.
The Rev. Philip Gehman, Regional Board of Pensions Representative, presented a summary of changes and important information for 2010. All information is posted on the website: www.pensions.org
The New Structure Proposal was discussed; the Council’s recommendations for moving forward, were voted on and adopted by the Presbytery.
The Presbytery examined and received Mr. Salvatore Seirmarco as a Candidate.
The following recommendations from COM were approved:

Rev. Hector Seda to be Part-Time Stated Supply and Moderator of St. Augustine Presbyterian Church beginning February 1, 2010.
Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner to serve as Designated Pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Tenafly, for a period of two years, beginning February 1,2010 (on one-half time basis) and becoming full-time beginning March 1, 2010.

The Personnel Committee also submitted several recommendations (in a report distributed during the meeting) concerning the transitional period, the staffing and reviews of the EPT. The recommendations were discussed, amended and approved.

THE NEXT STATED MEETING OF THE PRESBYTERY
WILL BE HELD ON
TUESDAY, March 16, 2010
AT THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
OF ENGLEWOOD

Highlights of the Stated Meeting, November 17, 2009

Maha Faragalla — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:24:46 -0500

The meeting was hosted at United Presbyterian Church of Paterson. The welcome and host committee led by the newly received, Interim Pastor, Rev. Dr. Adrian McFarlane, extended exceptional hospitality and made every member feel warmly welcome.

The Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner, Connectional Presbyter led a Pre-Presbytery workshop with minister members, in which they shared continued education experiences.

The moderator, Rev. Donald Brown, opened the meeting by prayers for the family and a short tribute to the late Rev. Fred Maier, who passed away on November 15, 2009 at age 94. The Funeral Service will be conducted at Norwood Presbyterian Church on November 28, 11:00 a.m.

The worship service was led by the Rev. Donald Pitches, Chair of The Congregational Support and Resourcing Unit. Members of the unit together with some attendees of the BIG Tent participated in the service. The sermon was entitled “Our Easter Moments”.
The consent agenda was approved. The different reports are posted on www.palpres.org under the Pre-Pak and the Day-Of.

The Presbytery examined and received three ministers of Word and Sacrament:
- Rev. Dr. Adrian McFarlane, Interim Minister of United Presbyterian Church of Paterson.
- Rev. Hector Seda, who was received and also granted the title of Honorably Retired.
- Rev. Munsung Jung, was received in a validated “non-parish” ministry. Rev. Jung will provide pastoral services to the newly established New Garden Fellowship.

Rev. Michael Carrier of First Presbyterian Church in Ramsey celebrated his retirement amid words of appreciation and recognition by his congregation and that of J.C. Mideast, which he served as Moderator for many years. He was also thanked and recognized for his faithful service in Committee for Ministry.

During the report of the Council re the Structure subgroup Presentation, the Presbytery members were divided into smaller groups to discuss the proposed structure and answer some specific questions. Please follow this link to view the Power Point Presentation. http://www.palpres.org/mediagallery/album.php?aid=7&page=1
The feedback from this time will be compiled and further discussed in upcoming Council and Presbytery meetings.

The proposed budget for 2010 was reviewed and approved.

The audit reports for 2007 and 2008 were received and approved.

The outgoing Chairs of units and committees were thanked and given small tokens of appreciation, including the Moderator of the Presbytery Rev. Donald Brown and the Council Chair, Elder Barkley Calkins.

Mrs. Maha Faragalla was recognized as a Commissioned Lay Professional in her area of service. The Personnel Committee Chair, Elder Richard Jones read the recognition award and the Moderator, Rev. Donald Brown propounded the Constitutional Questions from Book of Order W-4.4003.

CAMEOS:

Elder Jan Holt, on behalf of the Session Records Committee, encouraged congregations to pick up their reviewed minutes from the Presbytery Office. She also announced that The First Presbyterian Church in Tenafly will be leading a trip to New Orleans soon.

Rev. Lilia Ramirez, recognized the work of Joe and Selena Keesecker for the Latino Team and they were given a certificate of appreciation. Rev. Ramirez also asked for computer donations and teachers for ESL.

Elder Barkley Calkins reminded members of the Tenth Annual Humanity Award on November 21, 2009.

Elder Paul Talarico, on behalf of the Mission Communication Unit, reminded congregations to send their stories, of which one will be published in the Mission Yearbook of 2011. Also, the DVD ‘Reaching Out Together” is now available in English for Mission Committees and congregations and will shortly be available in Spanish, Korean, Chinese and Arabic. Request your copy from info@palpres.org.

The motion to adjourn was moved and seconded.

The meeting was concluded with prayer and thanks to the hosting Church for a well done and wonderful job.

THE NEXT STATED MEETING OF THE PRESBYTERY
WILL BE HELD ON
TUESDAY, January 26, 2010
AT THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
of Passaic

Fewsmith Memorial Presbyterian Church- CALL FOR PASTOR

Maha Faragalla — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:28:53 -0500

Fewsmith Memorial Church is located in the town of Belleville, 444 Union Ave Belleville, NJ 07109, (973) 759-6869,
fewsmithchurch@juno.com. It is about 15 miles west of New York City and an hour away from both the mountains and shore area. Within 10 minutes you will access either train or bus for easy and fast commute to NYC. Fewsmith Memorial church has a dedicated, hard working nucleus of members, whose commitment to the church is life-long. Fewsmith Memorial has been committed to community involvement and we would hope our pastor would continue in this endeavor. As an example of some of that commitment is our sponsorship of all phases of scouting; use of our building by Narcotics Anonymous, and an in-house nursery school. Fewsmith Memorial recently celebrated its 85th anniversary this past year. Fewsmith Memorial also has a beautiful manse that consists of 4 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, dining room and a large backyard steps away from the church. We understand that the job of a part time pastor can be demanding at times and our dedicated elders and deacons will be by your side ready to help and support our new pastor.
If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity and obtaining a CIF, please contact Kenya Hegazy via e-mail kenyabosque@gmail.com or feel free to call Diana Stangl, 973-751-1396.

Presbytery of the Palisades Stated Meeting, Nov. 17, 2009

Sam Stone — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:33:16 -0500

Dear Members of Presbytery:

Our next Stated Meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 17th, at the United Presbyterian Church of Paterson, and we look forward to the hospitality of the officers, members, and staff. Our newest colleague in ministry, the Rev. Adrian McFarlane, who has just begun serving as Interim at United, will be our host Pastor.

We convene, formally, for business at 4:00 P.M., and a very full agenda awaits our attention.

There is a Pre-Presbytery gathering scheduled at 3:00 P.M. - an opportunity for Ministers to
share Continuing Education experiences.

Some highlights of our time together: -Worship...
-Review and approval of the Proposed Budget for 2010...
-Review and approval of the Audit reports for 2007 and 2008...
-A first reading and discussion/feedback on a proposed, new Presbytery structure...
-A special report on changes in the way in which the problem of homelessness is to be addressed in Bergen County...
-Review and adoption of a proposed policy on Commissioned Lay Pastors...
-Farewell to some good friends...welcome to new colleagues...

Please take time to review the materials in the Pre-Pack, in preparation for our time together.

There will be additional materials distributed at Registration on the 17th. As always, we will make good, judicious use of the Consent Agenda to expedite our Meeting.

I look forward to seeing you all at United on November 17th!

And may Almighty God continue to Bless us all in our continuing ministries...

Sincerely,

-signed-

Gregory J. Keosaian, Stated Clerk

Palisades Presbytery Tweets

Sam Stone — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:36:32 -0500

Now you have another option to get regular updates on what's going on at the Presbytery. Palisades Presbytery is on Twitter. Here is the link: www.twitter.com/palpres.

Blessings!

Sam

Highlights of the Stated Meeting, September 15, 2009

Maha Faragalla — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:58:37 -0400

The meeting was hosted at First Presbyterian Church in North Haledon, home of the Presbytery Moderator Rev. Donald Brown. Staff and volunteers from the church organized the meeting and extended wonderful hospitality to the Presbytery members.

The worship service was prepared and lead by Rev. Donald Brown. The sermon was entitled “Soft Clay or Hard Clay?” Other leaders who participated in the service were Revs. Gloria Tate, Donald Pitches and Elder Sophie Corporan. Prayers were offered for those elder members who passed away in the last year and left behind a great legacy of service.

Rev. Linda Rubingh, presented a pre-presbytery workshop entitled “Youth Leadership Development.” The workshop was sponsored by the Mission Communication Unit of the Presbytery in an effort to spread more understanding of ways of communication and training of young people to engage them in ministry. Rev. Rubingh gave a quick recap about how, she and her husband, Rev. Trevor Rubingh, found ways to grow this ministry from a few kids to become a New City Kids Church located in Northern New Jersey and investing in the lives of hundreds of kids.

The Presbyters Leadership Team, (Connectional, Multicultural, and Transformational), presented new initiatives and opportunities in the “Invest Yourself” flyer. They also surveyed the members present on the most challenging matters that the congregations face today. The responses will help in the process of re-envisioning and re-aligning of the existing structures to meet the current needs of congregations and better serve the Church’s mission.

The Presbytery also approved the consent agenda as presented and affirmed the matters submitted by Council “For Action.”

At the latter part of the meeting the Presbytery discussed and voted on some important matters presented by the Committee On Ministry.

CAMEOS:

Rev. Bill Chapman, H.R. encouraged members to read and order the Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study. He and his wife, Elder Zitta Chapman, who is an active Palisade member and COM Co-Chair, have been faithfully reading and meditating on this publication for 25 years. The Palisades article coincided with their anniversary. Rev. Chapman also has a blog presbywonk.com.

Rev. Gretchen Janssen, Non-Parish and Director of Creative Living Counseling Center, invited members to attend the inspirational presentations on November 21, for all ages. Flyer and more information will be posted shortly on the website.

Elder Barbara Kellam-Scott, Presbytery Writer-in-Residence, announced a free workshop that will be presented in Franklin Lakes, September 27, entitled “Tools for Everyone to Explore the Bible.” She also invited members to visit her website bkswrites.com and preview the magazine she produces.

Elder Barbara Van Tilburg, reminded members about the Presbyterian Women Fall gathering in October 24 at the Presbyterian Church in Edgewater. Leader Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner will speak about “An Encounter with the Risen Christ: The Post-Resurrection Stories.” Click here for more info.

Rev. Dr. Sam Stone, Pastor of Trinity United in Paramus, invited members to submit their mission stories as soon as possible to the Mission Communication Unit. The winning story will appear in the Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study 2010.

Rev. Carlisle Dickson, Stated Supply in J.C. Claremont/Lafayette, invited members to support a new class of seven young communicants and to participate in the upcoming free open seminars on Church Windows Software. Click here for more info.

Rev. Richard Hong, Pastor, announced a Presentation on October 20, 2009, 7:00 p.m.at First Presbyterian Church of Englewood, entitled “The Rise of the Religious Right,” by Prof. Randall Balmer, Columbia University.

Rev. Donald Pitches, Pastor, invited members to submit the names of three nominees, adult and youth volunteers. The chosen nominees will receive an award on October 20, from the Bergen County Council of Churches.

Rev. Harold Thornton, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Elmwood Park, informed the members that his Church is slowly coming into a closer relationship with the Korean Oasis pastor and congregation.

Elder Giselle from West Side Englewood, was overwhelmed with emotion as she tried to invite members to support the church at this transitional time and attend the upcoming concerts to help the Church in its efforts to stay alive. Click here for concert schedule.

The motion to adjourn was moved and seconded.

The meeting was concluded with prayer and thanks to the hosting Church for a well done and wonderful job.

THE NEXT STATED MEETING OF THE PRESBYTERY
WILL BE HELD ON
TUESDAY, November 17, 2009
AT THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
In Paterson

Childres's Aid & Family Services-seeking 'Professional Parents"

Maha Faragalla — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:50:22 -0400

CAFS are seeking committed couples who are passionate about parenting and making a positive difference, to serve as "Professional Parents" to teenagers in either an agency-owned home or possibly their own home. The agency pays a salary to one stay-at-home parent while the other parent may work outside the home. Additionally, the agency will pay the rent and utilities of the agency-owned home or assist you with the housing expenses if your home is of sufficient size and meets New Jersey licensing requirements. Ideally couples would be mature-perhaps empty-nesters who miss day-to-day parenting-but welcome adults of all ages unless they have young children. The agency provides fully comprehensive training and there is support every step of the way, including respite care and the daily support of one of the youth workers. The Parent will be part of a professional team that is committed to helping vulnerable children succeed and have bright futures.

If you know someone who enjoys helping children and might be interested in this opportunity, encourage them to call 201-226-0300, X 242, Eileen Jones, Director of Family Recruitment & Community Relations. For more details visit www.cafsnj.org

Highlights of the Stated Meeting, September 15, 2009

Maha Faragalla — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:30:37 -0400

The meeting was hosted at First Presbyterian Church in North Haledon, home of the Presbytery Moderator Rev. Donald Brown. Staff and volunteers from the church organized the meeting and extended wonderful hospitality to the Presbytery members.

The worship service was prepared and lead by Rev. Donald Brown. The sermon was entitled “Soft Clay or Hard Clay?” Other leaders who participated in the service were Revs. Gloria Tate, Donald Pitches and Elder Sophie Corporan. Prayers were offered for those elder members who passed away in the last year and left behind a great legacy of service.

Rev. Linda Rubingh, presented a pre-presbytery workshop entitled “Youth Leadership Development.” The workshop was sponsored by the Mission Communication Unit of the Presbytery in an effort to spread more understanding of ways of communicating and training young people in order to engage them in ministry. Rev. Rubingh gave a quick recap about how, she and her husband, Rev. Trevor Rubingh, found ways to grow this ministry from a few kids to become a New City Kids Church located in Northern New Jersey and investing in the lives of hundreds of kids.

The Presbyters Leadership Team, (Connectional, Multicultural, and Transformational), presented new initiatives and opportunities in the “Invest Yourself” flyer. They also surveyed the members present on the most challenging matters that the congregations face today. The responses will help in the process of re-envisioning and re-aligning of the existing structures to meet the current needs of congregations and better serve the Church’s mission.

The Social Justice Priorities Unit reported on the various ways the the Presbytery can support programs to eliminate Hunger, including the 'Centsability" program, which was adopted by resolution during the June 2009 Presbytery meeting. More a way of living and thinking than just a campaign, 'Centsability' encourages congregants to donate a few cents each meal with the monies to be dedicated in church and used tosupport hunger programs. The week of Oct. 11-18 will focus on the food crisis and includes World Food Day on Oct. 16. Resources will be available on the Pal Pres website as well as these links. For Centsability visit http://www.pcusa.org/hunger/centsability.htm. For the Week of Food Action visit http://www.pcusa.org/foodcrisis.

The Presbytery also approved the consent agenda as presented and affirmed the matters submitted by Council “For Action.”

At the latter part of the meeting the Presbytery discussed and voted on some important matters presented by the Committee On Ministry.

CAMEOS:

Rev. Bill Chapman, H.R. encouraged members to read and order the Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study. He and his wife, elder Zitta Chapman, who is an active Palisade member and COM Co-Chair, have been faithfully reading and meditating on this publication for 25 years. The Palisades article coincided with their anniversary. Rev. chapman also has a blog presbywonk.com.

Rev. Gretchen Janssen, Non-Parish and Director of Creative Living Counseling Center, invited members to attend the inspirational presentations on November 21, for all ages. Flyer and more information will be posted shortly on the website.

Elder Barbara Kellam-Scott, Presbytery Writer-in-Residence, announced a free workshop that will be presented in Franklin Lakes, September 27, entitled “Tools for Everyone to Explore the Bible.” She also invited members to visit her website bkswrites.com and preview the magazine she produces.

Elder Barbara Van Tilburg, reminded members about the Presbyterian Women Fall gathering in October 24 at the Presbyterian Church in Edgewater. Leader Rev. Dr. Eileen W. Lindner will speak about “An Encounter with the Risen Christ: The Post-Resurrection Stories.” Click here for more info.

Rev. Dr. Sam Stone, Pastor of Trinity United in Paramus, invited members to submit their mission stories as soon as possible to the Mission Communication Unit. The winning story will appear in the Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study 2011.

Rev. Carlisle Dickson, Stated Supply in J.C. Claremont/Lafayette, invited members to support a new class of seven young communicants and to participate in the upcoming free open seminars on Church Windows Software. Click here for more info.

Rev. Richard Hong, Pastor, announced a Presentation on October 20, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Englewood, entitled “The Rise of the Religious Right,” by Prof. Randall Balmer, Columbia University.

Rev. Donald Pitches, Pastor, invited members to submit the names of three nominees, adult and youth volunteers. The chosen nominees will receive an award on October 20, from the Bergen County Council of Churches.

Rev. Harold Thornton, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Elmwood Park, informed the members that his Church is slowly coming into a closer relationship with the Korean Oasis pastor and congregation, paving the way to become a trully multicultural Church.

Elder Giselle from West Side Englewood, was overwhelmed with emotion as she invited members to support the church at this transitional period and attend the upcoming concerts to help the Church in its efforts to stay alive. Click here for concert schedule.

The motion to adjourn was moved and seconded.

The meeting was concluded with prayer and thanks to the hosting Church for a well done and wonderful job.

THE NEXT STATED MEETING OF THE PRESBYTERY
WILL BE HELD ON
TUESDAY, November 17, 2009
AT THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
In Paterson

Summary and Highlights of Stated Meeting, June 16, 2009

Maha Faragalla — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:06:41 -0400

The meeting was hosted at First Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood. The welcome and host committee lead by Rev. Bert Watkins did a wonderful job in organizing the event and making every member warmly welcome.

The worship service was prepared and lead by the Committee of Preparation for Ministry. Mr. Andrew Roughgarden, a member of West Side Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood, gave a sermon entitled "The Inner Eye." Other participants in the service were: Revs. Steven McClelland, William Chapman, Richard Hong, Samuel Stone and Elders Lincoln Stulik and Sophie Corporan. During the worship, the late Rev. Barbara Worthington was warmly remembered by numerous colleagues for her excellence as a Presbytery Leader, pastoral care, listening friend and mentor. The family will be kept in our prayers.

The Rev. Philip Gehman, Regional Representative, conducted a Pre-Presbytery Q & A time to answer questions about the Board of Pensions. He was also available during dinner to hear any other concerns or questions.
The Presbyters Leadership Team, (Connectional, Multicultural, and Transformational), presented summaries about their work during the current year.

Minister members who wish to attend the Mini-Clergy Retreat, June 30, 10:00 a.m. at Hackensack Presbyterian Church were invited to complete a response form, also posted on the website www.palpres.org under the 'Forms' menu.

The Business and Communications Administrative Professional title was officially changed and approved by Presbytery according to a recommendation from Personnel Committee. The “Office Communiqué,” was submitted to the Presbytery among the other written reports of the Stated Clerk, Council, Committee on Preparation for Ministry, Nominating Committee, Audit Committee, Committee On Ministry, and Session Records, which are all posted on the website.

The distribution of the Military Appreciation packages was very well received and there were more people willing to contribute than the number of kits available. Elder Barkley Calkins, gave a heartfelt thanks and offered a moving prayer for our military personnel.
The congregations were recognized by receiving “Blue Star” Certificates.

The Presbytery recognized those who completed 5,10, 15, 25, 30, 35, 40,45 and 55 years of dedicated service, by presenting small tokens of appreciation.

The Presbytery also approved among other items the following:
- Formation of one Administrative Commission for the dissolution of two Korean congregations (New Garden and Oasis)
- Formation of an Administrative Commission for carrying out all matters relating to the dissolution of First Presbyterian Church of Garfield, and allocating $15,000.00 for their initial expenditure needs.

At the latter part of the meeting the Presbytery convened in an Executive Session to discuss and vote on some important Committee on Ministry matters.

CAMEOS:

Rev. Donald Pitches encouraged members to read the book entitled “I refuse to lead a dying Church” by Paul Nixon, as it’s a good book in the face of reality plus some practical helpful suggestions.

Rev. Bill Chapman invited members of the Presbytery to join his new blog presbywonk.com.

Rev. David Baer informed the Presbytery that the Allendale Clergy Association formed a career development group called “Opening Doors” which provides excellent opportunities for networking and job hunting to those who are suffering job losses in these hard times. For more details visit www.highlandschurch.net.

Rev. Sam Stone announced that the Palisades will be visited by a Missionary Couple from Taiwan, as part of the Mission Challenge 2009. The visit will be from October 2-9, 2009. The congregations wishing to invite them may visit the website for more details or contact sam@trinityfamily.org, OR maha@palpres.org.

Mrs. Maha Faragalla encouraged members to complete a quick survey about the website in order for the communications team to be able to provide the needed content. To complete the survey visit www.palpres.org under ‘Forms’. She also asked congregations to contribute their mission and ministry stories to be posted on the website. Stories may be submitted to maha@palpres.org OR sam@trinityfamily.org.

Elder Paul Talarico shared that First Ramsey are celebrating, during 2009, their 185th anniversary as a church and their 100th year anniversary as a Presbyterian congregation.

Rev. Melodee Bottari shared that a group of five youth, form Pompton Valley Presbyterian Church, and three adult volunteers including herself, will be going on a mission trip on July 19-25, to Hedgesville, W.Virginia.

Elder Ramzi Eliya from First Presbyterian Church in Ridgewood, said that as working with Compassion International the one millionth child has been recently sponsored.

Rev. Jeffrey Leininger representing the Pensions & Benefits committee encouraged congregations, who have unpaid Shared Pool dues to please fulfill their covenantal agreement as soon as possible.

The motion to adjourn was moved and seconded.

The meeting was concluded with prayer and thanks to the hosting Church for a well done and wonderful job.

THE NEXT STATED MEETING OF THE PRESBYTERY
WILL BE HELD ON
TUESDAY, September 15, 2009
AT THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
In North Haledon