Rome Presbyterian ChurchP O Box 189939 Main StreetRome, PA 18837

Let us have faith that right makes might, ad in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.

Abraham Lincoln

This month, on Saturday the 22nd, we will have our first official ECO Presbytery of the Northeast meeting. We will elect officers and review the polity and by-laws. There will most likely be EIGHT churches represented and we are all excited about the path forward.

I’ve been reviewing the polity of our new denomination as I prepare for our Elder Retreat on January 26th. As I was doing so, I thought perhaps if we looked at it all together, in small doses, it might be helpful. So starting at the very beginning, I’d like to walk you through it and why it is important to know.

Chapter One in this 28 page document is titled: Congregations and Their Covenant Partners. And under that title is quoted the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20 which says:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

From there it begins to talk about “The Congregation”.

1.01 The Congregation

1.0101 Nature and Purpose

The Church is visible whenever two or more are gathered in Jesus’ name. The congregation is composed of members of the body of Christ who have covenanted together to engage in the mission of God in their particular context, with Jesus Christ as Head. Each congregation should strive to be a tangible, if provisional, demonstration of the Kingdom of God. Congregations exist in a variety of forms yet have these ends in common: sharing the Good News of reconciliation to God in and through Jesus Christ, gathering people for divine worship and nurturing relation- ships for spiritual accountability and mutual ministry, all the while preparing disciples to be the sent people of God in the world.

This is exciting! This tells us why we exist as a congregation! Why we bother to get up on a Sunday morning and present ourselves in worship!! It is why we invite people in and go to the places un-churched people are!

We are a group of people who have covenanted together! We have made promises to one another when we first joined the church to be bound together for some definitive purposes.

To engage in the mission or God in our particular context. Our context is the community of Rome and Bradford County. There are needs and opportunities unique to our location and our “personality” as a church that are waiting to be met by us! With Christ leading us collectively and individually, we have promised to meet those needs as we can and are called to do so.

Strive to be a tangible demonstration of the Kingdom of God. Wow! Now that’s a weighted assignment! What does it mean to demonstrate the Kingdom of God? Well, think a minute of how you would describe Heaven. Now think about what it

would mean to have those things exhibited in your life and in the church. That’s a start.

This is what we have in common with all other ECO congregations: o sharing the Good News of reconciliation to God in and through Jesus

Christ, THIS IS OUR MISSION! IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE UNTIL THAT TIME WHEN JESUS COMES AGAIN! But notice there is no prescribed way for doing it. Our task is to do it as God leads us individually and as a whole.

o gathering people for divine worship and nurturing relationships for spiritual accountability and mutual ministry, NOTE: It’s not just about gathering for worship! We exist as a covenant community to nurture the relationships in this body so that we can hold each other accountable (scary!) to a spiritual life that pleases God and leads to us doing ministry together.

o all the while preparing disciples to be the sent people of God in the world. And while those are the things we do together, within the “church walls”, they are meant to prepare and equip us for moving outside and into the community. Because, that’s where we need to shine the light of Jesus Christ for those who are stuck in the darkness!

o1.0102 Covenants of Accountability

While believers experience their membership in Christ’s body in spontaneous and unstructured gatherings, they fulfill the Lord’s purposes best when they covenant to fulfill the biblical vision of membership in particular congregations. These covenantal relationships provide the real-life context for the Holy Spirit’s ongoing transformation of believers into spiritual maturity, with the belief that these strong relationships nurture understanding, encouragement, correction, and discipleship-in- mission.

Here is an answer to why we ask people to “sign-on” to a particular church body. We best fulfill God’s purpose in us when we are part of a body. (See 1 Corinthians 12:1-30) Whether we like it or not, we are best transformed into the likeness of Christ by being involved with others - imperfect as they are – who are striving for the same thing. We NEED each other in order to grow. If I were a farmer perhaps I could compare this to the need crops have of being cross-pollinated in order to grow rightly. We do that for each other!

Similarly, though congregations discover that the Holy Spirit leads them to network with a variety of other congregations in order to fulfill the Lord’s purposes, they covenant with congregations to form a distinct expression of the Church universal. These covenantal relationships provide the context for the Holy Spirit’s continual reformation of the Church into more faithful and effective participation in God’s mission. By submitting to the spiritual authority of their colleagues, leaders of congregations honor Christ as the Lord of the Church, and welcome the opportunity for renewal and refinement.

And this is why we are now part of ECO. We are part of a “distinct expression of the Church universal” that your leadership feels good about being in a covenant relationship with. It is by being part of

something larger than just ourselves that we are challenged and encouraged to grow and are held accountable to the things we say we desire to do and be.

So perhaps in the month to come, you can ponder these things. Think about your decision to partner with the Rome Presbyterian Church. In what area do you need to yield more to become part of the ongoing function of the church. Is there someone in particular that you would really like to support in their growing faith or is there someone you would like to ask to support you? Go for it! And rejoice that you are part of the family of God!

Under the Mercy,

Pastor Karen

Worship

Following is a tentative outline of what will be happening in worship. Tentative because perhaps there will come a text of Scripture that will need more time to attend to it than I have allowed. But at least this is a direction and you are invited to read ahead.

February 2 Gen. 2:4-25 In The Garden – (Before it all went to pot!)

Communion Sunday

February 9 Gen 3:1-24 Introducing Sin and Consequences Thereof

February 16 Gen 4:1-24 The Legacy of Sin and Pride

February 23 Gen 4:25-5:32 The Family Tree

March 2 Gen 6:1-8 The Sin That Brought About The Flood

2/1 Nathan Gross 2/10 Sherry Cook 2/14 Cheyenne Butcher2/4 Laurie Novak 2/12 Patty Harkness 2/17 Walt Romanik

2/7 Gladys Abell 2/13 Betty Allis 2/21 Judy Madill

2/14 Art & Kathleen Haney

John & Lisa Lewis

2/26 Phil & Peggy Hughes

Healthy eye for Jayce Those struggling with health issues New birthsJean Marcy Fitzgerald Family Deb Ship Ken Crawford Keith Kline FamilyMarla Reuben Brimmers’ 97th birthday Iola Cragle Shelby Frank LindseyTheresa McMicken Lyle Harding Family Ryan Jones May Cook Mike RicciDick Smith Danielle & Family Jessie Baker People seeking employmentWally Ricky Jeremy Hale

Church family,

Thank you so much for the Amazon gift card. What a useful gift. You can buy just about anything from Amazon. Thanks again. It was greatly appreciated.

Karin

February 2014 Library News

Pastor Karen is preaching from Genesis on Creation. The library has a DVD from Sight and Sound in the Adult DVD box titled: In the Beginning. The first disc is appropriate for all ages. The second contains the scene of Cain killing Abel so parental discretion is advised. Also in this Adult DVD box you will find a DVD titled: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. This Andrew Lloyd Weber production stars (a much younger) Donny Osmond. If you haven’t seen it, ask members of the Tuesday night Bible Study about it. They enjoyed it prior to the start of studying the story of Joseph. The Library also has Bibles for all age groups and Titles such as , The Story, are in everyday English.

The new section of metal shelving has arrived and should be installed shortly. At that point we will have used up the available space for shelving. The items that get borrowed will show us what subjects and types of materials we should acquire in the future. If you have a request for a specific title, place the title of the book and author, or isbn along with your name in Deb Barrett’s mailbox. We still have funds that we can use to purchase electronic books for the Kindles.

We have received some new metal stands that allow books to be faced outward on the shelves. In the month of February, these stands will feature books on marriage and relationships in the non-fictions section, and romance stories in the fiction section! Be sure to stop in and borrow something that looks interesting. Family memberships can be obtained by filling out a Library Application. The library is self-serve and open whenever the church is open. All items are to be returned in the yellow plastic tub on the floor! (It’s located so that the pre-schoolers can return their own books.)

The library could be more widely used by adult church goers and whole families in our community. Please pray about how we can use this resource to reach out to others not in the church, and help those who are already here grow in discipleship. If you can, please set aside one hour on Saturday, February 8th , from 8:30 to 9:30 AM to exchange ideas and make plans for the coming year. We will meet in the library with coffee, tea, and muchies to share ideas. Inclement weather date: Sunday, February 9th after church 11-12.

This year’s first session of Story Hour is underway. Spread the information to caregivers of tot’s 2 ½ to 6. We meet on Friday mornings from 10-11 AM this month.

Peace and Happy Valentine’s Day to ALL.

con’t

Hello Everyone. Pastor Karen agreed to read this note from me, Deb Barrett. Behind her is one or your church’s assets. The library has over 120 member families ,mostly XFA and story hour participants. We have added over 1300 items in our 3 years of operation. These include 30 DVDs, 20 CDs , numerous VHS tapes, and some magazines. People continue to donate materials and money and I am grateful. The library is well used by the children, but only a few adults make use of it for either recreational reading or to aid in their spiritual growth and discipleship. Additionally some of the people who originally agreed to advise and help out have health problems. We need some more folks who have ideas on promoting the library to the local community as well as promoting it here to our congregation.This Friends group, currently called the Library Sub-Committee, would meet quarterly and take on some small tasks as we decide how to better utilize one of our under- used assets. The first meeting would be at 8:30 -9:30 AM on Saturday morning, Feb. 8th, so we do not interrupt your whole morning. Inclement weather date on Sunday after church 11-12 Feb. 9th. Please pray for this effort and attend if you are able. Coffee, tea and muchies will be available. Leave your name on the bulletin board outside the church office if you can attend. The families of Caren Philippi and PeeWee (Manville) Cook had the dream to honor their loved ones with a library for the church and the community. Let’s honor them with our efforts. Thank You.

I omitted names from the January newsletter in regards to the poinsettias. Don and Jean Howell gave a poinsettia in memory of Mr & Mrs John McCabe. I apologize for the error.

Peggy

The Howard Ministry UpdateEDITION 018

Greetings,It is 2014! This year held excitement before it even got here. There is so much to share and so little space in the letter. With a slight delay do to some medical issues, I now present to you The HM Update 018.

Here is what you will find in this edition:- What 2014 will hold- W.C.B.C. Youth Group All-Nighter- Praises & Prayers...and more

Don't forget to check out the HM Update blog for updated information as to events, happenings and the ministry opportunities God presents.

Enjoy...Grace & Peace,- Daryl J. Howard

Session Meeting Summary

On Sunday, January 26, 2014, following the ordination, installation, and commissioning of 2014 church officers, elders went on Session Retreat at the Vesper Church Hall. Led by Peggy Hughes the entire congregation prayed for elders as they spent the day in planning for the coming year. The goal of this retreat was: “Equipping and Engaging our People for Ministry”. Elders spent individual time in prayer focusing on each and every person on their Parish Ministry list, asking God to reveal how each can use their gifts and talents to build God’s Kingdom here. Elders also reviewed ECO polity, in particular the responsibilities of Session. Dan Williams and Judy Madill shared information about Mission Affinity Groups ((MAG), which is a way to connect with other churches in our ECO Presbytery (Presbytery of the North East) and to be held accountable to the mission and health of the church. Elders then began a discussion about the ten questions contained in the Health of the Church Document. These questions will be revisited, prayed about, and discussed throughout our first year in ECO. Additionally it is hoped that several people from our congregation will feel the call to be involved and serve on one of the teams for the Presbytery of the North East.

Elders then continued by discussing and approving the following:

Approved December’s minutes and reviewed the treasurer’s report. Voted to hire a person(s) from outside our congregation to complete the audit of church books. Received Trustees and Mission reports Tom LeFever will serve as chair of the 2014 Nominating Committee. Committee to be formed in

the near future. Approved the special offerings selected by Mission Team: OGHS (April 20) and the International

Justice Mission (October). The congregation will continue to support other missions (Baby Bottle, Blanket, Grace Connection, Chow, Samaritan’s Purse, and more…)

Session is in the process of forming our Mission Affinity Group – hoping to perhaps team up with Halstead, Stevensville, and Endicott. This group convenes to help one another be accountable for yearly goals.

Gathering this year for ECO is in Dallas, August 18-20th

6 Shut-ins - Reuben and Jenny Brimmer, Marion Jones, Ethel Parks, Charlotte Sandor, and Virginia Wilson – please keep them in your prayers.

Worked on calendar for the coming year Following worship service each week elders will greet at the opposite door from Pastor Karen Approved Communion dates Approved study leave for Pastor Karen April 21 through May 18. Part of the study leave will be

spent at the Missional Church Planting conference (with Peggy Hughes & other ECO leaders) Approved vacation leave for Pastor Karen June 18 through July 1 Elected Sandy Morris as Elder Commissioner to the February 22nd Presbytery meeting Friday Night Fellowship dinner – scheduled for January 31 Upcoming dates: Session meeting is February 27th at RPC, Congregational Meeting set for March

9, and Triad meeting is March 17

Respectfully submitted,

Sylvia Abrams, Clerk of Session

Answer to last months puzzle