Central Florida Presbycast

Author Anna Carter Florence, Peter Marshall Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary, shares about her new book coming out around October, entitled "A is for Alabaster: 52 Reflections on the Stories of Scripture.

After the CFP update, Cheryl and Jody chat with Bruce Reyes-Chow, who currently pastors at First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, CA. Bruce was our guest at the March 2022 stated meeting of CFP to help us with one of the seven marks of vital congregations: "intentional authentic evangelism." In this Lucky 13th episode, we talk with Bruce about what it really means to be kind. Then we go behind the scenes at General Assembly meetings in the Before Times, where former moderators had their own dinners together (whaaaat?)Linkapalooza:BRC's plenary on Reimagined Spaces......and his workshop on kindness......related to his latest book: In Defense of Kindness, which you can find hereOf course, Bruce has his own podcast called BRC & Friends......and did we mention he is also a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach?Our offering at the March meeting supports The Bail Project of Orange and Osceola Counties. Donate here.Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has a fund to support emergency humanitarian aid for Ukraine (such as food items, shelter, medicines, diapers, hygiene items, etc.) Go to  DR000156 or text PDAUKR to 41444

MaryAnn McKibben Dana shares her thoughts on how ministry is changing in light of the pandemic. She also discusses her upcoming book "Hope: A User's Manual"--what led her to write about the topic of hope and what unexpected insights she gained. She also talks about how her three books on Sabbath, Improv and Hope have shaped her “Grand Unified Theory of MaryAnn” (as Jody dubbed it).MaryAnn's websiteSubscribe to The Blue Room, MaryAnn's newsletterBook Links, via Bookshop.org:Sabbath in the Suburbs: A Family's Experiment with Holy TimeGod, Improv, and the Art of Living

Rev. Eugenia Gamble shares about her upcoming book "Words of Love: A Healing Journey with the Ten Commandments" due to be released in February 2022.  She approaches the Ten Commandments as a love letter from God to us, and interprets each of the "words" (commandments) through that lens. Makes you wish the book was already out!

We start every episode of the CFPresbycast with CFP news and upcoming events.Next: Faith Arts Village Orlando (FAVO), a ministry of Park Lake Presbyterian Church, is doing its part to bridge the divide between the church and the arts community. In this TENTH episode (woo-hoo!) of the podcast, Cheryl and Jody hear the story of FAVO from Executive Director Will Benton and Pastor Helen DeBevoise.CFP News Links:Presbyterian Women Horizons Bible Study Event for 2011-22FISH (Fresh Ideas Start Here), the CFP Fall Educational EventInformation Registration Packet in PDF or WordRegister Online for the Zoom MeetingWomen in Professional Ministry RetreatGuest Links:Faith Arts Village OrlandoPark Lake Presbyterian ChurchArtistic Spot Episode 97: Denisse BerlingeriFaith Arts Village Orlando

Rev. Traci Smith, pastor of Elmhurst Presbyterian in Elmhurst, IL, and author of the Faithful Families book series, talks about faithful practices by families at home and how churches can be welcoming to families.Links:Traci's website, which is chock full of resources to cultivate faithful familiesTraci's books:Faithful Families: Creating Sacred Moments at HomePrayers for Faithful FamiliesFaithful Families for Advent and Christmas: 100 Ways to Make the Season SacredTreasure Box Tuesday weekly newsletter signup

On the heels of our presbytery's first-ever virtual VBS during the Christmas break we thought it might be fun to have a panel discussion of ways to use technology for faith formation. Our panel included:Cordelia Scheuermann, Children's Sunday School leader and Certified Educator, Eastminster PC in IndialanticSheryl Chernault, Director of Childrens Ministry, Grace Covenant PC in OrlandoStephanie Fritz, Associate Coordinator for Christian Formation for the Presbyterian Mission AgencyNaturally, our resourceful educators came armed with tons of links to share! Get ready to start clicking and bookmarking... From Stephanie:Grace Presbytery Children's ActivitiesGrace Presbytery Youth ActivitiesThe Scattered Church (be sure to click on additional resources)Office of Christian Formation (links on this page to the Faith Practices Tool Kit and Quicksheets; Mr. Rogers Day resources (March 20) to be posted here in February)More Quicksheets from our Christian Formation ColletiveEvery-Day God Talk videos for Adult EducationFrom Sheryl:"Being the Church" video series Video 1, Video 2, Video 3, Video 4, Journey to Lukas Nursery, Video 5, Video 6From Cordelia:Mentioned in the show Unfolding Word/Sweet Publishing Common Attributes sharable clip art of Bible StoriesPHOTOS with Middle Eastern actors Story and stretch Bible YogaOther good resourcesVibrant FaithDwell Digital Curriculum (Faith Alive)Growing in God's Love at home kitVBS Music Videos on You TubeCokesburyLifewayConcordia

Cheryl shared CFP news:CFP is searching for a Coordinator of Youth and Collegiate Ministries. Link to complete position descriptionThe primary task is to work with the Leadership Development Committee to assist the Presbytery in carrying out its mission, strategy and program in the areas ofyouth and collegiate ministries. This includes providing leadership development for the Presbytery Youth Council, made up of high school students from presbytery churches who plan and do four events each year for middle and high school youth. The Coordinator will also oversee the presbytery's trip to the Montreat Collegiate Conference each year and Presbyterian Youth Triennium every three years.Apply with a cover letter and resume to Cheryl Carson, Associate Executive Presbyter, Central Florida Presbytery, 3101 Maguire Boulevard, Ste. 244, Orlando, FL 32803 by Thursday, December 31st.CFP invites families to join them for a virtual VBS called "Journeys with Jesus" over the Christmas holiday. Find out all about it here.Based on the success of Fresh Ideas Start Here (FISH)  being presented online, the Church Officer and Leader Education (COLE) event will be virtual in 2021. The EQUIP webpage will have a list of workshops soon.The next CFP Book Club selection is Adam Hamilton's Incarnation: Rediscovering the Significance of Christmas. Thursday, January 7 at 1:30 p.m. (likely via Zoom).The prayer group for congregational vitality has been so enriching for participants that it will continue to meet after its appointed season! Next meeting is Monday, December 21 at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom.Our guest was Rev. Rosemary Mitchell, who was the plenary speaker at our December meeting of Central Florida Presbytery. She offered a workshop the following day. Find links to both here. We learned about Rosemary's path in and out of church service, and how her work in other nonprofit fundraising contexts informed her work for the Presbyterian Mission Agency today.In addition, Rosemary shared two videos demonstrating the power of per capita and shared giving in the PC(USA). And she recalled the power of the Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference, especially Chick Lane's plenary presentations in 2018.

Cheryl and Jody invited Erika and David, two members of the Special Committee of Council on Racial Injustice, to talk about their experience of collaborating with the other committee members to craft the statement. We talk about the challenge and struggle of listening to one another, and reflect on the lifelong nature of this work for all of us.Links:Read the StatementDownload the Statement with Appendices that include an action plan, a glossary, clarifying statements, and a wealth of resources

The latest CFP News, and co-hosts Jody and Cheryl chat with Robert Hay, Jr., Southeast Region Ministry Relations Officer for The Presbyterian Foundation about "What is the same and what is different with stewardship in a pandemic?"Links!Click Here to Transform Your ChurchRobert's Devotional and Plenary from 9-1-20 CFP Meeting and SlidesCulture of Generosity Stewardship Workshop 9-2-20 and Slides From That WorkshopStewardship Navigator

Hear the latest opportunities in leadership and mission within Central Florida Presbytery and a conversation with Rev. Dr. Ken McFayden, Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor of Ministry and Leadership Development at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. Co-hosts Rev. Jody Mask and Associate Executive Presbyter Cheryl Carson talk to Ken about the challenges and opportunities present when leading in times of polarization.

In our first episode, we chat with the Executive Presbyter and Stated Clerk of the presbytery about its commitment to two initiatives in the PC(USA): Vital Congregations and Matthew 25.