Vol. 5: No. 4
November 22, 2017

Breakout Sessions at the National Diaconal Summit in June 2017

Bringing Deacons Together

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
I Thess 5:11 (ESV)

When the Committee on Diaconal Ministries (CDM) met in October, one of the matters under consideration was the future schedule of the National Diaconal Summit and the Presbytery Diaconal Summit.

• The CDM hosts these summits for the purpose of bringing deacons together for networking, encouragement, and training.
• PDS: The Presbytery Diaconal Summit is specifically designed for members of the Presbytery Diaconal Committees (PDC), and is held on a 2-year cycle. 
• NDS: The National Diaconal Summit is open to all deacons/officers, and has been held on a 5-year cycle.

Due to high interest among attendees of the recent NDS in holding the national summit more frequently, and in order to promote the relationship between local diaconates and their Presbytery Diaconal Committees, it was proposed that we synchronize the schedules and hold a combined NDS/PDS on a four-year cycle.

The next PDS, originally slated for 2018, will be moved back one year to 2019. And two years later, it will be combined with an NDS, as follows:  

• 2019: PDS
• 2021: Combined PDS and NDS

If this model is successful, we will continue with:

• 2023: PDS
• 2025: Combined PDS and NDS

Stay tuned for further details! 

In the meantime, a great way to "fill the gap" between summits is for presbyteries to hold their own diaconal conferences. The CDM offers financial assistance to any presbytery that is hosting its first regional diaconal conference. Contact CDM Administrator David Nakhla for further information.

Today's Mercy Minute includes two inspiring reports on the recent diaconal conference sponsored by the Presbytery of New Jersey!

Grace OPC, Trenton, NJ, site of New Jersey Diaconal Conference

Presbytery of New Jersey
Diaconal Conference Report #1

A Biblical Mission of Mercy
by Mr. Robert Folkerts
Grace OPC, Fair Lawn, New Jersey

This is a report on how a little planning (bathed in prayer) and enthusiastic participation on the part of attendees can provide great blessing for the diaconal ministry of Christ's church!

The Ministerial Diaconal Needs Committee (MDNC) of the Presbytery of New Jersey (PNJ) found that more than two-thirds of the presbytery's deacons were, for a variety of reasons, unable to attend the OPC's three National Diaconal Summits in 2010, 2012, and 2017.  What to do?  A poll of New Jersey deacons revealed an interest in having a presbytery diaconal conference modeled after the national summits.

The planning of a modest, all-day training and fellowship opportunity (including lunch) was undertaken, and, on October 14, 2017, with a handful of men and a faith that "if we built it, God would lay it on the hearts of our deacons to come," the PNJ MDNC hosted a conference for 21 men, including four deacons-in-training and four elders, at a strategic central location provided by one of our congregations.

Following the format of the 2012 national diaconal summit, the day was spent in defining short and long term diaconal needs, identifying the Biblical basis for ministering to those needs, and applying those principles with sample case studies. The conference also included discussion of outside opportunities for financial training that deacons can present to couples and singles to help them manage their finances in a Biblical manner that will ultimately contribute to the financial health of Christ's church.  

At the end of the day, everyone who participated expressed appreciation for the brothers who planned the day, led the proceedings, and generously shared of their God-given experiences and wisdom.  It was truly exciting to know the Lord's blessing on our gathering and share in the vision and inspiration of brothers who were now better prepared to exercise a Biblical mission of mercy and compassion for the benefit of the body of Christ as well as those outside the church whom the Lord providentially places in our life's path.

Presbytery of New Jersey
Diaconal Conference Report #2

Sharing Wisdom and Experience
by Mr. Christopher Wagner
Church of the Covenant
Hackettstown, New Jersey

The first Presbytery of New Jersey Diaconal Conference was held on October 14, 2017, at Grace OPC in Trenton, NewJersey.  The 21 attendees brought with them a genuine enthusiasm to share their experiences in ministering to the needs of people under their care.  We were also blessed by having several elders attend and add balance and wisdom.  

The format of the conference focused heavily on examining the Biblical principles of diaconal work and then putting these principles into practice with case study exercises in small breakout groups and the entire group. Great discussion and wisdom was shared. The format of our conference, and the use of case study exercises, followed the example and efforts of the men who organized the OPC National Diaconal Summit in 2012.  Case studies, often based on actual situations encountered by deacons, gave the men the opportunity to work through them together, and learn how to avoid common mistakes.  We learned to apply Biblical principles and learned from the experiences of our fellow deacons. 

The New Face of Need

One section, entitled, "The New Face of Need," was included in response to a sad scenario that many in the ministry are now witnessing in their congregations. It focused on the all too common situation in which households with good incomes nevertheless fall into financial disaster due to large debt and a lack of Biblical financial management. Deacons were encouraged to take the lead in their churches and present financial management classes such as Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University."  My wife and I have led FPU classes twice, and were able to help several families change their financial course and to give them, well....financial peace!  What a joy it is to teach people to fish instead of just handing them a fish! What a great witness to those around us when Christians live differently than the world, and can share the blessings that God has bestowed upon them!

A New Perspective on
Visiting Widows and Orphans

by Mr. Scott Pearce
​Church of the Covenant
Hackettstown, New Jersey

A recent post at the Facebook Page of OPC Deacon Scott Pearce: I have enjoyed playing up the Mr. Mom shtick while Rebecca is a continent away, but after five days (and only two of them without help), the "teachable moments" are coming in waves. Yes, I am getting to experience all the things that my wife does every day of every week of every year. My appreciation for my wife (already pretty deep, I thought) is deepening with every laundry basket and meal prep and meal cleanup and grocery store trip. But as the enthusiasm of the "this is new, this is fun" wears off, the fatigue is manifesting itself in realizations that nothing will get done if I don't do it. Not the laundry, not the dishes, not the meals, not the campout cleanup, not the butt wiping, nothing. The kids help as they're able, but they receive instructions and need more follow-up than the task that was delegated; it's not teamwork. The blessing of my wife is made stark because of her absence. And in these moments, the repeated repeated repeated instruction to "visit orphans and widows in their affliction" takes on flesh and bone. It's not just the grief, it's not just the companionship lost, it's also the chronic fatigue of chronic solo parenting. How frequently do we essentially say to the widow, divorced, or single parent, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without actually giving them help or meeting a need? Our Lord points us to these among us especially because they are the ones who need it the most. "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27, ESV)

How Can Deacons Participate
in Hurricane Relief?

Volunteers from Cape Cod, MA, at work in Houston

There are three great ways for deacons to participate in the current hurricane relief work of the OPC:

1. If your church has diaconal funds that could be used to sponsor the travel and meals for those in your congregation who wish to travel to Houston or Key West (and soon, Puerto Rico) to serve as volunteers, make this known as a way to encourage people to serve!
2. Organize a team of those within your church whom you know to have the time or talents to serve as volunteers.  For example, Deacon Barry Johnson (on site in Houston in the photo above), is serving as the volunteer coordinator for Cape Cod OPC in West Barnstable, Massachusetts.
3. Serve as a volunteer yourself! Many deacons have the skills and enthusiasm for the type of work that needs to be done. This is a great way to utilize them!

Volunteers will be needed well into the new year!  Visit OPCDisasterResponse.org or click below for details on volunteering, including contact information, skills needed, a schedule of openings in Houston, and more!

Hurricane Relief Updates & Resources

Diaconal Resources