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Vol. 6: No. 4
November 29, 2018
View this Mercy Minute online here
Deacons as Mobilizers of Volunteers
Deacon Fred de Ru (Wasilla, AK), center, is serving as the Hurricane Florence Relief Site Coordinator in North Carolina. Here he is joined by Jim Flanagan of New Bern, NC, and Elder Mike Cloy of Gastonia, NC, who are also involved in the Hurricane Florence relief efforts.
At its recent meeting, the Committee on Diaconal Ministries (CDM) deliberated over the shortage of volunteers coming forward to help with hurricane relief in North Carolina following Hurricane Florence.
As a deacon, you can make a great contribution to overcoming this shortage by mobilizing individuals or teams from your church to go and serve:
- Make sure your church is aware of the needs:
- Visit OPCDisasterResponse.org
- Share The S.T.O.R.M. Report
- Identify those in your congregation who are skilled or available to serve
- Organize a team
- Finance the trip with diaconal funds
This issue of the Mercy Minute includes inspiring messages from deacons and others who have a lot to share from their experience as volunteers.
Deacon Scott Pearce on Christian Volunteering
A volunteer team from "Justice for All" in Iowa served with OPC Disaster Response in Houston after Hurricane Harvey
Deacon Scott Pearce (Church of the Covenant OPC, Hackettstown, NJ) explores the role of the believer in responding to disasters in an article for New Horizons:
- What explicit expressions of Christ’s love can be conveyed in carpentry and clean-up? Past volunteers testify to the underestimated power of several elements of the volunteer work—some spoken, some unspoken. The first is simply and clearly conveyed just by arriving. It is hard to overstate the impact of a van full of strangers from 1,000 miles away pulling into your debris-littered driveway just to rip out your flooded sheetrock.
- The cup of cold water offered in the name of Christ is the essence of diaconal mercy ministry and is beloved and blessed by our Father.
Watch for Scott's article, "A Christian Response to Disaster," in the January 2019 issue of New Horizons.
Presbytery Diaconal Committee
Funds Puerto Rico Volunteers
The teams are standing between their hosts for the week, Pedro and Awilda Lopez, the parents of local OPC Pastor Bradney Lopez. L to R: David Chism, Marc Ohlwiler, Luke Hake, Dwayne Smith, Parrish Davis, Owen Roper, and Mike Myers
The PDC of the Presbytery of the Southeast covered 1/3 of the costs for a team from Heritage OPC (Royston, GA) to travel to Puerto Rico this month. With the OPC's 50% contribution towards costs, the church ended up financing only the remaining 17% or so, which made it far less of a burden for a smaller congregation.
Pastor Mike Myers led the Royston team, joined by David Chism and his team from New Hope OPC (Frederick, MD). Their work in Puerto Rico centered on power-washing and waterproofing roofs, and rebuilding a deck and railing, for members of the OPC mission work in Arroyo, Puerto Rico, whose homes were damaged in last year's Hurricane Maria.
From Mike Myers:
- The crisis intervention phase is long over. Our work in Puerto Rico was not so much "hurricane relief" as it was an effort of our churches to come alongside some of the saints there and serve them.
- We as a denomination are engaging in the continuing work of serving, loving, and encouraging the saints in Puerto Rico, a worthy effort in itself.
- I found particular joy in knowing just how precious and rare Spanish speaking reformed churches are in this world. Serving them is a privilege.
Excerpts from David Chism's updates posted to the OPC Deacons Facebook Page:
- The food, and hospitality of everyone we’ve met so far, is just out of this world. Life in Southern Puerto Rico is so different than the States. It is much slower, and it is something that we Americans could all use at times!
- The team here is very united!
- We’ve only been here a few days and feel so connected with the folks we’ve met.
- God is at work in Puerto Rico!
Presbytery Diaconal Committee
Mobilizes North Carolina Volunteers
L to R: Adam Mumea, Trent Davis, Joel Clendineng, Matt Gertler, William Mumea, and Joe Faught
Deacon Bob Keys, Chairman of the PDC of the Presbytery of Ohio (POH), has been instrumental in mobilizing churches in his presbytery to get involved in disaster response. Bob helps to identify qualified leaders, helps to pull the teams together, and makes diaconal funds available to churches that send volunteers, if needed.
The team of six led by Matt Gertler, above, represents three churches in the POH and is currently serving in North Carolina. They are seen here in full body suits for tear-out of mold-infected walls in a home damaged by Hurricane Florence.
Deacon Paul Childress on Organizing Volunteers
Deacon Paul Childress (far right) with his team (and Site Coordinator, Jeff Davis, 2nd from left), serving in Houston following Hurricane Harvey
Deacon Paul Childress has organized many disaster response teams and offers tips on how to go about it. Paul's experience has taught him:
- Serving on a disaster relief team or short-term missions team is an opportunity to live out your faith by working at the intersection of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
- If you feel the Lord prompting you to help with a service project or disaster relief effort, stop thinking and start praying!
- A willing spirit and open mind will enable wonderful engagements between you, your team members, and the homeowners or others you are going to serve.
Click below for tips on organizing a team:
Video Clip:
Deacon Jeff Davis Encourages You to Volunteer!
Deacon Jeff Davis (Cedar OPC, Jenison, MI) served for many months as the Site Coordinator for Hurricane Harvey Relief in Houston. A video telling the story of OPC Disaster Response in Houston is in the process of being made. In this 1-minute clip, Jeff Davis reflects on diaconal volunteer service.
- It's a process not only of developing our skills, but also our confidence...that the Lord is going to provide for us.
- You're going to go back home with this thrill, you're going to love what you did and you're going to want to do more.
The link below will take you to VIMEO.com to watch the 1-minute clip. Please come back after watching!
Printable Poster:
Volunteers Needed
Further Info:
How to Volunteer
In other news...
CDM Administrator's Report: Fall 2018
L to R: Rev. Ron Pearce (Hackettstown, NJ), Rev. Chris Cashen (Clarkston, GA), David Nakhla (Administrator), Elder Al Zarek (Franklin Square, NY), Rev. Nathan Trice (Matthews, NC), Deacon John Voss (Orland Park, IL), Deacon Joel King (Orlando, FL), Elder Seth Long (Neon, KY), Deacon Ron de Ru (Oak Harbor, WA), Deacon Chris Sudlow (Wheaton, IL)
The fall meeting of the Committee on Diaconal Ministries took place November 1-2, 2018, at the OPC Administrative Offices in Willow Grove, PA.
New Members: Rev. Chris Cashen and Deacon Joel King
New Officers: President Rev. Nathan Trice, Vice President Elder Seth Long, Secretary Rev. Chris Cashen (Elder John Voss continues as Treasurer)
Review and Reflection: In addition to receiving reports from each subcommittee and attending to the regular meeting agenda, the CDM was able to take time to review and reflect on the past decade and start making plans for the next decade.
A brief overview of CDM developments in the past decade:
- Addition of 2 deacons to the CDM, bringing the CDM from 7 to 9 members
- Division of work into subcommittees that focus on specific areas of ministry
- Development of a CDM Operating Manual
- Hiring of an Administrator/Disaster Response Coordinator and his assistant
- Heading up Disaster Response efforts following 7 major disasters since 2010
- Engaging the church in ministry to refugees
- Creating the Mercy Minute newsletter for deacons
- Building a webpage of diaconal resources at OPC.org
- Hosting 3 national summits and 3 presbytery diaconal committee summits
- Participating in the funding, equipping, and encouragement of missionary deacons and missionary doctors
- Ministering to retired ministers and widows (through the Obadiah Fund), and mobilizing presbytery diaconal committees to increase their ministry to them
The spring meeting of the Committee on Diaconal Ministries is scheduled for March 28-29, 2018, at Matthews OPC (Matthews, NC). Please pray for your committee in its many labors!
Ministerios de Misericordia
David Nakhla
In August, I was privileged to give a series of lectures on the diaconate, titled, "Ministry of Mercy," in the cities of Cartagena and Pasto, Colombia.
This was part of the Committee on Foreign Missions (CFM) Mobile Theological Mentoring Corps (MTMC) for churches in foreign countries where we don’t have a full-time missionary, but want to encourage the church there in its pursuit to become Presbyterian and Reformed.
Each of my presentations was translated in realtime as I spoke. I also received help here at home in translating all of my slides into Spanish. I am thankful to say that my lectures were well-received by those who may not have previously had a good understanding of the workings of the diaconate
I traveled with Rev. Douglas Clawson, CFM Associate General Secretary, who has visited and taught in Colombia many times. It was a delight to witness the affection between him and the church members there. It was a blessing to witness what the Lord is doing in Colombia!
As an elder, I was able to participate in serving the Lord's Supper at one church. Douglas and I were also able to visit the National Aviary of Colombia in Cartagena (a few photos, below).
Committee on Ministerial Care
Takes Over the Diaconal Care of Ministers
L to R: Elder Matt Milner (Raleigh, NC), Rev. Lendall Smith (retired), Elder Ken VanderMolen (Wyoming, MI), Rev. Clark Brooking (Clarksville, MD), Rev. Doug Watson (Pearl City, HI), Rev. Darren Thole (Huntsville, AL), Elder Dave VanderPloeg (Green Bay, WI), David Nakhla (Administrator, CDM), Elder Greg DeJong (Wheaton, IL), David Haney (Director, CMC)
The diaconal care of ministers, including the administration of the Obadiah Fund for retired ministers and widows, formerly under the jurisdiction of the CDM, has been transferred to the OPC's new Committee on Ministerial Care (CMC).
Deacons who wish to request financial assistance for retired ministers or their widows should now click "Download Assistance Request Form" at the CMC page at OPC.org.
Contact:
Mr. David Haney, Director
Committee on Ministerial Care
215-284-1993
david.haney@opc.org
Resources for Deacons
Printable Poster:
MERCY MINUTE
Please post at your church and share with your church officers.
2019
Attention PDCs: Mark Your Calendar:
Presbytery Diaconal Summit IV
Thursday, Oct. 10 - Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019
This summit is designed for members of Presbytery Diaconal Committees (PDC). Each presbytery is encouraged to send four representatives from its PDC. All travel and summit expenses are covered by the CDM for each attendee. The summit will be held in the Chicago area (Geneva, IL) in 2019.
Do you want to hold a Diaconal Conference in your presbytery?
The CDM is available to provide guidance and funding to Presbytery Diaconal Committees that wish to hold a conference for the deacons in their presbytery.
Contact David Nakhla for further information.
The OPC Deacons Facebook Page is open only to OPC Officers in order to ensure privacy and facilitate discussion among deacons. Visit the page and submit your request to join!
The Diaconal Ministries page at OPC.org provides diaconal contact info, principles of diaconal ministry, financial resources, training materials, suggested reading....
There are currently 20 videos available for use for diaconal training and encouragement at the OPC Diaconal Ministries page at Vimeo.com. Check it out!
Share with us what's going on with the deacons in your church or presbytery! Send to: David.Nakhla@opc.org
Forward this Mercy Minute to your fellow deacons in case they are not on our email list!
Archived issues of the Mercy Minute can be found at OPC.org. Click here and scroll down.
The Mercy Minute, a quarterly newsletter of the Committee on Diaconal Ministries, is intended to keep OPC deacons informed and encouraged in their labors. It may include opportunities for networking or training, describe the work that a local diaconate or presbytery diaconal committee is engaged in, or bring attention to a need in the OPC.
The Mercy Minute is sent to all OPC officers with whom the CDM has had contact, in hopes that it will be forwarded on to more deacons.
Officers who would like to be added to the distribution list are encouraged to email their request to the Editor:
