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Vol. 5: Issue 2
May 10, 2017
Last Chance to Register!
Deadline: Monday, May 15th!
OPC National Diaconal Summit III
June 15-17, 2017
Wheaton, Illinois
Networking. Encouragement. Training.
- Deacons, deacons-in-training, and other OPC officers are encouraged to attend!
- All expenses paid except travel to Wheaton and $25 registration fee
- The Committee on Diaconal Ministries anticipates holding these summits at 5-year intervals, so the next one will not take place until 2022!
Don't Miss Out on the 2017 Summit!
Click for all the details:
* * * NEW * * *
Facebook Page for OPC Deacons
On March 30th, we did something we've been contemplating for years. We created a closed-group Facebook page specifically for OPC Deacons!
Lots of interesting reading materials have already been shared by members of the group, and several discussion topics have been initiated! The page is closed to all but OPC Officers in order to encourage openness and ensure privacy.
Check it out and join now!
Refugee Relief Update
David, Al, and Bob with a portion of the team of servants from the Greek Evangelical Church in Milotopos, 30 minutes from Greece’s northern border crossing Idomeni, who have been personally and sacrificially serving refugees since 2015.
In April, David Nakhla (1), Al Tricarico (2), and Bob Fales (3) made a trip to Greece to learn more about the work that the Greek Evangelical Church is doing among refugees fleeing from the Middle East and passing through Greece on their way to Germany. The Committee on Diaconal Ministries contributed $18,000 in disaster relief funds to this ministry in 2016.
Stay tuned for a full report on the trip from David and Al at OPCSTM.org > Disaster Relief and in a future edition of the Mercy Minute.
(1) Administrator, Committee on Diaconal Ministries
(2) Associate General Secretary, Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension
(3) OPC Deacon, Trinity OPC, Easton, PA - the CDM's initial point of contact with the GEC
Full-Time Maintenance Worker
Needed at OP Uganda Mission
Members of OPUM at a retreat in November 2016
There continues to be an opening for someone to take up the maintenance work at the OP Mission at Naakale in South Karamoja on a full-time, fully-funded basis, primarily maintaining the physical plant and vehicles.
Contact:
If you are interested in exploring this opportunity to serve Christ and His church, please contact:
Rev. Douglas Clawson
Associate General Secretary
Committee on Foreign Missions
douglas.clawson@opc.org
Missionary Doctor Still Needed in Uganda!
This need continues to stand before the church! This fully-funded position is a unique opportunity for the right individual to serve with the OP Uganda Mission in Karamoja, Uganda!
The Committee on Foreign Missions would be delighted to discuss the position with any interested party who is committed to the Reformed faith.
Former Missionary Deacon Jim Knox, MD, at work in Uganda in 2013
Contact:
For further information, please contact:
Rev. Douglas Clawson
Associate General Secretary
Committee on Foreign Missions
douglas.clawson@opc.org
What Are Deacons Doing Locally?
Deacons, would you like to hear what other deacons in the OPC are doing? Do you have a project you that you think would be helpful for other deacons to hear about? Are there particular issues that you would like to discuss?
Please write to david.nakhla@opc.org and we will see if we can include these ideas, questions, or suggestions in a future edition of the Mercy Minute. We look forward to hearing from you!
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 additional deacons.
Officers who would like to be added to the distribution list are encouraged to email such a request to the Editor.