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Vol. 5: Issue 1
February 8, 2017
OPC Diaconal Summit III
June 15-17, 2017
Wheaton, IL
Register Now!
Registration is now open for the OPC's 3rd national diaconal summit!
Speaker:
Dr. David Apple, author of "Not Just a Soup Kitchen: How Mercy Ministry in the Local Church Transforms Us All"
Registration Fee:
$25 (waived before April 1, 2017)
Deadline to Register:
May 15, 2017 ... or until filled ... Register Early!
Networking. Encouragement. Training.
Attendees:
- We encourage all deacons and deacons-in-training to make plans now to attend Diaconal Summit III. Ministers, elders, and non-OPC members are also welcome!
Lodging and Meals:
- Conference Fee includes food and lodging and is covered by the Committee on Diaconal Ministries for all OPC members!
- Conference Fee of $125 for non-OPC members includes food and lodging
- MORE DETAILS on the Registration Form
Don't Miss Out:
- The CDM anticipates holding these summits at 5-year intervals, with the next one projected to take place in 2022. So don't miss out on 2017!
Contact:
Janet Birkmann
Registrar, Diaconal Summit III
janet.birkmann@opc.org
Full-Time Maintenance Worker
Needed at OP Mission in Uganda
Members of OPUM at a retreat in November 2016
A new Christian university, LivingStone International University (LIU), is going to be built in Mbale, Uganda. It is a massive undertaking, and LIU has asked OP Missionary Deacon and CDM Member Bob Wright to oversee the construction. Bob will therefore be reducing his service with the OP Uganda Mission (OPUM) to part-time for the remaining months of his current term.
This has created 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 on our mission field 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
Teaching Materials for Deacons
Available at OPC.org
The 2012 National Diaconal Summit included several helpful interactive workshops. At OPC.org, you can find Zip Files that contain everything you need to reproduce these workshops for your own diaconate. A set of powerpoint slides, a leader's guide, a participant's guide, case studies, and other handouts are provided for each of the following workshops:
- Ministering to People with Short-Term Needs
- Ministering to People with Long-Term Needs
- Sessional and Diaconal Cooperation
Click here to access these materials at OPC.org:
As Seen in New Horizons
"The work of local deacons is certainly the most conspicuous expression of mercy ministry in the church. Originally appointed in response to the church crisis recorded in Acts 6, deacons assist the elders in all those aspects of leadership that preserve for the pastors and elders the priority of prayer and the ministry of the Word."
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!
Editor: David P. Nakhla
Administrator, CDM
david.nakhla@opc.org
(562) 760-7606
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.