Boston Presbytery Newsletter for Sept 3

A Letter from Ken and Jennifer Dewar, Burlington Presbyterian Church

Dear Presbytery Friends,

We are reaching out to ask for prayers and ultimately to find someone willing to donate a kidney to our daughter Laurie. Laurie has been living with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) for many years and her condition has reached the point that she will need dialysis or a kidney transplant soon. She is now on the list to receive a kidney transplant from a deceased donor.

However, the best option for Laurie to have the chance of living a long, healthy life is for her to receive a kidney from a living donor. Living donation can expedite the transplant process and offer a better outcome than from a deceased donor transplantation. The wait for a kidney from a deceased donor can be 5 years or more, with dialysis needed while the patient waits. Unfortunately, none of our family members is a match to be a donor for Laurie.

So, we are reaching out to as many people as possible about our daughter’s need to find someone willing to be a living kidney donor. We hope you will share this information with family and friends and colleagues. Please do so by word of mouth, phone calls, texts or emails. We are not yet sharing this on social media.

If you or someone you know have ever thought about being an organ donor and want to find out more, please contact us directly. You can also find out more at: www.transplantliving.org or www.pkdcure.org or visit https://www.bmc.org/transplant-surgery/living-donation. To learn more about the process of evaluation to be a living donor, you may contact Karen Curreri, RN, CCTC, Clinical Transplant Administrator at Boston Medical Center:
Text: 617-638-8368, Pager 617-638-5795 #9159
Karen.Curreri@BMC.org.

With much gratitude and faith in the grace of God,
Jennifer and Ken Dewar
Laurie Dewar
yoganana@verizon.net
laurie.dewar@gmail.com
C: 508-574-0411   H:978-667-1358

Newton Church Gets Creative with the Arts

Check out this article in the Presbyterian Mission Agency news about Newton Presbyterian Church!

It is about the pandemic and how Newton Presbyterian Church has been reaching out and inviting artists, writers and musicians to showcase their works in its worship space and through the church’s social media platforms as a way to glorify God and reflect on the gift of grace

NE Glow Retreat

Fall Retreat Postponed: After speaking with some of you and some of our Glow families we have decided to postpone the fall retreat until the spring.

Day Retreat: We are planning to evaluate the situation and host a one day retreat October 23 or 24.

Joint Confirmation: Joint confirmation class will begin via Zoom the week of September 26. You can find the participant registration form here. If you are interested in leading one or more sessions please sign up here.

Youth Group: Fall Youth Group will be starting on Zoom with "Faith Talks" on September 12 at 7PM.

Youth Leaders' Cafe: We will also be hosting a monthly (to start!) Youth Leaders' cafe via Zoom starting in late September. Zoom link and more information to follow.

New! Ordination Anniversaries in September:
Kate Carlisle 9/28/13
Sarah Hathaway 9/3/17
Young Ghil Lee 9/15/94
Kevin Manuel 9/9/01

Congratulations and thank you! If your ordination anniversary is not listed when it should be, or is listed incorrectly, please send your information to: office@presbyteryofboston.org

Update! International Peacemaker to Visit Presbytery of Boston this Fall: The peacemaker program has shifted to a virtual format again this year, due to the complications in international travel with the Covid pandemic and other international crises. Our team will continue working on plans with the Cameroonian peacemaker to schedule some virtual speaking opportunities, and we will share those with the presbytery as soon as possible.

Presbytery Meeting: The next meeting of the Presbytery of Boston will take place on Thursday, September 23, at 7:00 pm. It will occur over Zoom. Registration for the meeting is now available. Check this page on our website where you will be able to find the link to register, as well as instructions for using Zoom.

Jewish and Christian Interpretations of Psalms: Hebrew College and Boston College are collaborating on this interdisciplinary exploration of the book of Psalms for religious professionals. Registration for the fall program is $200 and applications are due Sept. 1. Click here for more information and to register.

Job Openings: Church of the Covenant in Boston is seeking a part-time Child Care Worker for Sunday mornings. More information, including a job description with instructions on applying, can be found here.

The United Presbyterian Church of Whitinsville is looking to hire a part-time Administrative Assistant. More information, including instructions on how to apply, can be found on our website.

The Presbyterian Church of Topsham Vermont is seeking a Pastor. The 200-year-old continuously running, historically restored church is seeking a ¼ time pastor. Contact: Tom Otterman. Phone: 802-439-6252 Email: Ottermansurvey@gmail.com

Connect Throughout the Week: We have two opportunities during the week to connect for support and encouragement. The login information can be found in the Presbytery calendar on the website.

Mondays at 10:00 am
Tuesdays at 3:00 pm

Presbytery Directory: Several months ago our Presbytery Directory was changed to an online format, though a PDF was made available to download for those who preferred the old directory format. That PDF will no longer be posted on the website, but you can download your own if you so desire by following these steps:

After accessing the online directory, click "file" from the menu at the top of the screen.
Then, click "download" from the menu that appears.
From the list of download options that appear, select "PDF" (or any other file format you wish to convert the directory into).
To ensure you download the entire directory, make sure that the "Export" option is set to "Workbook" instead of "Current Sheet"