NEWS

On April 21, 2020 the Regional Synod of Mid-America Annual Session we formed a new classis: Classis de las Naciones (Classis of the Nations).  God is doing a new and amazing thing in Florida and in addition to our strong and healthy churches already doing ministry in Florida four new churches have been adopted with many more working through the process of training ministers and becoming part of the RCA. This movement is with English and Spanish speaking churches and is an exciting work of God that has caused us all to awe at his power.  There was a great article about this formation and some of our new churches and pastors in the recent RCA Today.  You can also read minutes of this meeting HERE.  

The RSMA is grateful to Jason DeVries who served as president these last two years and continued the movement forward into God’s future.  Jason’s leadership during uncertain times was stellar and though his time as president is done, he will continue to serve our region on our executive team.  We welcome the returning leadership of Bob Wierenga and look forward to further movement in leading our region and the RCA.

The Vision 2020 of the RCA continues to meet and discern the future of the RCA.  You can read their most recent update HERE.

Women in Ministry Sunday is May 17, 2020.  The RCA’s Women’s Transformation and Leadership Team has put together some excellent resources for celebrating women in ministry on this day.  You can find those resources HERE.

The RCA and the Regional Synod of Mid-America have both reduced assessments for the second quarter of 2020 by 30%.  More information from the RCA’s Chief Financial Officer Jillisa Tietsma on financial resources can be found HERE.

You can find all of the RCA’s COVID-19 resources HERE.

New Leaf Resources has established a special webpage for managing stress and other mental health resources in the time of COVID-19.  You can check these our HERE.

Free Christian Counseling for Pastors and Church Employees – The RCA’s Board of Benefits Services Employee Assistance Program provides free, confidential Christian counseling either at at an outpatient clinic in your area or via an online telehealth session.  Up to 3 sessions per issue are provided at no cost to any employee of an RCA church.  Some common issues addressed are depression, anxiety, work-related problems, marital issues, family issues, substance abuse, and others.  The 24 hour hotline number is (833) 244-2490.  For more information click HERE.

NEWS FROM CAMP MANITOQUA
Camp Manitoqua has had to cancel all current events including overnight camp for this summer due to COVID-19 but as of now, Day Camp is still scheduled to occur.  Camp Manitoqua recognizes that they cannot run camp in the same way as they have in the past for summer 2020.  Therefore, they are no longer taking new registrations for 2020 summer camp program. In addition, they are working with local officials to understand what restrictions they will need to abide by and hope to communicate additional information out to our camper families by mid-May regarding what that means for everyone.   

Navigating the Unknown: Adaptive Leadership in Highly Anxious Times – Tod Bolsinger, author of Canoeing the Mountains and professor at Fuller seminary says, “Adaptive leadership is called for when you are facing something you have never faced before. A term made famous by Ronald Heifetz and his colleagues at Harvard, adaptive leadership begins the moment you find yourself without expertise, and when you are truly facing the unknown. It is that daunting moment when someone is looking at you for direction, and you have to take a deep breath, exhale slowly, look into their frightened eyes and admit, “I have never seen anything like this. Right now, I really don’t know what we are going to do.”  This article helps us examine how we might lead adaptively right now in the time of a pandemic.

What Relaunching the Church Might Look Like Over the Next 3–12 Months – We are in the midst of a crisis that is forcing churches to take a look at how ministry is done now and will be done throughout the rest of this year.  This technical article from Ed Stetzer looks at time frames, benchmarks and other criteria you may want to adopt for your own church.

Five Ways You Will Be a Different Pastor after the Pandemic –  Thom Rainer invites us to consider that the pandemic is changing the way we do church and changing the way pastors will shepherd and lead in the future.  He asks us to look at God’s possibilities rather than the artificial limitations imposed by COVID-19.

Lessons from the Ancient Church for the Present Crisis – Matt Cook looks at a similar crisis in 2nd Century Rome and how Christians responded and applies it to our present day.

Responding to External Shocks with Honesty, Vulnerability, and Resilience – Congregations are vulnerable, yes, but they are also resilient. They can adapt, persevere, and come together with the grit that we all hope defines our kids and communities in these unforeseen times. This global pandemic may be a physical, spiritual, and financial crisis for many congregations, yet I believe religious communities and their leaders are creative and innovative. They are up to the task of leading their communities and congregations through uncharted waters in matters of both faith and finances as they lead with honesty, vulnerability, and resilience.