Resource Library
Dear Presbyterian Leader Subscribers,
Almost a year ago, many of you gave us some helpful feedback
about this program. We asked particularly about the worship planner and
how you use it. We have since made decisions based on this feedback and
are happy to say that a new, improved version of Presbyterian Leader.com
will be available in early 2012. Information about the new site will be
sent soon to all visitors of the site, but this more detailed and
personal note is going to our faithful subscribers and users who have
been so patient these last months.
Some History
The Presbyterian Leader.com is published by the Presbyterian
Publishing Corporation, one of the six agencies of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.). We receive no mission dollars from the denomination and
operate solely on sales of our products. We publish under four
imprints: Westminster John Knox Press, Geneva Press, The Thoughtful
Christian, and The Presbyterian Leader.
Publishing online resources is a relatively new practice for
publishers. So is learning how to use them. Presbyterian
leaders—presbyters, deacons, and Christian educators—reflect the entire
spectrum of society when it comes to delivery and format preferences.
Some of you are preaching sermons from iPads while showing movie clips
on big screens in worship. Others still do not have an internet
connection and see little need for anything other than print resources.
Meeting the variety of demands is a challenge for publishers who offer
the same content in multiple ways.
We created The Presbyterian Leader to serve the leader
development needs of the Presbyterian Church. The downloadable studies
on leadership and denominational beliefs have been very popular. The
Leader Readers are used by many of you for devotionals at meetings.
The worship planner was meant to be simple but it has not been
satisfactory. As explained previously, a fancy worship planner with all
the bells and whistles is definitely possible to create. The challenge
is that development and upkeep costs of a product like this drive the
price up so high for consumers that few purchase it. Most of these
products by other publishers are either going out of business or
struggling to survive. Through our survey last year we learned that most
of our users have a method for bulletin creation that they are happy
with and mostly desire resources available online to cut and paste into
the bulletin. For that reason, and in a desire to keep costs down, we
have made the decision to end the current worship planner program when
the new site is launched. We will still maintain a resource library, and
the current hymnal search program will remain, free to all. In
addition, the new hymnal site and resources will be part of the new
Presbyterian Leader site.
What’s Coming
The following features will be on the new site. More details to
come soon. Current subscribers, keep reading below for what happens to
your subscription:
- There will be no subscriptions to the Presbyterian Leader.
- Each month’s new Leader Reader will be free for anyone who registers on the site. Past Leader Readers will be available for purchase. We are converting them to PDFs and making them less time specific. Each will have the main article, a text box, and a prayer.
- All studies will be available for purchase. As is true now, unlimited copies may be given to your local congregation. Sharing with other congregations is prohibited.
- Books of interest to leaders will be available for purchase at 25-70% discounts.
- The new hymnal (to be published mid-2013) information and resources will be available.
- A worship resource library will be available with bulletin templates and PDFs of books (some free, some for purchase).
- The 1990 hymnal index and search tool will be free to all.
- Electronic-version-only, yearly subscriptions to Call to Worship will be available to purchase for $25. This includes a quarterly journal of articles on Reformed liturgy and the yearly journal of suggestions for prayers and songs based on the Revised Common Lectionary.
- Links to important denominational Web sites will be easy to find.
Subscribers
Most subscribers have been unable to renew their subscriptions
for over a year as we decided what changes to make. We have continued
your subscriptions for free all this time. When the new site is launched
your subscription will end. However, as we said, many of the features
you enjoyed with your subscription will still be available for free, and
others can be purchased for a small, one-time fee. We hope you will
continue to use the resources and enjoy the new features.
For subscribers whose subscription has not run out by the time
the new site is launched, we will thank you for your commitment by
providing you with a gift set of denominational resources for your
church.
Thank you for your support and patience as we create a much more useful program for Presbyterian leaders.
Sincerely,
The Presbyterian Leader Team
New from Alban Institute: several of their books are now available in e-reader formats. For a complete list of books and the format available (Kindle, Nook, iBooks or PDF) go to www.alban.org/bookstore
UPCOMING EVENTS!
· APCE (Association of Presbyterian Church Educators) – February 1-4, 2012 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The theme is “God’s Surprising Wonders.” For more information, go to www.apcenet.org.
· APCE-South Central Region presents “Training, Challenging and Caring for Spiritual Leaders, October 17-19, 2011 at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Led by Rev. Joan Gray. In this workshop, Rev. Gray addresses church officers who are looking for a deepened relationship with God as they serve the church – and those who want to help develop spiritual leadership in their congregations. More information can be found on the APCE web page (address above).
We Believe curriculum correction: The fall 2011 We Believe Director’s CD is mission an audio file for Older Elementary, Session 5, called “Greetings from Ruth.” This narration by a young female voice tells the story of Ruth in the first person. That audio file is posted for easy download on the PCUSA website. A transcript of this narration is also available for teachers who wish to dramatize the story.
NEW RESOURCES
Advent: How Can I Celebrate Advent? A Young Christian’s Guide to the Church Year. Beth and her brother Digger can hardly wait for the Christmas celebration to come, and are excited to learn that the church has a special season of waiting and preparation. 27 minutes, recommended for ages 5-10.
Advent Calendar on DVD – A Christmas Countdown for December. 25 mini-documentaries (each about 3-4 minutes) take viewers on an entertaining yet informative journey through the Advent season.
Advent Calendar 2 on DVD – Christmas Carols Edition. Here are 25 brief reflections on treasured songs and carols for the entire family to enjoy during Advent.
Teaching Your Child about the Sacraments from TheThoughtfulChristian.com. This study for parents teaches young people about the sacrament of baptism and communion. Discussion questions for parents included. Appropriate for confirmation, Sunday school, or small groups.
COMING SOON!
Daily Feast: Meditations from Feasting on the Word, Year B. This new series of daily devotionals draws from the wealth of writing in the commentaries to present inspirational reflections, responses, and prayers for each of the lectionary year.
Luke’s Gospel from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners, by Donald L. Griggs and Paul W. Walaskay. Leaders guide and a participant section are included for each book.
A Down and Dirty Guide to Theology, by Donald K. McKim. This brief, humorous introduction to theology by noted educator and author Don McKim will provide seminarians, college students, and general readers with a fun way to learn the basics.
The Sacraments in Biblical Perspective, by Ronald P. Byars. Recognizing that church-goers are uncertain about the need for sacraments, Byars describes the possibility that the very doing of worship – the actions observed, the postures assumed, the sound and sight of water, the smell and taste of bread and wine – will subtly alter the temper of the heart and mind.
Gathering Those Driven Away: A Theology of Incarnation, by Wendy Farley. This book is a powerful expression of Jesus Christ given in the midst of the brokenness and hostilities of this world, as experienced by those who are marginalized and persecuted in contemporary society.
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I am available to come to your church to share resources, or whatever you may need. Contact me at eop-rc@sbcglobal.net.