The National Presbyterian - Georgia Presbyterian Pilgrimage

December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
The National Presbyterian
The National Presbyterian
A News Magazine of the National
Council of Presbyterian Fourth
Day Movements and the
National Council of
Presbyterian Cursillo
Merry
Christmas and
Happy New Year
Volume 17, No 6
www.cursillo.us
Page 1
www.cursillo.us/4thday.htm
December, 2014
Just think, it all began with a tiny baby, in a place where they kept farm animals!
A note from our national moderator:
Moderators Message
We are in a time of anticipation and wonder, waiting and perhaps evaluation as we begin this 2014
Advent Season. May you daily feel Christ’s Love
for you!
As the current moderator of the National Council
my goal for all of us is stronger communities. At
our two bi-annual meetings we share best practices, and encourage each other. It is my expectation that council will be a source of support help
for communities. Just as a coal removed from a
fire slowly goes dim as Christian Communities
and individuals we need the company of other
Christians to help us persevere. Hope to see many
of you March 27 & 28 in Houston.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
Have a blessed day !
Kerry Goldmeyer
H 843-388-5979
C 757-408-3734
The Angel’s Counsel to Joseph
Luke 2:1-7 NIV
…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because what is
conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will
give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
name Jesus, because he will save his people from
their sins.” All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the
prophet: “The virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel”
—which means, “God with us.”
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
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To Contact Our National Officers:
To Pay Dues (Dues are $3.00 per pilgrim after your community’s 6th weekend.)
Make checks to National Council of Presbyterian 4th Day Movements and mail to Russ McNeal,
Treasurer, 4285 Plantation Ridge Lane, Greensboro, NC 27409. His E-mail: [email protected].
To Contact Other Officers: Moderator—Kerry Goldmeyer ([email protected])
Vice Moderator—Susan Ingles ([email protected])
Secretary—Sherry Arrick ([email protected])
Contents
1.
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2.
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3.
3.
4.
4.
6.
7.
8.
10.
10.
11.
11.
11.
12.
13.
13.
14.
15.
15.
16.
17.
Moderator’s Message
The Angel’s Counsel to Joseph
To Contact Our National Officers
Your Very Own Angels Say:
(Past) Moderator’s Comments
The Birth of Jesus
Talking the Talks: The Series
Talking the Talks: # 12
Are We Renewing the Church?
Talking the Talks: # 13
Some Tax and Accounting Updates
Rita and Roy
The Greater Good
The “0th” Day
The Shepherds and the Angels
The Visit of the Magi
Message From A Weekend Moderator
A Christmas Prayer for Cursillistas
Is Your Community Functioning Effectively?
New Years Resolutions for Fourth Day Folks
Planning List of Special Dates
Web Sites
Weekends Currently Scheduled
Contacts—Who to e-mail or call for
information and applications
Cartoons: Pages 2, 12, 13 & 16
We didn’t know it,
but we’ve been getting
palanca ever since
we were kids.
Your Very Own Angels Say:
God has given
you a wonderful
Christmas
present: The
wonderful gift
of Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
A Publication of The National Council of Presbyterian
Fourth Day Movements and
The National Council of Presbyterian Cursillo
Alabama Presbyterian Cursillo
Arkansas Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Austin (Texas) Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Chicagoland Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Colorado Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Eastern Oklahoma Presbyterian Cursillo
Eastern Virginia Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Florida Presbyterian Cursillo
Georgia Presbyterian Cursillo
Houston Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Indiana Presbyterian Cursillo
James (Virginia) Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Louisiana Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Michigan Presbyterian Pilgrimage-Detroit
Michigan Presbyterian Pilgrimage-Lake Michigan
Mississippi Presbyterian Cursillo
Nebraska/Iowa {GPPP} Presbyterian Pilgrimage
North Carolina Presbyterian Pilgrimage—East
North Carolina Presbyterian Pilgrimage—Piedmont
North Carolina Presbyterian Pilgrimage—West
North Texas Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Oklahoma Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Palo Duro (Texas) Presbyterian Cursillo
Peaks (Virginia) Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Shenandoah (Virginia) Presbyterian Pilgrimage
South Carolina Presbyterian Pilgrimage
Tennessee Valley Presbyterian Cursillo
Editor—Tom Fox [email protected]
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
This is a reprint from the December, 2001 Cursillista. Jim Hunt, of our Houston community, was
our national moderator at the time.
(Past) Moderator’s Comments
By Jim Hunt
"The Virgin will be with child and will give
birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel
– which means, God with us." Matthew 1:23
For many of us, the hope that is found in this verse
seems to personify the essence of Christmas. The
realization that God is with us has found it’s way
to the "front burner" for many following the tragic
events of September 11.
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to a world that never has enough of it. It would
take a miracle – but that is our Savior’s worry. All
you are asked to do is take what you have, place it
in Jesus hands, and give thanks.
Barnes seems to be pointing out that "God with
us" is not just an historical event. Jesus Christ is
alive and you and I are invited to live in His presence. This is the Christmas message that we are
privileged to celebrate during the coming days.
Peace and joy to you and your family this Christmas season. Immanuel – Christ is with us.
The concept of "Christ with us" has also come
alive in my life in large part from my Cursillo experience. The first Cursillo weekend that Martha
and I attended awakened me to the concept of Piety, living in the presence of Christ.
Presbyterian Cursillo has probably been the most
significant influence in my Christian walk. While
my weekend as a participant was a very memorable event, the significant impact has come from
returning to staff on numerous occasions and from
participating in a renewal/reunion group. From
these experiences has come an accountability of
not only study and love in action, but a real awareness of living in the presence of Christ (Piety).
On some days the concept of living in the presence of Christ is a vivid realization that brings
hope and peace. On other days I find myself only
paying lip service to living in His presence as I
attempt to satisfy my own wants through my own
strength and take over the slot of being God. Nevertheless, the growing process of three steps forward and two steps back continues.
In Craig Barnes newest book, Sacred Trust, he
refers to the story in Matthew in which Jesus feeds
the 5000 from 5 loaves and 2 fish. Barnes says
that for most of us, it’s easy to believe that Jesus
literally performed a miracle. "The real question
facing those of us who take Him seriously is not
whether or not we believe that Jesus fed the 5000
so may years ago, but whether or not we believe
He can do it again. Will Jesus use our limited resources – our five loaves and two fish – to feed
the hungry, to heal the broken, and to bring hope
The Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1-7 NIV
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree
that a census should be taken of the entire Roman
world… And everyone went to his own town to
register. So Joseph also went up from the town of
Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the
town of David, because he belonged to the house
and line of David. He went
there to register with
Mary, who was
pledged to be
married to him
and was
expecting a
child. While
they were there,
the time came
for the baby to
be born, and
she gave birth
to her firstborn,
a son. She
wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the
inn.
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Talking The Talks: The Series
Talking The Talks: # 12
A series of articles—one for each of the 15 talks -was begun in the October issue and continues in
this issue. Talks 14 and 15 were featured in October and Talks 12 and 13 are featured in this issue.
This series of articles will continue to appear in
the Cursillista over the next several issues.
Christian Life: A Holy Vision
The purpose of our weekend retreats is to help the
participants understand and take up the work of
Christianizing their environments in the fourth
day. A supremely important part of this work attempted in our Cursillo and Pilgrimage weekends
is the information, encouragement and understanding provided to the participants by our talk
givers as they pass along the life changing wisdom
of our 15 talks.
Each talk is, in fact, intended to connect with other talks as part of the effort to influence the pilgrim’s ministry in the fourth day. Failure to give
the talk with the intended emphasis and detail
does in fact damage the transformation.
Please note that nothing in this series of articles
supplants, supersedes or in any way changes anything in our manual, which was prepared by Dr.
Fred Larkin Keith and approved by our councils.
This is simply an attempt to help the talk givers
get closer to the mark we need to achieve to affect
a successful transformation. It is essentially a retelling of Dr. Keith’s outline in text form—for the
sheer value of repetition, and in the hopes that a
new perspective, perhaps from a slightly different
point of view, might be gained. Again, however,
these articles are not to be seen as replacing Dr.
Keith’s outlines — far from it—they are to help
us understand and speak from the outlines. My
hope is that their use will at least nudge the talk
giver closer to Dr. Keith’s outlines.
In point of fact, these articles will be written in
such a way as to press home deliberately the
points raised by Dr. Keith in his outlines - to try to
strengthen the talk giver’s understanding of the
outline and her/his resolve to stick closely to the
outline.
It is my hope that the use of these articles by talk
givers—as supplements to the outlines—will help
strengthen our talks and help make them even
more effective instruments in the creation of our
fourth day ministry.
Tom
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This talk, given by a spiritual advisor, follows the
Evangelization talk—the talk that first introduces
the Cursillo method of Christianizing the world.
The clergy person giving this talk is now expected
to help the pilgrims implant this ministry of the
Cursillo method—of evangelizing our environments—firmly in their spiritual life and sustaining
it through their spiritual growth, starting in the
weekend and growing in the fourth day.
The purpose of this talk is to begin the process of
showing the pilgrims how they may work to reform their environments. To this end, the talk focuses on preparing the pilgrims for such service.
In this effort, the talk presents a plan for continued
spiritual growth and dispels the motion that we’ve
now achieved Christian life and now need only to
show others the way.
The talk first attempts to define the Christian Life
in a way that will be clearly understood by the
pilgrims. It points out that there is no simple, universal biblical formula—no simple ‘step 1, step
2…’ procedure to be followed. Instead, it asks
“What must I do?” There is no magic formula, no
wall safe combination—no “Left to 3, Right two
turns to 14…” There is no guaranteed glory if
we’ll just follow a few simple steps. Matthew
19:16-22 tells about the young man who was willing to follow a few, simple steps—but was unwilling to commit to the life Jesus taught him.
Similarly, in John 3:1-5, Jesus explained to Nicodemus that it wasn’t about the miracles that Jesus
performed—it was the personal commitment and
spiritual growth of the one to be saved that mattered. We can be saved, not because Jesus works
miracles, but because we follow a path in spiritual
growth and very basic commitment to Christ.
What will be the signs of this? Matthew 11:2-5
tells us.
Just as there is no simple universal biblical formula—there is no simple universal human formula.
There are attempts to define such a worldly formula. We use the “otherworldly” approach—as in
the song “In the Sweet Bye-and-Bye.”- A beautiful song, but not one that offers a simple path to
spiritual growth and commitment.
Continued on next page
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Continued from previous page
Similarly, other approaches also fail to provide
the simple formula we’d love to find: The hymn
“Faith of our Fathers” doesn’t provide a checklist
path to orthodoxy. Likewise, “They’ll Know We
Are Christians” doesn’t provide some gilded trail
to goodness; nor does “Rise Up, O Men of God”
keep us headed to some Activist heaven.
Even singing “I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy (down in
my heart)” doesn’t really endow us with a joyful
heart, nor does singing the amazing hymn
“Amazing Grace” really bless us with true forgiveness.
Other attempted approaches provide only partial
answers.
All of these fail to get at the true basis of our converted life in Christ.
The ‘otherworldly’ approach disregards the concern God has for this world—as revealed in Colossians 1:20 :”...to reconcile to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, by
making peace through his blood, shed on the
cross.”
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trolling force in our lives, guide us as a passion
within us, as our basic force– the primary ingredient in our being.
The Christian life must become the bedrock truth
of our existence. It must guide us into a unified
living in the Body of Christ. This Christian life
must lead us into living for God—as Paul details
in Romans 14:5-9.
This Christian life is not some mere task given us
to accomplish, but a real state of existence, of being in the state of belonging to God.
This state of belonging to God is Cursillo’s anchor: Literally, you belong to God! That’s your
anchor. Without this anchor—this belonging to
God—other ingredients of the Christian life fail.
Without this anchor of belonging to God
- spirituality becomes escapism.
- knowledge becomes intellectualism
- goodness becomes appeasement
- activism become self righteousness
- joy becomes charade
- forgiveness becomes an elusive will-o-the-wisp.
‘Orthodoxy’, the ’decently and in order’ approach, disregards action. James 2:16 says
“...faith by itself. If it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
With this anchor, Cursillo’s foundation, you belong to God not as muzak or some other background noise, but as truth for living. The truth
ringing in your ears, swirling in your mind, burning in your heart—the very substance of life!
‘Personal goodness’ is not enough—it disregards
sin. ‘Activism’ by itself alone disregards human
fallibility.
This is not just some abstract theory. No, sir! If
you forget to whom it is that you belong, you will
forget whom you serve.
‘Joyfulness’ disregards the cross—the cross to
which Christ calls his followers in Luke 9:22-23.
Even ‘forgiveness’ disregards our need for personal repentance.
If you forget whom you serve, you will forget why
you serve.
These attempts to define the Christian life all fail.
They can become like a casserole—a casserole of
Christian life. Mix in a little bit of this and maybe
a half pint of orthodoxy, a tablespoon of personal
goodness and just a pinch of activism. Mix all
that together and you still don’t have a real casserole, or stew, or salad of Christian life. It’s too
bland, it lacks the distinction of true Christian life.
Cursillo’s answer to all of this is that out of our
sense of belonging to God will come our Christian
life.
Christian life is far more than just life run through
a blender or a microwave. For the Christian life to
be lived—truly lived—it must capture our selves,
our being. It must capture us and become the con-
If you forget why you serve, your life will become
mere duty and drudgery.
We must nurture that sense of belonging with:
- Praying to God to strengthen our belonging
- Worshipping God in humble gratitude
- Communing with the blood and body of Christ
- Spiritual direction for your own being
- Meditation—listening for the will of God.
Tom
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
This thought provoking article is reprinted from
the December, 2000 issue. John Day was editor
of the Cursillista at one time, was involved in establishing Georgia Presbyterian Cursillo and is
now active in our Michigan community.
Are We Renewing the Church?
By John Day
We are told that there is no church of the Fourth
Day. Our task is to bring our renewed selves from
our mountain-top experience to our respective
environments, and especially to our churches. Are
our churches benefiting from our weekend experience? Are we, collectively, renewing the church?
Many of us who are active in Cursillo or Pilgrimage know someone for whom Cursillo or Pilgrimage was literally a life-changing experience; one
that, for example, provided the final impetus for a
decision to attend seminary, or otherwise abandon
one calling for another. To extend if not fracture
the familiar aphorism, "all may, some will, none
must, and some won't." It is not within our job
description as leaders to pass judgment on the
quality of another’s weekend experience, much
less the value of the "fruit" that the weekend produces in another’s life.
But it is useful, as we spread the word about the
way that God is using Cursillo and Pilgrimage to
teach us the joy of kingdom life, to understand
how effectively our three-day weekends and
Fourth Day activities accomplish their mission of
renewing the church. Why, for example, can't a
church's retreat be equally effective at bringing
renewal to members? "Most Presbyterians would
go away to study something," suggests Tom Lewis, pastor of Commerce (Georgia) Presbyterian
Church. "Cursillo and Pilgrimage use a transformational model."
Getting away from one's everyday surroundings is
important, according to Lewis and other pastors
familiar with the three-day experience, and so is
the fact that participants form table groups with
people they've not met before.
Participants are initially encouraged to open themselves to unfamiliar activities and new relationships, and during the weekend encouraged in a
variety of ways to open themselves to the work of
the holy spirit. "There is some way that God
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works in the mix of the programming," says Lewis. "The music, the worship, the personal testimonies and all the little surprises; the different ways
we have to process what we experience, through
discussion, art, skits and time to be still."
At First Presbyterian Church of Edmond, Oklahoma, most of the session members, deacons and
Stephen Ministers have experienced a three-day
weekend, according to Associate Pastor John Gruel, whose own Cursillo experience helped him
hear God's call to full-time ministry.
Some pastors who are unfamiliar with Cursillotype programs may be concerned about a program's theology or its potential for cultishness. In
fact, according to Gruel, a three-day weekend represents an opportunity for pastors "to regain some
of the spiritual life they've lost." He added, "It's
difficult for pastors to worship during worship.
The weekend is their opportunity."
"(Cursillo and Pilgrimage is) a tremendous tool
for renewal," added Edmond senior pastor Joel
Baker. "It utilizes the gifts of laity, especially
teaching gifts, and gives lay people an opportunity to share with other lay people how Christ has
transformed their lives."
Because a trusting community develops in the
course of a weekend, adds Baker, "things can
flow that don't flow in a worship service, a Sunday School class or a small group."
In Baker's experience, participants in a weekend
often connect or reconnect with Christ in a greater
depth, one result of which is deeper relationships
and a stronger sense of community.
"Cursillo contains the possibility of putting a
person's spiritual journey on fast-forward for
three days, and time and again, I've seen more
significant discipleship."
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Talking The Talks: # 13
Christian Community: The Church Alive
The 12 previous talks have been designed to help
return the participants to their environments prepared to grow in piety, study and action in their
faith in Christ and to take up leadership in helping
to reform their communities - to evangelize their
environments—to Christianize the world!
This process of preparation is intended to raise the
participants from a state of “nominal” Christianity
to one of vital, involved Christianity—from one of
merely accepting the tenets of our faith to a point
where our religion becomes a constantly present
influence over our daily living—where it will influence our participation in the work of Christianizing our world.
This talk is especially important in helping the
participants to understand their need to join with
other participants in doing this ministry of evangelizing their environments in the fourth day.
The talk giver must stress that Christ is calling the
participant to join with others in carrying out this
ministry. They are not expected to take up a “lone
wolf” form of individualistic ministry, but to join
with others in a community of workers to change
their environments dramatically.
Small groups, often called reunion or renewal
groups, provide an effective base of support and
an opportunity to discuss and plan this ministry.
The talk itself should proceed according to Dr.
Fred Keith’s outline.
First, announce the purpose of our Cursillo method movement: To evangelize the environment – to
Christianize the world!
Cursillo provides both an experience in community and an experience in Christian living.
The world we seek to reform is divided into many
environments, such as Family, Church and Neighborhood, and Work and Recreation environments.
Each of these environments has its own leaders,
ideals, goals—indeed its own atmosphere!
The work—the ministry—of Cursillo is focused
on these diverse environments; on making each of
these environments an experience in Christian
living.
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The Cursillo method for Christianizing these
communities is very purposeful, very intentional:
Communicate the Good News of Christ,
Discover that Christ is in our world,
Demonstrate His presence in the world Not as some mystic icon,
but as a living, sentient being,
present with us!
This work needs to follow a plan of familiarity, of
knowing the environment which is to be Christianized, of knowing Christ—which is very important—of providing personal leadership and
living as an example to each other and to the
world at large.
This ministry must be clearly Christian—
It must be formed in Christ, and given the examples of Christ.
Indeed it must be motivated for Christ and at
the same time, guided by the Holy Spirit.
The community of believers is shown in Acts
2:42-47 and is assured of the presence of Christ in
Matthew 18:20.
The Christian communities to be formed and enhanced in these environments are built on friendship and common beliefs and ideals. They may
be as small as a reunion group or much larger—
such as the congregation of a “megachurch”, or a
charity/ministry group such as Habitat for Humanity or perhaps a hospital support guild.
Such communities should be Apostolic in nature,
following the lead of Christ. (Mark 6:50), convinced of the value of this ministry of community,
Biblically oriented and inclined and triumphal in
the name and person of Christ.
As the communities go about reforming the
world, they must realize and accommodate the
fact that the pain and sin of the world are very
real, that God’s love for the world is universal, all
encompassing.
They must understand and acknowledge the fact
that God’s purpose will in time be achieved
(Colossians 1:15-20) and that God will use us to
demonstrate clearly His victory of Christ!
Tom
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Some Tax and Accounting Updates
When I retired from the practice of accounting I
subscribed to an annual update on the status of
religious organizations. The update is in the form
of a thick notebook, published annually, that deals
exhaustively with tax and accounting issues which
impact churches and other religious organizations,
such as Cursillo and Pilgrimage movements.
This year’s annual PPC’s Guide to Religious Organizations is nearly 700 pages long. It features
several items of possible significance to our local
communities.
Tax issues? Our movement doesn’t have anything
to do with tax issues, right?
Wrong! Tax regulations as administered by the
IRS, and by local and state governments, can have
a major impact on our ministry. For example, unless we report contributions and acknowledge
their receipt in the way required, our contributors
might not be allowed to declare their contributions
as deductible. Our receipts would shrink drastically and we might have to pay tax on them.
Odds of this happening are small—at present—but
as governments concentrate more and more on
examining non-profits, and as pressure on the
practice of our Christian religion builds up…
Anti-Christian organizations have been actively
seeking to force an end to favorable treatment for
churches and related groups. They have not experienced uniform success, but there are indications
that some courts are becoming more favorable to
such anti-church groups.
The authors of the Guide have noted that the IRS
intends to increase their scrutiny of tax exempt
organizations substantially.
The IRS has become active in monitoring websites and social media of exempt organizations, to
include the use of the internet. They appear to be
particularly interested in whether mission statements listed in IRS Forms 1023 and 990 are supported by statements on groups’ web sites. They
are also looking for unrelated business income
that is not reported on Form 990-T and for prohibited political activity. This doesn’t have to be blatantly political, but need be only activity that
might indicate to an IRS officer that your organi-
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zation openly supports the political efforts of one
party or another.
The IRS has also become active in seeking out
what it considers to be “diversion of assets”. Form
990 requires disclosure of such actions. If no such
disclosure is made, but some mention of such activity is included in a web site or other communication, the IRS will look for a cause of action. An
example might be a case in which an organization
buys a new trailer to haul it’s weekend materials
to camp, and then later donates the trailer to another organization without adequately accounting
for it. Even worse would be the case in which the
trailer is given to an individual without adequate
accounting and disclosure.
The IRS is also concerned about governance practices in exempt organizations. It regards the lack
of written mission statements, and the lack of effective procedures controlling the use of the assets
of the exempt group as warning signs of possible
misuse, or even fraud. It views the failure to have
every member of the local governing body review
the annual form 990 as a serious warning sign.
They also believe that a group is likely to be less
in compliance with the law if it is controlled by a
single individual or a small group of individuals.
The operative word is “control”. The local fourth
day community leadership must take active control. When did your community council last compare the mission statements listed in IRS forms
1023 and 990 with the “purpose” stated—or implied— in your web site or newsletters?
There may be no pressing need for this from the
perspective of operating Cursillo/Pilgrimage
weekends, but there is the need for this control
from the perspective of being allowed to continue
accepting tax exempt contributions to continue
operating our ministry. Careful, accurate council
meeting minutes are important.
This may not be an immediate problem—the
IRS’s attention probably won’t be directed down
to our level for at least the next year or two—but
it’s coming. We won’t be able to get away with
“Well, we didn’t know…” Ignorance of the
law—and now of IRS regulations—is no excuse.
But, don’t take this as a reprieve—that you can
Continued on next page
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Continued from previous page
leave the work of establishing controls to some
future leadership/council. These measures take
time to devise and establish, and to become routine. Get started now!
If our councils don’t examine our financial records, don’t establish and exercise cash controls,
account for “diversions of assets”, acknowledge
contributions in the required way, and make sure
our mission and purpose statements agree, we
could be surprised and dismayed one day to find
that we are not eligible to receive exempt contributions and that our members and other contributors cannot deduct their contributions.
The basic purpose of internal controls is to prevent
misuse, theft or fraud. The universal response is
that we have no need for such controls, since our
people are entirely trustworthy. This may very
well be true, but it neglects our most important
reason for establishing and enforcing internal controls: To satisfy the IRS and other taxing and regulating agencies so that we can avoid their harassment and can continue to go about our business in
peace. If they can see that we have reasonable
controls in place—and being adhered to—then
they’ll probably be satisfied.
Political activity by or during the events of religious non-profit organizations is also a major target of the IRS. Providing a forum for a candidate,
or advising members to vote for a particular individual, or distributing a candidate’s literature or
donating to a candidate’s campaign fund will be
viewed seriously by the IRS. Even allowing a
candidate to speak to your group (even giving a
standard Cursillo talk?) might be taken as reason
to deny your group’s exempt status.
Each of our local communities is required to file
an IRS form 990 series Information Return each
year. Failure to do so will very likely cause you to
lose your tax exempt status and to lose for your
contributors their own tax deductions for contributions to your organization.
If your organization should receive a request for
information from the IRS, be sure to respond as
fully and completely as possible. Failure to do so
can lead to an audit. Even if you come through
the audit, or a lesser tax inquiry, unscathed, the
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process will probably be an enormous bother, requiring a great deal of time and resources. The
enormous amount of paperwork and other data
you’ll be required to copy and turn over to the
IRS will be a great inconvenience.
Good governance practices require adequate internal controls. These include controls over the handling of cash, the use of organization assets, acquiring and disposing needed materials and relations with the managers of rental facilities we use.
Such internal controls include:
Cash controls—an adequate system of receiving, depositing, disbursing and accounting for
all the cash we receive. [All cash should be
processed through the community’s checking
account, to provide a basis of comparison and
lessen concerns about misuse.]
Ensuring compliance with applicable laws and
regulations.
Protecting the assets of the organizationkeeping them safe and available as needed.
Minimizing the opportunity for theft and misuse.
Careful recording and accounting for the
group’s assets, to include the preparation of
financial statements and treasurer’s reports
that comply with applicable standards.
Full review by your elected council/board of
directors of all financial statements and treasurer’s reports.
This places a heavy burden on the treasurer of
your organization. The treasurer need not necessarily be an accountant, but should at least have
access to the advise of an accountant or accountants who have been authorized by your local
council to review all financial records and reports.
There is not space here to detail the financial reporting that is required, so please make sure your
financial reporting system is prepared by someone
who is knowledgeable about such things. This
may very well require a fairly complete
’remodeling’ of your existing system.
One way to keep in touch with accountability and
governance issues in the world of religious nonprofit organizations is to keep an eye on the web
Continued on next page
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Continued from previous page
sites of a couple of organizations that track them:
Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability www.ecfa.org
Ministry Watch www.ministry.watch.com
Other potentially useful web sites include
The IRS website www.irs.gov
The Church Network www.nacba.net/Pages/
Home.aspx
Guidestar www.guidestar.org
The Church Network exists to train, certify and
resource those serving in church administration.
Guidestar provides a reporting format for nonprofits. Many, but not all, of our communities are
listed in Guidestar. Is yours?
Please note that the work of the above groups will
not be 100% applicable to our organizations,
simply because we have no payroll.
Some folks serving as treasurers may resent all the
changes and emphasis on controls. Tell them that
it’s not about them –it’s about the IRS— remind
them of the old saying about the need to cut cards
when playing poker: “With friends it’s customary,
with enemies it’s necessary: Take your pick!”
The message from all the above measures: Improve and tighten up your cash control and governance practices now, before some government
body forces you into much more rigorous reforms,
Remember the issue is not just one of preventing
fraud or misuse, it is the prevention of the IRS or
some other government agency believing we are
hiding something and thus making life miserable
for some future treasurer or council members—
and possibly revoking our tax exempt status and
that of our contributors.
Tom
Rita, why do we have to worry about all
that IRS stuff when we’re tax exempt?
So we can stay tax exempt, Roy!
Page 10
The Greater Good?
My wife, Sandy, and I have taken to watching episodes of the British who-dun-it “Foyle’s War.”
The series, set in wartime Britain in the 1940’s
features Michael Kitchen as the high ranking police officer Detective Chief Superintendent Chrisopher Foyle and Honeysuckle Weeks as his driver
cum aide Sam(antha) Stewart.
Many of the episodes deal with “greater good”
issues—matters in which the crimes of the perpetrators are overlooked or buried by authorities senior to Foyle because to do so serves the “greater
good”. In one case, the SS officer who murdered
26 American POWs is shielded from prosecution
because of the “greater good” of his spilling the
beans to MI5 about Russian intelligence.
In another case, a developer is defrauded of 1000
acres of prime land so that it can be used to plant
food for hungry Brits at the end of WWII—for the
“greater good”. In still another case, a murderer
and thief is freed from custody because of his
“greater good” influence on the proposed transfer
of 50 obsolescent destroyers from the US Navy to
the British as the convoy Battle of the Atlantic
heats up.
The highly ethical Foyle is outraged by these cases of officials pandering to some “greater good” though it often occurs that the case was solved in
the first place by Foyle or colleagues using illegally obtained information—in violation of the Official Secrets Act—illegally obtained but used by
Foyle, albeit reluctantly.
What has this to do with Cursillo/Pilgrimage? I
believe discussion of this issue of the “greater
good” could be a very useful topic for reunion
groups and other fourth day gatherings.
By the way, the first two issues above are dealt
with in the 3rd episode of the seventh season,
“Sunflower”. The third issue is dealt with in the
first episode of the second season, “Fifty Ships”.
What does scripture teach us about “the greater
good”? Try:
- Proverbs 3:27
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
- Romans 12:9
- Galatians 4:18
Tom
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
This is a reprint from the very first issue of the
Cursillista—published in October, 1998. It’s as
valid today as it was then.
The “0th” Day*
We’re all familiar with the 4th day—we’re in it!
We’ve all been in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days, but
what’s the “0th” day? That’s the time before Cursillo-specifically the time leading up to attendance
at a Cursillo weekend. Different communities handle it in different ways.
Some place responsibilities on the participants
sponsors. The Emmaus weekend I attended before Georgia Presbyterian Cursillo got started expected sponsors to bring pilgrims to a send off.
When the pilgrims left, the fourth day stayed and
celebrated the occasion with a worship service of
prayer for the pilgrims and shared communion
together.
When my wife went through Emmaus, there were
send-offs in different churches—pilgrims being
transported by van to the weekend site. Later
when I went through, the send-off had shifted to
the site itself.
Page 11
The Shepherds and the Angels
Luke 2:8-14 NIV
And there were shepherds living out in the fields
nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they
were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do
not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy
that will be for
all the people.
Today in the
town of David a
Savior has been
born to you; he
is Christ the
Lord. This will
be a sign to you:
You will find a
baby wrapped in
cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great
company of the heavenly host appeared with the
angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom
his favor rests.”
In our own congregational fourth day, we have a
man who insists on driving our pilgrims to the
Cursillo Camp– which is about 130 miles from
our church. (That means he also brings them
home, too.)
You just might want to consider what you do for
the participants in your own community. You just
might be able to make the “0th” day a time of
sharing God’s love, rather than a time of misgivings and solitude—which it can be.
Tom
The Visit of the Magi Matthew 2:1-2, 7-11 NIV
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to
Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east
and have come to worship him.” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and
said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as
you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship
him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way,
and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until
it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw
the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they
saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and
worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented
him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh..
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
This is copied from Wind of the Spirit—the newsletter of Palo Duro Presbyterian Cursillo.
Message from a weekend moderator
by Diane Keeble, Moderator of PDPC # 29
John 15:1-2: “I am the true vine, and my Father is
the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that
bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear
fruit he prunes so it will be even more fruitful.”
This passage speaks dear to my heart as gardening
has been a passion of mine for all my life. Therefore, John 15: 1-2 has been chosen as the scripture
for PDPC #29. Working in my garden daily is a
clear reminder of how God shows all of his glory
through the beauty of flowers, trees and green
grass. It’s a special time to be alone with Him as
he guides and directs me in the love and care of
the many plants within my garden. We are all the
branches within his garden and he invites you to
participate as a staff member, participant, or
fourth day volunteer to bear fruit among all who
follow Him. God has made it happen, and he has
enriched us greatly through Cursillo. There are
still many throughout Palo Duro Presbytery, as
well as other Presbyteries, who have not experienced the gift of Cursillo. Now is your opportunity to “branch out” and speak the good news of
how Cursillo has enriched your life. Applications
are available! You may find them at your church,
or I will be happy to email one to you. April will
be here in eight short months and it is not too early to ask someone you know to attend Cursillo.
Page 12
PDPC #29 will occur on April 15-19, 2015 at
Camp Chaparral in Iowa Park near Wichita Falls,
Texas. Of course, all of this cannot take place
without the full participation of a Cursillo staff
and the fourth day community. There are thirty
one spots available and already quiet a few have
applied, so please mail your applications to me as
soon as possible. The deadline for applications is
January 15, 2015. If you have never staffed a Cursillo please make it a prayerful consideration; I
promise it will be a gratifying experience. If it has
been a long time since you have staffed a Cursillo
we will welcome you with open arms! If you are
unable to staff this Cursillo, please email or call
and let me know if you will be able to help with
any fourth day activities. All fourth day participation (palanca, serenade, banquet table, party, closing, etc) are vital in the success of every Cursillo,
and that is why we need all who have attended a
Cursillo to help. Jesus says the only way to live a
truly good life is to stay close to him, like a
branch attached to the vine. I hope you will join
with me in the union of God’s garden by participating in PDPC#29 as we serve the participants
and supply them with God’s nourishment
so all will continue to grow in Him.
DeColores,
Diane Keeble [email protected]
You guys go find a
20 foot tree we can take
back to decorate the
Sunday School.
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Dave Hamilton reports:
th
Is Your 4 Day Community
Functioning Effectively?
Are your:
Weekend Participant numbers down?
Renewal Groups becoming “extinct”!
Weekends being staffed by essentially the
same people?
Communities large (only on the Rosters), but
You don’t feel like a “community”,
Qualified leadership is hard to find,
4th Day support of your Community
programs is sporadic,
You are questioning whether Weekend
Renewal accomplished its objectives?
You are not alone! Join representatives of other
Cursillo and Pilgrimage Communities in a National Training Seminar. Learn the parameters for
evaluating your community’s performance, some
ideas regarding how to make it better, and have
the opportunity to establish visions and objectives
for improving its effectiveness.
We are developing the 2015 dates for presentation
of National Training, so all dates are not yet firm.
However, they could include: Feb. 20 - 21 in
Ocean Springs, Miss; March 26 - 27* in Houston;
July 17 - 18 in Little Rock, AR; and August 27 28* in Atlanta. (*In conjunction with National
Council Meetings)
For more information, contact Dave Hamilton, our
National Training Coordinator at [email protected] or (501) 915-9045
National Training Dates for 2015 are still
in the “Proposed/Tentative “ state, but
may very well include: 2/20-21 in Ocean
Springs, Miss; 3/26-27* in Houston; 7/1718 in Little Rock; and 8/27-28* in Atlanta.
*In conjunction with national council
meetings.
For more information, contact Dave Hamilton,
our National Training Coordinator at
[email protected] or (501) 915-9045
Page 13
This is a reprint from the December. 1999 issue.
A Christmas Prayer For Cursillistas
Father, you have given us the Christmas Baby,
our King Jesus.
You have taught us in our churches
how our king expects us to live,
and to serve him and each other.
You have brought us to the mountain top,
to Cursillo,
to experience vividly what life
in our King Jesus should be.
Now, Lord, please help us to attain this ideal,
this dream,
this sanctification.
More important, Lord,
please help us share it with others.
Help us to share the music box.
Thank you, Lord.
This we pray in the name of our savior,
the Christmas Baby,
our King, Jesus Christ.
Amen
Tom
These puppies
will make a great gift
for your mom and dad!
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Page 14
New Year’s Resolutions for Fourth Day Folk
Check the resolutions you intend to keep:
I, ________________________, resolve that during 2015 I will:
1. Recruit at least one person to attend a
Presbyterian Cursillo or Pilgrimage weekend as a
participant.
 2. Be an active member of a reunion/renewal group.
 3. Attend as many of my community’s Ultreyas as I
possibly can.
 4. Staff at least one Presbyterian Cursillo or
Pilgrimage weekend.
 5. Serve in a supporting/adjunct role for at least one
other weekend.
 6. Actively sponsor at least one pilgrim.
 7. Prepare palanca for all participants and staff
members of my community’s weekends.
 8. Take up an active ministry in my local church.
 9. Attend the National Training Course.
 10. Do all (or at least most) of the above.
________________________________________ __________________
Signature
Date
________________________________________ __________________
Witness (In Addition To God—Optional)
Date
Tom
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Web Sites
Planning List of Special Dates
Special Day
2014
2015
2016
2017
1/20
1/19
1/18
1/16
Fri
Sat
Sun
Tues
President’s Day
2/17
2/16
2/15
2/20
Ash Wednesday
3/5
2/18
2/10
3/1
Daylight Savings Begins
3/9
3/8
3/13
3/12
St. Patrick’s Day (3/17)
Mon
Tues
Thurs
Fri
Palm Sunday
4/13
3/29
3/20
4/9
Passover
4/15
4/4
4/23
4/11
Easter Sunday
4/20
4/5
3/27
4/16
Orthodox Easter
4/20
4/12
5/1
4/16
Mother’s Day
5/11
5/10
5/8
5/7
Memorial Day (Monday)
5/26
5/25
5/30
5/29
Pentecost
6/8
5/24
5/15
6/4
Father’s Day
6/15
6/21
6/19
6/18
Independence Day(7/4)
Fri
Sat
Mon
Tues
Labor Day
9/1
9/7
9/5
9/4
World Communion Day
10/5
10/4
10/2
10/1
Fri
Sat
Mon
Tues
Daylight Savings Ends
11/2
11/1
11/6
11/5
Thanksgiving
11/27 11/26 11/24 11/23
Advent 1st Sunday
11/30 11/29 11/27 12/3
Chanukah Begins
12/17
12/7
Christmas Day (12/25)
Thurs
Fri
MLK Day
Valentine’s Day (2/14)
Halloween (10/31)
12/25 12/13
Sun
Mon
And One Especially Important Date:
Don’t forget to sign up on the Prayer
Banner for your upcoming weekends.
Go To www.prayerbanner.org
Just follow simple directions.
Page 15
About Presbyterian Cursillo and Pilgrimage in
General
www.days3.com or
www.cursillo.us - for prospective pilgrims
www.days3.com/4thday.htm or
www.cursillo.us/4thday.htm - for the fourth day
www.cursillo.com - of general interest
Web sites of specific communities:
Alabama www.alpresbyteriancursillo.com
Arkansas www.pilgrimage-arkansas.org
Austin www.austinpresbyterianpilgrimage.org
Chicagoland www.chpilgrimage.org
Colorado www.coloradopilgrimage.org
Eastern Oklahoma www.eokpresbytery.org
*** Eastern Virginia www.days3.com/EV.htm
Florida www.floridapresbyterianpilgrimage.org
Georgia www.georgiapresbyteriancursillo.com
Great Plains (Omaha) www.gpppilgrimage.org
Houston www.houstonpilgrimage.org
Indiana www.ipcursillo.org
James Virginia www.PJPilgrimage.org
Louisiana
www.louisianapresbyteriancursillo.org
Michigan www.mppilgrimage.org
Mississippi www.mspresbyteriancursillo.com
North Carolina www.ncpilgrimage.org
North Texas Adult: www.ntpp.org
Youth: www.northtexascelebration.com
Oklahoma www.days3.com/OK.htm
Palo Duro www.paloduropresbytery.org
Peaks Virginia - www.peakspresbytery.org/
pilgrimage.html
Shenandoah Virginia - www.math.jmu.edu/
~sanders/SPP.html
South Carolina
www.scpresbyterianpilgrimage.org
Tennessee Valley www.tvpcursillo.com
*** The community does not yet have it's own
separate web site. This will take you to the
community web page in our national web site.
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Page 16
Weekends Currently Scheduled: Adult Weekends High School Age Weekends College Age Weekends
Dates
Jan 3 to 5, 2015
Jan 17 to 19, 2015
Feb 12 to 15, 2015
Mar 12 to 15, 2015
Mar 12 to 15, 2015
Mar 19 to 22, 2015
Mar 19 to 22, 2015
Apr 9 to 12, 2015
Apr 9 to 12, 2015
Apr 16 to 19, 2015
Apr 16 to 19, 2015
Apr 16 to 19, 2015
Apr 23 to 26, 2015
Apr 23 to 26, 2015
Apr 30 to May 3, 2015
Apr 30 to May 3, 2015
Apr 30 to May 3, 2015
Apr 30 to May 3, 2015
Jun 4 to 7, 2015
Jun 25 to 28, 2015
Jun
, 2015
Jul 31 to Aug 2, 2015
Sep 17 to 20, 2015
Sep 24 to 27, 2015
Oct 1 to 4, 2015
Oct 8 to 11, 2015
Oct 15 to 18, 2015
Oct 22 to 25, 2015
Oct 22 to 25, 2015
Nov 5 to 8, 2015
Nov 5 to 8, 2015
Apr 7 to 10, 2016
Sep 29 to Oct 2, 2016
Weekend
North Texas Celebration # 19
Houston Area Celebration #
Houston Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 75
Oklahoma Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 53
Eastern Oklahoma Presbyterian Cursillo # 23
Michigan Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 32 (Detroit)
North Texas Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 38
South Carolina Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 68
Alabama Presbyterian Cursillo #34
Nebraska/Iowa Great Plains Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 17
Georgia Presbyterian Cursillo # 46
Palo Duro Presbyteran Cursillo # 29
Arkansas Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 22
Peaks Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 50
Mississippi Presbyterian Cursillo # 15
Michigan Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 32 (Lake Michigan)
Chicagoland Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 25
Florida Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 10
Houston Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 76
Louisiana Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 11
Presbytery of Eastern Virginia Pilgrimage #
North Texas Presbyterian Celebration # 20
Alabama Presbyterian Cursillo # 35
Mississippi Presbyterian Cursillo # 16
Nebraska/Iowa Great Plains Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 18
Michigan Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 33 (Detroit)
Arkansas Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 23
Houston Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 77
Florida Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 11
North Texas Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 39
South Carolina Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 69
Nebraska/Iowa Great Plains Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 19
Nebraska/Iowa Great Plains Presbyterian Pilgrimage # 20
The Palanca Department
is on the 3rd floor, but
don’t tell anyone
Lay Leader
Owen Urech
TBA
Mike Duncan
Robyn Spahr
Co Edwards
TBA
Gordon Northcutt
Randy Cook
Thom Fultz
Kirsten Tay
Linda Snowden
Diane Keeble
Sandra Phillips
Vernon Harvey
Mille Wolfe
Matt Kendall
TBA
TBA
TBA
Doug Arrick
TBA
Luke Haworth
Angie Shehee
TBA
Don Metzger
TBA
Ron Millikin
TBA
TBA
Clark Carradine
TBA
TBA
TBA
The names of the lay leaders are listed above so
that you can pray for them, for their teams and
for their pilgrims.
The National Presbyterian
December, 2014 Volume 17, Number 6
Page 17
Contacts
Alabama Sissy Crowe [email protected] Terry Skinner [email protected]
Arkansas Ron David [email protected] (479) 330-0035
Jen Payne [email protected] (479) 238-8764
Austin Texas Adult Weekends: Tom Wilson [email protected]
Youth Weekends: Kyle Bender [email protected]
Chicagoland Joanne Storm [email protected] (847) 679-0318
Colorado Kathy Upton [email protected] (719) 634-4671
Eastern Oklahoma Joyce Golding [email protected] (918) 407-1818 Co Edwards [email protected]
Eastern Virginia Gale Pere [email protected] (808)815-1595 Mary Jo Baylor [email protected] (757) 404-5083
Florida Dan Hallenbeck [email protected] (352) 615-0092
Georgia Debi Elkins [email protected] (770) 458-6415
Dane Gazaway [email protected]
Houston Adult: Kathleen Vivian [email protected] (713) 661-8488
Youth: Trish McElroy [email protected] (281) 277-1706 Rene Murphy [email protected]
James Virginia - Claudia Dickerson [email protected] (804) 550-0841
Mitch Rowland [email protected]
Kansas Mike Steil [email protected] Joan Bender [email protected]
Louisiana Barbara Breedlove [email protected] Sandy Broussard [email protected]
Michigan-Detroit Cyndi Geis-LaFata [email protected] (586) 457-6921
Michigan-Lake Michigan Sue Ann Clark [email protected]
Mississippi Susan Sumrall [email protected] (601) 373-6119
Nebraska/Iowa- Great Plains Jennifer Bennett [email protected] (402) 493-5091
North Carolina Adult: Jim Mason [email protected] (336) 491-9970
Arise Youth: Nancy Alderson [email protected] (910) 515-4170 (cell)
Mary Ann & Bill Kopp [email protected] Chip Todd [email protected]
North Texas Adult: Mary Hodge [email protected] (972) 437-6365
Youth: Harry Hodge [email protected] (972) 437-6365
Oklahoma Adult: Amy Mason [email protected] Jayne Spies [email protected]
Palo Duro Texas - Stacy Schroeder [email protected] (432) 528-6739
Chuck Nester [email protected] (806) 655-1971
Peaks Virginia - Bill Cowen [email protected] P O Box1024, Buchanan,VA 24066
Susan Caldwell [email protected]
Shenandoah - Virginia - Jeanette McCloud [email protected] Linda Mohler [email protected]
South Carolina Adult: Susan Seay [email protected]
Youth & Cross Training: Mike Allen [email protected] (843) 200-1899
Tennessee Valley Mary Snyder [email protected] (256) 558-5956
Don Payne [email protected] (256) 729-6934