To: Tres Rios Presbytery Clergy, CLPs, Council members and others who expressed an interest in Spiritual Discernment
From: the “What’s Next?” task force of presbytery council (Dennis Haralson, Pat Hunter, Jimmy Stevens, Cheryl Homsher, Jose Luis Casal)
Re: Presbytery-wide Discernment

Spiritual Discernment involves seeking God’s yearning for us as individuals and churches.  In discernment we learn to let go of our agendas and to listen to God as we seek God’s desire first.  The foundational question is:

                        God, what is your yearning for Tres Rios Presbytery?

We are excited to be moving ahead with a process of spiritual discernment for our presbytery, and are pleased that  the presbytery council has contracted with Water in the Desert Ministries (out of Albuquerque) to facilitate this process with us.  The two leaders, Val Isenhower and Judith Todd, are very experienced in leading diverse groups through the discernment process, and come highly recommended.  They are also well-versed in and incorporate into their work the concepts of Worshipful Work (founded by Charles M. Olsen), which some of you may be familiar with.  They are the authors of the book Listen for God’s Leading: A Workbook for Corporate Spiritual Discernment, which our presbytery council members have read in preparation for the presbytery entering into this process.  To read more about Judith and Val, and their work please go to www.waterinthedesert.org. 

We feel that this is extremely important for our presbytery, and believe that this process can help us go deeper in our faith. “There is a hunger abroad in our time, haunting lives and hearts,” writes Marjorie Thompson, in Soul Feast.  It is our sense that this presbytery does not need just another gimmick, but rather that we are hungering for spiritual depth and integrity as we search for direction and priorities for our mission and ministry as the church of Jesus Christ in west Texas in 2010 and beyond. 

The role of Val and Judith as facilitators will be:

·         Guide us through a discernment process by asking questions and listening (to what is being said, to what is not being said and for the movement of the Holy Spirit)

• Provide feedback and direction
• Move us toward decisions for our future based on the Presbytery’s history and current situation, willingness to listen to each other and God, and a prayerful understanding of God’s leading 

We are looking for 12-14 people who want to be involved in this discernment process for our presbytery, and we would like to have several folks from each cluster, clergy and lay leaders.  We are looking for folks who have some working knowledge of the presbytery but not preconceived ideas about our direction.  Whoever is involved in this process will be asked to commit to:

·         Daily prayer for the presbytery and discernment – during discernment gatherings and between gatherings
·         Listening for God’s yearning and leading (personally and for our presbytery)
·         Attendance at four “retreats” of 2-3 days each over the course of a year, the first one being November 5-7.
·         Listening to one another during the discernment gatherings
·         Respecting one another and keeping confidentiality during discernment gatherings
·         Engaging scripture
·         Completing assignments between meetings
·         Holding discussions and listening opportunities with the sessions within their cluster between the retreat times

We hope to commission the Discernment Team at our October presbytery meeting in El Paso, and to have Val and Judith present at that meeting to talk with the presbytery about beginning this process.

It is also our hope that there will be a “ripple” effect, or even a “snowball” effect in our presbytery.  As we learn tools for listening and discerning at a presbytery level, perhaps we will put them to use in our congregations, presbytery committees, and other avenues of ministry in which we are involved.

If you have questions about what is involved and what the expectations are, please feel free to contact any member of the “What’s Next?” task force.  If you are interested in participating in this process for our presbytery, or if you would like to suggest someone from your congregation to participate in the process, please let Cheryl Homsher know by September 15.  The “What’s Next?” task force will be making final decisions about who the participants will be.

We are also looking for people who are willing to pray for the participants and for the process (not attend the gatherings, but pray for those involved, throughout the process).  If you are willing to do this, or know of someone who is, please let Cheryl or Jose Luis know.  We will develop a list of “Discernment Process Pray-ers” (any suggestions for a more creative name?) and keep them in-the-loop about the process all along the way.

We look forward to hearing from you!  And we ask everyone to please be praying about the people who will enter into this process on behalf of our presbytery, please be praying for Val Isenhower and Judith Todd as they prepare to lead us in our discernment.

The “What’s Next?” task force & contact information:
           Dennis Haralson          432-758-5886; dennis@moore-haralson.com
            Cheryl Homsher          432-684-6542; cherylgracemidtx@apex2000.net
            Pat Hunter                   432-684-3797; pcthunter@hotmail.com
            Jimmy Stevens            915-584-3821; jsteven1@elp.rr.com
            Jose Luis Casal            432-682-5297; jlcasal@tresrios.org
           

God, what is your yearning for our church?
God, what would you have us do?
God, how would you have us grow spiritually?
God, how would you have us change?
(from Listen for God’s Leading)