Presbytery Diaconal Summit IV (PDS IV)

The Committee on Diaconal Ministries (CDM) sponsored its fourth Presbytery Diaconal Summit (PDS IV) on Thursday, October 10 and Friday, October 11, 2019 in Geneva, Illinois.

This summit is generally held every two years, and is designed specifically for members of Presbytery Diaconal Committees (PDC). In 2019, including speakers, there were 37 men in attendance, representing twelve presbyteries in the OPC.

The program began with dinner at 5:00 pm on Thursday, followed by a devotional led by CDM President, Rev. Nathan Trice, and a presentation on “PDCs Serving our Presbyteries” by CDM Administrator, David Nakhla.

On Friday morning, Rev. Lendall Smith presented an “Introduction to the Committee on Ministerial Care,” and Greg De Jong led a “Ministerial Care” workshop. CDM Member Mike Di Peppino spoke on “PDCs Serving our Congregations.” On Friday afternoon, CDM Member Chris Sudlow spoke on “PDCs Serving our Deacons.”

Reports from individual PDCs, question and answer sessions, meals, and fellowship opportunities rounded out the two-day summit, with the men traveling home on Saturday morning.

What attendees had to say:

Doug Vos (Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario):

“It was truly a blessing to attend the PDS IV meeting in Chicago.”

Mark Peter (Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic):

“Great food and lodging, great teaching, and great fellowship!”

Robert Kafka (Presbytery of New Jersey):

“I really enjoyed it, and learned a lot, and had good fellowship. What an encouragement to see how God’s Kingdom is moving forward!”

Chris Decker (Presbytery of Southern California):

“The summit was a blessing to me in many ways, not the least of which was the connection we all have in Jesus, the unity displayed due to the Spirit’s work, and the common job description as deacons….Very encouraging to be around men who’ve been serving the Lord through diaconal ministry for decades, or longer! The collective wisdom represented at the summit was off the charts.