E-Newsletter
April/18 / 2017
Phone: (314) 772-2395 ext.110
Office: 2236 Tower Grove Ave
              St. Louis, MO 63110

A Kind Word                                                                     by Rev. Dr. Craig Howard                                            Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy                  Transitional Leader

  When it comes to hearing a kind word, our congregations are just like people. They can always use a compliment too! Our congregations can use a word of hope and inspiration to lift their spirits and encourage them to go forward. Steven Burt and Hazel Ann Roper writes about raising church esteem in their book, The Little Church That Could. Don’t be put off by the title. This is a well written and researched book. Their context is the small church (100 members or less) but the idea applies to all congregations. Continue to read more...
Our Presbytery - Our Work


    This week's prayer basket...
  This week, please include in your prayers those who entered the church in Confirmation on Easter.

UPCOMING TEAM MEETINGS 
  • Thurs., April 20 at 9:30 a.m. History Team
  • Thurs., April 20 at 10 a.m. Stewardship Team
  • Thurs., April 20 at 1 p.m. Social Witness Action Team
  • Thurs., April 20 at 4 p.m. Vision Team
  • Thurs., April 27 at 1 p.m. - Presbytery Gathering
     Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Gathering
Thurs., April 27, 
at  1 p.m.  

at LoveJoy United Presbyterian Church
Wood River, Illinois
   Big Tent Event
  • Race
  • Reconciliation
  • Reformation
Continue to read more about who will be presenting and how you can register. This is important work and a great beginning to the impact we make at 223rd General Assembly.
Let's get started! Click here!
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Have You Planned for GA Today?
  COLA 2018 – Financial Support R eport
   The COLA 2018 Steering Committee thanks all congregations that have made a financial gift or have committed to a financial gift in support of hosting the 223 Meeting of the General Assembly on June 16-23, 2018, in St. Louis.  As a reminder, your gifts designated for 2017 are due in May. 
   Please make checks payable to the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy with COLA 2018 on the memo line.  Checks should be mailed to the Financial Office at the Presbytery Center. Congregations who have not submitted an Intention of Giving card are encouraged to do so.  
  A follow up letter with a new Intention of Giving card will be mailed to those congregations after May.  Any questions, please contact Jim Madson, Chair of the Finance Team, at 314-821-4588 or [email protected]
Hands & Feet Initiative
What is it? Why you should be a part of it....
Hands & Feet is a new initiative to highlight and strengthen local and national efforts by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to facilitate change and communicate God’s love. The project builds upon the grassroots, community work congregations, mid councils, and the national office are already doing, and dovetails with the biennial General Assembly gathering. Work already is underway via Hands & Feet and the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy to engage with mission and ministry projects on the ground in St. Louis, Missouri, site of the 223rd General Assembly (2018) scheduled for June 16–23, 2018.
Discover Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
    Experience Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with Richard Spener and Toni Armstrong on a canoe adventure. The raw beauty and remote wilderness of the place have drawn them back to visit six times over the past 26 years. 
   Richard and Toni  hold leadership positions in local and national environmental organizations. Richard’s images have been published by the National Park Service, Nature Conservancy, Missouri Prairie Foundation and Alaska Wilderness League. Their photo exhibit on Missouri’s wilderness areas traveled across the state for a year in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Plan to attend on Wednesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church (45 W Lockwood Ave., Webster Groves)
 April 30 - A Day of Presbytery Music
 Air Force Band Concert
Join First Presbyterian Church, Alton, Illinois in welcoming the Air Force Band in a free concert at the church. The concert will take place on Sunday, April 30 at 3 p.m.  All are welcome!
  The Spirituals
   Sunday, April 30, 2017 at  3 p.m. Westminster Presbyterian Church hosts an African American Spiritual. This is one of this country's most important and meaningful genres of music. These Spirituals are beloved the world over for their easy, accessible music and moving, inspirational texts, which emerged under extreme oppression.  
   This concert is a celebration of those works, their arrangers, and the performers who brought them into our modern consciousness. The cost of tickets is $15.00 and may be purchased online at: www.missouriwomenschorus.org  
Bach Society Concert
The Bach Society of St. Louis Young Artists with pianist Sandra Geary present a concert on Sunday, April 30 at 4 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church.  This concert is presented jointly with the Bach Society of St. Louis and is part of Bach Festival St. Louis.  The concert is free and open to the public.  The church is located at 4501 Westminster Place in the Central West End, St. Louis, 63108.  For more information call 314-367-0367 or visit www.secondchurch.net .
What can you do to help, you ask?
Nicaragua Mission Deadline is April 30th
   Members of our presbytery are planning to participate in this summer’s annual multi-generational mission trip to our partner community in Nicaragua.  NOW is the time for you to consider if God is calling you to be a part of this trip because the team is forming!   What could you expect if you joined us?  Only God knows!  You might . . .     
   Make new Nicaraguan and North American friends - Visit coffee fields
Visit local schools and meet our scholarship students - Learn about the lives of God’s people in Nicaragua - Learn something new about yourself and your faith!
    Call Harriet Hall at 314-963-7112 or email [email protected] .   Continue to read more here 
TIP FOR LIVING GREEN......Use Low-Flow Technology.
Replace showerheads and hose nozzles with lo-flow models, put a water bottle or other object in the toilet tank to displace a certain amount of water, or buy a lo-flwo toilet.  Reusing reduces waste 100% 
(Provided by the Earth Care Action Team of presbytery consisting of the six certified Earth Care Congregations in the presbytery.  Contact [email protected].) 
Educational  Opportunity
 2017 Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry at Princeton Seminary April 25th-28th, 2017- The Forum is an uncommon blend of theological and practical exploration of youth ministry. The theme for this year's Forum is "Declare!" We will explore the prophetic voice vital to the church's work with young people. Hear from speakers like Andrew Root, Amanda Drury, and Gregory C. Ellison II. Renew your energy for ministry as you create vocational friendships, stretch your imagination, and give Sabbath to your soul. Continue for more information .  
   Can't make it to Princeton? We are offering a digital version of The Forum on Youth Ministry this year. For more information, please visit the website above. The link for registration is here .
What Are Our Building Options
  Building Sacred Space in a Crumbling World...Upsizing Dreams 
      We are all aware of the struggle that many face as smaller congregations are holding on to larger buildings. In most cases these buildings are from a different era, and maintenance is often beyond the ability of the individual congregation to uphold, but it can be equally tasking for larger congregations or even community organizations to feel they are not fully utilizing their space in good stewardship.      The South Side Presbyterian Churches United (SSPCU) along with Moderator, Rev. Paula Cooper are interested in pursuing options for their space. They are called to continue ministry and so they, in their research, have connected to Partners for Sacred Places. Deadline to join in is April 28,2017, Continue to read more...
  Presbyterian Women Announce Meeting
& Service Education Opportunity
Thank You for Your Generosity