Privilege? Nah. Not me.

Guest Blog post by the Rev. Dr. Chris Keating

Woodlawn Chapel Presbyterian Church

            

I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with words like “privilege” or “bias.” There was little about my childhood that could be described as privileged—at least not in the way some might use the term. Middle class, certainly, but hardly privileged. And while I’m far from perfect, I tend to think my biases are primarily focused positively in favor of certain baseball teams and warmer climates and negatively against a particular chain of restaurants. Continue here to read on. 

May 5th Gathering Registration Now Open

We welcome Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training

For Information about Crossroads - Click Here

Register for the Gathering Here

Celebrating 20 Years of

Missional Giving

 

The PC(USA) Pentecost Offering which nurtures the faith of God’s children as children, youth, and young adults. This year, the Presbyterian Mission Agency celebrates this Special Offering that has been supporting ministry for 20 years and has received over $14 Million Dollars.

The Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy has many churches that participate, but we have three congregations who have been long-standing supporters for each of those 20 years. The First Presbyterian Churches of Hardin, Illinois and Jackson, Missouri, as well as St. Mark Presbyterian of Ballwin, Missouri have collected and participated in this special offering.

Can your congregation consider this valuable youth and young children missional ministry? For more information, please follow this link , and prayerfully consider supporting the 2018 Pentecostal Offering

Elders called to Commissioned Ruing Elder training your training opportunity is on the horizon!

 

Ruling elders desiring to explore a call to serve our smaller congregations as Commissioned Ruling Elders (CRE) are invited to attend an inquiry day on May 19, 2018 at Rock Presbyterian Church, 6439 US Highway 61/67 in Imperial, Missouri. We will meet at 9:00 am for a light breakfast including an exploratory time regarding the role of CRE's in the PC(USA), information about curriculum, cost, schedule and application requirements. We will end with lunch, dismissing at 1:00 pm.

$15.00 secures your reservation with a RSVP sent to Debra Tracy, 689 Highland Drive, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. Checks made payable to Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy. E-mail Debra with any questions at [email protected]. (Please RSVP by May 14th.)

How do we Understand Per Capita

Per Capita is a fundamental way in which all congregations and mid councils of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) connect, participate and share in the work of the wider church. Per capita is the primary source of funding for the Office of the General Assembly and is how Presbyterians mutually and equitably share the costs of coming together to discern the Spirit’s leading for the future. It is funds donated by all members of the PC(U.S.A.) and allocated to all councils above the local congregations.  Continue here.

Hands and Feet Celebration

featuring Kirk Whalum

Be sure to purchase your tickets to be part of the Hands and Feet Celebration featuring Grammy Award winning artist Kirk Whalum for Thursday evening, June 21, at the 223 ^rd Meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Tickets are $15 and can be purchased as a part of General Assembly Registration . For more information, continue here.

Want to Attend Some GA#223 Events?

Please see this Schedule of Events. Remember If you wish to only purchase tickets and do not need assistance with lodging, select the “Tickets Only” Roles and Components as you register to skip paying the $95 advance registration fee. What a savings!

Nicaragua Mission Trip Team

Forming Now!

We’re shaping up the group who will travel July 21-29 to visit our partners in Plan Grande #2 Nicaragua and we need YOU to complete the team! This mission trip is a wonderful opportunity to travel with others from our presbytery to learn more about the world and deepen relationships with our sisters and brothers in Nicaragua. NO SKILLS REQUIRED – other than the ability to open your heart and mind to God’s presence. Participants must be over 18-years-old or traveling with a parent. It can be an especially meaningful experience for a teen and her/his parent! 

The first team meeting for those who are considering or committed to the trip is being held on Sunday, April 29 at 3:00 pm at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church 45 West Lockwood, 63119. Contact Harriet Hall at 314-707-4750 or email [email protected] to RSVP and for more information. Check out the group on Facebook Here and also on the presbytery’s website www.glpby.org. 

Mom's Demand Action - Do You?

MOMS DEMAND ACTION for Gun Sense In America is a national, grassroots organization, part of a group founded by Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City after the Newtown shootings in 2012. If interested in more information, please contact Susan Andrews at [email protected], or by calling 914-815-6507.

The Verse After the Verse

by Rev. Dr. John Shear

The Verse After the Verse, written by Rev. John Shear, pastor at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Bridgeton, takes twelve familiar passages, ones that people memorize and not only unpacks that verse but looks at the verse just after to see if there is a dynamic created with the two verses. The publisher is Book Ventures and the book is scheduled to be printed within the next two weeks. It sells for $9.50 with a dollar from each sale going into the funds at John Calvin Presbyterian Church.  A "Book Launch" at the John Calvin Presbyterian will be held on Tuesday, May 8th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Those attending General Assembly will also find a booth site for this book.

Pinwheels Social Group

Have any church families that might enjoy Pinwheels, a social group in University City for transgender or gender expansive kids, teens and their supportive parents? Our next gathering: Sunday, May 6th, 1-4pm in U City. Please call Liz Nelson at 314-359-2478 or email [email protected] to learn more and find out the exact location.

Get away to Mound Ridge this Summer…

Experience a ‘thin space’ of rest, rejuvenation, recreation and renewed connection to your family and God. Summer 2018 at Mound Ridge Retreat Center offers a transforming experience for individuals, groups and families within the breathtaking quiet beauty of our Missouri Foothills and Meramec River. Find your camp experience here.

Still Christian: My Journey Through American Christianity with David Gushee, PhD

On Wednesday, April 25, Saint Louis University welcomes David Gushee, a Christian ethicist, public intellectual, Holocaust scholar, a leading voice working to end government sponsored torture, and a defender of LGBTQ concerns within the Church. His positions on issues like climate change, torture, and LGBTQ rights keep him in the public eye and often create conflicts with more traditional Christian constituencies.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Pere Marquette Gallery (DuBourg Hall, 2nd floor). For more information, please continue here.

Confession Conversations on Eden Campus

Though only 80 lines long and taking no longer to say in worship than to sing a four-stanza hymn, the Brief Statement of Faith is jam-packed with theology ~ theology that is accessible to folks in the pew and still meaty enough to spend quite a bit of time on. We won’t do justice to its riches, but we will explore some of them when we meet on May 1 at 9:30 at Eden. You’re welcome to join us. Contact Barbara Willock, at [email protected] for more information.                         

Seeking Site Manager

We are a mission of Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, a small, urban church, located in South St. Louis, Missouri. We provide mission experiences and housing for church groups, youth groups, college groups, activists, and others seeking to serve in the city. Each summer, we hire a site manager to welcome, orient, and assist the visiting teams. We are looking for someone with energy and organizational skills, who loves working with people but isn’t afraid of a form or two, who can make sure visiting groups have what they need, and who can think ahead and notice new ways we can better welcome and serve others. Continue for more information

Part-Time Administrative Assistant

Pacific Presbyterian Church in Pacific, MO, is requesting applications for the part time position of Administrative Assistant. The purpose of the position is to provide administrative and secretarial services to the pastor and other church staff. Continue here for more information.