Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Weekly Newsletter

Newsletter

August / 28 / 2018

Civility and Kindness

Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard

Transitional Leader of

Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

“I will know that the presbytery has been transformed when we show kindness toward one another.” I made this statement in a Vision Team meeting in the middle of 2017. It was my first attempt to grasp what was occurring in the life of our presbytery, and what needed to change. Kindness can be experienced as civility. By actually listening to one another, and not just waiting to interrupt, is a show of respect. Kindness means feeling the frustration we share as we work within the rules of a system that often seems daunting, irrelevant, indifferent, and unreasonable. Kindness is the grace we extend to one another, especially in times of brokenness, insecurity, and vulnerability. Click here to continue.

Our Presbytery - Our Work

Weekly Prayer Basket Update

Please pray for those who are in recovery from Hurricane Lane. No doubt that Presbyterian Disaster will respond, but can you help? Click here.

Submit a Prayer

What's Happening? Did you know?

Toxic congregations can get healthy: Even one person can destroy a church with their controlling behavior, but all too often, the default of most congregations is to accept the behavior rather than challenge it. A freshly ordained, energetic new pastor arrives to the resounding “Alleluia!” of a grateful congregation. Two years later, she leaves in fury, blaming a toxic environment, with her health in tatters. Read on here.
Presbyterian Men...we often hear about the PW, but what about the PM? Click here.

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Positions Available Found Here

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Welcome!

The Presbytery is pleased to welcome Alonzo Williams and Rich Hadley. Alonzo will be leading Berea Presbyerian Church, and Rich will be serving as a Chaplain, at a local hospital.

The Commissioning Service for Alonzo Williams will be held on Sun., Sept. 2, 2018 at 3 p.m. at the Berea Presbyterian Church, located at 2621 Russell Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri 63104. Directions can be found here. The flyer or this service can be found here. Mark your calendars - it is this weekend!

Upcoming Team Meetings - Locations Listed

(Wednesday to Tuesday)

PLEASE NOTE: The Oaks Conference Room (Oaks) and St. Andrews Conference Room (St. Andrews) are both located at the new Presbytery office, 1001 Craig Rd., Suite 170, St. Louis, MO 63146,

(Oaks) is on the first floor (St. Andrews) is on the second floor. Directions can be found here.

(Ladue) refers to Ladue Chapel, 9450 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, MO 63124. Directions can be found here.

This Week....

No Meetings Scheduled

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Mon., Sept. 3 - (Labor Day)

Presbytery Office Closed

Next Week:

Mon., Sept. 10

11 a.m. - Dynamic Leaders (Webster Groves)

Tues., Sept. 11

10 a.m - Finance (Oaks)

4 p.m. - Admin & Support (Oaks)

Uprooting Hunger - Hunger Action Team

The next sixteen months the presbytery will work toward establishing Certified Hunger Action Congregations. We know that some of you are already doing a lot to combat hunger, but there is more that can be done. The handout given at the last Presbytery Gathering will be useful to your congregations in the next sixteen months. If you didn't get a chance to pick one up, you can click here to download one. We look forward to the year + ahead. If you have any questions, please contact us via [email protected]

It's Session Records Review Time

The Stated Clerk is responsible for the review of session records (Minutes, Rolls and Registers) on behalf of the presbytery. The Book of Order requires sessions to have their session and congregational minutes, rolls and registers reviewed by presbytery annually. For information about what is needed at the review, please visit https://www.glpby.org/resources/session-records-review/

The dates selected for review are:

Saturday, September 22 - 10 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church of Washington. Directions can be found here.
Saturday, October 20 - 2 p.m. - Location To Be Announced
Saturday, October 27 - 10 a.m. - Location To Be Announced

If you have any questions, or concerns, please contact Stated Clerk, Rev. Joy Myers at [email protected] or by calling 314-772-2395.

Our Community Connected

Many Paths - One Future

The Annual Interfaith Dinner and Celebration will be held on Thursday, October 25, at the St. Charles Convention Center. This year's featured speaker is Tarek El-Messidi, founder of Celebrate Mercy and is hosted by the Muslim Community. Full details of the event can be found here.

75th Anniversary Celebration

Affton Presbyterian Church welcomes all to celebrate with them, the 75th Anniversary of their church. There will be a celebratory worship service beginning at 10 a.m. on Sunday, September 16, followed by a luncheon. Please call 314-631-9217 for more information and to register for lunch. The event flyer can be found here. Learn more about the congregation here.

Presbyterian Women Fall Gathering Date Set

You can participate in Presbyterian Women of the Giddings-Lovejoy Presbyery, by attending their Fall Gathering on September 29 ^th at John Knox Presbyterian Church. Directions can be found here.

Registration for the event can be found here.

Are you interested in Presbyterian Women, but have questions? Please email Cindy Fieg, Giddings-Lovejoy Presbyterian Women Moderator here.

Don't forget they are also seeking supplies for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Find the complete list here. If you are able to help financially, please email Cindy (listed above).

Congregations Hosting Craft Fairs

Don't forget that these congregations are hosting fall craft fairs, and if you know of any others, please let us know.

Maryland Heights Presbyterian Church, Saturday, October 6th from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Crafters and vendors needed, please contact us at [email protected] or by calling (314) 739-4721.

John Knox Presbyterian Church, are currently looking for vendors and craftspeople for our Saturday, November 10th from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Email [email protected] for information and application.

Educational & Missional Opportunities

Pastoral Leaders Retreat

This retreat, partially funded by the Omaha Presbyterian Seminary Foundation, is for Clergy, Commissioned Pastors and Christian Educators. It will be held on Monday, October 29 and Tuesday, October 30 at the St. Crispins Conference Center, in Wewoka, Oklahoma. The focus will be Renewal in Worship, where we will learn about the new developments in the 2018 Common Book of Worship, seek the renewal of gifts, rest and reflect. Complete details can be found here.

Evangelism Conference - The Sabbath

Presbyterian Mission colleagues the Revs. Drs. Ray Jones and Jason Brian Santos in Theology, Formation and Evangelism ministries(TFE) at the Presbyterian Mission Agency have been asking each other questions about the practice of Sabbath such as, “What is it?”, “Why do we do Sabbath?” and “How do we depart, once we’ve participated in Sabbath?”

Jones, acting director of TFE, and Santos, coordinator of Christian Formation, took these questions to the 2018 Evangelism Conference planning team. Collaboratively, the group decided to create a different kind of conference experience for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), calling it the “2018 Evangelism Conference: Sabbath Rest, Holy Surrender, Full Life.”

More information can be found here.

Mindful Ministry: Moving from

“Doing” Ministry to “Being” Ministers

This full day workshop will be held on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m., Workshop held 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Lunch included) Mercy Conference and Retreat Center. We live in a very busy and noisy culture. All around us people and things clamor for our attention. The pressure to maintain the hectic pace of our on-demand, instant gratification society can be especially taxing for ministers or desire to be of service to all who need their help. The pressure of “doing ministry” in such a hectic environment can contribute to burn-out and a feeling of being disconnected from one’s self, and from God. Full details can be found here.

Underground Railroad Bus Tour

The Presbytery History Team is pleased to announce its 2018 bus tour featuring the Underground Railroad in the St. Louis and Alton areas. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 7. Please join the Team on this journey along the covert network that led fugitive slaves to freedom. We will see Old Des Peres Presbyterian Church, Nathanial Hanson House, Elijah Lovejoy Monument and Grave, College Avenue Presbyterian Church and the Old Rock House, as we learn the history of this important, but neglected, humanitarian effort. We will enjoy a delicious lunch at a favorite Alton restaurant. Full details can be found here.

Kaleidoscope Conference is Fast Approaching

September 24 - 26, 2018

St. Louis, MO Hilton St. Louis Frontenac

Stewardship Kaleidoscope is an annual conference offering excellent plenary speakers, informative workshop leaders, provocative worship experiences, and incredible networking opportunities for all who are passionate about stewardship and generosity.

Complete details can be found here.