Laboring in God's Vineyard

Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard

Transitional Leader of

Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

When I became a Minister of Word and Sacrament, I was not ordained to a congregation. At the time I was working at McCormick as the Chief Development Officer. I really enjoyed fund raising, and I had spent my time since graduating seminary doing pastoral work, and institutional ministry.   Click here to continue.       

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.

(WebGrov) refers to Webster Groves Presbyterian, 45 W Lockwood Ave, St. Louis, MO 63119 Directions can be found here.

Uprooting Hunger - Hunger Action Team

The next sixteen months the presbytery will work toward establishing Certified Hunger Action Congregations. This handout will be helpful to your congregation, as we journey together in the year + ahead. We look forward to the year + ahead. If you have any questions, please contact us via [email protected]

Covenant Presbyterian Church broadens

its reach through active engagement

 “I’m just the pastor. This congregation rocks!” Such is the outlook of Kirk Perucca, pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church. This small, ethnically diverse congregation located south of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, has been a Presbyterian Hunger Program Certified Hunger Action Congregation since 2017, but has been advocating hunger, fairness and justice issues for most of its 110-year-plus existence. Continue here.

Great Music of Many Faiths

The Eighth Annual Arts and Faith Interfaith Concert “Great Music of Many Faiths” will be on Sunday, September 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri 63108 .  Directions can be found here. The concert is free. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

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.

Rally Back to Sunday School

Several of the Presbytery's Congregations Rally Back into focus on Christian Education during the school year. Here are a few we know of...New Hope will be having a Back to Sunday School Breakfast; Presbyterian Church of Washington is having a Pajama's and Pancakes; and the Steelville Presbyterian Church is holding a Rally Day Tail Gate Party. We would love to hear about your traditions, so drop us a note at [email protected] so we can pray with and for you this school year!

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).

Perseid String Quartet in Concert

The Perseid String Quartet plays a concert at Second Presbyterian Church on Sunday, October 7 at 4:00 p.m. The ensemble is comprised of violinists Hannah Frey and Manuela Kaymakanova, violist Eliana Haig, and cellist Stephanie Hunt. The church is located at 4501 Westminster Place in the Central West End, St. Louis, 63108. The concert is part of the Couts Music Series and is free to the community. For more information call 314-367-0367 or   www.secondchurch.net .

Interfaith Meetings

Everyone is invited to attend the Interfaith Dialogue meetings in the lower level conference room at Aquinas Institute of Theology, 23 South Spring, St. Louis, Missouri 63108 , Directions can be found here . These meetings will take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: September 4, 11, 18, 25; October 2, 9, 16. At these meetings a group of Jews, Christians, and Muslims study the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Qur’an together.

Pinnacle Dialogue: Who are the "Dones" 

and Why Should the Church Care About Them? 

Patrick Vaughn is affiliated with the church coaching/consulting organization, Pinnacle Leadership Associates. He is working with them to provide the above mentioned webinar. Very little has been written on the Dones, and this conversation promises to offer important and helpful insights. 

 Who are the "dones"? They are the 65 million people who have left the church. Another 7 million people are "almost dones." While they are still sitting in pews  on Sunday morning , they already have one foot out the door. Why have the "dones" left the church? (Hint: Age is not the issue!) Are they simply angry malcontents? What might we learn from them? Can leaving actually be a spiritual practice? Join us for this conversation as Patrick helps us 1) understand their struggle; 2) consider how we might unwittingly turn people off Christian community; and 3) discover how t he "dones" can enrich our faith.   Click here to register!  

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.

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.