New Movements in the Journey

Blog post by the Rev. Vanessa Hawkins

Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

Designated Associate Leader

[email protected]

This past Sunday as I sat in First Church Edwardsville, Il, as they dedicated their new building, I was in awe at this new stage of their journey. Entering the building I was engulfed by the sound of excited voices and the smell of newly painted walls, new carpet, chairs, and windows. My feet sank into the firmness of the mixed grey carpet as I made my way to the pastor’s office with a picture window displaying a winter scene of rural America. New chairs, still wrapped in plastic wrap, were stacked to my right and as I toured the sanctuary I was greeted by the rich colors of the stained-glass windows. The new stained-glass windows complimented the old ones. Please continue here. 

March for Our Lives - St. Louis

The march, will be held on Saturday, March 24, beginning at Union Station and marching to the Arch, where there will be speakers and activities to participate in. Let’s march as a presbytery and show solidarity with our youth and with victims of gun violence and demand action from congress!

The presbytery has reserved a 15-passenger van and will caravan with Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, located at 45 W Lockwood Ave, St. Louis, MO 63119. For more information and to register to ride the van, please click here . We leave at 8:45 a.m. Please be at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church by 8:15 a.m. Directions to the church can be found here .

If you want to connect with the Presbytery group at the conference, just text Vanessa at (502) 645-5696 and she will give you the group’s location.

What's Happening? ..... Did you know?

The Presbytery Office Will Be Moving the

Week of March 26th

In transition, we ask that you call or email requests/information during that week, until we are established at our new home at 1001 Craig Rd., in Creve Coeur, Missouri, on Monday, April 2. Thank you for your patience during this time.Not sure who to email? Simply use: [email protected]

Program Grants for Summer 2018

  There are Presbytery funds to conduct summer programs available to member churches and social agencies in relationship with the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy. The funds will be awarded through an application process directed by the Mission and Outreach Ministry Team. 

The purpose of the grants is to provide opportunities for summer Christian education and witness, personal growth, and recreation to children and adults in communities of need. The deadline for applying is April 6. Full details, along with application, can be found here.

Nicaragua Mission Trip 2018

There will be an informational meeting on Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m. hosted by Webster Groves Presbyterian Church for the planned Nicaragua Mission Trip, scheduled for July 21-29 of this year.

Full details can be found here.

Singers needed for massed choir at

General Assembly

Opening Worship Service

We are forming a choir from churches within the presbytery to sing at the opening worship service of GA223 on Saturday, June 16 at America’s Center (the convention center) in downtown St. Louis. This choir will be conducted by Bill Stein (First, Kirkwood) and the organists will be Andy Peters (Second PC) and Shawn Portell (Webster Groves PC). The choir will also be accompanied by musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The sheet music for the singers will be provided (at no cost to the individual churches) by the COLA. The expectation is that choirs will prepare the music on their own and that singers will attend 1 regional rehearsal (dates and locations TBA) and a dress rehearsal on Friday, June 15 (Time and location TBA). At this time we would like to get a sense of how many singers to expect so that we can order the music and get it distributed to churches.

Please email David Erwin (Ladue Chapel) at [email protected] to let him know how many singers to expect, and for any questions you may have. This is going to be a wonderful experience, and we’re hoping for a choir of at least 200 singers!

Calling Crafters for General Assembly

 The primary visual artistic element for General Assembly will be a paper lace banner designed by liturgical artist Ellen Phillips. Ellen will design the banner, but it will be cut out by members from around the Presbytery. Ellen will lead cutting workshops at Ladue Chapel, and we invite you to come, cut and commune together. Supplies will be provided, so just sign up and come! Dates and times of the workshops are:

There is a limit of 10 participants in each session, but you may sign up for multiple sessions. To sign up, please visit stlouisga.com and click on the volunteer tab. This will take you Sign-up Genius and the Artist Workshops are listed there.

Any questions, please contact David Erwin at [email protected] .

Seeking Temporary Seminary

Student Housing for GA#223

Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the Office of the General Assembly are co-sponsoring a for-credit class for Presbyterian seminary students on Presbyterianism focused on the 223 ^rd General Assembly. The students will spend the entire run of the Assembly attending classes at the convention center and Assembly-related events. They will come in on Thursday, June 14, to begin their classwork.

Continue to read on for more details

Praise is What We Do Benefit Concert

The Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church William G. Gillespie Scholarship Committee presents its 14th Annual “Praise Is What We Do” benefit concert on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Directions to Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church can be found here.

Youth Group Trivia Night Benefit

Join First Presbyterian - Edwardsville as their youth raise funds for their 2018 Summer Youth Trips. Who doesn't love Trivia Nights? Great time for a great cause.

Click here for more information.

Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering

All Presbyterian Women in our Presbytery are welcome to attend our Spring Gathering to be held on Saturday, April 21, at the First Presbyterian Church of Union, Missouri. The event will begin with registration/fellowship time at 9 a.m.

Directions can be found here. - Full details can be found here. 

Mound Ridge Annual Benefit

Dinner Auction

This annual event will be held at Andre’s South Banquets and Catering, located at 4238 Telegraph Road, St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday, April 14 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Come join us and help support “The Magic of Mound Ridge” Tickets: $65 per person or $500 for a table of 8, and can be purchased by c onnecting here .

Second Annual Night at the Improv

Uni-Pres Kindercottage Fundraiser, invites you to a night of laughter, fine dining & frivolity on Saturday, April 14 at 5 p.m at the Second Annual, Night at the Improv, featuring Ed Reggi, and The Paper Slips Troupe “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

This fun event will be held at St. Paul UCC, 115 West “B” Street, in Belleville, Illinois.

Tickets include dinner and show at $40/each. There are personal and corporate sponsorships available. Call 618-874-6505 or visit their website here , for tickets or information.

Seeking Mission Minded Musicians

I need some musicians, piano player, or guitar player or anyone who can assist with music for nursing home worship services. Days Include:

 

These are informal worship services, sometimes there are as many as 20 people, and sometimes there are as few as 3 or four. Sometimes they sleep through the service, sometimes they are animated and awake and enthusiastic to worship. The residents of nursing homes, assisted living homes and retirement homes should be given the opportunity to worship, and music makes the worship. 

If interested in supporting this ministry, please contact Jeanne Zimmermann at (314) 707-4003 or by email [email protected]

Rev. Karl Hauser

Sun., Mar. 25 at 3 p.m.

Southminster

Crestwood, Missouri



Directions can be found here.

PC(U.S.A.) Special Offerings Facebook Live

Next week, March 27, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Special Offering will be live on their Facebook Page with Alonzo Johnson from the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) to discuss how your gifts through One Great Hour of Sharing allow the incredibly meaningful work of SDOP to take place. Be sure to tune in at 11 a.m. Central Time. The link to their Facebook page can be found here.

Compassion, Peace and

Justice Training Day

Training Day is April 20th in Washington D.C.! In plenaries and workshops, we'll analyze our current context and offer concrete tools for members and their congregations to address these urgent issues. We'll learn how we build a unified public witness of subversive love amidst the abuse and hatred running rampant in our country.

Register now at: http://bit.ly/2EoGOYT

Confession Conversations on Eden Campus

Simultaneously with the writing of the Westminster Confession, two catechisms were developed to teach the faith encapsulated in the confession. Turns out, the Shorter Catechism is not simply a briefer form of the Larger Catechism. The two were written for very different audiences ~ families [the Shorter] and leaders in the church [the Larger]. On Tuesday, March 27, we look at their differences and similarities as well as the other catechism in The Book of Confessions . Want to join us? Contact me, Barbara Willock, [ [email protected] ] or simply join us at 9:30 a.m. at Eden University.

  Triennial 2018: “Dragons, Frogs, & Other Fairy Tales of Women in Ministry”

The National Association of Presbyterian , Clergywomen, invites all Clergywomen to the Triennial 2018 “Dragons, Frogs, & Other Fairy Tales of Women in Ministry” the week of April 23-26, 2018 at the Montreat Conference Center. The keynote preacher is the Rev. Floretta Barbee-Watkins, with worship leader, Rev. Dr. Tracy Keenan. There will be exciting workshops led bydynamic Clergy. There are scholarships and childcare available. The invitation is also extended to Clergymen, CREs, . Seminarians & Laity. More details can be found here.