Newsletter
July / 3 / 2018
Great Job!
Blog Post by the Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard
Transitional Leader of
Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy
      

I’m still receiving thank-you notes. Some are in the form of cards. Some are by email. Others come in envelopes. These are words of thanks and appreciation to Giddings-Lovejoy for hosting General Assembly. The notes are a reminder of the generosity and kindness in the hearts of Presbyterians. The many acts of kindness are directed toward the entire presbytery. We did it, and we did it together!
m 1968 to around 2001.  Continue here to read on.
Our Presbytery - Our Work
Weekly Prayer Basket Update
  • Please pray for our nation, government, citizens and guests this holiday.
What's Happening? Did you know?..... .
  • You gotta know, right? So share with your church family and friends how to receive this weekly newsletter. It is so simple! Text: PRESBYTERY to 22828 and follow the directions. Less than a minute to do, and can keep everyone connected!
  • GA Junkies among us? Save the date for upcoming General Assemblies in 2020 in Baltimore, 2022 in Columbus and in 2024 Salt Lake City. I am ready to go, how about you?
PC(USA)
Quick Connect
Help Wanted
  • Part-time Treasurer
  • communication coordinator
  • Interim Youth Director
  • Volunteer Support
  • Mission Director
Parish Paper
General Assembly of the PC(USA) #223 - St. Louis
Highlights & Missional Movements
  • There were over a thousand volunteer positions that were needed and filled by those within our presbytery, neighboring presbyteries and dear friends with a love of the larger church body.
  • Almost thirty congregations of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy eagerly offered to welcome commissioners into their church homes, offering food, fellowship and love.
  • Dedication and passion for service in two years of dedicated service with tens of thousands of planning hours, with many a late night and early morning meeting, traveling, telecommunicating and tight budgeting to plan this amazing eight day General Assembly.
  • Alll of hard work and devotion of volunteers, church congregations’ participation in prayer, financial concerns and logistical resources were simply overwhelming and we couldn’t be more thankful. I can continue by saying that individual thanks will come at our August Presbytery Gathering when Team COLA, Co-Moderators, and GA Staff have time to finalize reports.
  • Get started with this welcome video to GA223 with reflection from St Louis area clergy.
Ruling Elder ‪Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and The Rev. Cindy Kohlmann have been elected as Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly! They handled the Plenaries with humor, hope and energy.
Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett has been elected and now installed President/Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency
Re-election of the Rev. Dr. Thomas Taylor as president of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation. Rev. Taylor has served in this role since 2010.
GA223 Motions Made and Motions Carried
(Cliff Notes Version)
·         Fossil Fuel Divestment: the assembly voted in favor of a minority report that called for the PC(USA) to continue its corporate engagement with fossil fuel companies—through its Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee
·         Israel-Palestine/Middle East: After spirited debate in the Assembly Committee on Middle East Issues that spilled out into the hallways of America’s Center the assembly raced through the committee’s report in just thirty-five minutes on June 22.
·         Per Capita: The assembly approved a 2019 General Assembly per capita apportionment of $8.95 per member—an increase of $1.25 (or 15.8 percent) per member over 2018. This will remain through 2020.
·         The Way Forward: Restructuring, Strengthening, Financial Stability, Translation Improvement, Greater Transparency
·         Racism/Poverty/Violence: The assembly engaged in various acts of public witness that sought to engage issues of racism, poverty, and violence in St. Louis under the umbrella of Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II’s, Hands and Feet initiative
·         Immigration: Following on statements issued by General Assembly Stated Clerk J. Herbert Nelson, II, the assembly called upon the federal government to end family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, to immediately reunite parents with their children.
·         Gun Violence: The assembly reaffirmed previous General Assembly policies designed to reduce gun violence, called all Presbyterians to pray for a movement of the Spirit to engage Presbyterians in nationwide actions to prevent gun violence, and urged them to create opportunities to study the issue of gun violence, with an emphasis on resources produced by the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
Thousands of Photos Taken
Here is just a sampling of what GA223 Looked and Felt Like
Background is the Opening Worship Music
BailOut Project
GA223 Hands & Feet Project
Background is Rev. Dr. J Herbert Nelson at the St. Louis Justice Center
Rev. Dr. J Herbert Nelson's Exit Interview with PC(USA) Historical Society, Found Here.
Post-GA Bulletin Inserts Available for your Congregation
What will they hear? Who will tell them? Give your church members a fast, accurate and fair account of what happened at the General Assembly. We explain how the assembly voted on the most significant issues – from new denominational leadership to the world’s concerns. Click here for more information.
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.
This Week....
Thurs., July 5
3 p.m. - Gathering Planning (Oaks)
Tues., July 10
4 p.m. - Admin & Support (Oaks)
Next Week:
Wed., July 11
2 p.m. - Pastoral Transitions CC (Oaks)
Thurs., July 12
5 p.m. - Cong. Vibrancy Team (Oaks)
Mon., July 16
1 p.m. - Social Witness (Second Pres)
Tues., July 17
TBA - New Worship Com
Our Community Connected
CBP photo by Eduardo Perez
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Responds to the Border
The crisis on the border with asylum seeker families has been designated as an official Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program. If you want to donate to the McAllen border crisis and know that 100% of your donation will go to those who need it, here's the info. Note that the 'Refugee Emergency' you are donating to is 'McAllen'.  Read more here on how you can help! CBP photo by Eduardo Perez
History Team - Did you know?
The First Presbyterian Church, at the northwest corner of 14 th and Locust Streets, was completed in 1855 at a cost of a whopping $100,000.00. The congregation sold the building to a theatrical promoter in 1889. The spire was removed and the building became the 14 th Street Theater, also known as “The Gayety Theater,” and operated for a time as a burlesque house. The structure was demolished in 1934.  
Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2019
Presbyterian Youth Triennium is a gathering for high school age youth from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church that occurs every three years. The 2019 event is July 16-20, 2019 at Purdue University, with the theme for the event as “Here’s My Heart”.
If you have High School youth in your congregation, save the date and start the conversation about Triennium. More information can be found here.
The Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Education and Youth Team will release more information in the near future.
Discover Fine Arts Camp
Sun., July 15- Sat., July 21 (Children ages 10-15)
This overnight camp experience calls out your child’s natural creativity. Our campers will be inspired with a variety of art and music forms as they celebrate their particular God-given gifts. Biblical super-heroes will teach us of God’s affinity toward using the ‘ordinary person’ for extraordinary tasks. Campers will participate in learning, creating, fellowship, outdoor worship, water play, campfire activities and building lasting relationships with one another and God .. click here.
UKirk - St. Louis
Pool Party and Service Project this Saturday, and you can find out more by clicking here . Don't forget that our last gathering for this summer is on July 31, from 7-9 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church; we'll meet for dinner and an information session about the Montreat College Conference (January 1-5, 2019). Email Pastor Miriam at ( ukirkstl@gmail.com )
Educational & Missional Opportunities
St. Louis Regional Understanding & Analyzing Systemic Racism Workshop on July 18 - 20, 2018 - Open to the Public
This workshop takes an in-depth look into institutional, cultural, and individual manifestations of racism. Using a variety of interactive tools, it explores the historical development of institutional racism and its continuing impact. Strategic methods of dismantling systemic racism within institutions will be introduced. Read more here.
2018 Evangelism Conference: Sabbath Rest, Holy Surrender, Full Life
This year's conference is set for October 15-19, in Lake Tahoe, and we’ll be inviting participants to consider what it really means to bear witness to Christ’s reconciliation by transforming our ministries into Sabbath Communities. Make no mistake, this is no ordinary conference. Every part of the gathering is intentionally designed to both challenge our thinking about Sabbath and invite us to participate in Sabbath practices together. More information can be found here.
Ministry Position Openings
Part-Time Treasurer Needed
Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church is seeking a part-time treasurer. The Church Treasurer, as needed, shall have access to all income and expense reporting, payroll data, and other pertinent financial data of the church to help carry out their purpose. The ideal candidate will need to be knowledgeable and comfortable working with budgets, and adhere to confidentiality. The full description of the position can be found here. Interested parties, please contact Elder Joyce Wilks-Love jwilkslove@att.net
Connections Coordinator Needed at WGPC
We are currently searching for an outgoing, friendly person to fill the position of Connections Coordinator at WGPC! It is a part time position (about 25 hours per week), responsible for social media, newsletter communications, and website maintenance, as well as welcoming visitors and members to worship and other church activities, and connecting visitors and new members to current members, events and mission opportunities. If you know someone who might be interested in this type of work, please advise them to email their resume to Carrie Rao at wgpcpc@gmail.com .  WGPC members are not eligible for this position.
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Seeking Interim Children's/Youth Director
Trinity Presbyterian Church in University City is looking for an Interim Youth Minister for a four month period. Our permanent youth minister will be taking a leave of absence, beginning July 21 through November.  
This is a part-time position, handling elementary through high school programming, including Sunday morning Children's Worship, Confirmation class and youth groups. If interested, please contact Rev. Johanna Wagner at (314) 725-3840.
Seeking Musicians
We provide worship services for several area nursing homes. If you find God calling you to use your skills in this very needed service, please call Jeanne Zimmerman at 314-707-4003.
AMEN Saint Louis – Seeking a Director
( application deadline extended to July 6 , due to GA223)
 AMEN Saint Louis is a Ministry Embracing the Neighborhood. They are a mission of Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, a small, urban church, located in South St. Louis, Missouri. They provide mission experiences and housing for church groups, youth groups, college groups, activists, and others seeking to serve in the city. Groups of all kinds stay in our AMEN House and head out on daily service projects with a variety of local agencies, and the AMEN St. Louis Director will coordinate all activities of the AMEN St. Louis ministry. More information can be found here.