We Lift Up In Prayer

Ordination and Commissioning Anniversaries:

Elder Bonnie Rapson (9/11) - Commissioned Ruling Elder of Deckerville-First

Rev. John Becker (9/17) - Honorably Retired and Pastor Emeritus of Vassar-First

Rev. Matthew Schramm (9/19) - Pastor of Midland-Memorial

Rev. Hal Shafer (9/22) - Member-At-Large

Rev. Brenna Overland (9/25) - 10 Years - Pastor of Bay City-First and Pastor To Pastor for the Presbytery

Rev. Dr. Jane Young (9/25) - Honorably Retired

Rev. Dr. Dan Saperstein (10/2) - Honorably Retired

Rev. Paul Pfeuffer (10/17) - 5 Years - Pastor of Flushing

Rev. Dr. Wally Mayton (10/25) - Honorably Retired and Parish Associate of Midland-Memorial

Rev. Dr. Do Hyeong Kim (10/26) - Pastor of Saginaw-Michigan Nanum

Rev. Christina Jensen (10/28) - Pastor of Cass City-Fraser, Kinde-First and Elkton-Chandler

Additional contact information for anyone on this list

may be obtained by replying to this email.

September Presbytery Meeting

Follow Up

 

The Presbytery of Lake Huron held its stated meeting last week. Below are follow ups to items mentioned at the meeting.

Disability Inclusion

How do we welcome persons with disabilities in to the church? Well, the first step is to make the building accessible! Can persons who use a wheelchair get in? Are floor shifts clearly marked so persons with gait issues don’t trip? Do signs for bathrooms, offices, gathering rooms include braille? There is much to think about! And once persons with disabilities are in worship, what can we do to make sure everyone is included? A few suggestions: if you are by someone who doesn’t stand up during worship, sit with them during the hymns and prayers. When talking with someone who is seated, sit down and chat, rather than standing over them. Ask how you can be helpful. Persons with disabilities have a variety of ways of doing things. Just ask if help is needed!

There are many resources to help congregations. Go to https://pcusa.org/how-we-serve/inclusion-equity/disability-inclusion for ideas and resources.

Also, the trustees have allotated a $6,000 grant to churches to help with the cost of disability access. When Jesus healed people, most often they were healed back into community. The church is the community of Christ. Please make sure everyone is welcome!

The Rev. Dr. Jane Young

Session Minutes Review

It is that time of year again and this year there are four different opportunities for Session minutes to be read and reviewed. Please note for the ones at Saginaw-First, you will need to sign up for a time and that can be found on the Presbytery website. Any questions, please contact the Stated Clerk, Ted McCulloch or the Recording Clerk, Staci Percy.

Dates:

Monday, October 19 – Saginaw-First – sign up for a time between 9 AM and 1 PM

Saturday, October 24 – Flint-First – review starts at 10 AM and will finish by noon.

Monday, November 2 – Saginaw-First – sign up for a time between 9 AM and 1 PM

Saturday, November 7 – Marlette First – review starts at 10 AM and will finish by noon.

Boundary Training Requirement

If you received a notice from the Stated Clerk that you are due for Boundary Training, there are still three Zoom trainings available through the Synod. Just go to synodofthecovenant.org website and look under “Equipping Leaders” and then scroll down to the button “learn more” for “2026 Boundaries and Ethics Training” and register there.

The dates remaining for 2026 are:

Wednesday, October 21 4-8 PM

Monday, November 2 10 AM – 2 PM

Saturday, December 5 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Cultivating The Gift of Preaching



“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.” ~ Psalm 139: 23

This outstanding program is an opportunity to become a part of the church’s journey to God’s omniscient mission of sharing the Good News.

No matter where you are in your understanding of the Bible, this experience will open doors of knowledge you only have begun to possess.

The synod has gathered clergy, lay members and elders across the region to share their experiences and knowledge of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. You will meet wonderful Christians who have a passion for living and teaching the love of Christ. The camaraderie between attendees is a part of the over-all gathering. Music, art, dramatic readings, use of visual creations, Self-reflection and spiritual practices are shown and practiced during your opening five day conference held at Alma College, Alma, Michigan. Words do not fully express the joy you will be filled with during this lifetime opportunity.

I pray you will become a part of this unique and God filled experience and share it with all you know in the church and community of God’s people.

All are welcome; as you are all children of God.



“ I cannot tell you how the light comes,

But that it does.

That it will.

That it works its way into the

Deepest dark that enfolds you…

And so may we this day

Turn ourselves toward it.”

~ Jan Richardson

Elder Deborah A. Harville

Year 1, CGPI

Presbytery Meeting Minutes Available

The minutes of the September presbytery meeting are now available on our website.

New Way To Submit Information

For The Bi-Weekly Brief



We have set up a form on our website to submit information, announcements, etc. for inclusion in the Bi-Weekly Brief. Check it out by clicking the button below.

Register For Our Antiracism Workshop



The Presbytery of Lake Huron will be partnering with ERACCE (Eliminating Racism and Creating/Celebrating Equality) to offer an Introduction to Systemic Racism Workshop on Saturday, September 26^th.

The workshop will be held at Westminster Presbyterian in Bay City (103 E Midland St). Registration will begin at 8:30am, and the workshop will run from 9am-4pm. Lunch will be served. Please let us know of any dietary restrictions.

You can register for the event using the link below. Registration is open to the first 45 participants. If you register for the event and need to cancel for any reason, please let the Rev. Jamie Milton know so we can admit the next person on the waitlist. All fees will be covered by the Presbytery of Lake Huron.

This workshop fulfills the training required by the Presbytery’s Antiracism Policy. All church leaders serving in a pastoral capacity, Presbytery staff and officers, along with anyone serving on a Presbytery Committee are required to complete antiracism training once every three years. The workshop is open to any member of a PLH congregation. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Rev. Jamie Milton at  pastor@wpcbc.org.

Greetings from the Presbytery’s Mission Coordination Committee (MCC)!

At our June 2 Presbytery meeting, the MCC presented a new Mission Grant program within the Presbytery of Lake Huron. These grants will be available to support congregations as they reach beyond their walls to serve and transform their communities. We are inviting churches across our presbytery to apply for grants that will help make a tangible difference in the lives of their neighbors.

This grant program embodies the spirit of the PC(USA)'s Matthew 25 invitation, which calls us to active engagement in the world through bold acts of compassion, justice, and mercy. Whether your congregation is addressing hunger, supporting vulnerable populations, building partnerships for community transformation, or dismantling structural racism, we want to hear about your vision.

Who Can Apply

Any Presbytery of Lake Huron church can apply for a Mission Grant. Successful applications will be mission projects that seek to undertake one or more of the following:



• Address a genuine need in your community
• Serve neighbors beyond your congregation
• Reflect the Matthew 25 call to action

Both one-time initiatives and ongoing projects are welcome. We especially encourage applications that involve partnerships with other churches or community organizations.

The MCC meets monthly and will review applications on an ongoing basis. Grants over $5,000 require additional approval by the Presbytery Council. The application asks you to describe your project, explain the community need you're addressing, provide a budget, and outline how you'll evaluate your impact.

If your grant is approved, you will be asked to submit a follow-up report within six months and may have the opportunity to share your story with the wider presbytery.

How to Apply

Download and fill out the Mission Grant Form from the presbytery website by clicking the link below. For questions or to submit your application, please contact the Mission Coordination Committee Moderator, Rev. Jamie Milton at pastor@wpcbc.org.

The Synod of the Covenant's applications for Matthew 25 Church Grants are available on the Synod's website and there's still time to apply.  

The deadline for applications for Church grants is September 30 with an extra week's allowance for presbytery endorsement letters.

Questions can be addressed to the Scholarships and Grants chair, Amy Duiker at aduiker@sugarcreekchurch.org.

Midland-Memorial Invites All

We Are a Virtual Office

The Presbytery Office is a virtual office. We do not have a physical office space any longer. Staff work from their homes.

Our business hours are still Monday through Thursday. Please note that all staff members are part time and hours vary from person to person. Click the link below for contact information for each of us. (Our email and phone numbers remain the same.)

All mail should still be sent to our post box. You can continue to pay for things (per capita, calendars, etc.) via check. If you prefer, you may also pay online.

Presbytery of Lake Huron | www.presbylh.org