Bi-Weekly Brief news & updates

July 12, 2023

Presbytery of Lake Huron
"The mission of the Presbytery of Lake Huron is to partner with congregations, helping people to know, grow, share and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ." 
We Lift Up In Prayer
Prayer2

The family of the Rev. Jesse Perry, former minister member of the presbytery, who passed to the larger life on June 27th at the age of 88. Jesse served for many years as a Chaplain at Alma College and as the Supply Pastor at Breckenridge-Emerson. More details will be included in the next Bi-Weekly Brief.


The Rev. Andrew Miller, Pastor of Mt. Pleasant-First, and his family on the passing of his father, John Miller, MD, on June 16th. A Celebration of Life Service will be held in Nacogdoches, TX on August 5th. Click here to view his obituary.


Our Mission Co-Worker:

Cathy Chang and family serving in the Philippines.

Upcoming Ordination and Commissioning Anniversaries:

Rev. David Blackburn (7/1) - Honorably Retired

Rev. Jim Neumann (7/1) - Honorably Retired

Rev. Linda Williams (7/1) - Parish Associate of Bay City-Westminster

Rev. Kate Morritauk (7/10) - Pastor of Flint-Trinity United

Rev. Ruth Estell (7/15) - 5 Years - Pastor of Saginaw-Second

Rev. Lindsey Carnes (7/29) - Co-Pastor of Fenton-First

Rev. Robbie Carnes (7/29) - Co-Pastor of Fenton-First

Rev. Dr. Noel Snyder (7/31) - Member-At-Large

Rev. Leslie Piper (8/1) - Honorably Retired

Elder Kathleen Rowe (8/1) - Commissioned Ruling Elder of Tawas

Rev. Dr. Stephen Shugert (8/1) - 55 Years - Honorably Retired, Pastor Emeritus of Mt. Pleasant-First

Rev. David Eshelman (8/3) - Honorably Retired

Elder Shaun Hardimon (8/11) - 10 Years - Commissioned Ruling Elder of Swartz Creek-Mundy

Rev. Glenn Grant (8/15) - 30 Years - Honorably Retired

Rev. Ken Hetzel (8/16) - Honorably Retired; Moderator of Presbytery

Rev. Ted McCulloch (8/20) - Pastor of Saginaw-First and Presbytery Stated Clerk

Rev. Charles Marquardt (8/29) - Honorably Retired


Additional contact information for anyone on this list may be obtained

by calling the presbytery office at 989-799-7481 or replying to this email.

Thoughts From Ted

My Dad was the pastor of the DuPage Presbyterian Church in Bolingbrook, Illinois for 32 years. Obviously that made it the church I grew up and where my faith was first formed. This coming weekend, they will celebrate their 190th anniversary as a congregation (means they were formed in 1833 for those of us who don’t want to do the math). As part of their celebration, DuPage asked me to come back and preach this Sunday for the anniversary service. Needless to say, I’m pretty excited.


Below you see pictured a quilt from DuPage. It’s a family quilt with each square designed and decorated by a family of the church, including my family – the McCullochs. This was done for their 150th anniversary back in 1983, when I was a teenager. What amazes me are the memories I have of literally every family on that quilt. Each of them were people I knew and families I created memories with at some point.

This quilt is a great reminder of the ties and connections we build in our church families. These are connections we will treasure throughout our lives. So enjoy this picture of my first church connections and celebrate the connections and memories we build in our churches and, prayerfully, in this Presbytery.


Yours in Christ,


The Rev. Ted McCulloch, Stated Clerk

Pre-Order Your Planning Calendars and Book of Orders
PC-USA Seal Round
2023/2025 Book of Order
 
This book is Part II of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This volume contains the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity, the Form of Government, the Directory for Worship, and the Rules of Discipline. Additional information is provided to the reader through the inclusion of Received Ecumenical Statements of Guidance and Articles of Agreement.

Join others in ordering the newest printed edition of the Book of Order at the price of $10.00 each.  
 
Your order will be available to be picked upon arrival at the Presbytery Office or at the September Presbytery meeting at
Saginaw-Countryside.

Orders must be received in the Presbytery Office by August 31, 2023. Unfortunately, there are no cancellations after August 31, 2023. All orders must be pre-paid.

Free PDF versions are available for download.

Click Here To Order Printed Copies
Presbyterian Planning Calendar 2023-2024

It's that time of year again when the presbytery will be placing an order for planning calendars in order to take advantage of the bulk pricing.

This 19-month calendar contains many planning aids for pastors and other church leaders. Includes lectionary for Sundays and special days, liturgical days, liturgical colors, resource information for PC(USA) programmatic emphases, updated synod, presbytery and Presbyterian Mission Agency staff directories, color foldout synod/presbytery and world maps.

Cost per calendar is $10.50 and all orders must be pre-paid. Payment is needed by July 27, 2023. Unfortunately, there are no cancellations after this date.

You will be notified when the calendars have arrived (expected around mid-August) and arrangements for pick up or delivery can be made at that time. They will also be available for pick up at the September presbytery meeting at Saginaw-Countryside.
Click Here To Order

2023 Presbytery Directory


Occasionally throughout the year, we update the presbytery directory on our website (which we just did this week). So that you know that you are accessing the most current version, the date that it was last revised will be indicated on the cover.


Please take a moment to check your information (personal, church and committee assignments) and if anything needs to be changed contact Rose Onan at [email protected] or 989-799-7481 extension 6.


This is a password protected document. Please contact the Presbytery Office for information on how to access it online.

Click Here To Access Directory
Doxology Conference
Attention all actively serving pastors (clergy + commissioned ruling elders)! This October, you’re invited to attend the DOXOLOGY conference held at the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI. This three-day, two-night conference runs Monday-Wednesday (so no pulpit-filling!) and is filled to the brim with opportunities for self-care, connection, growth, and fellowship. Featuring fabulous speakers such as poet Malcolm Guite, community leader and activist Sho Baraka, winemaker and historical theologian Gisela Kreglinger, and music by the eclectic and genre-defying Porter’s Gate Project, those who attend will be richly blessed by the opportunity to attend this conference together as spiritual care providers in the Lake Huron Presbytery. 

The cost to attend this event is $199 plus lodging and food. We estimate the total cost for the conference will be $500 per attendee. Some of you may have continuing education funds to cover your participation, but, since we want ALL actively serving clergy and CREs to attend this event, Presbytery Council has approved the use of existing leadership funds to provide attendees with up to $500 to make sure all who wish to go are able to go. So, if you do not have enough Continuing Education funds, apply for a financial grant so you can make this event possible! 

This opportunity is brought to you by Joseph and Brenna, our Pastors to the Pastors staff here at the Presbytery. We can’t wait to go to DOXOLOGY with you this fall! Sign up before June 30 to secure your spot! 
Click Here To Register
From The Mission Coordination Committee
Over the summer the Mission Coordination Committee is encouraging the churches of the Presbytery to read, together, the book, “I Was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis” by Jeremy Everett. The book is full of stories and firsthand accounts of organizations working together to combat hunger in their communities. It also offers some tips on how to begin some of this work in our own neighborhoods. We hope that this book will spark some great conversations in your churches and inspire some collaboration in your communities. A discussion guide is available on the Presbytery website that may be used to get conversations going around the book, and around the issue of hunger.

One copy was given to each church at the June Presbytery meeting, but if you did not receive a copy of the book, a member of the MCC will be in touch with someone from your church soon to schedule a delivery.

We are encouraging your churches to gather in groups to discuss the book and its insights together.

The Committee also plans to offer 3 evening zoom sessions over the summer for any folks who are interested in discussing the book but may not have others in their churches to read along with them. You can register for those Zoom sessions through the MCC page on the presbytery website. The dates for the Zoom book discussions will be held from 7-8:30 PM on July 9 (Chapters 1-4), July 30 (Chapters 5-7), and August 20 (Chapters 8-10). Registration link is below.

Finally, at the conclusion of the summer, we are beginning to plan a Presbytery wide event to discuss the book and how we might be able to collaborate together on hunger and poverty issues in our area. Please save the date for Saturday, September 30 and be on the lookout for more details through the Bi-Weekly Brief as we make our plans.

Please contact Jamie Milton ([email protected]) if you have any questions.
Register For Book Discussions Via Zoom
Purchase Book Here
Vacation Bible School
Together with the Christ Lutheran Church of Birch Run, Ss. Francis and Clare Catholic Church, and First Presbyterian Church of Birch Run, you are invited to participate with us for our VBS 2023!

When:
July 24th - 27th
6:30pm-8:30pm

Where:
Taymouth Presbyterian
12517 Morseville Rd
Birch Run, MI 48415

VBS participants are asked to bring diapers or baby wipes to help support the Baby Pantry of the Christ Lutheran Church. 
For more information, please call 989-624-9473.
More Details and To Register
Summer Office Hours Are In Effect
Presbytery of Lake Huron | www.presbylh.org
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