Bi-Weekly Brief news & updates
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"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."
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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.
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We give our very busy Stated Clerk a small break by having a member of Presbytery Council write an article on a regular basis. We are grateful to the Rev. Dr. Wally Mayton for his contribution this week. Wally is the Parish Associate of Midland-Memorial and the Moderator of Presbytery Council.
“Today”
The seasons nurture both anxiety and hope. Today is a season in which we grieve heat, drought, wildfires, smoke, winds, and flooding. The global scene is a stage for warfare, political unrest, and multiple acts of violence. Illness and loss infect our security. We seek a response. We feel compassion. Summer inspires many volunteer efforts. We welcome community gardens, neighborhood revitalization projects, and Vacation Bible Schools. Retreats and conferences invite renewal and rest. Families host reunions. We celebrate graduations, weddings, and anniversaries with eagerness and vitality. We plant and watch fresh life blossoms unfold. Biblical and church history record human craziness when measured by the standard of God’s intention. In the midst of anxiety, hope becomes essential. Jesus is a vessel of hope and wholeness to a broken world. Healing becomes the mission of the church. In attempt to understand the grounding of our faith, I often reflect on the influence of my discipleship. With any outstretched hand, word of encouragement, prayer, act of worship, or expression of praise, there is strength and comfort. The uncertainty of days lightens. Jesus sets a pathway through the anxiety of our realities into the realm of hopefulness. Today the church becomes the way.
Yours in Christ,
The Rev. Dr. Wally Mayton
Parish Associate, Midland-Memorial
Moderator of Presbytery Council
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Minutes Review: There will be three chances for Clerks of Sessions to have their minutes and registers reviewed. The review can include minutes and records through August of 2023.
The dates for the reviews have been set as follows:
Monday, October 16 at 10 AM at the Presbytery Office
Saturday, October 21 at 10 AM Location to be determined
Saturday, October 28 at 10 AM Location to be determined
Information will be sent out in early September to all Clerks of Session. We just want to give a heads up on the dates.
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Training for Elders who want to be able to moderate session meetings will be held on Saturday, September 30th 10am to noon at the Presbytery Office.
More information will be included in the next Bi-Weekly Brief. Again, we just want to provide a date so that you can make plans to attend.
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Unfortunately there are a lot of email scams going around and with AI becoming more prevalent, they often look legitimate. This is just a reminder that none of the Presbytery Staff, or any of our clergy and leaders, will ask you for gift cards or monetary donations.
Please do not respond to any of these emails or click on any links that may be in them.
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Matthew 25 Grants From the Synod | | | |
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Synod of the Covenant's Matthew 25 Grants of up to $5000 for congregations or Presbyterian ministries who are pursuing the goals of the Matthew 25 movement (working towards congregational vitality and/or against systemic poverty and/or against structural racism), will be awarded this fall.
The focus of the Matthew 25 Grants program is to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism, and/or eradicate systemic poverty. These goals stem from the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Matthew 25 movement.
Applications for the 2023 cycle are due on September 30, 2023.
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Presbyterian Identity Project | | | |
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One of our Candidates Under Care, Nathaniel Asperger, has been working on a wonderful project while preparing for Ordination.
Greetings everyone, I am Nathaniel Asperger. I am a Candidate under care in our Presbytery, and I have been curious about how Identity plays various parts in who we are within our Presbytery. I started the Presbyterian Identity Project, (PIP) as a way to explore that for myself, and I want to share it with all of you as I work through it. I recently launched this project into a podcast, called the Presbyterian Identity Project, which is available to listen to on most major platforms. In this journey I have sat down with the Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick, our Synod Executive, and the Rev. Ted McCulloch, Presbytery Stated Clerk and Pastor of Saginaw-First, to ask from their perspectives what it is they do.
Perhaps more interestingly to myself, how Identity functions from their perspective in a Denomination, a Synod, a Presbytery, and the local church. This project is working through these different perspectives in the Presbytery of Lake Huron, and next up is our local churches, (perhaps your church).
The link below will take you to the landing page for the podcast, I hope you will listen, and get to know Chip and Ted better. Most of all, I hope you will listen as I work to better understand how Identity matters and shapes each of us throughout the Presbytery of Lake Huron.
This is an ongoing Project, if you would like to add your voice please reach out! Whether you are a Minister, an Elder, or you attend any of the Presbyterian Churches in the Presbyterian of Lake Huron, your voice is welcome in this conversation.
You can email me at, presbyidproject@gmail.com.
Check out the Podcast and start listening here: Who am I and what is this podcast? by Presbyterian Identity Project (spotify.com)
Grace and Peace,
Nathaniel Asperger
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Pre-Order Your Planning Calendars and Book of Orders | | | |
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Presbyterian Planning Calendar 2023-2024
*** Deadline to order is tomorrow, July 27th. ***
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.
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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.
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Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network Conference | | | |
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What new adventures or hobbies can a new pair of shoes help you undertake? Consider how lacing up a new pair of shoes can help you share your talents with others. Get inspiration from POAMN’s 2023 conference, coming September 14 and 15 in Michigan.
Gather with us in Grosse Ile (a suburb of Detroit) for a day and a half of workshops, worship, warm fellowship, and good food. Through the theme Walking in New Shoes, we will explore trying new things, including ways to continue our service to God and our local and global community.
Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network (POAMN) promotes the development of older adult ministries and the value of such ministries. POAMN’s mission includes nurturing the faith community, equipping leadership, and resourcing congregations and other organizations that minister to, for, and with older adults. POAMN seeks to encourage ministries that affirm the dignity and value of the multiple generations of aging adults with a focus on spirituality, wellness, care, and social involvement. Its purpose is to educate, advocate, develop and share resources, and train leaders by raising awareness around issues facing aging adults and those who serve those aging adults, all in a covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
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From The Mission Coordination Committee | | | |
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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.
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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!
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Summer Office Hours Are In Effect | | | | | |
