Bi-Weekly Brief

February 25, 2026

We Lift Up In Prayer


Ordination and Commissioning Anniversaries:



Rev. Dawn Russell (2/9) - Pastor of Linden

Rev. Mary Anne Evans-Justin (2/25) - 30 Years - Honorably Retired

Rev. Chris Moody (2/25) - 25 Years - Member-At-Large

Elder Jon Essex (3/1) - Commissioned Ruling Elder of Beaverton-First

Rev. Karen Blatt (3/12) - Honorably Retired

Rev. Jamie Milton (3/18) - Pastor of Bay City-Westminster

Rev. Hakbae Moon (3/19) - Pastor of Flint-Unity

Elder Mark Garavaglia (3/24) - 5 Years - Commissioned Ruling Elder of Sandusky and Yale-First

Rev. Linda Graham (3/25) - Temporary Supply of Davison-St. Andrews

Rev. Jan Chambers (3/29) - Honorably Retired; Pastor Emerita of Tawas


Additional contact information for anyone on this list

may be obtained by replying to this email.


March Presbytery Meeting

The Presbytery of Lake Huron will hold its stated meeting on Saturday, March 7, 2026, starting at 9:30 AM. This will be a Zoom-only meeting.

 

A Zoom-only meeting means that registration by all commissioners and/or guests ahead of the meeting is required. To register, click the link below.

 

We are planning on as efficient a meeting docket as we can arrange. Feedback has consistently indicated that it is difficult to stay engaged when a Zoom meeting runs longer than two hours. The intention is to absolutely finish no later than 12:00pm – earlier if possible.

 

Our virtual worship will be led by Rev. Brenna Overland and Rev. Dr. Joseph Novak.

 

Even though we plan to keep things moving, it doesn’t mean we do not have business to deal with. We have a combination property sale and relocation for one of our congregations as well as reports from the other ministry units of the Presbytery. In addition, there will be reports from the Board of Pensions representative and from our Synod leadership.

2026 Presbytery Directory Now Available Online

The 2026 Presbytery Directory is now available on our website.


We are asking that everyone please take a moment to look over your information (personal, church and committee assignments) and let Rose Onan know of any changes that need to be made now through the March presbytery meeting. She may be reached at: ronan@presbylh.org.


This is a password protected document. Please contact Staci or Rose for information on how to access it online.

Fish Fry at Saginaw-Second

Saginaw-Second  is excited to once again be holding its semi-annual Fish Fry on Friday, March 20, 2026, from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The fish dinner includes all-you-care-to-eat fried Alaskan pollock, potatoes, coleslaw, bread, beverage, and dessert.

 

The fish fries, held one Friday during Lent and October are the church’s largest fundraisers and help fund various church projects such as; landscaping, many maintenance projects of the church building and grounds, sponsorship of Boy Scout Troop 304, and various other projects. This alleviates pressure from the budget and allows for more local, national, and international mission giving. These fish fries have been a tradition since the 1950s!

 

The cost of the all-you-care-to-eat, dine-in experience is $16.00, children 5-12 are $7.00, children younger than 5 years old are free. Take out is $16.00.

Synod of the Covenant Cultivating the Gift of Preaching Initiative

The Cultivating the Gift of Preaching Initiative (CGPI) is now recruiting participants to be part of our third year of training emerging lay preachers! The application can be found on the Synod of the Covenant’s webpage.

 

CGPI is a ministry in the Synod focused on training lay preachers. It is funded by a $1.25m Lilly Compelling Preaching Grant. The goal of CGPI is to strengthen the witness of the Church to the good news of Jesus Christ, by identifying, training, and providing ongoing support to emerging preachers.

 

We welcome applications from any member of a PC(USA) congregation withing the bounds of the Synod off the Covenant who has a call to preach. We also welcome applications from CREs who desire more formation in preaching.

 

CGPI is an 18-month, cohort model program. Participants are placed in a cohort of 5-8 participants and are led by a preaching mentor (an experienced Teaching Elder from the Synod with extensive experience regularly preaching in a congregational setting). Participants meet monthly online. In addition, there are four in person meetings, twice with everyone in CGPI at the Alma Conference each June, and twice with just your cohort.

 

This year, the program begins with a 5-day conference at Alma College in Alma, MI. This year that conference is June 4-8 (Thursday evening – Monday morning).

 

The cost of the program is $1,250; $250 to be paid by the individual and $1000 by your home church and/or presbytery. Scholarships are available as well as payment plans for the churches. The actual total cost is $11,000 per participant, the grant pays for the remainder. All travel and housing expenses, books, etc. are paid for by the grant.

 

Applications are due by April 15th, but we will continue to process applications on a rolling basis as long as there are open slots

 

If you have any questions, please contact the CGPI program director, Matt Aragon Bruce at

matt@synodofthecovenant.org / 609-712-4258. 

Lenten Resources

From the Rev. Cathy Chang, formerly a member of our presbytery.


As a Global Ecumenical Liaison that accompanies partners in South Asia, I would like to share this Lenten devotional from the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). Last May 2025, I joined their General Assembly and traveled to remote areas to learn more about their work confronting child marriage and addressing community health and sustainable livelihoods.

Global Conversations

Midland-Memorial's Reaching Out Regionally & Globally committee invites you to meet in Mayton Hall for a light lunch while the Rev. Jan Dus updates us on the continued efforts to provide aid to citizens of war-torn Ukraine through his non-profit agency Camino. This is part of MPC's Global Conversations, a presentation series in which you are invited to learn more about recent global experiences and missional ministries happening throughout the life of our church.


Sunday, March 1

12:00 noon

Lenten Concert Series

Join us at Midland-Memorial every Friday during Lent from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Our Lenten Concert Series is free and open to the public. Come in-person to the Sanctuary or view the concerts through the live stream links below.

 

Friday, February 27

Central Michigan University’s Henosis Saxophone Quartet

Evan Talsma

Shea Arney

Stephen Trotter

Hailee Milmine

 

Friday, March 6

Matheus Garcia Souxa, violin

 

Friday, March 13

Jamie Fiste, cello

 

Friday, March 20

Mark Cox, tuba and euphonium

 

Friday, March 27

Ellen Woodard, handbells

 

Thank you to Adrienne Wiley for her piano accompaniment and leadership of this annual series.

We Are a Virtual Office

The Presbytery Office is a virtual office. 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

Presbytery of Lake Huron | P.O. Box 6129 | Saginaw, MI 48608 US