The Presbytery of Blackhawk met June 14, at Oswego Presbyterian Church and on zoom. Attendees were blessed by a rousing drum + piano prelude to worship, followed by the message from Rev. Dr. Christina Berry and Holy Communion offered by Rev. Art Blegen. Our delegation to General Assembly 225 were commissioned to their task, assembly approved new minimum terms of call for 2023, the Visioning Task Force presented more of their work and newly retired Rev. Dr. Anita Stuart-Steva was recognized for her years of service. In person attendees were also treated to a delicious spread of fruit and pastries provided by our host church, who also did an excellent job with technical production of the meeting (thanks OPC!).

Reports and information can be found on the website. They are protected by password, previously distributed to our member churches and pastors. Contact the office if you did not receive this information.

Please use this Prayer Calendar to remember the churches and pastoral leadership of Blackhawk in your daily prayers. The list will be updated and shared with each Connections and on the webpage: Our Congregations.

The Mission Committee of Blackhawk Presbytery and the Matthew 25 Task Force invite you to join with us in a spring campaign to eliminate medical debt. Through the non-profit organization, RIP Medical Debt, we raise money throughout the presbytery >> RIP buys medical debt at a steep discount (pennies on the dollar) >> together we wipe out medical debt for those most vulnerable.

Find out how you and your congregation can be involved in this exciting project. Learn More.

Our excellent treasurer, Frank Finch, is retiring from service to the Presbytery. The Personnel Committee is actively searching for his replacement. The position is an hourly, paid position, generally between 6-10 hours per week. Perfect for a church treasurer or someone in financial services.

Please see the job description, SHARE WITH YOUR CHURCH TREASURER and contact the office if you have questions or may be interested.

The IRS has raised the business mileage reimbursement rate from $0.56 to $0.625 per mile, effective July 1, 2022.

Churches are encouraged to adjust their mileage reimbursement rates. READ THE IRS NOTICE.

Kudos to Rev. Alex Regets (Manteno First) for launching a website of resources for pastors of small churches.

The site is www.hometownpastor.com, and it's got sermon starters each week for people who are following the lectionary, resource and book reviews, plus the occasional encouraging story from his own life and ministry and a podcast that's all about leading churches through change. 

Or follow him on Facebook. Great job, Alex!

Roundtable Discussions are on hiatus until fall - It's not too late to join the exciting

Learn more about the Matthew 25 Initiative on our website or on the PCUSA pages

On Sunday, June 12, Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian, Woodstock First Pres. and several other faith groups participated in Woodstock’s Pride Fest on Woodstock’s historic town square.

The well-attended event featured a parade, food trucks, live music, and booths from a variety of churches, social-service agencies, and vendors. Pictured are RCLPC volunteers with a bench that was temporarily relocated from the church to the RCLPC Pride Fest booth.

When the Mission and Community Outreach Committee and the Matthew 25 Task Force of DeKalb Westminster first heard of the RIP Medical Debt campaign, the response was enthusiastic. They decided on a clever marketing idea: challenge the congregation to cover a life-sized cut-out of John Calvin (he's been a fixture for years) with band-aids representing the growing number of gifts. And when committee members discussed a goal, one suggested "Why not go big and shoot for $10,000 - I like the idea of alleviating one million in medical debt!"

Thus began DeKalb's 7-week drive, which is well on the way to potentially meeting that goal.