February 26, 2026

Join us for our Lilly grant kickoff event

“Platinum Rule Leadership for Changing Times”

with the Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter.

Enhance your people skills to create happier relationships
Heighten your ability to work with others for the common good
Restore your faith in people and learn how to defuse conflict
Draw out the top contributions from others you work with
Bring out the best in people who frustrate you most

A two-day workshop for pastoral leaders, ruling elders,

and anyone interested in serving their congregations more effectively.

Cost: $10.00. Please pay using the QR Code (above right) and mark

'Misc Gift' - Workshop as the designation.

Notice: PayPal does charge a small fee of $0.70. Please check the box when paying. Thank you!

Calling Creative Congregations to Connect with Community

by Gwynn Wills, Moderator - Ministry and Outreach Committee

The Ministry and Outreach Committee of the Presbytery of Wabash Valley is seeking congregations to spread the word and love of Christ by offering grants for innovative and meaningful projects and programs. Partial funding for the following projects gives some idea of what has been submitted in the past:

• 1^st Presbyterian Church of Elkhart - to benefit the 1^st Presbyterian Developmental Basketball League hosted by Beardsley School.

• First Presbyterian Church of Downtown South Bend - for their Living Matthew Project to help provide an ecumenical approach to spreading the word of Christ in their community.

• First Presbyterian Church of Michigan City - Cultivating Faith at Home Project

• First Presbyterian Church of Mishawaka - for their Guns to Garden Project

• Auburn Presbyterian Church - for the Friends Table, an ongoing community project that serves to provide lunch and occasionally extra food or personal care items for people out of work, but the founding concept of Friends Table was relationship building.

Amounts of requests vary widely, and the team looks forward to receiving grants of all sorts that meet the criteria outlined. Please share with your congregations and consider the needs of your community. Contact Gwynn Wills, Moderator of the Ministry and Outreach Committee of the Presbytery of Wabash Valley, at gwills6735@me.com with questions.

The grant application and process can be found on the Presbytery of Wabash Valley website by clicking here: https://www.ourpresbytery.org/ministry-outreach-team

With the closing of the First Presbyterian Church in Kouts, there are a LOT of items that need to find new homes. Here are a few photos of adoptable items.

If you would like to receive a copy of the extensive inventory list of all items, please contact the presbytery office at info@ourpresbytery.org .

PWV Leaders

elected to attend GA 227

Minister Commissioner: Tyler Orem

Ruling Elder Commissioner: Heather Casiano

Alternate: Mark Perry

Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAAD: Bruce Ward

Theological Student Advisory Delegate (TSAD), Richard Fair

Overture Advocate: Joel Moody

The 227^th meeting of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) will meet June 22 - July 2, 2026 online and in person in Milwaukee, WI.

Please keep these PWV members in prayer for wisdom, discernment and good health!

2026 Per Capita is $45.08

Your PWV Stewardship Ministry Team and Coordinating Council approved the 2026 per capita rate at $45.08.

Internet access is needed for Zoom sessions. There is no cost, but registration is required for one or all sessions. To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/pwlenten.

Frank L. and Laura L. Smock Foundation

Distribution Advisory Committee

SMOCK FOUNDATION WEBSITE AND APPLICATION FORMS UPDATED

Dear Friends, February 18, 2026

The Frank L. and Laura L. Smock Foundation website has been updated and is ready for you to use. Please be sure to visit the Guidelines tab to become acquainted with new requirements for each type of grant application. Another change is that the guidelines now also appear on each

individual application tab, making it easier for you to make sure you have provided all the necessary information for you application to be reviewed.

Additionally, you will now receive an automatic email informing you your application was successfully submitted and you will be able to see a copy of your submission. If you need to make a correction, you can simply complete another application and notify me, by email, to disregard the first one.

We look forward to receiving your application and continuing the good work made possible by Frank and Laura Smock.

Here is the website link. https://www.smockfoundation.com/

Blessings,

Susanne M. Rowe

Smock Foundation Administrator

susanne@smockfoundation.com

The Smock Foundation seeks to unite members of the

Presbyterian Church USA in the state of Indiana.

2026 Mileage - Attn: Church Treasurers

The IRS Mileage Reimbursement increased to .72.5 per mile on 1/1/2026. Confirm that your church has a Session-approved Accountable Reimbursement Plan that addresses professional expense reimbursements. Your staff members could face adverse tax consequences if you do not have an approved plan. A sample Accountable Reimbursement Plan is available on the website under the Treasurer tab or click this link https://www.ourpresbytery.org/church-treasurers . Don't hesitate to contact Eric Herzog at the Presbytery office if you have questions.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Calendar for the Week-

3/02 @ 9 = Staff Meeting = by Zoom

3/05 @ 10 (ET) = Commission on Ministry - by Zoom

3/05 @ 1 (ET) = Commission on Preparation for Ministry - by Zoom

Coming Up-

3/06 = World Day of Prayer

3/08 = Daylight saving time begins

3/09 @ 9 (ET) = Staff Meeting - by Zoom

3/09 @ 10 (ET) = Stewardship Ministry Team - by Zoom

3/09 @ 4 (ET) = Ministry & Outreach Team - by Zoom

3/12 @ 1 (ET) = Nominating Committee - by Zoom

3/16 @ 9 = Staff Meeting = by Zoom

3/20 = Deadline to register for Platinum Rule Leadership for Changing Times workshop in Rochester (See information above)

3/23 @ 9 = Staff Meeting = by Zoom

3/24 @ 10 (ET) = Coordinating Council - by Zoom

3/24 @ 12 (ET)= Leadership Team meeting - by Zoom

3/30 @ 9 (ET) = Staff Meeting - by Zoom

4/12 @ 4pm-8pm (ET)= Platinum Rule Leadership for Changing Times

4/13 @ 9am-3pm (ET) =Platinum Rule Leadership for Changing Times

(at Rochester, Community PC. See information above.)

4/15 @ 1 = Communications & Visioning Committee - by Zoom

June 22-July 2 = 227^th meeting of the General Assembly of the PC(USA)

Upcoming Funding Sources and Community Resources

The presbytery has a wonderful list of grant resources and community resources sourced by the EPA on file, including specific areas like environmental concerns to more general information such as strategic planning and grant writing.

To request the list, simply email info@ourpresbytery.org and it will be forwarded to you.

One Great Hour of Sharing

February 18 - April 5, 2026

Serve the most vulnerable around the world, offering aid to people lacking access to life’s basic necessities.

When we participate in One Great Hour of Sharing...

We create possibility for people forced to flee their homes in search of safety.

We support recovery efforts when disasters devastate communities.

We empower partners to build sustainable futures.

We walk alongside our siblings to work for more just immigration laws and processes.

Our gifts show people they are not alone and that people they don’t know see them and care enough to respond.Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for (audience)? Why should they care (benefit)? What do I want them to do (call-to-action)? Learn More About OGHS (click here)

The Rev. CeCe Armstrong unearths some telling memories during the initial ‘Sounding Board’ podcast

The Co-Moderator of the 226th General Assembly (2024) shares a few formative faith moments with hosts Sarah Abushakra and Jeremy Roberts

Those who tuned in for the initial installment of “Sounding Board,” the new podcast offered by the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, got to hear some personal insights and memories from the Rev. CeCe Armstrong, Co-Moderator of the 226^th General Assembly (2024) and the associate pastor at St. James Presbyterian Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The 75-minute conversation among Armstrong and hosts Jeremy Roberts and Sarah Abushakra can be viewed here. To read the article, click HERE.

Clergy - Lean on LeaderWise

In order to support clergy well-being in the coming weeks, LeaderWise is offering contemplative centering and weekly group spiritual direction as no- or low-cost self-care opportunities. Feel free to invite your clergy to register for these offerings.

Here is a wonderful article, just in time as we turn our attention in the presbytery to all of the new things God is doing in our midst! Enjoy this thoughtful article about learning to sail the Spirit by Isaiah Park. Click HERE

Presbyterians remember the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s many civil rights contributions

The work of Jackson, who died Tuesday at age 84, often intersected with the work of Presbyterians. Jackson was active during a time when the struggle for the civil and human rights of African Americans was at its climax. He survived the 1960s and 1970s with a healthy faith and a commitment to making the United States true to its creed. Read the article HERE.

Invitation to hear nationally known speaker/author/researcher Ryan Burge on March 1st!

Over the past half-century, American religion has undergone profound transformation—from declining church attendance to the rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated. Drawing on five decades of data from several data sources, this talk traces how belief, belonging, and practice have shifted across generations, identifies the key inflection points driving change, and explains what these trends reveal about the future of religion in the United States.

Ryan Burge is professor of practice at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. Before that he was an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, and was also the graduate coordinator. He has authored over thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters alongside four books about religion and politics in the United States. He has written for the New York Times, POLITICO, and the Wall Street Journal. He has also appeared in an NBC Documentary, on the CBS Evening News, as well as 60 Minutes which called him, “one of the country’s leading data analysts on religion and politics.” He served as a pastor in the American Baptist Church for over twenty years, leading First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon, IL for 17.5 years until its closure in July 2024. He has been married to his wife Jacqueline for over eighteen years. They have two boys.

Everyone welcome - no registration required!

When: March 1 at 4pm (ET)

Where: Tabernacle Presbyterian Church

418 East 34th Street, Indianapolis IN 46205

Speaker: Jonathan T.M. Reckford, is the Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity International

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Time: Pre-reception at 4:30 pm with the lecture beginning at 5:00 pm(ET)

Location: Basile Auditorium, Eskenazi Hall, 735 W New York Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202

Format: In-person.

Cost: Free and open to the public

Registration Link: https://events.iu.edu/philanthropy/event/reckford

Please contact us at lfi@iu.edu with questions. This event will be recorded and will be available to view on YouTube a few days after it has concluded.

CEUs (6.5 hours) will be available after the conference based on attendance.

Speaker Froma Walsh, PhD is the leading international authority on family resilience in facing adversity. Her resilience-oriented, systemic practice approach integrates relational, socio-cultural, and spiritual influences to foster coping, adaptation, and the ability to flourish. *Register by clicking HERE!

Christian Theological Seminary

Prayer has always been a tremendous resource for Christians to go through everything in life.

To think about prayer can be a way through and perhaps even a way out.

For What or Whom Else Shall We Pray?

by Amy Lindeman Allen, PhD, Christian Theological Seminary

Our Life in Common

April 8, 2026 from 12-1pm, ONLINE

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship

Guns to Gardens

Spring Action Circles

April 16 - May 21

Sign up now to learn with other congregations how to offer a Guns to Gardens Safe Disposal Event for unwanted guns in your community.

Learn how congregations are taking this responsible action to reduce the number of unwanted guns to be found by children, youth, or others; used in a crisis; resold or stolen to be returned to the gun market.

Each Thursday on Zoom for 6 weeks for 1 hour, plus 1 hour of preparation.

11am (CT) HERE .

6:30pm(CT) HERE.

NEW!

Training for Firearm Safety Officers for Guns to Gardens

RAW Tools now offers training and certification for Firearm Safety Officers (FSO), which is a role required for each Guns to Gardens event. Some of the training is online and some is in person. On Feb 20-21, RAW Tools will offer the training in Weaverville, NC. A few spots are still open. Learn about prerequisites and future training by contacting Stan@rawtools.org

New Action Circles for

Protecting Children from Gun Violence: Imagining a New World

Wednesdays on Zoom

Noon ET, 11 CT, 10 MT, 9 PT

Bring a bag lunch or brunch!

Spring: April 15- May 13

This five session series on Zoom will guide you and your congregation in finding your action for protecting children from gun violence. Created by educational and pastoral leaders in the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, this faith-based program covers in one hour a key topic each week:

• Children in the Crossfire: Why is gun violence the top killer of our children?

• Saving Child Lives with Secure Gun Storage

• Seeing Our Children: The mental and spiritual health of children in the crossfire

• Direct Action Options for Real Safety for Children

• Advocacy, Voting and Finding Next Steps for Your Congregation

You're Making a Difference!

Wondering where CWS (Church World Services) Kits are going

and how your support helps others?

When a natural disaster happens, the road to recovery and safety may be a long one, and no one should walk it alone. Generous donors walk alongside our neighbors to ensure they have the supplies they need. Read more HERE

Local Drop off in: Elkhart (year round)

CWS Service Center Annex, 28606 Phillips St., Elkhart, IN 46514

800-297-1516 Shannon Dombrowski sdombrowski@cwsglobal.org

Please email Shannon in advance to make an appointment to drop off the kits, or call 1-800-297-1516 and leave a message. Someone will return your call as soon as possible.

02/26/1994 - The Rev. Dr. John C. VanNuys, Retired

OPEN SEARCHES FOR PASTORAL LEADERSHIP

First Presbyterian Church, Goshen - MDP for Installed Pastor
First Presbyterian Church, Goshen - MDP for Commissioned Pastor
Wabash Presbyterian Church, Wabash - MDP for Installed Pastor
Wabash Presbyterian Church, Wabash - MDP for Commissioned Pastor

Prayers of the Presbytery

Let us pray:

God of eternity, you call us to be a people faithful to your call. May we find our prophetic hope in your voice. May we find our compassion in the depth of your heart and love. In Jesus, we pray these things. Amen. Prayer from the Mission Yearbook, PC(USA)

We are thankful for the ministry and service of First Presbyterian Church, Lebanon.

Lord we are reminded ~