March 5, 2026

PLEASE NOTE THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE!

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!

Highlights of our Stated Assembly meeting held on February 24th, 2026

Written by RE Bruce Carter, First Presbyterian Church, Elkhart

Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.”

Moderator Dal Kwon opened the meeting with a call to worship, an opening prayer and then read the theme for 2026-“Arise and Shine: Holding Firm Christ’s Light Amid Injustice. The theme for Assembly is based on Isaiah’s call to rise and shine, not as a vague spiritual slogan, but a “Call to Action” to stand with those who suffer under systems of cruelty and disregard for human dignity. It states that our Church cannot remain silent, passive, or distant in the wake of the mistreatment of our neighbors resulting in the death of Rene Good and Alex Pretti. We resolve to hear Isaiah’s call to rise and shine as a call to let the justice, mercy and truth of Christ become visible in public life. It also states that our church’s doctrine - “Great Ends of the Church” - calls for the promotion of Social Righteousness.

Scot Shaffer, new pastor from Huntington, was interviewed by Alan Griffin and shared sources of spiritual guidance, weekly activities, and hobbies that he uses to support his spiritual growth and ministry. All welcomed Scot and wished him well as he begins his new ministry at Huntington.

The assembly’s 2026 Vice Moderator, the Rev. Kim Adams from Valparaiso, was installed and welcomed by members.

The Assembly’s Visioning and Connecting leader, Jennifer Burns Lewis, read the Memorial Report honoring those that passed in 2025 and 2026. She asked that members submit names of any person that should be on this list to the presbytery office.

She also reminded all that the Presbytery of Wabash Valley is sponsoring “Platinum Rule Leadership for Changing Times,” a two-day workshop funded by the Lilly Foundation and designed to provide church leaders with skills to enhance their ability to serve their congregations more effectively. The workshop will be held at the Community Presbyterian Church in Rochester on April 12 and 13. Information on this event is posted on the PWV web site.

Quincy Worthington, from Highland Park Presbyterian Church in the Presbytery of Chicago, offered a moving sermon based on his first-hand experience as a protestor at the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois where “The Kingdom of Heaven crashes against the gates of Hell.” Quincy spoke passionately about the inhumane conditions inside the facility: lack of access to basic human needs such as food and sanitary facilities, lack of access to lawyers and poor ventilation (windows are boarded closed.) He also spoke of the “horror” of the treatment of protestors outside the facility. The protestors were attacked by ICE agents using “pepper ball” guns causing serious injury to some of the protestors.

Quincy spoke about the lost vision for human dignity and our call as Christians to remain true to life and light the light for Christ. As Christians he called on us to walk the hard road with Christ as we fight those who treat our neighbors inhumanely.

Quincy issued a warning- of fear, control and dehumanizing conditions that exist today and begged us not to remain silent on this issue and asked, “What kind of Presbyterians will we be?”

Quincy said we have a choice to stand up for mercy, caring and compassion, and closed with scripture Luke 9:20 Who do you say I am?

“This is not a metaphor, it’s a map.”

After reports from Gwynn Wills , moderator of the Ministry and Outreach Committee, on One Great Hour of Sharing and from Donna Enersen, Dean of the Ministry Formation Program, on its progress, Moderator Kwon adjourned the meeting and closed in prayer.

Our guest preacher was the Rev. Quincy Worthington, pastor of the Highland Park Presbyterian Church, outside of Chicago, IL and former PWV pastor.

Click HERE to listen to Rev. Worthington's profound words.

Jeff Whitney, our very own Creative Technology Specialist, from First Presbyterian Church, Valparaiso, created an outstanding video clip for the Wabash Valley Annivengers celebrating the Recognition of Commissioning and Ordination Anniversaries.

Click HERE to watch Jeff's outstanding creation

of the Annivengers.

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 LOTS of items that need 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 .

Articles of Faith

by Pastor Aaron Ban

St John's United, Chesterton

On Monday January 26, I was invited by State Senator Rodney Pol to open the Indiana Senate session in prayer. I read Matthew 25:31-46, including the passage below. I then prayed briefly that the senators would consider all Hoosiers, but especially the hungry and thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned, the people with whom Jesus spent his time.

I enjoyed meeting some of the senators, on both sides of the aisle. I appreciated the level of decorum and debate that I witnessed before I left to brave I-65 in the snow. I especially enjoyed the hospitality of Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith, who invited me back, along with my travel companion Rev. Tim Trussell Smith, to sit in his sunny office as we waited for the delayed proceedings. Since then, I have thanked him for this hospitality, and also have expressed dismay at the senate’s welcoming red carpet to ICE. Beckwith and I have been texting and talking back and forth since May when he visited Chesterton. We find common ground in our ministry experience, and our need for Scripture as guidance, but we have not been able to find much political common ground. I thought perhaps that an execution-style killing by a federal agent might bring us together…sadly not.

As we have witnessed this month, ICE agents have escalated their violent actions towards immigrants and citizens alike in Minnesota, and have been promised immunity from law, order and justice by the White House.

Senator Pol, Lt. Gov. Beckwith and I are all of the same generation. My “millennial” experience was wrought in optimism. I was brought up to think that America saved humans from near destruction in the war of my grandparents, WWII.

I was raised to think that technology was part of our manifest destiny, and would bring great improvements to the general welfare. I was taught that although there was diversity of opinion, we all could come together on the important things: life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. I was raised to believe that diversity of all kinds—race, gender, religion, national origin—were signs of a growing and expanding patriotism.

This snow globe of American optimism showed its first significant crack a quarter of a century ago with 9/11 and the subsequent “War on Terror.”

I began reading the Bible with adult eyes, and studying theology and history. These have become foundational to who I am, and have kept me from true despair.

No one is righteous, no one is entitled, no one is deserving, no one is superior, no one is holy, no one is complete, no one is healthy, no one is eternal. If we really believe this biblical truth, we can all shed our egos with a bit more ease, and come to the table without presuming to have the solution to the problem, or even a full understanding of the problems. This is my approach lately, which seems to be taking me into new places, like the Indiana senate. This is not an excuse for bad behavior, but a realization that no one is above another.

Although I have largely shed my illusions, I never imagined I would watch a video of federal agents shooting and killing someone dead in broad daylight, and then walking away. Twice.

Jesus Christ will not forget our words and actions. And it will be those ethical decisions that will sort us out from one another, sheep from goats. It will not be our party affiliation or our religious beliefs that will save us—only our compassion.

Now is the time to decide.

Will we take care of Jesus here and now?

Will we take care of the very basic needs of the people around us?

Will we do our best to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty?

Will we welcome the strangers, and presume their humanity?

In this frigid winter, will we provide proper clothing and shelter to those who need it?

When we hear of those who are sick, will we offer what we can to help?

Will we visit those in prison?

Will we stand with the “least” among us, even when authorities target us with violence?

If we do these things, we are promised a good portion in the Lord. If we are too busy with our own survival, our own ambitions, our own perception of heightened identity and social esteem, our God sees through that. Lack of love for our neighbor will not go unnoticed.

Perhaps Indiana is eager to invite ICE in, but in order to enter God’s kingdom, they would have to disarm and repent. In order to enter God’s kingdom, we all have to disarm and repent.

Unfortunately, my prayer did not move the needle. The very same afternoon that I prayed that the leaders of our state would “welcome the stranger,” the senate passed SB76, that would punish institutions within Indiana that do not comply with any future Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions.

My prayer in the Indiana Senate was like a tree falling in the woods with no one to hear it. Even so, I slept well that night. We have been warned time and time again what our lives should be: I know my bedrock is the ancient and steadfast gospel of love. They will know that I am actually a Christian by my love.

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.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Calendar for the Week-

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

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

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

Coming Up-

3/16 @ 9 = Staff Meeting = by Zoom

3/17 = St. Patrick's Day

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)

One Great Hour of Sharing

February 18 - April 5, 2026

Serving the most vulnerable around the world,

and offering aid to people lacking access

to life’s basic necessities.

Free OGHS Resources for Your Congregation

These resources add depth to your Lenten season and expand on the One Great Hour of Sharing theme, Do Justice. Explore Micah 6:8 further using the various options below.

Intergenerational Curriculum

Introducing our first Intergenerational session featuring One Great Hour of Sharing. Use this as a one-time event during Lent or as a Sunday School opportunity. Ideal for small congregations or congregations of any size with a mix of ages.

Download the Curriculum HERE

Worship Resource

This themed worship service on Micah 6:8 makes a meaningful worship experience on doing justice. Liturgy for Call to worship, prayers, and communion are included along with hymn suggestions and more. Simply copy and paste this information to create a bulletin for an upcoming Sunday this Lenten season, or use it for an easy-prep Sunday after Easter. Download the Worship Resource HERE

PowerPoint

We have PowerPoint slides you can use to share information about One Great Hour of Sharing during worship, at a meeting or event. Customize the slides so that information specific to your congregation is available. Download PowerPoint Slides HERE

Sharing Calendar

This calendar is an annual favorite, with prayers and reflections for Lent. Great for families or to use in an intergenerational situation with your congregation.

Download the Sharing Calendar HERE

Learn More About OGHS (click here)

THE FIRST HYMN feature documentary is a reverent, cinematic exploration of the earliest known Christian hymn. Archaeologists uncovered words sung by believers nearly 1,800 years ago that show a faith that was communal, costly, and deeply embodied. The film traces how worship didn't emerge from platforms or performance but from a people learning to remember who they were together.

In the ancient ruins of Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, archaeologists unearthed a papyrus scrap containing the earliest known Christian hymn, complete with both its lyrics and musical notation. Analyzed at Oxford University, the discovery challenges traditional views of church history by revealing the rich musical practices of early believers. Hosted by Australian historian John Dickson, the feature-length documentary THE FIRST HYMN chronicles the hymn’s journey from its desert origins to its modern resurrection, as acclaimed composers Chris Tomlin and Ben Fielding transform the ancient melody into a contemporary worship piece, culminating in a live concert performance.

Watch the official trailer HERE Tickets available NOW- Click HERE

Clergy - Lean on LeaderWise CORRECTION

If you attempted to opt-in for updates on the forthcoming leader-support opportunities, we apologize that the link in last week’s newsletter did not work. Here is the correct link to opt-in for updates. (Check the box “2026 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. Clergy are invited to register for these offerings.

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

You're Making a Difference!

Wonder where CWS (Church World Services) Kits are going & 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.

03/11/2018 - The Rev. Diane Shircliff, Chaplain

OPEN SEARCHES FOR PASTORAL LEADERSHIP

Deer Creek Presbyterian Church, Camden - MDP for Installed Pastor
Deer Creek Presbyterian Church, Camden - MDP for Commissioned Pastor
Wabash Avenue Presbyterian Church, Crawfordsville - MDP for Installed Pastor
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 new beginnings, thank you for the holy shifts that open doors to connection, creativity and grace. May every home, gathering and shared meal become a place where your love can grow. Amen. Prayer from the Mission Yearbook, PC(USA)

We are thankful for the ministry and service of Lake Village Presbyterian Church.

Lord ~

Let us create spaces for authentic connection,
Let us worship in concentric circles, child-led prayers, and interactive sermons.
Let us connect with people where they are.