If you need to set up a meeting for your team or would like information on a team you might be interested in joining, contact the presbytery office at 314.772.2395

Webster Groves Presbyterian Church

Part-Time Children’s Ministry Coordinator Job

WGPC is seeking a part-time, high-energy, creative, engaging, and organized person of Christian faith to help lead and coordinate our Children’s Ministries. Working closely with our Associate Pastor of Faith and Family, the primary responsibilities are to lead and coordinate the Children’s Ministries programs: Sunday School/Children’s Worship, preteen fellowship, and Vacation Bible School, as well as outreach to families. This position requires an estimated 8-10 hours per week: flexible hours Monday through Friday, with some Sundays. Competitive compensation commensurate with experience. Click here to learn more.

Dynamic Leaders invites Giddings-Lovejoy congregations to recognize two outstanding members whose commitment to the church's ministry serves as an inspiration. One honoree will be at least 50 years old, and the other will be under 50 years old. If you do not have anyone in one of these categories, it is also ok to just nominate one great ministry servant. Celebrating the contributions of both older and younger church members is a fantastic way to build community and appreciate the diverse talents within our congregation. We will honor the recipients with a worship celebration followed by brunch.

The registration form may be accessed by clicking HERE.

The deadline to submit your honorees is July 1, 2025.

FREE EMPLOYMENT LAW WEBINAR

for Religious Organizations

With Attorney Cory D. Halliburton of Freeman Law

Thursday, May 22 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Presbytery Leaders, Personnel Committees, and Committees on Ministry

will all benefit from attending!

Mr. Halliburton serves as outside general counsel and business advisor to

a wide range of nonprofit/tax-exempt organizations. He is also a frequent

presenter at the PC(USA) Mid Council Financial Conference.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Final Service at

First Presbyterian Church, Ferguson

Sunday, May 18 at 10:00 am

It will be a special service celebrating 154 years of the ministry and mission of First Presbyterian Church of Ferguson in the community and beyond.

SAFE GUN STORAGE

On Thursday, May 15th at 7:30 pm ET, please join the Office of Public Witness for our first webinar training on secure gun storage in conjunction with our newly launched partnership with Be SMART. Firearm-related death has become the leading cause of mortality for children in the US—more than cancer or car accidents. This is partly because of the rise in unintentional child-involved shootings. Simultaneously, many improperly stored firearms are stolen each year and used in violent crimes. 

This training will offer practical information about how to secure firearms and how to discuss firearm storage with those you love. The training is ideal for gun owners and non-owners alike, as secure firearm storage affects us all given the rates of gun ownership in the US. Along the way, there will be time to explore how Christian commitments can inform our desire to promote secure gun storage.

Click the link to sign up to receive the webinar’s Zoom invitation or visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/Fdn4oSNSSmu38ELwhApuRQ.

Heritage Sunday - May 18

Every year, Presbyterians celebrate Heritage Sunday, a day to reflect upon and learn more about the long and rich history of the Presbyterian church in America.

Heritage Sunday always falls on the Sunday closest to May 21, the opening date of the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1789. Use the resources below to plan a celebration for your congregation, download free bulletin inserts, and learn more about Presbyterian history.

This year it falls on May 18: 75 Years of NCC. In 1950, 27 Protestant and Eastern Orthodox denominations and 8 ecumenical agencies joined together to form the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Click here for a bulletin to share with your fellow Presbyterians.

FREE Rural Ideas Conference

July 16-18, 2025

The First Annual Rural Ideas Conference will be July 16-18, 2025, in Clarksville, AR, on the campus of the University of the Ozarks. Once you reach campus, all your expenses will be paid through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment for Religion. 

Your church and town are unique. In fact, all rural communities are unique. To know one rural place is to know one rural place. By focusing on rural congregations, we believe that we will be able to support, empower, and equip rural congregations and their leaders in a unique way. As a rural university, we at the University of the Ozarks care deeply about rural life and community, and believe we bring a unique perspective to this work. 

Click Here to Learn More

Shroud of Turin 2025 International Conference & Symposium at the St. Louis Augustine Institute

16805 New Halls Ferry Road, Florissant, MO 63034

July 31 - August 2

Speakers include renowned scientists, historians, theologians, and scholars who will share their insights and discoveries related to the Shroud of Turin. Each speaker brings a unique perspective, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of this enigmatic relic.

The full academic conference (3 ½ days) is sold out, but we are currently selling Day Pass tickets for the local community. The Day Pass tickets include a full day of sessions, entrance into the Shroud of Turin exhibit with a full-scale shroud replica, and lunch. https://shroud2025conference.com/registration/

The complete flyer may be found by clicking here.

Grace Camp: Mission Madness starts in 22 days! May 27-30, we will work with all the agencies in one week! We work all day in varying capacities. Participants must register by May 18th. It is a great opportunity for a family staycation or for seniors to participate in communal activities or for youth to get their community service hours (minors must be accompanied by a supervising adult). There is a charge to cover dinner, which is cooked for the whole team, and to compensate for the use of the space where we gather. Here is the cost breakdown:

• Dinner meals are $20 each ($12 for children younger than 10). Dinner meals will be served Tuesday through Friday.
• 1/person/time block as donation to the church for space usage, up to $3/day/person (morning, afternoon, evening). $8/person for Random Acts of Kindness activity on Friday.

These amounts cover the costs of Grace Camp: Mission Madness. Worship offerings -- not included in the base price -- support the ministry of A Place of Grace. The itinerary for the week is attached.

If you wish to donate to the agencies with which we work, please go to our Amazon Wish List, click here. and order donations to be sent to A Place of Grace, 348 Snake Road, Dorsey, IL 62021.

Stewardship Kaleidoscope Conference 2025

September 22-24 in New Orleans

Register by June 30 for the Early Bird Rate: $360

First Call Pastor: $200

PCUSA Grants: The Presbytery Foundation has grants available. For more information, visit: Church Financial Leadership Grant Program

Contact Dynamic Leader Moderator, Rev. Rob Dyer at rdyer@firstunitedpres.org if you need additional grant support. 

Synod of Mid-America

HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS

Deadline is July 15

The Synod of Mid-America has funds for Presbyterians to use for higher education. These scholarships can be used for any accredited institution of higher learning (including seminaries, trade schools, and graduate study programs). Scholarships are awarded per school year and renewable with an annual application.

Scholarships are open to active Presbyterians within the Synod of Mid-America, and whose church of membership qualified as a “small church” using the following criteria as determined by congregational membership statistics reported December 31, 2024:

• in Kansas (total of 100 members or less)
• in Missouri or Illinois (total of 50 members or less)

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

From the Stated Clerk

Annual Financial Review - Call to Help!

Does your church struggle to complete the annual requirement to conduct an Annual Financial Review as required by the Book of Order, G-3.0113, due to a lack of financial or human resources? If so, your community is not alone. Many of our churches across the Presbytery struggle each year to complete this requirement or cannot afford to utilize a third-party review as they would like. However, many of our other churches are blessed with qualified and talented membership who can provide this gift for their church. As Presbyterians and fellow Christians, we are called to be the connectional church, and so this is a call for help across the Presbytery. If your church has someone with the qualifications and talents for financial reviews and would be willing to be asked by other churches looking for help, for a reasonable honorarium or gift for their time, please let us know! The dream is to develop a contact list, like our Pulpit Supply list, as a resource to share with Presbytery. For questions or submissions, please contact the Stated Clerk directly. Email beddy@glpby.org

Rev. Ryan Landino

Presbytery Leader

Currently on Leave.

Please reach out to Associate Presbytery Leader Rev. Liz Kanerva

Rev. Liz Kanerva

Associate

Presbytery Leader

ekanerva@glpby.org

314.779.6809

Rev. Dr. Brandan Eddy

Stated Clerk

beddy@glpby.org

618.781.9615

Leigh Porter

Office Manager

lporter@glpby.org

314.225.9470

Janice McMillen

Communications Associate

jmcmillen@glpby.org

573.578.3960

Presbytery Moderator - Rev. Dr. Dave Burgess

Presbytery Vice-Moderator - Elder, Barbara Abbett

Vision Team Moderator - Elder, Lorenzo Clayton