PUBLIC WITNESS ANNOUNCES SUMMER GRANTS

DEADLINE IS APRIL 12

Each year, the Public Witness Team of the Presbytery offers grants to conduct summer programs at member churches and social agencies in relationship with the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy. The funds are awarded through an application process directed by the Public Witness Ministry Team.

The purpose of the grant is to provide opportunities for summer Christian education and witness, personal growth, faith formation, and recreation to children and adults in communities of need. Criteria for funding with an application download can be found here: APPLICATION HERE. The application must be submitted electronically, and the deadline for receipt of applications is April 12, 2024. 

Grants up to $5,000 will be awarded on May 1, 2024, however, partial grants may be awarded based on the number of applications received. 

Community Circle Zoom Series: Small Church

A message from the

Office of Christian Formation

Are you an educator, volunteer, minister of Word and Sacrament, or commissioned pastor who serves as a leader in a small church (less than 100 members)? You are invited to register for this Community Circle, our newest Faith Formation Leader Connection opportunity designed especially for those leaders in small churches to talk about faith formation.

Zooms will be offered six times, March – November 2024; come to every gathering, or when you can, to share in conversation and learn, ask questions, receive, and share resources for ministry, and support one another. Register once but register anytime.

Click Here for More Information

Self-Development of People Sunday

Sunday, March 10

The Sunday Resource and Yearbook will serve as a guide for congregations to become more familiar with the ways that the SDOP national and mid-council committees engage in their work through the church and in communities. It includes a sample sermon, hymns, liturgical materials, and stories about SDOP-funded community partners in communities locally, nationally, and internationally. Also included is other helpful material for congregations to celebrate this special Sunday, March 10.

Click Here for Resources and the Yearbook

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

Illinois' 2024 primary election is just one month away, and, with early voting already underway for many, there are plenty of things you'll want to know before heading to the polls.

LENTEN JOURNEY OPPORTUNITIES

with a Place of Grace

Mission Madness

Wednesday, February 28



Our second in-person Mission Madness Retreat this month is with Operation Blessing this Wednesday, February 28th, from 9 a.m. to noon. It is expected that we will be removing winter clothing from the clothing racks and replacing them with spring clothing. Please wear comfortable shoes, and come prepared to move back and forth. If you are unable to do the carrying, please speak up! We can accommodate various needs, so do not be bashful! RSVP via the RSVP form at http://www.aplaceofgrace-juliegvillo.net/upcoming-events.html. Operation Blessing is located at 18 E Lorena Ave., Wood River, IL. Please park in the city hall parking lot across the street from the entrance to Operation Blessing. You are invited to bring feminine hygiene products to contribute to Operation Blessing if you wish. Invite someone you love to participate alongside you this month and experience the wonder of serving a stranger! 

A Place of Grace is offering-based. Prayer Art Retreats require sixteen hours of preparation (10 for liturgy and artwork options, one and a half hours to load and unload the van, three hours for the retreat, and one and a half hours to reload and unload the van afterward) total and $5 in supplies per person. With the Lenten registration, you will get thirty emailed devotions with step-outs for a tangle each day, and six days of having your work posted on the APOG Facebook Page. I estimate that it will take an hour per day to create the step-outs and the devotions and email them out, and approximately five minutes per email to download the artwork and repost it on the Page. In-person offerings may be made via cash or check. Electronic offerings may be made via PayPal.me/JulieGvillo or Venmo (@Julie-Gvillo)

The Presbytery through the Omnibus Motion at the most recent gathering approved the guidelines established by the Commission on Ministry for use of the “Small Church Sabbatical Fund.”



A “sabbatical” concept is rooted in the Hebrew concept of the sabbatical year to be observed every seven years, allowing land to rest and lie fallow. The concept has been adopted widely within the academic community for a period of rest, study, and/or travel. More recently, the value of a sabbatical period for pastors has been recognized as providing benefits to both pastor and congregation and the ministry they share.

Learn more by clicking here.

Rev. Ryan Landino

Presbytery Leader

rlandino@glpby.org

314.409.9002

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 - Elder, Lorenzo Clayton

Presbytery Vice-Moderator - Rev. Dr. Dave Burgess

Vision Team Moderator - Rev. Mel Smith