GOOD NEWS

from the

Presbytery of Great Rivers

We are called to share Christ's love by partnering in service, 

uniting in worship, and risking in ministry.

December 20, 2024

Announcements

Presbytery Holiday Closures

The Presbytery office will be closed for Christmas, December 24 through January 1.

Newsletter submissions

The first deadline for 2025 will be Tuesday, January 7, for the newsletter going out on Friday, January 10.

From the Lead Presbyter

Friends, 

So often we look for God in the beautiful places—the exquisitely appointed scenes, the magical moments of wonder, the shiny and bright. No doubt, God shows up in those spaces. 

But the gospels remind us that God also appears in—and to—the imperfect and the powerless, the dirty and disorganized, the frightened and the lonely, the broken and the grieving, the unimportant and unprepared, the homeless and the homebound, sojourners and soldiers. 

God shows up in war zones and houses of worship, in nursing homes and funeral homes, in prisons and hospitals, in shelters and refugee camps, in psych wards and rehab centers, in sorrow and loss, in comfort and joy.

And God shows up for you and me, making God’s way into every crack and crevice of our bone-dry spirits and shattered dreams. However and wherever you celebrate this season, remember the miraculous good news: God comes. In the flesh. To fallible human beings to fill and heal and make whole. To show us love and to show us how to love. To lift up the lowly, to honor the ordinary, to illuminate the beauty and the holiness within and among each of us. May it be so.

I will be on vacation from December 20 - January 6.

Merry Christmas.

Ann

Rev. Ann Schwartz

Lead Presbyter

From the Clerk’s Corner

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and I hope your clerk stockings are filled with holiday cheer .... and... end-of-year reports! Yes, it is that time. The end-of-year reports have been making their way out this week through email. You should have received yours by now. If you haven’t, please reach out to me so that I can make sure all of the information I have for you is correct. Unfortunately, the office of General Assembly has delayed the ability for clerks to get into the portal system. Clerks of Session will have access starting on January 2. You can still begin working on the many end-of-year reports; you just won’t be able to enter the statistical data until January 2. 

Not so fun fact, we discovered in the last Clerk’s Convo, if you don’t hit “accept” when you enter in your data, it doesn’t save what you have entered. Also, once you have hit “accept,” you aren’t able to change any of the info you have entered. I recommend having everything completed on paper before putting it into the system. If you do need to change something, please reach out to me as I have the ability to make some changes for you. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

Instead of a Clerk’s Convo in January, I am going to provide 20-minute individualized zoom conversations regarding the end-of-year reports/statistical reporting on January 21. Please reach out to me to schedule a time to meet with me over zoom if you have any questions or would like assistance in getting the reports completed. 

Rev. Elissa Bailey

Stated Clerk

The Mission of the Church

From Your Finance Team

Planning ahead for 2025

Budgeting for 2025

At the Aug 24th assembly meeting it was announced that per capita will be increasing for 2025.

2025 Per Capita is increasing to $38.29, due to an increase by the General Assembly. Synod & PGR rates remain the same.

The annual Per Capita mailing went out to churches at the end of September. If you did not receive yours, please reach out to Sabrina.

2024

Thank you to all churches who have contributed towards Per Capita

We’ve had 54 churches pay their 2024 per capita in full!

Thank you to Adair, Aledo-Sunbeam, Alexis – Norwood, Athens, Bartonville, Bloomington- St Luke Union, Bushnell, Carlinville, Carrollton, Carthage, Chatham, Chenoa, Clayton, Clinton, Coal Valley, Delavan, Divernon, East Moline, Edwards, Elmwood, Eureka, Fountain Green, Greenview, Ipava, Knoxville, Leroy, Lewiston, Lincoln, Mason City, Media, Milan, Monmouth – Sugar Tree Grove, Morton, Mt Sterling, New Windsor, Normal-First, Normal-New Covenant, Oneida, Orion, Pekin, Peoria – First Federated, Petersburg, Quincy, Reynolds, Rock Island, Springfield-First, Springfield – Korean, Stronghurst, Virginia-Sangamon Valley, Warsaw, Washington, White Hall, Woodhull & Yates City!

2024 Per Capita is $37.25, an increase of $1.00.  

2024 Per Capita is based on your final membership numbers reported for 2022.

If you have a question about how much you still need to pay, please email me at smcgrath@greatriverspby.org.

Mission Giving Percentage Update

At the April 20th assembly meeting it was voted to change the percentage of mission giving for the General Assembly & Presbytery of Great Rivers. Synod was not changed; it remains at 5%.

Presbytery: Increased from 52.5% to 75%

General Assembly (Presbyterian Mission Agency): Decreased from 42.5% to 20%

Please be sure to always submit a fully completed remittance form with any check you send to the presbytery. 

This ensures that we apply your payment as you intend. 

If sending from your bank online, you can email your remittance form to smcgrath@greatriverspby.org.

Please always feel free to reach out to either of us with any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Bill Strawbridge – Treasurer Sabrina McGrath - Bookkeeper

Please click on the blocks below to follow the links:

Support the Christmas Joy Offering

During the season of Advent, we remember and reflect God’s perfect gift, Jesus Christ. This child, the Word made flesh, became one of us, so, through the Christmas Joy Offering, we honor this amazing gift by supporting leaders among us — past, present and future. The Christmas Joy Offering supports retired ministers and church workers and their families through the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions and students in Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping Communities of Color as they pursue education and prepare to use their gifts in service to the church and world. Resources for interpretation of the Offering can be found here, and a promotional video can be found here.

Resources for Pastors, Sessions,

and Congregations

New PCUSA.org

The new PCUSA.org website has finally been launched! This updated platform is tailored to meet the needs of church leaders, with easier navigation, streamlined access to resources, and tools to support your ministry. From worship planning materials to mission initiatives and leadership resources, the new site is your go-to hub for everything Presbyterian. Read more in the news release.

Immigration Issues

The PCUSA’s Office of Immigration Issues has assembled a list of resources related to immigration, asylum, refugee, and immigrant defense. This includes contact information for all our offices engaging in the church’s response to migrants, deportation defense resources, and advent worship resources and more. If you would like a copy, please contact Lead Presbyter Ann Schwartz. 

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s Migration Accompaniment Ministries will continue to focus on changes in U.S. policies and government funded programs that relate to the persons we serve through our humanitarian programs and U.S. humanitarian policies.  These include refugees, asylum seekers, persons with other forms of temporary status (TPS or Humanitarian Parole) and those who are in limbo waiting for a decision about one of these types of status.   

Conferences and Learning Opportunities

SAVE THE DATE!

NEXT Church is excited to announce a National Gathering taking place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 11-14, 2025. The gathering will be at Westminster Presbyterian Church, thanks to the generosity and hospitality of their congregation and staff. During the gathering, leaders from all across the Church will learn alongside those asking similar questions, naming the very real/pressing challenges, and hoping to uncover strategies to bring about wholeness as we do the work ahead. Our time together will create the space to cultivate individual and communal transformation.

Registration will open in April 2025.

APCE Annual Event

Join Christian formation leaders, pastors, and youth workers in Memphis, Tennessee, January 29-February 1, 2025 for the Association of Partners in Christian Education Annual Event. Or join online in Spanish or English! The theme is “Wrestling with God and Church: Toward a More Beloved Community.” Engage in meaningful plenary and worship and attend practical workshops. Register before January 5th to receive a price break. Learn more and register.

WCRC Stewards

The World Communion of Reformed Churches will hold its 27th General Council from October 14 – 23, 2025 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We expect some 800 participants to come to Chiang Mai, Thailand for this gathering which coincides with the 150th anniversary of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

WCRC is seeking 40 stewards — twenty from Thailand and twenty from the global membership of WCRC. We invite applications for the stewards’ programme.

Stewards will make an enormous contribution to the facilitation of the Council. The General Council will be a wonderful opportunity to share in the life and witness of the worldwide family of Reformed churches. It will be a special opportunity for the stewards to meet many other young people and church leaders from around the world.

For more information on the invitation from the Interim General Secretary, please connect with the links below. Application deadline is January 31, 2025.

Proposed Amendments to the Constitution and Other Items

The 226th General Assembly (2024) approved and recommended to the presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes proposed changes in the language of the Book of Order that, if approved, will amend the Constitution, as well as an ecumenical agreement with the Episcopal subject to approval by the presbyteries. 

We will vote on the amendments at our April 2025 assembly meeting. There will be two opportunities to learn about the amendments. Zoom gatherings will be held on Tuesday, January 14, 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. Click here for Zoom

You can find the amendments and Ecumenical Agreement here

Ministry Opportunities

Open Searches for Pastoral Leadership

Interim Pastor, Third Presbyterian Church, Springfield click



Pastor, Yoked Ministry, New Windsor Presbyterian Church, Rio click

Music Ministry Director, United Presbyterian Church of Peoria click

Presbytery of Great Rivers Virtual Office

Virtual Office Assistant Crystal Goforth 309-683-6980 Email: office@greatriverspby.org

Crystal works remotely from South Carolina (Eastern Time) and is available until 4 pm CST Monday thru Wednesday and Friday, and 1:45 pm EST on Thursdays. Please leave her a message & she will return your call.

Bookkeeper Sabrina McGrath 309-683-6981 Email: smcgrath@greatriverspby.org

Sabrina works from Peoria IL.

Her regular schedule is Tues & Thurs between 8am-3pm (Central Time)

Lead Presbyter Ann Schwartz 309-683-6983 Email: aschwartz@greatriverspby.org

Ann's Sabbath Day is Friday.

Stated Clerk Elissa Bailey 309-371-2511  Email: pastorebailey@gmail.com

My regular office hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am - 3 pm.(Central Time) If you have an emergency, please call or text me at 309-371-2511.

Get Connected!

Be sure to encourage your congregations, sessions, and even your church newsletter editorial staff and volunteers to sign up for our presbytery newsletter and follow our Facebook page so you don't miss out on what is going on in our community of churches!

Have you liked our "Presbytery of Great Rivers" Facebook page?

Subscribe to PGR’s YouTube channel to get notifications of our new videos (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7CXkkAsjR9Owi7gkXPtn8w. Share your congregation’s videos with us so we can let others know about your mission and ministry. If you have questions, need help, or want to share a video contact Cheyanna Losey, cheyannalosey@gmail.com or 309- 299-4790.