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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.
August 25, 2023
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PGR Newsletter
Our Newsletters will go out the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. The deadline for adding information is the Tuesday before at 5 pm. Please note the day that articles are due has been moved to Tuesday through the end of October.
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PRESBYTERY ASSEMBLY
Saturday, August 26, 2023
United Presbyterian Church of Peoria
2400 W Northmoor Rd, Peoria IL 61614 & Via ZOOM
Meeting from 10:00 am -1:30 pm
United welcomes in-person attendees starting at 9:00 a.m.
Reports can be accessed here
The cut off for lunch reservations has passed -- In person attendees registering after Sunday 8/20 -- need to provide their own lunch.
Peoria United will be providing Coffee and Fruit & Pastries prior to the beginning of the meeting from 9:00 - 10:00 am.
Please be aware that United Presbyterian Church Peoria is a nut free zone. We ask that you honor their policy & refrain from bringing nut products onto their campus. In order to reduce costs we are asking for donations to offset the lunch – suggested donation is $8/person.
We'll come together in worship, including communion with sermon by Lead Presbyter Rev Ann Mills Schwartz.
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We will be hosting a Book Swap
Bring your professional, continuing education and sermon resources you no longer need. Allow others to utilize these materials. Please be prepared to take home any un-swapped books.
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From Your Lead Presbyter
On a sunny September afternoon fourteen years ago, she appeared in our backyard, seemingly out of nowhere. She was a beautiful dog, Golden Retriever and Border Collie, past puppy stage, undernourished, abandoned, or maybe escaped. Soon we learned that she was resistant to touch and affection and was completely undomesticated. We looked for an owner, but no one claimed her. The timing was not good to welcome a new dog, but she stayed anyway. We named her Lily. She was high maintenance and time-consuming. She brought unending chaos to our house and my life.
I set out to teach her, to tame her with obedience classes and fancy training techniques. Books by dog whisperers were piled high on my bedside table. Nothing worked. For months, I had bruises all over my ankles and wrists from her efforts to herd me. My husband gently observed that we appeared to be battling over the position of Alpha female in the household, and it seemed like I was losing.
A few months after she arrived, she needed surgery. As I sat with her through her first night home, I could see the pain and fear in her eyes. But I saw something else too: acceptance, I think, and grace, for sure. In that moment, she and I each had a glimpse into the heart of the other, maybe for the first time, since we weren’t busy claiming our turf and marking our territories.
I also saw that she wasn’t the only one who had things to learn. She wasn’t the only one who was slow to adapt. She wasn’t the only one who was struggling to love an “other” who was trying to change her. She wasn’t the only one who needed to heal. Lily and I made a pact to start over that night, and everything changed after that. She became my dog, and I became her person.
To share our lives and our homes with pets is to have our hearts cracked open. When we care for any creature who depends on us for protection and survival, we become more compassionate, more loving, more generous. They teach us empathy and vulnerability. They make us laugh and bring us joy. As Lily sometimes reminded me, the word “dog” is “god” spelled backward.
We said goodbye to our sweet, old girl this week. We have been remembering funny Lily stories and recounting the lessons she taught—that love requires daily persistence, forgiveness, and grace; that messes can be cleaned up; that daily exercise and naps improve our mood when we’re awake; that stopping to smell the roses—and every other thing along the way—makes for a slower but richer journey; that the most simple gestures—a pat on the head, a soothing word, a mid-afternoon cookie—bring deep pleasure.
Thank God for the creatures we are privileged to tend and to love, the same ones who tend and love us. May we be worthy of every wag, nuzzle, purr, and sloppy kiss.
Grace and peace,
Ann
Rev. Ann Schwartz
Lead Presbyter
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A learning opportunity recommended by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
You are invited to Protecting Places of Worship: Fall Religious Observance Security Briefing
Please share this invitation widely.
Date: Tuesday, Aug 29, 2023
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://fema.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_PdAICSXiTHaW4y1_OY0CeQ
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the DHS Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Federal Emergency Management Agency and interagency partners, invites you to a webinar for the faith-based community where you learn about 5 Ways to Improve the Safety and Security of Your Place of Worship or Community Spaces | FEMA.gov and much more.
This webinar will provide participants with a threat briefing ahead of the period of Fall religious observances and the “Protecting Places of Worship National Weeks of Action” in September. In addition, federal partners will share practical tools and resources to help strengthen the safety and security of places of worship & community spaces.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
For more information on available resources to protect places worship please visit:
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Clerk's Corner
Greetings! There are still a couple of Session Record Review opportunities left! If you haven’t signed up yet, please do!
Sunday, September 10th from 3-6pm at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City.
Thursday, September 14th from 9am-noon at First Presbyterian Church. In Macomb, IL.
Sunday, September 17th from 2-5pm from 2-5pm at First Presbyterian Church in Muscatine, IA.
Monday, September 18th from 9am to noon at First Presbyterian Church in Davenport, IA (PLEASE NOTE: this time frame may adjust slightly due to a family need I have)
Friday, September 22nd 1-4pm at Faith Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids, IA
Friday, October 20th from 9am to noon at Faith United Presbyterian Church in Monmouth, IL.
The link to sign up is: https://forms.gle/LS7gUL7RRh5muw7b9
Also, a reminder that there is still time to sign up for “Not your average boundary training” for the October 31st and November 1st time frame. The link for this sign up is: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaNKd1e-UHUWh81o1K9go4O9K8NKLDLIpsFggPQmh214JG3g/viewform
It won’t be long and we will be in a season of getting ready for annual meetings! One thing to consider at your annual meeting is if you have any bylaw changes. When COVID hit, we were given a directive of understanding from the Office of General Assembly that stated we could do what we must in order to be the community we needed to be. However, that time has passed and we need to be abiding by Robert’s Rules and the Book of Order. We now have a new Book of Order that specifies we can have electronic forms of meetings and some of the parameters around that. I speak in more detail about this at the clerk’s record reviews and trainings. One of the necessary parts of this is making sure your congregation’s bylaws also allow for this.
As you look to bylaw changes, you may want to consider the language you use for people. If your language is binary, does that fit your congregation? The Book of Order has removed (at least the majority) of the binary language from the Book of Order. You might want to consider what this means for your congregation in terms of your bylaws and manual of operations.
Lastly, I get this question from time to time when it comes to voting. Can you have mail-in ballots? The answer is: yes, but. Yes. You can have mail-in ballots. BUT ONLY if everyone is using the mail-in ballot system. You can’t have some do mail-in ballots and some meet in person to vote. Robert’s Rules is specific about allowing for only one form of voting. This is why the Book of Order is very clear on the parameters of using various forms of electronic meetings. In order to have an electronic meeting, the platform/software you are using must provide for participants to hear and be heard simultaneously with those who are “present” in the original location. Otherwise, they cannot be counted towards quorum.

As always, if you have any questions, please let me know!
Rev. Elissa Bailey
Presbytery of Great Rivers Stated Clerk
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Communion Training Workshop for Ruling Elders
Led by Rev. Kay Daniel
Central Presbyterian Church of Petersburg is excited to host a training event for elders to prepare them to celebrate communion in their home congregations if their church is not currently being served by a Minister (TE) or a Lay Pastor (CP/CRE). Congregations interested in this training for their Ruling Elders should send a registration email to greatriverscom@gmail.com with the names and contact information of those elders their Session is sending to this event. Registration Deadline is September 3, 2023.
Training date: Sept 9, 2023
Time 9 – noon
210 Douglas, Petersburg IL 62675
For Part 2 of the training, which includes individual training and practicing a communion service, a second date will be set with each church represented at the event.
Successful completion of this two-part training leads to being certified for a three-year term by Committee on Ministry (COM).
Elders needing re-certification for an additional three-year term may enroll in this course to qualify for re-certification or speak to their COM Ministry Partner about alternative re-certification training. The current Ministry Partner listing can be found on the Great Rivers website under Forms/COM Forms.
This training will be repeated at a later date by Rev. Daniel by request made directly to her: churchmouse12345@yahoo.com.
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Regarding Ruling Elders
"When we come together in prayer and fellowship, the Spirit moves in powerful ways, guiding us toward greater understanding and deeper connection."

G-2.0104 of the Book of Order tells us that God gives ruling elders suitable gifts for the particular service to which they are called. But, how are ruling elders also using their gifts beyond the walls of the congregation - in the service to the larger church, as well as the world, within their community, at their workplaces, and at home? The fourth in a set of articles that focuses on ruling elders as they serve has been posted for your reading and use.
Throughout the next two years, monthly articles will alternate between these real life glimpses into the varied ways that ruling elders are serving within congregations and ministries throughout the country and a deep dive into the the ways ruling elders discern and measure the life of a congregation through the ministry of members.
Read "Use Me, God" in English
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From Your Finance Team
Churches,

We now have 41 of our 85 churches who have paid their 2023 Per Capita dues in full. Thank you to all those who have paid!
Always remember to submit a fully completed remittance form with any check you send to the presbytery.
In just the last two months we've received a dozen checks with no remittance form.
The completed form helps ensure that we apply your payment as you intend.
If sending from your bank online, you can email your remittance form to smcgrath@greatriverspby.org
2024 Per Capita is being determined at the assembly meeting this coming Saturday 8/26/23. The annual mailing will be sent in the first couple of weeks of September. This will be mailed to the attention of your clerk of session - Please watch for this. If for some reason you don't receive it please let us know.
Thanks,
Sabrina McGrath - Bookkeeper
Bill Strawbridge - Treasurer
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Please click on the blocks below to follow the links: | |
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Come to the Table is a new food and faith program funded by the Duke Endowment. Applications are now open for the fall cohort of the School for Food Justice, Faith, and Storytelling, an 8-week program designed for faith leaders to learn more about food system issues, the narrative change needed, and how churches can make a difference.
The training program will take place from September 28 to November 16, with sessions taking place weekly on Thursday. Sessions will explore the intersection of food justice, faith, and how our communities discuss and address hunger, ranging from topics like food access and farmers of color to theology and political advocacy. Guest speakers include Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Mark Yaconelli, Rev. Nurya Love Parish, Derrick Weston, Sarah Bowen, and more. Clergy and lay people are invited to participate.
To learn more about the goals, logistics, and curriculum for SFJFS, click here to learn more and click here to apply.
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Apply to Join the Mosaic of Peace Conference in Israel/Palestine in 2024
You are invited to join the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program’s conference to the Holy Land in Israel/Palestine March 4–15, 2024. During this conference, participants will engage with Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders; walk in the footsteps of the Prince of Peace and encounter contemporary Palestinians and Israelis; and connect with global and local partners to take meaningful action for a just and lasting peace in the region. Applications are due by October 20, 2023. Browse the webpage for detailed information and to submit an application.
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Jesus & Justice Advocacy Conference
The PC(USA)’s Young Adult Advocacy Conference is coming to Louisville this fall. The Jesus & Justice Advocacy Conference, hosted by the PC(USA), benefits college students and seminarians who want to learn effective ways to stand up for causes they believe in. Taking place from Oct. 20–22 at the Presbyterian Center near Waterfront Park, this free event will be held annually. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to engage with advocacy topics in meaningful ways! Learn more by clicking here!
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Matthew 25 Eradicating Systemic Poverty Workshop on Community Organizing and Advocacy
This online workshop on Monday, Aug. 28, from 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. EDT, will cover concepts of community organizing, movement building, and public and corporate policy advocacy as vital models for tackling root causes of poverty. To register, click here.
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PC(USA) Grants and Scholarships
Throughout the year, the Presbyterian Mission Agency offers more than 20 grants and scholarships ranging from $100 to $50,000 awarded to individuals, communities and mid councils. Learn more about these opportunities and more at this article from the Presbyterian News Service or by clicking here.
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Resources from the Office of Christian Formation
Christian Formation Week Celebration
The week starting Sunday, September 10, is when the PC(USA) celebrates and lifts up Christian Formation ministry, leaders and students. Here is a link to all of the resources available, with new resources being added each week. You can find Blessings Around the New School Year, Fall Kick-Off Ideas, Sunday Liturgy Resources, Ideas for Faith at Home for the Start of a New School Year and more. New this year is a social media pack of seven downloadable Canva posts, too. Additionally, some of the resources are available in Spanish.
Promise and Possibility: The Movement of the Spirit Through Gen Z (Four-Session Study): The Office of Christian Formation has partnered with UKirk Collegiate Ministries to offer this NEW four-lesson study. Intended for congregational use, each lesson invites participants to reflect on the gifts emerging adults offer the church and the world, the challenges this generation of young adults are facing, the biblical and theological foundations of ministry with young adults, and the spiritual formation journey college students take from 18–25. Engaging both Scripture and current research trends on Generation Z, participants are invited to ask God how they are invited to care and support college students during this pivotal time in life. Find the new study here. (A Spanish edition will be available later this fall.)
New Quicksheets and Resources:
Educational Technology Tools for Expansive Ministry
Technology and Teaching
Engaging Matthew 25 in Children
Matthew 25, Children and Stewardship
Pastoral Care with Children: Six Essential Ingredients
Pastoral Care with Children: Tips and Tools
Elder and Deacon Training
Why Presbyterians Are Like That – Bible Study: Congregational Version
Contact christian.formation@pcusa.org and find all of their resources at pcusa.org/formation.
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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Update
While there are no PC(USA) congregations on the island of Maui, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is working with the Presbytery of the Pacific to support those impacted by the devastating wildfires. If you would like to support PDA’s response, you can give by phone (800-872-3283), check (mail to Presbyterian Church USA, PO Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700, with DR000165 in the memo line; or online at pma.pcusa.org. For more updates, follow PDA on Facebook:
PDA on Facebook
As always churches can send their mission money to the presbytery office to be forwarded to Presbyterian Mission. Just fill out the section at the bottom of the remittance form (see link above in Finance for form).
Write GA project name: Hawaii
Wildfires and use project # DR000165
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Presbyterian Giving Catalog
Kick-Off Sunday (Sept. 10) is the traditional beginning to the church programming year. This year, celebrate Kick-Off Sunday with a SPLASH . . . centered on the global need for clean water.
Here are some great ways to use Kick-Off Sunday to share about this need:
Download and use this bulletin insert to share one story about the difference safe
water has made for communities in South Sudan.
Download and use the Jerry Can curriculum, which highlights the one common
denominator in all disasters around the world: the need for clean water to survive.
Activities for different age groups show how children can be involved with prayer
and generosity to make a difference in the lives of people in need.
Download and share one, or all, of these social media graphics meant to raise
awareness about the global water crisis. Be one of the first 10 churches to
socially share at least one of these graphics, use the hashtag #GiveWaterPGC
and tag us on Instagram or Facebook and get 10 #makingadifference T-shirts to
share with your members.
Although the majority of these Giving Catalog resources are available only in English, to access the Giving Catalog itself in Spanish or Korean, click here.
Plan Ahead: Upcoming Opportunities for Generosity
Churches around the country are using the Presbyterian Giving Catalog in fun, creative ways to join together and amplify their impact through group giving activities. As you plan, here are suggestions for special days when it makes sense to lead with a generous spirit.
Pastor Appreciation Month (October): What better way to celebrate your pastor than by having a gift given through the Giving Catalog in their honor?
International Day of the Girl (October 11): What a great day to recognize the vital role women play in all societies. Ask your members to give a gift through the Giving Catalog that helps to empower women and girls around the world. The Women’s Empowerment Project item is a great way to support education and economic opportunities.
World Food Day (October 16): Forty-three million people in 51 countries are on the brink of famine or worse. This is the perfect day to give a gift through the Giving Catalog that will make a meaningful impact around the world. Some of the most popular food items include the Refugee Food Basket, Kitchen Kit and Family Nutrition Starter Pack. You can also use this Bulletin Insert to share a story about the impact that food gifts have had in Cameroon.
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Support the Peace & Global Witness Offering
In 1980, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) passed a resolution that called for peacemaking in our country’s foreign policy direction. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the PC(USA)’s Commitment to Peacemaking (available in English, Spanish and Korean), a tool to help Presbyterian congregations shape their peacemaking ministries.
As congregations receive the Peace & Global Witness Offering on World Communion Sunday, they do so with many concerns on their hearts for our siblings around the world. Climate change, violence, and the refugee crisis in so many countries are humanitarian disasters of particular concern. Congregations understandably feel called to support relief efforts for these impacted communities.
The Offering offers congregations ways to support relief efforts for these issues while also supporting the peacemaking work of their mid councils and the PC(USA). Twenty-five percent of the Offering stays with the congregation and 25% stays with your mid council to support peacemaking and reconciliation in your own community and region. Find resources here. Posters, inserts and minutes for mission for the Peace & Global Witness Offering are also available in Spanish and Korean.
The theme for the 29 days of the 2023 A Season of Peace (available in English only) is Led Forth in Peace: Critical Areas of Engagement for Peacemakers. With these daily reflections, we are invited to reflect upon ways to practice peace by engaging the following critical areas: climate change, nonviolence, the intersection of poverty and racism, and immigration/migration. Sign up here.

When we all do a little, it adds up to a lot!
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Invite a Mission Co-worker to Speak at Your Church
Ready to connect with one of the PCUSA’s mission co-workers? You can host a mission co-worker in person or virtually depending on the type of visit you and the mission co-worker prefer. Email mission.live@pcusa.org or email the mission co-worker directly. Read profiles and find email addresses for mission co-workers by clicking here
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Learn More about World Mission
Interested in learning more about the various offices that make up World Mission? Want to know whom to contact if you have questions about global partnerships or receiving resources? Click here to download our one-page flyer (available in English only).
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Click the button below for the entire August 2023 issue. | |
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2023 Assembly Dates
August 26 at Peoria United
November 11 at Faith United, Monmouth
In-person and Virtual
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Grants from your Visioning Team
Grant applications are open now! Check out our Mission page (http://www.greatriverspby.org/mission.html) for information about the Visioning grant to support programming and projects in churches and partner organizations, as well as grants for sabbatical assistance and funding while clergy are on paid family leave. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and the Visioning Team is ready to answer your questions. Contact us at PGRVisioning@greatriverspby.org to learn more!
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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
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.
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Get Connected!
Be sure to encourage your congregations, sessions, and even your church newsletter editorial staff and volunteers to be sure 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?
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