The Easter Egg Hunt Was Delayed A story of Easter hope!

Greetings Fellow Presbyterians! My name is Mary Mickel, and as Moderator of the Presbytery it is my joy to tell you a beautiful story of Easter hope!

P arents, grandparents and friends volunteered to hide the eggs for our kindergarten grandson’s class. Eggs of all colors were hidden in the grass, shrubs, and small trees. The day was beautiful with birds singing a beautiful melody. The eggs shimmered from the sun’s warm glow and filled our hearts with joy. All we needed were the children to come and find the eggs! We waited with loving anticipation. After 15 minutes passed, someone asked where are the children? Twenty minutes had passed.   One of the teachers waved the parents back into the classroom. The children were there, with their Bible story books, ready to read “The Story of Easter” to all guests, before the “egg hunt.” The small children read with pride how Jesus and His 12 disciples took a trip to Jerusalem for the Passover Celebration and how the people waved palm branches and shouted, “HOSANNA!” They read how Jesus and His disciples all ate together and when the meal was over, Jesus went out to pray. They read how Jesus was betrayed by Judas and was crucified on the cross at Golgotha. They read that Jesus loved everyone so much that He died on the cross to save us from our sins. As the story ended, they read how Jesus went to heaven and that because of what he has done, we will live forever too! By the time the egg hunt commenced, we all understood why the hunt was delayed. God wants us to put Him first in our lives as our children and their teachers so beautifully demonstrated! I am reminded of the scripture from Matthew 6: 33; But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you .

We are a blessed people who serve a mighty God who loves us. Jesus came into this world so that we might have life eternal. As we continue to celebrate Resurrection Day, may we always be reminded to put God first! Grace, love, and peace! Mary T. Mickel, Moderator

223rd General Assembly Quickly Approaching Getting to Know Our Commissioners, Young Adult & Theogical Student Advisory Delegates

T he 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will meet in St. Louis beginning on June 16. When it meets every other year, the Assembly or "GA" includes worship services, mission tours, business sessions, an exhibition hall, and much more. GA is sometimes described as a "great big family reunion" for our 173 presbyteries and our closely related entities and organizations. Based on the size of our presbytery, we are sending our four elected commissioners (two ruling elders and two teaching elders) as well as a Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAAD) and a Theological Student Advisory Delegate (TSAD). We are proud to introduce them to you now!

Commissioners

Mary Brown Ruling Elder at Woodlawn Presbyterian Church Mary Brown has been a member of Woodlawn Presbyterian Church since 1970 and was ordained as a ruling elder in 1987. She has served in a number of roles at Woodlawn, including clerk of session, chair of the Evangelism Committee, and more. She served two terms on the session totaling eight years. Learn More About Mary

Ed Kelly Ruling Elder at First Green Cove Springs A lifelong Presbyterian, Ed Kelly has been a member of First Presbyterian Church of Green Cove Springs since 2009, has served on the session, and has been clerk of session there since 2015. Beginning this past fall, he became the assistant stated clerk, a volunteer position, for the presbytery.  Learn More About Ed

Rev. Dr. David Lee Pastor at Highlands United David Lee has been a member of the Presbytery of St. Augustine since 1996, serving Highlands United Presbyterian Church for the last 21 years and will celebrate his 22nd anniversary there this October. David was the 2016 recipient of the “Parish Pastor of the Year” award from the Academy of Parish Clergy.  Learn More About David

Rev. Paige Porter-Buhl Stated Supply Pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church Paige Porter-Buhl is currently in her third year serving as the stated supply pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Gainesville. Prior to that she served as a parish associate at Westminster Presbyterian Church from 2006 to 2013. In addition to her church ministry, Paige has also worked for many years as a software developer.  Learn More About Paige

Young Adult & Theological Student Advisory Delegates

Emma Cottrell Young Adult Advisory Delegate A first-year Christian Education major at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC, Emma has been active in campus groups like Celtic Cross, which focuses on leadership in the church. She is also the sisterhood chair of her sorority, Sigma Sigma Sigma (Epsilon Pi), at Presbyterian .  Learn More About Emma

Forrest Foxworth Theological Student Advisory Delegate Forrest was received as a Candidate for Ministry under the care of the Presbytery of St. Augustine effective this past November. He is currently attending Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Since 2010, he has served as Director of Youth and Their Families at First Presbyterian Church of Fernandina Beach.  Learn More About Forrest

Welcome Aboard!

A t its February & March meetings, the Member Preparation and Call Commission examined and approved new presbytery member Rev. Ana Lugo-Berrios . In addition, Carl "CJ" Dates was received as a new candidate for ministry under our care and Justin Forbes was received as an inquirer for ministry under our care.

Ana is serving in a validated ministry as a Regional Gift Planner with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foundation and is active in the life and ministry of the South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church. She was ordained in 1986 by the Denver Presbytery.

CJ , pictured with liaison Rev. Kathy McLean (At-Large), is currently attending Columbia Theological Seminary. He previously served on the staff of Palms Presbyterian Church.

Justin, pictured with liaison Rev. Bruce Hedgepeth (South Jacksonville), is a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary. He currently teaches at Flagler College and is the Director of College Ministries at Memorial Presbyterian Church.

"Swap and Share" Time Added to Spring Presbytery Meeting

T he presbytery will be holding a "Swap and Share” at its Spring Stated Meeting on Tuesday, May 1, at Montgomery Presbyterian Conference Center. Items you may bring to share might include: music, children’s books, educational resources, small items of furniture, etc. Please see below a form you may fill out to let the Presbytery office know what you have available. We will publish a list of items being offered so people may see what is being donated. Items may be brought to the Spring Stated Meeting and will be shared on a first come first served basis. Any items not taken will need to be removed by the person/church who brought them. If you would be willing to let us know what you are bringing, please use our Swap and Share Form.

In addition to our commissioners, YAAD and TSAD, Stated Clerk Rev. Sandra Hedrick (Kirkwood) will serve as a Parliamentarian for the Middle East committee at the 223rd General Assembly . Rev. Joe Rigsby (Honorably Retired/Area Relationship Coordinator) will also travel to St. Louis for the Assembly to provide encouragement and care for our attendees.

Our Mutual Mission Team returned from its eight day trip to Cuba on Feb. 23. Co-Chairs Diane Watkins (First Fernandina) and Bob Bell (First Perry) report that eight people from our Presbytery took part in the trip along with one representative from our JEMM partners. While in Cuba, they visited 15 churches and learned the different ways each is helping serve their communities. To see photos from the trip, visit here.

Presbyterian Women announced Leslie Cox as the 2018 recipient of the Kay Beckman Seminary Scholarship. Leslie is currently attending Columbia Theological Seminary. Presbyterian Women also recently held a "Day for Girls" workshop at Faith Presbyterian Church, where they learned how to help give women and girls around the world days of dignity, health, and opportunity through menstrual health solutions and education. Presbyterian Women moderator Gayle Bone (Faith) is interested in visiting churches around our presbytery to talk to their PW groups. Email her at [email protected] to arrange a visit!

Joan Wells was commissioned to pastoral service at the First Presbyterian Church of Williston on Sunday, March 18. On April 8, we will celebrate the installation of Rev. Julie Jensen as the associate pastor at First Fernandina Beach.

Applications for our Relationship Coordinator Director position are still being accepted. Click here for more information. Applications (Statement of Faith and Personal Information Form, or similar materials for a Ruling Elder) can be sent to [email protected]. To see other available positions throughout the presbytery, visit our Classifieds page on our website.

Check out our new interactive Google Map of the Presbytery! You can find it on the homepage of our website and under the Congregations & Ministries tab.

Under our new structure, there are vacancies on several groups that need to be filled in a timely manner. If you are interested in volunteering to serve on one or more of these important groups, please fill out our online application form. Applications are due by Wednesday, April 11.

Montgomery Presbytery Conference Center is now hosting Open Climb Days on select Saturday's thru May from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.! Dates are as follows: April 14th & 28th, May 12th & 19th. $10/person or $40/car. For more details, visit here. This year's Springfling will be held on Thursday, April 26th and will feature Terran McGinnis, manager of education and community development at Marineland. Also, Summer Camp Registration is still open but hurry, the first week of camp (June 24) will be here before you know it!

Pastoral Counseling Services will be holding its second annual "411" gala fundraiser on Wednesday, April 11 at the Friday Musicale in Jacksonville. For more information, visit here.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance reports that through donations made, it was able to grant over $4 million across the globe, support 7,136 work team volunteers, deploy 418 National Response Team members who spent 2,122 says in the field in 70 presbyteries. To read even more ways funds raised helped support many other initiatives, visit here.

Many of our church employees and retirees depend on Board of Pensions (BOP) benefits. The BOP recently reported the good news of an upcoming increase in benefits/credits as well as a 17% investment portfolio return in 2017. For more news from the BOP, view its Spring 2018 Bulletin.

The Wisconsin Council of Churches and The Christian Century magazine will be hosting their 40th annual Washington Island Forum June 25-29 on Washington Island in Wisconsin. This year’s presenter is Anna Carter Florence with the theme “Reading the Verbs: Finding the Script in the Scripture”. She is Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia and an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For more, visit here.

The Westminster Retirement Communities Foundation will be holding its 24th annual Resident Art Show May 23-30 at Westminster Woods in Julington Creek.

Columbia Seminary Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) is accepting applications for two new programs made possible by a $1 million grant to expand its Pastoral Excellence Program. The first two scheduled programs are: The Colloquy for Rural Church Clergy (August 6-8, 2018 & February 11-13, 2019) and The Colloquy for Latino/a Clergy (September 17-19, 2018 & February 25-27, 2019.) Applications are due June 1, 2018. More information can be found here.

Stewardship Kaleidoscope will hold its annual conference September 24-26 in St. Louis. In addition to plenary speakers, the conference will feature over 30 workshops covering topic such as annual stewardship, planned giving, theology of giving, capital campaigns and much more. For more information, visit here.

Woodlawn Presbyterian Church celebrated its 148th anniversary on Sunday, February 25th. The Woodlawn Black History Committee also acknowledged its rich heritage by honoring the following members of its congregation: Nancy S. Watts , age 99, for being its most senior member; Lloyd N. Pearson Jr. for his work with voter registration, having registered over 35,000 individuals to vote; Preston Drummer , for being the 1st African-American Secretary/Treasurer for the AFL-CIO of the state of Florida; and Dr. Barbara Darby , for being the first female African- American President of the Florida State College at Jacksonville.

Rev. Larry Neal , who was recently honorably retired by the Presbytery, is enjoying the next stage in his life and provided this update to his First Presbyterian Church of Perry family. “I got to use my new golf clubs for the first time this past week. I wish I could say they have made me a 'scratch' golfer but alas 'operator error' continues to plague my game. I can say, however, that going forth, whenever I use the clubs, I will think of the generosity of the First Presbyterian Church. The golf clubs, and the other gifts that came my way on the occasion of my retirement, are poignant reminders of the generous care of the church for me and my family during the decades of my pastorate. Please know how grateful I remain for the First Presbyterian Church Family." Rev. Neal served as pastor at First Perry for 31 years.

On Saturday, May 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon, Palms Presbyterian Church , in conjunction with Bright Threads Ministries, will be hosting a training workshop, "Let ALL the Children Come: Supporting Kids with Special Needs in Our Churches." All are welcome to attend. Cost is $25 per person or $100 for a group of four or more from one church. To learn more and to register, visit here .

The Highlands United sponsored initiative, Micah's Backpack , continues to thrive as it provides weekend food to children in low-come households. It recently r eceived generous donations from Arlington Congregational Church and a missionary group at Fayette (GA) Presbyterian Church, allowing it to expand its outreach even further.  It ended the 2016-17 school year packing weekend backpacks of food for 52 children in three schools in the Arlington area. This school year they are providing weekend food for 91 children and counting from four schools. To learn more, visi t Micah's Backpack Jacksonville .

First Presbyterian Church of Jasper celebrated its 106th anniversary on February 25th!

The women a part of "Operation Shoebox" at Weirsdale Presbyterian Church wrapped up a very successful 2017. The group, which meets year-round twice a month, knitted and crocheted 3,500 ditty bags and sewed over 2,100 Christmas stockings for our troops overseas!

April 8 (4 p.m.) - Installation of Julie Jensen as Associate Pastor at First Fernandina Beach April 26 (9 a.m. - 3 p.m.) - Spring Fling at Montgomery Presbyterian Conference Center May 1 (9 a.m.) - Spring Stated Meeting of the Presbytery at Montgomery Presbyterian Conference Center June 3 - Montgomery Day! August 25 (9:30 a.m.) - Special Called Meeting of the Presbytery at TBA October 2 (9 a.m.) - Fall Stated Meeting of the Presbytery at Montgomery Presbyterian Conference Center

The Presbytery of St. Augustine Connection Newsletter is a publication of the Presbytery of St. Augustine. Written and designed by Communications Coordinator Kristen Magda. Editorial assistance provided by Stated Clerk Sandra Hedrick, Coordinating Council Chair Jeff Welch, Moderator Mary Mickel, and Communications Team Provisional Chair Paige Porter-Buhl, Masthead photo by Will Barnwell

The mission of the Presbytery of St. Augustine is to support our faith community, so that together we may witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. www.staugpres.org

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