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Back in the late 1960’s singer-songwriter, James Taylor, wrote “Carolina in My Mind” when he was in Europe and homesick for the days of his youth; it became one of his best and well-known ballads. There is a line in the song that says “You must forgive me if I'm up and gone to Carolina in my mind.” I have to admit there are those times when you have to forgive me, because, like James Taylor, I too have up and gone to Carolina in my mind…that’s Montreat, North Carolina!
One of the highlights of the whole year for me is the time I get to spend with the youth of our presbytery – along with youth from across the country – at the Montreat Youth Conference the first week in June. I truly believe that Montreat, the Presbyterian Conference Center in the mountains of North Carolina, is one of those “thin places” Celtic Christians often speak about, one of those special places where heaven and earth, the eternal and the temporal, divine and human all come together. And every summer, I get a front-row view of how God’s Spirit works in incredible ways in the hearts and lives of our young people as they learn and grow and experience God’s love and presence and community at this annual conference.
This year, some 24 youth from six different churches in Savannah Presbytery are signed up to participate (and hopefully a few more before all is said and done), along with a handful of adults (like me) who are along for the ride (well, to be the ride!). We go as a presbytery, building relationships that cross church and cultural boundaries and continue after we get back home. Clicking on this link will take you to a short video that gives a taste of what the Montreat Youth Conference is all about. It was produced by a member of my church, Bailey Chambless (granddaughter of our beloved Rev. Proctor Chambless), who served on last year’s Montreat Youth Conference Planning Team.
While the youth and their families are responsible for most of the costs of the conference, room and board for the week (which are significant), Savannah Presbytery does provide some scholarship aid as well as assistance with transportation and other expenses.
I am sharing this with you today so that you might consider becoming a partner in this wonderful adventure through a financial gift. Your gifts will directly benefit the youth as they seek to deepen their relationships with Christ and one another.
So go ahead, join me in humming “Carolina in My Mind” as you click on the link below that takes you to Savannah Presbytery’s secure online giving portal and the line item "Montreat Donation". You can also send a check (marked "Montreat Donation" to Savannah Presbytery, 450 N Cromwell Rd. Savannah, GA 31410. And join me in praying that the “deep magic” of Montreat (to borrow a term from C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series) will work in the hearts of our young people (and the young-at-heart chaperones) once again.
The Presbytery's Online Giving Portal
Peace,
Andy Meeker
Associate Stated Clerk and Parliamentarian, Savannah Presbytery
Pastor, Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church
Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, Savannah Presbytery’s Montreat Team
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Breitenhirt Scholarship Fund | |
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Each year 12 to 15 Breitenhirt Scholarships are awarded to help our churches and families offset costs to send children and youth to summer camp and Montreat Youth Conferences to the tune of $2,200-$2,600.
Our fund currently sits with a balance of $2,830. If donations do not come in, this fund will likely be depleted in 2025.
To learn more about the fund or to donate, click on the buttons below.
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We had a wonderful Stated Meeting on February 21st at Jekyll Presbyterian Community Church. There were 29 Savannah Presbytery congregations represented at the meeting which might be a record for us. Thank you to everyone who attended both in-person and virtually and a huge thank you to Jekyll Presbyterian Community Church for your warm hospitality!
At the Winter Stated Meeting, the Presbytery installed new officers to lead us. Together with our Director of Pastoral and Ecclesial Care, Stated Clerk/Director of Administration, and Treasurer, these three officers make up our Savannah Presbytery Trustees and have responsibility for recommendations related to the presbytery’s corporate interests. After a one year term, the Moderator-Elect rotates into the position of Moderator for a year then into the position of Council Chair for a year. Rev. Jon Hauerwas, Skidaway, was elected by the Presbytery Council to serve as its chair following Rev. Pete Ullmann's move to the Presbytery of East Tennessee. Elder Marti Stein, First Savannah, assumes the role of Moderator, and the nomination of Rev. Ben Beasley, Allenhurst, was approved for Moderator-Elect. We thank Jon, Marti, and Ben for their service. Please keep them in your prayers.
To read their bios, please click here:
https://www.savannahpresbytery.org/staff-and-officers/
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Proposed Amendments
to the PCUSA Book of Order
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Faith Enrichment Conference | |
We celebrate having had a wonderful Faith Enrichment Conference last weekend at Epworth by the Sea. Eighteen of our thirty-two congregations were represented as well as participants from Greensboro, GA and Clemson, SC for a Spirit led time of worship, learning, fellowship and relationship building. Save the date for next year’s conference, February 20-21, 2026, which will be the FIRST of its kind as our presbytery collaborates with the four additional Georgia presbyteries for an exciting joint conference. Don’t miss it! | |
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The Racial Justice Ministry Team received word from Pastor Ozeas da Silva that the children of our sibling congregation, Iglesia Latina in Swainsboro, are being bullied in school with taunts regarding being immigrants and teasing that their parents would soon be deported. We, as the body of Christ, were reminded of what Matthew 25 calls us to do.
We encouraged each other, and now we encourage the wider presbytery, to consider in what ways we and our children can be reaching out with compassion to the migrant families in our presbytery at this time of great fear and anxiety for them. Teachable moments abound.
Families in situations of need in La Iglesia Latina can be helped through the church’s “Helping Hands” fund. Notes of encouragement and donations may be sent to La Iglesia Latina (Memo: Helping Hands), P.O. Box 1223, Swainsboro, GA 30401. One member of the Vidalia church, Mike Brand, stopped by for a visit and learned of needs at the church regarding the physical plant. Just “showing up” with a desire to provide support can open passageways for information and resources to be shared.
In part, the Matthew 25 Movement encourages congregations to venture into their neighborhoods to discern with their neighbors how they can partner in service to the community. Elder Sam McGaw shares several “M25 Moments” as she recalls White Bluff Presbyterian’s recent call and experience in community.
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Around the Table is launching two waves of cohort learning models in August 2025 and August 2026.
Applications for the first wave are due May 2nd and coaches will begin reaching out to their cohort members in June and July. Cohorts will meet monthly and will explore Sabbath practices- such as storytelling, hospitality, and retreat- to be observed in the home or as a church community. The program is free to churches and offers a $1,500 grant toward a retreat for communities that attend most of the coaching cohorts over the 9-to-18-month period.
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SAVE THE DATE:
February 20-21, 2026
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Georgia Presbyteries Announcement
The leadership of the five Georgia presbyteries (Greater Atlanta, Flint River, Cherokee, Northeast Georgia, and Savannah) charged a planning team to reate a gathering of Georgia presbyteries for 2026. The FIRST of its kind!!
We are excited to announce that Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the PCUSA, will be our KEYNOTE for this event.
Recognizing the ways in which the planning for this event will impact other things happening in our presbyteries, the coordinating team made a couple of up-front decisions that they asked that we communicate to you.
First, we are planning to use Savannah Presbytery’s reservation at Epworth by the Sea, Saint Simons Island, on February 20-21, 2026, for this time together. We expect that the event will begin at 1pm on Friday, February 20, and end by 2pm on Saturday, February 21. We hope that you will check your congregations' calendars now to avoid conflicts and particularly seek to look at ways to minimize overscheduling for the month of February 2026 (i.e. avoiding events on the weekends before and after this event).
We are excited about this collaboration and the opportunity to be the connected church with our Georgia siblings! Save-the-date!
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Montreat Music & Worship Conference | |
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The Montreat Music & Worship Conference is sponsored by PAM, the Presbyterian Association of Musicians. Two different weeks are offered with classes for choristers, hand bell ringers, artists, music directors, dancers, liturgists, children, and youth. It is an inspiring week of worship, Bible study and music making.
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Presbyterian College
Opportunities for Leadership Development
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At Rev. Kate Brearley Buckley's request, her presbytery membership has been transferred to Peace River Presbytery. Kate grew up in the St. Simons Presbyterian Church and went through the ordination process in our presbytery graduating from Columbia Theological Seminary. She was a director of our Faith Enrichment Conference and is now Parish Associate for Church of the Palms in Sarasota. God speed Kate! | |
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