Congo Pentecost Offering

On Pentecost Sunday, May 24, 2026, the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley will collect the Congo Pentecost Offering. All funds collected will go to the Presbytery's Congo Mission Team, to be used for mission projects in DR Congo. This year, the Congo Mission Team has already sent over $5,000 to Dr Congo to help pay tuition for Congolese students. In past years, we have helped build schools, bought motorcycles, Bibles, aided the IMCK Hospital, and other projects.



Churches and individuals can give to the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley-Congo Partnership. Please mark your donations for: Congo Pentecost offering. Below is a letter from the Congo Partnership Team and a Minute for Mission that can be shared in your worship service.

Letter from Congo Team

Congo Pentecost Offering Minute for Mission

The New Way of Global Engagement

Staff from the office of Global Ecumenical Partnerships welcome you from across the globe and invite you to join them in forming meaningful and sustainable partnerships across denominations, faiths, and cultures to restore relationships with each other, with God, and with creation. To learn more, go to http://pcusa.org/gep 

Lunch and Learn at Southminster

Southminster invites you to their monthly Lunch and Learn on Thursday, April 9 at Noon. The topic is Dementia 101. A light lunch will be served, for which a $5 donation is suggested.

To reserve a lunch spot, contact Betsy Murphy at 205 822-1124. Otherwise, just come.

Church address: 1124 Montgomery Hwy (Hwy #31) Vestavia Hills 35216.

The speaker Dr. Renee Brown Harmon brings both professional expertise and personal experience to the topic. After 30 years as a physician in a family medical practice shared with her physician husband, she retired to care for him after he developed early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. She will speak about the definition and various types of dementia, the difference between “senior moments” and significant cognitive impairment, as well as the spirituality of dementia, and will touch on caregiving.

Robes Available

Edgewood Presbyterian has 25 Murphy choir robes to donate. There is a wide variety of sizes. Contact Joe Genau if interested.

Independent Presbyterian Church

100th Sanctuary Anniversary

A NEXT Church Workshop Series – Spring 2026

CHANGING THE CULTURE OF ASSESSMENT

The traditional metrics of budgets, membership, and attendance are no longer adequate to evaluate success in ministry. Instead of searching for new ways of measuring, we revert to what we know, perpetuating a status quo.

But, if what we are doing matters in our lives and in the world, we must...

Imagine worship that brings together every generation—children, youth, adults, and elders—through creativity, movement, and art. Imagine a space where everyone feels included, inspired, and able to participate fully.

Our upcoming Lifelong Learning workshop is designed just for faith leaders like you—especially those serving small or limited-resource churches. You don’t need a big budget or a large team to foster broad participation in your worship services. You just need a willingness to try something new.

I write to invite you to join me for a benefits gathering to learn more about new proposals that were just approved by the Board of Directors of the Board of Pensions. These include the extension of Transitional Pastors Participation for those enrolled, the creation of a new subsidy toward the cost of medical coverage for children in the Congregational Pastors Package, and the piloting of a new Assistance Program to help with childcare costs for eligible pastoral leaders with young children.

The Board is hosting several summits in a longer format in cities across the country, including Louisville and Atlanta. However, I am offering the same content in a shorter gathering in several additional locations which may be closer to you, including the one detailed below.

Where: Southminster Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama

Address: 1124 Montgomery Hwy., Birmingham, AL

Date: Tuesday, April 14

Time: 2:00-3:30pm

Click here to register

All are welcome to attend, however this content will be most beneficial for pastoral leaders and benefits decision makers in congregations.

This gathering will be a hybrid format. I will also bring brief reports to presbytery meetings throughout the region in the months ahead.

A Zoom link will be forwarded to all who register to participate virtually on Friday. Any who have already registered do not need to take any action.

I look forward to sharing more about this good news, and I hope to see you there! If you have questions or would like to talk through these updates in your specific context, please let me know.

With gratitude and humility,

Keenan Rodgers (he/him)

Church Consultant

The 2nd Annual

Rural Ideas Conference

June 24–26, 2026

Registration Is Now Open!

The Rural Ideas Conference is a national, ecumenical conference which focuses on rural congregations. We invite pastors, leaders, and members from your church to join us at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR.

Keynote Speaker is

the Rev. Brad Roth

His theme will be,

"It Is Good For Us To Be Here"

There is no cost to attend the conference. We offer free lodging in the new campus dorms. You are welcome to pay for your lodging in a hotel room instead.



At a key moment in the gospel, Jesus leads his disciples up a mountain and resets their vision. With fresh eyes, the disciples begin to imagine how Jesus is leading them into something new. It’s time for a reset in the rural church. We need to learn the art of seeing rural communities and congregations as God sees them—through faith in Jesus’ presence, in hope for the future, and with fresh eyes transfigured by love. In this talk, rural pastor and author Brad Roth will lead us up the mountain with Jesus. Jesus has given us everything we need. Onward!

Register Today! 

The Present Word



Oakmont Chapel Presbyterian Church has 10-12 copies of each quarter of The Present Word Adult Bible Study if anyone is interested. 

Contact Janet Roberta or Rachel Winter @ 205-823-5910

1001 New Worshiping Communities Grant Deadline

Grant deadline and award dates have been announced for 2026 1001 New Worshiping Communities grants. More information about the grants can be found HERE.

2026 Submission Dates are: April 28, June 30, and Sept 1.

Please submit applications to nwcgrants@pcusa.org.

Living River has a few returning counselors from last summer coming back to lead summer camp 2026! We're also looking for a handful of first-time applicants for the position. Summer camp counselors are college-age young adults, including youth who will graduate from high school this year. They can be any young adult you know who would be a good fit; they don't have to be a part of a Presbyterian church! 

Please help us spread the word and recruit some excellent counselors for summer camp! Please share the opportunity with your congregation through your newsletters, etc and share with anyone who particularly comes to mind. Being a counselor is a very fun and meaningful experience (transformative for some). It's a great opportunity for gaining professional skills, too. 

The job description, application, and more information about the position are at www.livingriver.org/summerstaff.  

Living River Summer Camp and Scholarships 2026

Summer camp registration and scholarship application are now open on both Living River website and the Presbytery web site.

Scholarships ($200 for full week camps and $75 for You & Me - both adult & child) are available on a first come, first serve basis until the funds are depleted. Priority is given to campers from Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley churches.

Prayer Concerns

I write with deep sadness to inform you of the passing of Sharon Leslie Morgan on February 24, 2026. Sharon, alongside her co-author Tom DeWolfe, spoke to the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley so meaningfully on racial healing. Also, many of us will remember our book discussions on “Gather at the Table,” where her work inspired honest, transformative conversations.  Please join me in praying for her family and all touched by her work. Let us carry forward the spirit of healing she shared with us. Debra Love

Civil rights icon Bernard LaFayette, who led Black voting efforts in Selma in the 1960s, has died at 85. Dr. Lafayette was a guest speaker at a previous Presbytery meeting. Please keep Dr. LaFayette's family in your prayers.

Prayers for Peace in this world.

Please be sure to check out the job openings within our Presbytery at the bottom of this page.

Healthy Boundaries Training

All ministers and ruling elders are required to participate in Healthy Boundary Training for the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley. Below is a link to a Jotform Registration Form. This registration form contains registration information as well as the link to the video (which is password protected) and the password. The video takes you to another link for you to watch the content.  

After watching, It is very important to return to the Jotform, acknowledge your completion and SUBMIT the form. This will ensure the stated clerk receives notice that you have completed the training.  

Thank you for participating in the required Healthy Boundaries training. Your comments on both the process and the content are welcome. Please reply to our Stated Clerk if you have any questions and/or wish to share your comments.

Registration and link to Healthy Boundary Training for the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley

Ministry in the church can be life-giving and life-changing and, in the midst of it, we all need faithful companions along the road. Welcome to Along the Road – a podcast on faith and leadership for ministry leaders of the PC(USA).

Newsletters, Bulletins, News

Stewardship Kaleidoscope 2026

Montreat Conference Center

• April in Montreat
• Tales from the "Off Season"

Presbyterian Outlook

• Why fossil fuel divestment is back before the General Assembly
• The cross isn’t just about our guilt and shame

Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network

• Resources for Older Adult Sunday and Earth Day

PRESBYTERY OPERATING FINANCES January 2026 YTD