Spreading Hope for Children

GBM's Christmas Drive is underway. With your help, we are working to assist 100 low-income families to provide for their children ages 4-12 years old. We are accepting donations of toys, gift cards, and new clothing. For a detailed list of donated items that are needed, click the button below or email michelle@gbm.org

The PC(USA)’s Christmas Joy Offering helps mother-daughter duo find success at Stillman College

‘There’s no way you can fail’

by Emily Enders Odom | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — Just like those wise pilgrims from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem only to return home by another way, Carla Louca and Susannah LeMay took some unexpected detours to find purpose and meaning.

And, in the end, the mother-daughter duo saw the light of Christ reflected in each other.

At first, living thousands of miles apart, their respective roads surprisingly led them to study in the same place at the same time, Stillman College, a Presbyterian-related school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Although Louca, now 42, ...

Congo Mission Network

Save the Date for the 2024 Conference

“Education for Transformation: Equipping Congolese Youth for the Future” is the theme of the 2024 Conference. Save the date, March 14-16, 2024, for this dynamic get-together. Click here for a Save the Date flyer in English, and here for French.

We cordially invite you

to join the staff and your colleagues of the 

Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley 

for our Annual Christmas Party

DATE: December 13th

TIME: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

WHERE: Presbytery Office 3603 Lorna Ridge Drive B'ham, 35216

Please RSVP with the link below no later than Friday, December 8th and let us know what dish you will bring (this is optional). Presbytery will provide a main dish and drinks

The Presbytery Office will be closed for Christmas and the New Year from Dec. 22 - Jan. 1st.

New build for the Long Term Recovery Group

The United Way of Selma & Dallas County reports the first new build for the Long Term Recovery Group. Members of the Mennonite Disaster Services are working to rebuild a family's life.

The Presbytery is contributing $6,500 to the cost of this house. More houses will be built and contributions can be made to the Perry/Dallas Counties Fund at Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley, or contribute to the Black Belt Community Foundation.

THE PRESBYTERIAN PROMISE

An $80,000 Scholarship over 4 years for all students who are Presbyterian.*

The Presbyterian Promise Scholarship is a commitment by Presbyterian College (PC) to recognize students for their merit and affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. PC seeks to develop students academically and spiritually in this signature scholarship. Students who are of members of Presbyterian churches, or who attend Presbyterian/Reformed secondary schools, will receive a scholarship for a minimum of $20,000 per year for up to four years—that’s an $80,000 commitment to you.

Apply for Montreat Summer Staff!

by Celeste Abney-Crowe, creative services manager at Montreat Conference Center

Do you know a young adult looking for a summer job? Montreat Conference Center is currently accepting applications for its 2024 Summer Staff season. All young adults who are at least one year out of high school are invited to apply.

Available positions cover a wide range of skills and interests such as A/V production, childhood education, marketing, environmental studies, hospitality, and more! All positions are paid and include the option to live on campus. Plus, certain positions may qualify for college credit.

This is a great opportunity to gain valuable job experience and enjoy life in our close-knit mountain community. If you think someone you know would be interested, please encourage them to apply at montreat.org/summer-staff!

Attention: All 2023 giving sent through the Presbytery must be received no later than January 5, 2024 and must be dated December 31, 2023 to be credited on your 2023 giving statement. Thank you for supporting your Presbytery!

Exploring the Legacies and Lessons of the Civil Rights Movement in the US South: 

A Pilgrimage to Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, Jackson, the Mississippi Delta and Memphis / May 28 – June 6, 2024

The events of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, occurring largely in the U.S. South, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, profoundly changed the course of our nation’s history, leading to the abolishment of legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement. Through the non-violent, peaceful means of marches, protests, walk-outs, sit-ins, boycotts and demonstrations, citizens and movement leaders resisted continuing oppression and engaged in a hard-fought struggle to expand civil rights and dismantle the structural racism of their time.

Living Waters for the World - Chacsinkin, Yucatan, Mexico

Pro Ecclesia 2024 Conference

https://www.pro-ecclesia.org/

Click on the registration link below for all the conference details

We are excited to announce the details of our next annual conference, “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic? Championing the Marks of the Church in an Age of Polarization and Ecclesial Confusion,” to be held here in Birmingham, June 10-12, 2024. We hope you will join us!

Please register and book a room by clicking on the button below and following the instructions we have laid out for you. We look forward to welcoming you. We promise you will you have a good time of learning and fellowship in service of the church.

Rev. Ed Hurley will be leading the final prayer at the end of the conference.

Matthew 25 Summit:

An Invitation to Innovation

Join us in Atlanta, GA, following Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, January 16–18, 2024, for a first-of-its-kind event! 

The Matthew 25 Summit will bring mid-councils, churches, and individuals together to explore this vision. What does it mean to eradicate poverty; how can we begin dismantling systemic racism; how will we...

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

APCE Annual Event, January 24-27, 2024 in St. Louis, MO

The theme for the Association of Partners in Christian Education event is "Come All who are Thirsty," and registration is open now. Look for details on workshop offerings, speakers, scholarships and registration here. This event is available in person, online, and online in Spanish. Due to the partnership between the Christian Formation Office in the PC(USA), Global Language Resources, and APCE, there is no cost to participate in AE Online in Spanish.

Please set your calendars for this fall and help a family get affordable housing. And, you may meet this family as they work on their house.

The 2023 Habitat for Humanity

The Birmingham area churches in the Presbytery will sponsor a Habitat for Humanity House for this year, 2023. Construction on the house has started and the family for this location is Karla Tolbert and her son. The address is 923 13th Avenue Circle B, Pleasant Grove, Alabama.

As of last week the framing for the house has begun. Volunteer work days are on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Volunteers do not have to be knowledgeable about construction (although it helps). There will be plenty of jobs to do: digging, helping frame walls, painting, nailing, pulling nails out because you bent them, installing siding and lots more.

New Season—The Along the Road Podcast

After a summer hiatus, new episodes of Along the Road are back. Enjoy! Share!

Newsletters, Bulletins, News

• Presbyterian Outlook - Touring Scotland
• Change Management in Congregations
• Looking into the Lectionary December 10, 2023
• Worship resources for December 17, 2023
• Presbyterian Historical Society - PHS MATTERS
• Synod of Living Waters - The Virtual Voice
• POAMN
• Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship hires new Executive Director
• Presbyterian Tree Fund Awards Grants

PRESBYTERY OPERATING FINANCES October 2023 YTD