Pentecost CANpaign 2023

The Presbytery's Pentecost CANpaign for 2023 has begun. This CANpaign is designed to combat hunger. From May 28 to July 30, your church can collect cans of food (or money) to give to your local hunger program. All the food or money goes to the organization your church chooses. Each dollar donated counts as 1 can of food.



When your church's CANpaign ends, please tell Presbytery how much your church gave and where it donated the proceeds. We will need the results of your church's CANpaign by August 7.

The Presbytery office will be pre-ordering the 2023-2024 planning calendars and the new 2023-2025 book of order. If you are interested in receiving a reduced price on these items please email Tammy with the number you would like to order. We will contact you once they have been received. The prices are below:

2023-2025 Book of Order $9.50 each

2023-2024 Planning Calendar $10.75 each

Session Minute Review Dates Set!

Our Stated Clerk, Jay Wilkins, gives thanks for the churches that have offered to host the reading of Session minutes with the dates/churches below. Imagine clerks and moderators gathering at churches throughout the Presbytery to support each other in our responsibilities, and to swap minutes and registers to be reviewed while we are together.

June 3, 2023 / 9:30 AM / Church of the Covenant

June 10, 2023 / 9:30 AM / First, Wetumpka

June 24, 2023 / 9:30 AM / Bethel, Tuscaloosa

July 15, 2023 / 9:30 AM / South Highland

If you or anyone from your church would like to join any of these scheduled meetings please contact Jay Wilkins or call 205-978-0320.

Matthew 25 Workshop

We say we want to end poverty, but how do we know if we are being effective?

That is a central question to be addressed in the second in a series of online workshops dedicated to the Matthew 25 focus on eradicating systemic poverty titled “End Poverty? Measuring Our Impact Holistically.” The Zoom event is Thursday, June 29, at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is required and participants can do so here.

Poverty is a complex issue that requires tools to interpret its complexity. In this online workshop, ... read more.

The 2023 Habitat for Humanity House

The Birmingham area churches in the Presbytery will sponsor a Habitat for Humanity House for this year, 2023. Construction will begin on Thursday, September 14, 2023. We will find out where the house will be built and which family we are building for in August.

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.

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.

Friends,

We hope you’ll plan to join us on Saturday, June 24, for IPC/Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley Day of Fellowship, Learning, Service, and Worship with United Presbyterians of Wilcox County. This will be a wonderful learning opportunity for all of us, and especially insightful for those who have yet to make this journey. We look forward to continuing to build our relationships while learning about one another and our deep and transformative Presbyterian legacy in Wilcox County. 

Please help us share the following registration link with others, and we hope you'll travel with us, too! Please note we are limiting this journey to people 18 years or older, and we ask that you register by June 16. We have included a schedule for the day on the registration link. We will not know until closer to the date whether or not we will have a brief volunteer service component at the Garden during the morning visit there.

https://ipcbirmingham.shelbynextchms.com/external/form/8f57217b-0e7c-4158-89d2-aca8306dd149

National Missionary Summit

Hosted by Presbyterian Heritage Center

September 7-8, 2023

How can we approach local and global missions in a world that is wrought with change and unrest? At every turn, there is a rampant injustice, political conflict, famine, disease, and warfare. Is the era of Christian missions over? Or rather, are we on the threshold of new opportunities to do God's work in the world?

Selma Disaster Relief-Funding

Many of you generous people have asked how to help out in Selma. The January tornado destroyed 250 houses and damaged 350 more. The Dallas County Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) has been set up. It will coordinate the recovery work in Selma.

Funds are needed to finance the rebuilding effort. We recommend giving to the Black Belt Community Foundation. The BBCF has two disaster funds set up: the Communities Helping Communities Fund (which aids all the Black Belt counties affected by the tornadoes) and the Selma Rebuild & Recovery Fund (which helps the Selma area). The website to go to is: blackbeltfound.org/2023-disaster-relief-funds. Then click on the Selma Rebuild & Recovery Fund to help Selma.

You may contribute online by credit/debit card or by PayPal. Network for Good is administering the collection of the donations. It charges a 3% fee per donation.

You may also donate by check. Make the check payable to Black Belt Community Foundation, and in the bottom left corner put Selma Rebuild & Recovery Fund. BBCF charges 5% per donation for its administrative costs. Mail the check to:

Black Belt Community Foundation

P.O. Box 2020

Selma, AL 36702

More information will be posted as things develop during the recovery work.

Summer Camp

Newsletters, Bulletins, News

• Montreat Conference Center
• Presbyterian Outlook - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
• Presbyterian Outlook - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
• Between 2 Gavels - Newsletter for GA Participants
• Stewardship Kaleidoscope

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).

Reminders

Just a reminder that the Presbytery office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday's from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (4 PM on Friday). The staff work from home on Tuesday and Thursday's.

Please check with the office for availability before scheduling committee meetings.

On-going Newsletter Articles

Ponderings by: Rev. Dr. Sue Westfall

PHFC Thrift Store Donations

Perry Dallas County Fund

Online Church Services

Matthew 25

PRESBYTERY OPERATING FINANCES April 2023 YTD