To the PCUSA ‘as fast as I could’

“I wasn’t born Presbyterian, but I got here as fast I could!” That is Mark McCormick’s lively response when asked about his Church background. Mark and his wife Paige were both reared in the Southern Baptist tradition. Both hold degrees from the Baptist seminary at Wake Forest, long known for its academic rigor. That made it an early target of ... Read more

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 Reverend Dr. Andrew David Pomerville named as 11th President of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

In a world hungry for visionary leaders, where faith, education, and justice-driven work intersect, The Board of Trustees of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary proudly and with great excitement welcomes its 11th president: The Reverend Dr. Andrew David Pomerville.

Andrew brings to Louisville Seminary successful experience in both...read more.

CALL SEEKER WEBINAR: INTRODUCTION TO NEW CLC

The transition to a new CLC system IS FINALLY HERE! This means that the new CLC site is the official site in clc.pcusa.org and that the old system will not accept new PIFs or new MIFs. If you do have active PIFs or MIFs you will be able to continue your process until August 31st. So, we want you to know the in's and out's of how to navigate and use the new system for your process.

That's why the CLC Team will host a Call Seeker webinar on Wednesday, June 14th at 3:00 pm EST. We will cover from signing up to completing a call and will answer the questions you give us, live. Registration is limited to 500 participants. If this number is reached, those who don't get in, will be able to view it later in equip.pcusa.org or in our CLC Page

Register for the Webinar Here

It's important we handle this transition as smoothly as possible. So, we want all users to understand the system and their role in it. Please share this email with other members of your Presbytery who may be in the middle or starting a new call process.

You can download a Personal Discernment Profile (PDP) blank form as a PDF here: NEW PDP BLANK FORM 

As always, our CLC Consultants are available to support you and your ministry call process through CLC. Let us know how can we help you at [email protected]. 

Regards,

CLC Team

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.

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

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

• Presbyterian Outlook - Worship resources for June 11
• Montreat Conference Center Summer Worship Series
• This Summer in Montreat
• End Gun Violence Special Issue
• Outlook Confirmation Curriculum
• Stewardship Kaleidoscope

Prayer Concerns

Pat Goodman for the death of her Mother.

Rev. Richard Hanna for recent hip surgery.

Rev. Joe Slane's wife Beverly

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 March 2023 YTD