Some of our churches have asked for help with technology. This webinar will be of special interest to you. I encourage you to sign up below. I'll be there.

The webinar is on April 4, 2024, at 7 p.m. EST. All who register will be emailed a link of the recorded webinar afterwards.

Sue

Rev. Mboyamba to visit Brown Memorial Presbyterian

March 24-25, 2024

Rev. Zacharie Mboyamba Kabala of Kananga, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was recently the keynote speaker at the annual conference. The weekend after the conference, he will visit Tuscaloosa and will speak at Brown Memorial for a "Minute for Mission" (10-12 minutes), and Rev. Joe Scrivner will host him for a presentation at Stillman College on Monday, March 25, at 3:00 pm. 

The Presbyterian Church has a long history of partnerships in the Congo going back to the pioneering work of William and Lucy Sheppard and Samuel Lapsley in the late 1800s. Our Elder Charles Nash has been very active in the Presbytery's work in the Congo. He's also hosting Rev. Mboyamba for the upcoming visit. You can see more info about the Presbytery's work in the Congo here. https://pslpcusa.org/congo-partnership/

Congo Mission Network YouTube page

PC(USA) Board of Pensions restructures benefit offerings for 2025

Philadelphia — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Board of Pensions (BoP) board of directors today voted to approve the benefit design brought forward by the board and publicly discussed across settings of the church over the past year. Dubbed the “Season of Rebuilding” in reports and discussion sessions, the hallmark of the design is the restructure of health benefits offerings for installed clergy. 



Healthcare offerings in 2025 will include a percentage-based benefit structure that covers installed pastoral participants, as is required by the Book of Order, in addition to presbytery-approved commissioned elders. This pastor-only plan – renamed the “Congregational Pastors Package” – will be a reduction from the current percentage paid for full family health coverage. Dependent coverage – for a pastor and spouse, a pastor with children, and a pastor with a family – will be competitively priced as fixed-cost additions. 

Presbytery Tech Person Needed

The Presbytery is looking for a Tech person to help with our quarterly Presbytery meetings. (This includes four eight hour meetings per year plus be available for four 2 hour planning meetings quarterly) Must have knowledge of Zoom, including issues with sound and video. Must be available to set up equipment to start each meeting and monitor Zoom participants. Compensation is negotiable. If you or someone you know may be interested please contact Tammy Strickland at [email protected].

Pastors and Transitional Ministry

Leaders Training

April 16-21, 2024

As part of the Transitional Ministry Educational Consortium, The Art of Transitional Ministry Week One, at Calvin Center is church leadership training designed for Clergy and other church staff sensing a call to transitional or interim ministry.

The Lead Teacher is Brady Radford.

Learn more and register: www.calvincnter.org/art-of-transitional-ministry

Dallas County Long Term Recovery Group

This Presbytery has been involved with the Dallas County LTRG (Long Term Recovery Group) for the past year. The LTRG is working on Selma’s recovery from the January 2023 tornado which destroyed or damaged so much of Selma and Dallas County. So far, the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley has distributed over $31,000 to six cases in Selma. This money has been used to replace beds, tables, washing machines, dryers and roofing for the six different families impacted by the tornado. The funds for these cases came from contributions from the Presbyterian Disaster Fund, Independent Presbyterian Church, Southminster Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian-Wetumpka and Oakmont Chapel Presbyterian Church. Thank you to all the donors.

There is still plenty to do in Dallas County/Selma’s recovery. Other organizations, such as United Way, Mennonite Disaster Services, Lutheran Disaster Services, Gospel Tabernacle Church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, and the Edmundite Missions of the Catholic Church are some of the workers/contributors to Selma’s recovery.

 This Presbytery can continue to help by providing funds to the Presbytery’s Perry/Dallas County Fund. Both churches and individuals may contribute to this fund. And, as the United Methodist case managers provide the cases, we can continue to help.

If you or your congregation have open positions that might be right for a Columbia student or recent graduate, please consider registering to participate:

https://form.jotform.com/240564935581160

If you have any questions about the event, which will be offered both in person and online, please feel free to contact Dean Natasha Patterson,. We look forward to facilitating vocational connections for you and our students!

World Water Day

In honor of World Water Day, all donations given online or postmarked March 22, 2024 will be matched, dollar for dollar by matching donors! It's a wonderful opportunity to amplify your impact and send a message of hope and peace to our sisters and brothers throughout the world.

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.

The New Wilmington Missionary Conference

July 19-24, 2024 / Westminister College, New Wilmington, PA

The New Wilmington Missionary Conference is one of the oldest continuous Presbyterian Missionary Conferences the church offers. It is a great opportunity to discover how God is active in other parts of the globe. Here is the link to the conference this year. https://www.nwmcmission.org/promo-resources For more information contact Cody Watson.

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

Newsletters, Bulletins, News

• Presbyterian Outlook - Easter Sunday resources - Palm Sunday resources
• The Board Bulletin - Board of Pensions

PRESBYTERY OPERATING FINANCES January 2024 YTD