Fall Presbytery Meeting

Our next Presbytery meeting is November 21st at Cahaba Springs Presbyterian Church. It is very important that you register by November 15th, no later than noon. This is so we can get an accurate number for a quorum, lunch reservations and so that admission from the waiting room goes smoothly.  The registration link and zoom link is below along with the link to the packet.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/QviukamcBMjQALAm7

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88327029227?pwd=H9CVmiVNydeQ34AbzIjx9D6sWKxblU.1



Packet link: November packet

The Habitat House for the Baylor family is nearing completion. Volunteers from Independent Presbyterian Church are scheduled to work Saturday November 16. The Dedication Ceremony for the Baylor house at 3823 Barton Lane, Bessemer will be Monday, November 25 at 10:00am.

Cohorts for Commissioned Pastors and Christian Educators

A message to share from UPSem

Free to participants — and with a $500 annual stipend! — Union Presbyterian Seminary (UPSem) sponsors Presbyterians Supporting Christian Education (PSCE), a program with tracks for Commissioned Ruling Elders/Commissioned Pastors and for Educators (certified, not certified, volunteers, and pastors involved in Christian Education). In its sixth year, PSCE has served over 100 people. Cohorts of up to eight people plus a facilitator meet on Zoom for two hours once a month for support, learning, and sharing. Each cohort decides its own content. Educator groups often study a book or curriculum, while CRE/CP participants often discuss an article and present a case study.

Applications are due by November 30, 2024, for cohorts beginning in January, 2025.

APCE Annual Event

A message from the Office of Christian Formation

Join faith formation leaders, pastors, and youth workers in Memphis, TN, January 29th – February 1st, 2024 for the Association of Partners in Christian Education annual gathering. The theme is “Wrestling with God and Church: Toward a More Beloved Community.” Learn more and register here. Early bird registration runs through November 15th.

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

Stillman College: A Tradition and Trajectory of Transformation

Covenant Partner / By synod

Rev. Joseph Scrivner, Ph.D.

Dean of Chapel, Stillman College / Pastor, Brown Memorial PCUSA

Condoleezza Rice tells the story of her grandfather, John Wesley Rice, in the second decade of the 20th century, coming from rural Greene County, Alabama, to an educational institution in the former state capital, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This school began as the Tuscaloosa Institute, established by the Presbyterian Church in 1876 for the training of African American clergy, under the direction of its founder, Rev. Dr. Charles A. Stillman, pastor of Tuscaloosa’s First Presbyterian Church. In 1895, it was renamed the Stillman Institute, offering a general education in addition to a ministerial curriculum. By the time John Wesley Rice arrived about two decades later, he had very limited resources and was unsure of his educational focus. In fact, he paid for his first year with cotton. Then he learned that he could receive a scholarship for becoming a Presbyterian minister.

This article also appears in the Synod's newsletter, The Virtual Voice - Advent 2024

The Impact of Churches’

Hunger Action Programs in this Presbytery

We are compiling a list of this Presbytery’s churches’ activities in combating hunger. We are wondering what your church is doing to combat hunger, such as: donating to food pantries, operating food pantries, rescuing edible foods, giving food from members’ gardens, participating in the Cents-Ability and Pentecost Can-paign programs, volunteering at food banks, etc.

Our churches are acting to help the hungry and food insecure. Let’s see what everyone is doing. Perhaps we can get ideas from each other on combating hunger.

Please send your church’s information to Ralls Coston, Mission Coordinator, rcoston@pslpcusa.org., phone 205-617-0216. Thank you for all you are doing.

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

Greater Birmingham Ministries Christmas 2024

Planning for GBM's Christmas Drive is underway! 100 families are counting on us for assistance with toys, food and gift cards for their children ages 4-12 years old. You can help by organizing a Christmas Drive at your church. For more information, contact michelle@gbm.org. 

Prayer Concerns

Richard Hanna and family - on the passing of his wife, Lisa Kidd Hanna



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.

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

• Presbyterian Outlook
• Believing in Kindness
• A prayer for veterans
• Montreat Conference Center Update

PRESBYTERY OPERATING FINANCES September 2024 YTD