Thank you to the brilliant, dedicated pastors of this presbytery. Your wisdom and guidance, your faithful preaching and teaching of God’s Word, and your faithful presence in some of the best and the worst moments make all the difference. We see you and appreciate you deeply. 

Honorably Retired Ministers Luncheon

Greetings HR members of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley!  

I certainly am enjoying being Happily Retired but I miss fellowship with fellow pastors - YOU!!!

So, we are planning a gathering of the Honorably Retired Cadre of our Presbytery at 12:30 PM on Thursday, October 30, 2025, at the Bright Star Restaurant, one of Alabama's longest running restaurants, in downtown Bessemer, at 304 19th Street North, Bessemer, Alabama.  

We will be given a private space in the restaurant to gather and can stay as long as we'd like - enjoying great food and even better fellowship together. Meals at the Bright Star typically cost between $10 and $20 but thanks to the BOP we should all be able to afford that. 

Please let us know if you plan to come by Monday, October 20, and we will look forward to a time of good fellowship together.  

Please respond to me (richardhanna1@aol.com) in this email.

Blessings to all and look forward to seeing many of you on Thursday, October 30, at the Bright Star!  Which is, by the way, 2 days before All Saints Day! I don't know if there is any significance to that - but I sense there is!

All the best!

HR Member Richard B. Hanna   

The 2025 Annual Congo Mission Network Conference will be held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Stillman College. The Conference is being co-sponsored by Stillman College, Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, and The Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley.

Theme: "Ethical Leadership and the Church: Living Together"

Date: Thursday-Saturday, October 23-25, 2025 [in-person and via ZOOM]

In addition to Conference participants who will gather at Stillman College, other partner/participants in the Democratic Republic of Congo will participate and play significant roles in the Conference via ZOOM.

Congregations of the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley can assist in the following and other ways:

1. Members attend the Conference in person or via ZOOM https://congopartners.org/register2025
2. Give financial support to help cover expenses [technology, meeting room setup, transportation, etc.]
3. Sponsor meals for in-person attendees [lunches, morning and afternoon refreshments, Friday night dinner]
4. Give contents for "Welcome-bags" for in-person attendees
5. Give-a-way items to in-person attendees [pens, note pads, etc.]
6. Assist with decorating meeting space at Stillman
7. Serve as worship leaders [music, sermons on Thursday, or Friday, or Saturday, etc.]

Members and congregations are invited to indicate the ways they might wish to support the Conference.

Contacts:   

Ralls Coston

Joseph Scrivner

Charles Nash [chasrnash@aol.com] or (205) 799-0260 cell

Click anywhere on the flyer above to register.

General Presbyter Search

The ministry discernment profile for the General Presbyter search has been uploaded to the Church Leadership Connection. Individual applications are also welcome. Please contact Jane Clayton if interested.

The Presbytery office has approximately 35

2025-2026 planning calendars available for $11.50 each.

Please contact Tammy if you are interested in purchasing one or more.

A Gathering for Leaders Committed to Transformation

Like us, we know you are deeply concerned about the state of our country and world. We long for real change and hope the Church will be at the forefront of leading that change; that our faith will stir up the courage for us to lead with resiliency toward whatever threatens our very lives and those around us.

But the problems before us aren't small. They are system problems. Immigration, racism, increased poverty, the dismantling of education, and discrimination based on gender identity, ethnicity, and religion are big issues. Wielding political power and authoritarian actions. None of these will be solved with book studies and finely crafted sermons. 

Or even a thoughtfully planned conference.

Which is why, when we sought to gather this November for the National Gathering, we took to heart the responsibility of planning something that mattered. It is why this event is part-training and part-gathering. We want participants to leave with leveled up skills, tangible resources, and a network of co-conspirators. 

We know the stakes are high. The Church needs healthy and courageous leaders. We truly believe when people join together with a shared purpose that transformation is not only possible, but inevitable.

We hope the families of your congregation can join us at Living River for this year's Fall Elementary Retreat, Nov. 7-9. Please see the Registration List for helpful instructions. And visit our website for information:

https://www.livingriver.org/kidsandyouthretreats.html

Living River is now a Church World Service kit depot! 

https://cwskits.org/depots/search-by-state/

This means that any organization that makes CWS kits can drop them off with us and CWS will pick them up once a year. The depot system enables more organizations to make kits because they don’t have to ship what they make if they can drop it off locally. CWS is always pulling from a stored warehouse when emergencies happen because kits need to be inspected before they’re sent. Of course, most congregations make kits in response to a disaster but when they do, those are stored to eventually be inspected and restock the warehouse. 

Hopefully having a depot in Alabama will encourage more organizations to participate in kit assembly! 

Upcoming Living River Fall Events

Living River's Fall River Fest, a Sunday event filled with activities and fellowship, is scheduled for October 19. Some congregations have relocated their worship services from their buildings to Living River for that Sunday. Other congregations encourage congregants to go as they are able. We hope this event can be a part of and enrich your congregation's life annually! There are a few graphics attached about the event. Please reach out if you have any questions or need more information. We could also use donations to cover the food for the event and volunteers! 

Other upcoming events are the Cahaba River FryDown (Oct. 5th- Living River will have a FryTeam, so come support Cahaba River Society and vote for us!)

As an aside, Living River is currently recruiting board members. If you have an idea of someone who'd be a good fit or you're interested, please let us know! 

We are excited to see registrations coming in for our conference in January! We hope you will join us in Birmingham, Alabama on January 12-14 as we think and pray together about the status of our Nicene heritage around the world today. Get a sense of what to expect by checking out our plenary session titles by clicking the image above!

If you are a student, be sure to check out our discounted student ticket as well!

Prayer Concerns

Prayers for Peace in this world.

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

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

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).

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PRESBYTERY OPERATING FINANCES August 2025 YTD