Sew Perfect

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Heb 10:36

Fran Curtis, a member of Bold Springs Presbyterian Church, and Debbie Pope prepare purses sewn during the sew-a-thon to be shipped out.

The sewers meet on the second Sunday of each month at Bold Springs after fellowship lunch.

The purses are then shipped to Zambia, Africa and the ladies there put personal hygene items in the purses and are given to the young ladies so that they can stay in school.

Fall River Fest at Living River!

​Oct. 22, 8:30 am- 7:30pm

All are welcome to learn from our environmental education partners like the Alabama Paleontological Society, for outdoor activities, to sit awhile and fellowship, for live music, and more! Lunch and dinner will be provided.

​And the day will include an optional midday worship service.

Click here for more details.

Living River's Annual Fall Elementary Retreat is Nov. 9-11

"...do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God."

Find more information here.

Looking for a Few Hosts

One of the joys of being Presbyterian is that we gather at least four times a year to give thanks to God for the ministry of our congregations and to discern what God is calling us to be and do. We are now in need of a few congregations willing to host these meetings of the Presbytery next year.

When? May 16, 2024; August 15, 2024; November 21, 1024

How many? If your congregation has the technical capacity to host a ZOOM meeting, we usually have 60-80 persons present. If you will host an in-person meeting, we would expect 100 or so to participate.

Where? We prefer to meet across the Presbytery, north, south, east, west.



For more information, please contact Tammy or Jay in the Presbytery office.

A different opportunity to host a smaller gathering of the Presbytery is the Session Minute reading and review. We prefer to meet quarterly in different regions of the Presbytery, usually for a couple of hours on a convenient morning. Clerks of Sessions and pastors read each other's minutes, share questions, and support each other with new ideas. We had three gatherings in June and one in July. So, I welcome invitations for October and November. Please contact Jay at statedclerk@pslpcusa.org.

Upcoming Leader Formation Webinar for Ruling Elders

Leading by Listening: Ruling Elders and Presbyterian Polity

with Gradye Parsons

Ruling Elders lead by listening to the Word, the Holy Spirit, and their congregation, and our polity invites us into conversations and responsibilities. Those conversations develop relationships which build up the church family. The responsibilities of the Ruling Elder are to nurture, support, and provide for the spiritual life of a congregation and beyond. Join us for a conversation into the joyful journey of this service on Thursday, November 16, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Eastern. When promoting, please share this web link as registration will close on November 8.

New From Presbyterian Outlook

Fresh Outlook Bible Studies

Fresh Outlook Bible Studies introduces each question, examines it from various perspectives, and finally asks, “So what?” Each four-session study is full of compelling stories, interpretive angles, accessible media links, and encouragement to contemplate God’s word maybe for the first time.

Healthy Boundary Training for Church Leaders

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

Communion Cups Needed

Southminster Presbyterian Church is in need of glass communion cups. If your church has glass communion cups you can spare, please contact Tom Bryson. revtombryson@gmail.com. 

APCE Annual Event, January 24-27, 2024 in St. Louis, MO

The theme for the Association of Partners in Christian Education event is "Come All who are Thirsty," and registration is open now. Look for details on workshop offerings, speakers, scholarships and registration here. This event is available in person, online, and online in Spanish. Due to the partnership between the Christian Formation Office in the PC(USA), Global Language Resources, and APCE, there is no cost to participate in AE Online in Spanish.

PW Churchwide Gathering 

Save the date!

August 8-11, 2024

St. Louis, Missouri

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.

The 2023 Habitat for Humanity House has Begun

The Birmingham area churches in the Presbytery will sponsor a Habitat for Humanity House for this year, 2023. Construction on the house has started and the family for this location is Karla Tolbert and her son. The address is 923 13th Avenue Circle B, Pleasant Grove, Alabama.

As of last week the framing for the house has begun. 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.

There will be no construction at the house the first two weeks of October because Habitat is having a blitz build at another site.

New Season—The Along the Road Podcast

After a summer hiatus, new episodes of Along the Road are back. Enjoy! Share!

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.

The Dallas County long term recovery group has begun funding projects. This Presbytery has contributed $1300 to help replace a family's beds and washing machine and dryer. We will continue to attend the LTRG meetings to help with other projects.

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.

Newsletters, Bulletins, News

• Presbyterian Historical Society
• Fall in Montreat
• October in Montreat
• Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries
• Presbyterian Outlook
• Revamping support for pastors
• Resources for October 22, 2023

Prayer Concerns

Rev. Rachel Winter, Mark Winter and Betsy Murphy and all of the Winter family.

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 works 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 August 2023 YTD