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.

You are Invited

First Presbyterian Church of Livingston

Celebrating 190 Years of Service

1833-2023

You are cordially invited to the 190th anniversary

of the founding of the First Presbyterian Church of Livingston!

Saturday, October 7, 2023

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Fellowship Hall

Join us for a social and celebration for our church's history!

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Homecoming Worship at 11:00 AM followed by a luncheon

Healthy Boundary Training for Church Leaders

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

Invitation to an Art Auction Fundraiser

First Light, Second Light, More Light: An Art Auction Fundraiser with 10 percent going directly to First Light Shelter and the remainder to help buy new eco-friendly lighting for Edgewood Presbyterian Church, brought to you by the congregation’s artisans and artisan friends.

The event is scheduled the weekend of September 29–October 1 at Edgewood Presbyterian Church, located at 850 Oxmoor Road in Homewood.

Artwork will include paintings, photographs, sculpture, handcrafts, and more.

First Light residents will contribute special artwork and 100 percent of the proceeds of those sales will go directly to First Light in downtown Birmingham to support its mission of providing relief for homeless families.

All items will have a “minimum bid” and a “Buy and Take Now” price. Any artwork not receiving it’s minimum bid will be returned to the artist. Silent auction bidding will increase in $1 increments.

Here’s the schedule:

• Friday, September 29, 5–7 p.m. – Art Auction Opening with refreshments, start of the silent auction and the opportunity for “Buy and Take” pricing.

• Saturday, September 30, 9–11 a.m. & 2–4 p.m. – Silent auction of the remaining items. High bids at 4 p.m. win the pieces.

• Sunday, October 1 – Immediately following worship, three pre-selected items will be sold in a live auction to close out the event. 

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. 

Final Worship Service

Second Presbyterian Church

Service of Thanksgiving and Hope

1300 Columbiana Road

Birmingham, Alabama

October 1, 2023

3:00 PM

Come One Come All!

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Birmingham is having a Community Outreach Fall Festival with fun activities for all and free food!

Free fresh fruits and vegetables will be given to the first 50 families!

Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 1 PM - 5 PM

Westminster Presbyterian Church

20 - 6th Avenue S.W.

Birmingham, AL 35211

205-322-0161

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.

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

• Stewardship Kaleidoscope
• Presbyterian Outlook - October 1st Resources / Resources for October 8, 2023
• Living Waters for the World Podcast
• Presbyterian Older Adult Ministry Events
• Montreat Conference Center

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