Newsletter
December / 17 / 2019
Reshaping and Stretching the Structure
"This year over 170 members participated in the work of the presbytery through 32 teams, sub-teams, and commissions. I appreciate the work, effort, and time commitment from each of you who volunteered in 2019. Thank you!"
Rev. Dr. Craig Howard
Our Presbytery - Our Work
Weekly Prayer Basket Update

  • Please pray ... for Brayden Burcham who has just been diagnosed with severe asthma.
  • Please pray ... for Richard Layne, who is in the Presbyterian Manor
  • Please pray...for First Presbyterian - Park Hills, as they begin construction
  • Please pray...for PFC Sam Lowry, and all military personnel as they travel and for those who will be away from home this Christmas
Click on the prayer basket to find our current prayers.
PC(USA)
Quick Connect
Support Ministry
Help Wanted
Parish Paper

Saddened to Report
We are saddened to report the passing of Rev. Jerry C. McCann, Sr., father of Rev. Dr. Clint McCann. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 28 at 11:00 a. m. at St. Paul Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, NC, preceded by visitation at 10:00 a. m. Please keep his family in your prayers. The obituary may be found here.
Upcoming Team Meetings
NOTE: Meeting locations are as follows: Oaks - is the meeting room next door to the presbytery office; St.Andrew - refers to the Board Room of St. Andrews on the second floor, directly above the presbytery office; Pres - refers to the Presbytery Office Resource Center; Ladue - refers to Ladue Chapel; WG - refers to Webster Groves Presbyterian, Kirkwood - refers to First Presbyterian of Kirkwood. Contact the office at 314-772-2395 if you are unsure where you will be meeting.
Week of: Dec. 18 to Dec. 24

Thurs., Dec. 19
6:30 p.m. - CPM (Ladue)
Week of: Dec. 25 to Dec. 31

No Meetings Scheduled

Many Ministry Teams will recess in December. Please check with your Team Moderator, for a definitive meeting schedule for December.
2019 Holiday Office Schedule

DECEMBER: Closed on Tuesday, December 24 and Wednesday, December 25 for Christmas; Closing at noon on Tuesday, December 31, and all day Wednesday, January 1.
Uprooting Hunger - 2019 Presbytery Wide Goal
Our Communities - Most Communities Are Hungry
Are you Listening?
How well does your church listen to its surrounding community members? In the continuing video series on the book, Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission, Co-Author Krin Van Tatenhove talks about the importance of listening to the people that live around your church.
Uprooting Hunger - Hunger Action Team
In 2019 the presbytery will work toward establishing Certified Hunger Action Congregations. This  handout will be helpful to your congregation, as we journey together.
We welcome any questions you might have - email us at [email protected] or call 314-772-2395.
We celebrate, in thanksgiving, our 20 Certified and 25 Covenanting Congregations for their dedication to eradicating hunger in their communities!
Questions on how to get your congregation involved email us here.
Ministry Teams News & Activities
Just Mercy
Sun., Jan. 12 | 2:15 p.m.
The Teen/Young Adult Ministry of Third Presbyterian Church invite you to attend a screening of the movie Just Mercy, starring Jaime Foxx and Michael B. Jordan, with us! Join Us on Sunday, Jan 12th for After Church Movie Day!
The movie will be shown at the AMC Creve Coeur 12, located at 10465 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur, MO 63141. Directions may be found here.
Dear White Christians Book Study
As part of our Matthew 25 initiative, we ask that you join us in a Presbytery Wide Book Study on Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation by Jennifer Harvey, who will be leading a workshop at the February 6 th Presbytery Gathering. More information about the day found here. More information about Jennifer Harvey found here.
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We encourage individuals, committees, sessions, and churches to consider participating in this book study... . AND We will reimburse you up to 50% of the purchase price of the book, if you submit your receipt to the presbytery office.
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Books may be found at Amazon - Kobo - Google Play - Barnes & Noble
Let's Prepare for Robust Conversation at the
February Presbytery Gathering!
Eden Theological Seminary
Appoints First-Ever Female President
The Board of Trustees of  Eden Theological Seminary  announced last week the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause as president. She will officially begin as the President of Eden on July 1, 2020. Please join us in congratulating her on this new appointment. Read more here.
Holiday Tips for Caring for God's Creation!
Make this an eco-friendly Christmas:
* Walk in the winter wonderland!
* Give ecological gifts/donations in name of recipient
* Use tape sparingly or not at all
* Use natural non-toxic cleaners for laundry and house
* Attend special worship services and other holiday religious events
("TIPS" are brought to you by the Earth Care Team of presbytery composed of members of the eight Certified Earth Care Congregations in the presbytery. Contact [email protected] and 314-941-9378)
A Place of Grace Christmas Wish
Please save your wrapping paper scraps for Mission Madness Workshops. With your leftover pieces -- not big enough to wrap a gift, but not small enough to throw away (less than 4" long and less than 1" wide) -- we can make Christmas gift bows to share with our local agencies when they assist families in crisis our community at Christmas time.
Don't forget to "Like" their Facebook Page!
Congregational/Event Happenings
Blue Christmas Services

Wed., Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at
Westminster Presbyterian, Belleville Directions Here
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Thurs., Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at
Oak Hill Presbyterian, St. Louis Directions Here

Fri., Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. at
Southminster Presbyterian, Crestwood
Fri., Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. at
Boeuff Presbyterian, Gerald
Sun., Dec. 22 at 6 p.m.
Dardenne Presbyterian, Dardenne Prairie
A Very Merry Trombone
Fri., Dec. 20 | 6:30 p.m.
Glendale Presbyterian Church
Get into the holiday spirit with a fun and festive trombone quartet concert! Enjoy hot chocolate as you cozy up with friends and family, and feel free to sing along!
This concert is FREE and open to the public. Friday, December 20th at 6:30pm at Glendale Presbyterian Church, 500 N Sappington Road. Directions found here.
Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church
        Music Ministry presents a
    Christmas Vespers Service
Sun., Dec. 22, 2019 | 3 p.m.
Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church is located at 4673 Labadie Ave., St. Louis, MO 63115. Directions can be found here . This service is open to the public. A freewill offering will be accepted.
Traveling this Christmas Eve and Searching for a Service? See Below for Worship Opportunities!
  • Dardenne Presbyterian at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
  • Farmington Presbyterian Church at 8 p.m.
  • First Presbyterian - Brighton at 5:30 p.m. 
  • First Presbyterian - Cape Girardeau hosting joint service with Westminster - Cape Girardeau at 5:30 p.m.
  • First Presbyterian - Ferguson at 11 p.m.
  • First Presbyterian - Hillsboro at 7 p.m.
  • First Presbyterian - Kirkwood at 4 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.
  • First Presbyterian - Ste. Genevieve at 6 p.m.
  • First Presbyterian - St. Louis at 7:30 p.m.
  • First Presbyterian - Sullivan at 6 p.m.
  • First United Presbyterian - Belleville at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
  • First United Presbyterian - Collinsville at 7 p.m.
  • Glendale Presbyterian at 5 p.m.
  • Grace Presbyterian at 11 p.m.
  • Hardin Presbyterian at 5 p.m.
  • Ladue Chapel at 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
  • Oak Hill Presbyterian at 6:30 p.m.
  • Pacific Presbyterian at 7 p.m.
  • Potosi Presbyterian at 6 p.m.
  • Presbyterian Church of Washington at 11 p.m.
  • Saint Mark Presbyterian at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
  • Second Presbyterian at 5 p.m.
  • Southminter Presbyterian at 7 p.m.
  • Steelville Presbyterian at 7 p.m.
  • Trinity Chapel Presbyterian at 11 p.m.
  • Union Presbyterian at 5 p.m.
  • Webster Groves Presbyterian at 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.
  • Westminster Presbyterian - Belleville at 6 p.m.
  • Westminster Presbyterian - St. Louis at 4:30 p.m.
  • Woodlawn Chapel Presbyterian at 5:30 p.m.
Announcements & Free Items
FREE Hymnals Available
Southminster Presbyterian Church, Crestwood, has 196 The Singing Church hymnals. These hymnals were published by the Hope Publishing Company. These need a new home and are free to whoever will come and claim them. First come first serve, must take all of them. Please contact, Bill Thomas at 314-323-8041, if you are interested.
Space For Rent in Imperial
1600 square foot space, five rooms and common room, second floor. Perfect for office, preschool, daycare, etc. Rent all or individual rooms. Located at Rock Presbyterian Church, Imperial, Missouri. Call 314-420-9477
FOR PASTORS OUT IN THE COLD:
For the asking, a barely used (5X, maybe) Collegiate preachers cold weather cloak from the '70's; MSRP $520. Fits someone (any gender) around 5'10". E-mail [email protected] with request.
Complete List of Educational Opportunities: Found Here
Empowering Commissioned Pastors Conference
Registration is open for the Empowering Commissioned Pastors Conference, to be held May 13th–16th, 2020, at Canyon Creek Presbyterian Church, Richardson, Texas (Dallas–Fort Worth area). 
Continuing Education Classes Announced
Union Presbyterian Seminary Theological Institute Upcoming Continuing Education Events offered January through March 2020, can be found by Visiting their Events page
2020 JOINING HANDS PARTNERSHIP 20TH ANNIVERSARY PERU PILGRIMAGE
Pilgrimage:  A long journey to a sacred place
as an act of devotion.
YOUR ARE INVITED to be part of the 2020 Joining Hands Partnership 20th Anniversary Peru Pilgrimage. This pilgrimage includes journeying to the coastal, mountain and rainforest regions of Peru, to meet with our Joining Hand's Partners, to hear updates about the socio/economic context of Peru, to experience historical and cultural events and places, and to join with Red Uniendo Manos Peru (Peru Joining Hands Network) and others in a 20th Anniversary Celebration.
This Pilgrimage will be framed by daily bookends of morning and evening prayer and reflection on our Matthew 25 Pilgrimage Theme: When Did We See You?--Where and when do we experience the Christ 
Presence of compassion, love and justice in the people and places along the journey and in each other?
It will be a pilgrimage of listening and learning and accompaniment of our partners and returning to our congregations and groups to continue the pilgrimage of love and justice.
This year there will be two options for participating in the Pilgrimage:
-Participation in the whole journey: August 1-15, Weeks 1 and 2 or
-Participation in Week 1 only.
See the flyer for specific cost and deadline details. Found here.
For additional information or an application, please contact:
Ellie Stock:  [email protected] or (314) 521-8418 or
Mark Strothmann:  [email protected] or (314) 779-6940
224th General Assembly (2020)
Hands and Feet Service Opportunities
During the 224th General Assembly (2020) and as a part of the OGA’s Hands and Feet initiative, The Center: Mission Outside the Box will offer hands-on service opportunities for GA-affiliated visitors, family members, youth groups, and friends. We will offer up to four service options, from 8:30–noon, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, June 22, 24, 25, and 26. 
Find our more by clicking here.
Current Support Ministry Position Openings
Youth Ministry Coordinator - Cote Brilliante Presbyterian

Administrative Assistant - LoveJoy United

Christian Educator - First Presbyterian -Edwardsville

Children, Youth and Family Ministry - Second Presbyterian
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Full-Time Director of Youth & Children’s Ministry - First Presbyterian, Columbia, Missouri (Missouri Union Presbytery)