Newsletter
August / 20 / 2019
Listening and Doing
“Although we are living in the 21 st century, we are experiencing the momentum of the 20 th century decline.”

Our Presbytery - Our Work
Weekly Prayer Basket Update

  • Please pray... for our featured speaker, Rev. Dr. Kathryn Threadgill and our presbytery members as they travel to the Presbytery Gathering this Thursday
  • Please pray....for college bound students and their parents - for peace of mind, and a strength for the year ahead.


Click on the prayer basket to find our current prayers.
UKirk Meal Sign-Up
Calling all chefs and potluck masters! - Would you support this ministry by signing up for meal coordination for this upcoming year? We gather at Trinity Presbyterian Church every Sunday evening. You can sign up and find more information here. Our first gathering will be on Sunday, August 25th.

PC(USA)
Quick Connect
Support Ministry
Help Wanted
Parish Paper

Planning Calendars should arrive soon.

If you have reserved one, we will notify you when they arrive.
All Are Welcome - Presbytery Gathering
 Thursday, August 22 - Online Registeration Ends Today. If you are delayed in registering we still want you to join us - simply email [email protected] or text 573.578.3960
ALL PAPERS NOW POSTED
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. Contact the office at 314-772-2395 if you are unsure where you will be meeting.
Week of: Aug. 22 to Aug. 28

Thurs., Aug. 22
Presbytery Gathering
Fri., Aug. 23
Presbytery Office Closed
Mon., Aug. 26
1 p.m. -DRAP (Ladue)
Week of: Aug. 29 to Sept. 3

Mon., Sept. 2
Labor Day
Presbytery Office Closed
Session Records Review
Session Records Review Resource may be found here.
If you have questions, please contact Rev. Joy Myers, Stated Clerk, at [email protected] or by calling 314-772-2395.

  • Saturday, September 14 - 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian
Sullivan, Missouri - Directions Here

  • Saturday, September 21 - 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Oak Hill Presbyterian
St. Louis, Missouri - Directions Here.
Uprooting Hunger - 2019 Presbytery Wide Goal
Congratulations to Affton Presbyterian Church,
as our newest Covenanting Hunger Action Congregation
How Hydroponic School Gardens Can Cultivate Food Justice, Year-Round

The pattern repeats in communities nationwide: Grocery stores move to wealthier areas and corner fruit stands close under competition with big box grocery stores. As Mary Rogers, a horticultural science researcher at the University of Minnesota, puts it, "Food goes where the money is." Continue to read here.
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 14 Certified and 18 Covenanting Congregations for their dedication to eradicating hunger in their communities!
Ministry Team Updates
Stewardship Team
Fall Campaign Blog Post
Fall will soon be here with its sweet smell of pumpkin spice lattes wafting through the air. Fall is also the time when congregations turn their attention to planning for the next year fiscal year. Our planning often includes some sort of stewardship interpretation or, as it is commonly know, the "Fall Campaign." Is the Fall Campaign is highly anticipated? Sadly, for many of us, not so much. So what you do you?   Continue to read here.
A Place of Grace

Is your creativity stalled? Are you stuck? Do you need a jump start? Join Julie Gvillo for a 12-Week Creativity Challenge at Von Dell Gallery & Studios in Wood River, IL beginning Thursday, August 29th. See the attached flier for more information. We're going to have a GREAT TIME flexing our creative muscles!
Partners for Just Trade Invite you to:
The Tea - Remembering Downton Abbey 
Sat., Sept. 14   | 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.
 This fundraising event will be held at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church, located at 45 West Lockwood Avenue, Webster Groves, Missouri. For more information on how to register to attend, click here.
Congregational/Event Happenings
Blessing the Backpacks
Many of the churches in our Presbytery participate in this tradition in many different ways. Southminster Presbyterian (photo at left) is one of them. Here are some more examples....
What has become an annual ritual for many churches – the “Blessing of the Backpacks” – has taken on special importance at  First Presbyterian Church  in Findlay, Ohio. This year, the event was integrated into the larger concept of commemorating  milestones  within the life of the church and its members, with back to school being just one of them . Continue to read here.
bowling_pins2.jpg
Dardenne Presbyterian Church
Third Annual Bowling for Water
Sat., Aug. 24 | 6 p.m.– 10 p.m.
Bowlero, St. Peters
Come join us for our third annual "Bowling for Water" crazy bowl event to raise money for the purchase and installation of new water purification systems in third world countries such as Haiti. During our trips, we install new systems, provide Health & Hygiene training to local communities, follow-up on systems previously installed, and repair hand-pumps to get water out of the ground so that it can be purified. There will be bowling, 50/50 raffle, silent auction items, raffle box items, and loads of fun!
Celebrating Our Past and Future
Sonlight Parish Celebration
Sun., Aug. 25 | 3 p.m.
As we, the Presbyterian Churches of Fredericktown, Ironton, and Park Hills, rallied together to form the Sonlight Parish, we had no idea of the direction it would take us. Ten years later our relationship has strengthened into a parish
that can be celebrated. Our efforts to form the parish echoed those of previous generations that formed churches across the frontier. So what better place to celebrate our 10 years together than the oldest Presbyterian Church west of the Mississippi!
Annual Harvest Festival
Red Cross Blood Drive
Tues., Sept. 3 | 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Steelville Presbyterian Church
Dardenne Presbyterian Church
200th Anniversary Celebration
Sat., Sept. 14th | 10:00am - 3:00pm
Live Music - Re-enactments and historic craft demonstrations - Bounce Houses - Hayrides, Face painting, and petting zoo - Food Trucks (food for purchase)
Free event for all ages!! In the event of weather concerns, please check your email and social media for a possible last minute change notice. Dardenne Presbyterian Church is located at 7400 S Outer 364, Dardenne Prairie, Missouri 63368. Directions can be found here. 
Dawn Weber & Friends
Dawn Weber and friends present a concert at Second Presbyterian Church on Sunday, September 22 at 4:00 pm. The free concert features Dawn Weber, trumpet; Bob DeBoo, bass; and Adam Hansbrough, guitar. The church is located at 4501 Westminster Place in the Central West End, St. Louis, 63108. For more information call 314-367-0367 or www.secondchurch.net .
Directions to Second Presbyterian found here.
Food Trucks & Cool Cars
Come join us on Sunday, September 22nd from 4:00-7:00pm for Food Trucks and Cool Cars! Have a cool car? Bring it to display! Love food trucks? We'll have them! Most importantly: have friends or family? Bring them! We'll have face painting, balloons, games, food trucks, cars, and more! This is a FREE event and FAMILY FRIENDLY!
Directions to First United Presbyterian, Belleville found here.
Worker's Rights Board Presents:
Richard Rothstein, Author of The Color of Law
Immediately following the 2019 St. Louis Workers’ Rights Board Annual Meeting at 9:00 am, Keynote by Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.Books will be available for purchase and signing through Left Bank Books.
We will learn about the history of legalized housing segregation and what we can do about housing and wealth inequity five years after the Ferguson Uprising. Held at Greater St. Mark Family Church, located at 9950 Glen Owen Dr, St. Louis, MO 63136, directions may be found here.
Seasonal Paraments Available
John Knox Presbyterian Church has a complete set of 4 separate paraments-seasonal colors of red, white, green, and purple damask design to donate to any church who can and would like to use them. The set in each color includes one chancel table runner/cover, two pulpit/lectern scarves, and one bookmark.
If interested, please call Elizabeth Thomas at 314-882-5211 or Mrs. Kim Chandler (office administrator) at John Knox at 314-921-5833.
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
Complete List of Educational Opportunities: Found Here
Youth Ministry Foundations Retreat
August 26-27, 2019
Youth Ministry Institute Midwest  is pleased to open its annual “Youth Ministry Foundations” training to area youth workers and youth ministers on August 26-27, 2019. The two-day retreat serves as an optional gateway to the YMIM two-year course of study and certification. 
Class topics include working with volunteers, developing teaching techniques with students, identifying core competencies, budgeting trips and events, organizational strategies, and more.  YMIM faculty  will teach at the event. The full schedule can be   downloaded from our website . Contact Matt Vaughan at   [email protected]   t o request additional information.
Storytelling and Stewardship: How stories form the church into generous stewards
90-minute Presbyterian Outlook webinar
Thur., Aug. 29 at 1 p.m. CT
Stories are told everywhere — at the dinner table, in the store and in the classroom. Stories shape us and influence our formation and decision-making. And, storytelling informs and shapes practices of discipleship as well.
Join Sean Mitchell in this webinar as he presents storytelling as a core practice for equipping the saints to mature as generous stewards. He will discuss examples of stewardship storytelling from Scripture and church history and provide a framework for developing a storytelling model for church leaders. Learn more here.
Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
T he deadline has been extended to apply for the  Presbyterian Peacemaking Program ' s Travel Study Seminar to Puerto Rico. See work that the church has been doing on the island, learn more about the challenges it faces from the people who work there daily, and experience its unique culture right before the holidays. Apply by Sept. 1, 2019! Learn more here
2019 E4 Faith Formation Conference
Being a Community of Welcome
November 3 to 5
Registration is Now Open
If you have any questions regarding this amazing event, please do not hesitate to contact Heartland Presbytery at [email protected] or by calling 816.924.1730. Registration found here.
Current Support Ministry Position Openings
Director of Children’s Ministry - St. Mark Presbyterian

Youth Associate - St. Mark Presbyterian

Church Pianist - St. Charles Presbyterian Church

Christian Educator - First Presbyterian -Edwardsville

Children, Youth and Family Ministry - Second Presbyterian