Newsletter
December / 23 / 2019
Merry Christmas From All of Us
Our Presbytery - Our Work
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!
Weekly Prayer Basket Update

  • Please pray ... Bridget Samuels of White Water Presbyterian for health concerns
  • Please pray ... Joseph Cannel, one month old, just diagnosed with MS currently in critical condition at Children’s Hospital 
  • Please pray...for every heart that aches with loneliness and hunger this Advent Season
  • Please pray...for all who are traveling, that they arrive safe to each destination.
Click on the prayer basket to find our current prayers.
PC(USA)
Quick Connect
Support Ministry
Help Wanted
Parish Paper

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. 25 to Dec. 31

No Meetings Scheduled

Week of: Jan. 1 to Jan. 7

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
FOOD SOVEREIGNTY
As 2019 Closes and We Move to Matthew 25 in 2020
We will continue to address hunger across our presbytery.
What is food sovereignty and what does it look like in the United States? Food sovereignty can take on unique meanings in different communities, but it always puts questions of power, control, and social justice at the heart of food and farming.
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.
Upcoming Mission Madness Retreats

Wednesday, January 8 -- weather permitting -- the Mission Madness team from A Place of Grace will meet at Community Hope Center, located at 1201 Hope Center Ln, Cottage Hills, Illinois 62018
at 8:45 a.m. to work alongside those who make this amazing local ministry great! We will work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will eat lunch in the Soup for the Soul Cafe (donations welcome, but not required). If you are looking for a place where you can plug into a community of folks who take service in Christ's name seriously (and themselves, not so much), the APOG Mission Madness Team would love to have you! Please RSVP to this event or PM Julie for more details!
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Wednesday, January 22, 2020, the Mission Madness Team from A Place of Grace will support the work of Operation Blessing, located at 18 E Lorena Ave, Wood River, Illinois 62095
in Wood River, IL. Operation Blessing serves folks in our community who are in crisis. This fantastic ministry has been and continues to be an important part of caring for our neighbors. If you are looking for a place where you can plug into a community that takes service to Christ seriously (and themselves, not so much), then the APOG Mission Madness Team may be the perfect fit! We would love to have you join us! RSVP to this event or PM Julie for more details!
Don't forget to "Like" their Facebook Page!
Presbyterian Women - Save the Date
The PW West Cluster Winter Gathering will be held at the First Presbyterian Church on Friday, March 13th, in Sullivan, Mo. The Theme will focus on Hope in 2020 as the next decade rolls around. The speaker will be from Hope Ranch, and the offering will go to help Hope Ranch raise money for their opening in 2020. Please join us at this West Cluster Presbyterian Women event. Please bring your friends, and family to celebrate Hope. Pre-registration is requested and registration forms will be available soon. For more information contact Carol Gruber at [email protected].

Congregational/Event Happenings
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.
  • Faith and DesPeres at 5:30 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.
  • Hillside Presbyterian at 6:30 p.m.
  • Ladue Chapel at 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.
  • Oak Hill Presbyterian at 6:30 p.m.
  • New Hope Presbyterian at 5 p.m. and 11 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.
Millikin University Choir in Concert
Dardenne Presbyterian Church
Sat., Jan. 11 | 7:00 p.m.
Millikin University Choir in concert at Dardenne Presbyterian Church
Also performing will be choirs from Fort Zumwalt West High School and Parkway West High School. This concert is open to the public. A freewill offering will be received.
Dardenne Presbyterian Church, is located at 7400 South Outer 364
Dardenne Prairie, MO. Directions can be found here.
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)