Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Weekly Newsletter

Newsletter

November / 15/ 2022

As We Enter Advent

In the Darkness of our World

The Coming of the Light: Light for the Darkness Brings Alive the Christmas Eve Text - Isaiah 9:2-7

The Coming of the Light, a 4 minute advent film, is an resource created by Light for the Darkness to bring light and joy to you, your congregation, and anyone looking for light amidst the current darkness.

Remember Presbytery Ministries like Light for the Darkness next Tuesday, November 29th - this year's Giving Tuesday!

Our Presbytery - Our Work

Weekly Prayer Basket

Please pray for...please pray for LGTBQIA+ family, as they mourn and heal from the senseless violence that occurred over the weekend in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Please pray for...for the safety of those traveling this holiday week, as well as our homebound neighbors

Submit a Prayer

PC(USA)

Quick Connect

Support Ministry

Help Wanted

Positions Available Found Here

Upcoming Ministry Team Meetings

This Week

Next Week

No Meetings

Presbytery Office

Closed Thursday & Friday

for the Thanksgiving Holiday

Mon., Nov. 28

12 pm Rural Pastors - Click Here

Thurs., Dec. 1

1:30 pm CPM - Moderator Sending Link

Presbytery Office Open House

Hybrid Open House

(at the Presbytery Office and on Zoom)

Thursday, December 15 | 4 pm to 6 pm

Join Zoom meeting by clicking here:

If using the Zoom App, enter

Meeting ID: 822 2319 3110

If joining us in person, this event will be held in the Oaks Building First Floor Meeting Room, next door to the Presbytery Office, located at 1001 Craig Rd., Ste. 170, St. Louis, MO. Directions Here

Public Witness Call to Action

Do we really need to ban books in our state?

What does mean for your local library?

How will that change access to families?

The Missouri Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft, has proposed restricting financial support to libraries that shelve books by his office standards, rather than those educated in library science

Here is Secretary Ashcroft’s proposed rule - CLICK HERE
Here is the Missouri Library Association Response - CLICK HERE

Have your voice heard by emailing: [email protected] with the subject line 15 CSR 30-200.015 and let Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft know what you think about his proposal to ban unspecified books at libraries.

News & Updates

The Gun Violence Prevention:

How Might Congregations Respond?

Education Event Follow-Up Details

Gun Violence Prevention PowerPoint of the evening can be found by clicking here.
Gun Violence Prevention Education Evening Recording can be found by clicking here.
Presbyterian Mission Agency: Gun Violence Policies, Studies, and Resources can be found by clicking here.
Current PC(USA) General Assembly regarding gun violence can be found by clicking here, then in the search bar, type “gun violence” and hit enter.
The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship on Gun Violence Prevention is found by clicking here.

PC(USA) Stated Clerk, J. Herbert Nelson

Statement on Recent Gun Violence

Most of us are preparing this week to celebrate Thanksgiving, to a share meal and fellowship with those who are most dear to us. It is supposed to be a time of celebration, parades, football games and reflection on all that God has given us. But for many families, this will be anything but a celebratory week.

Continue to Read Full Statement Here

TIPS FOR CARING FOR GOD'S AMAZING CREATION:

Be mindful of the gift of indigenous people,

especially Native Americans.

Please read this prayer of thanksgiving from the six nations of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee People) of upstate N.Y. and Canada:

"Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator."

"TIPS" is brought to you by the Earth Care Work Group of the presbytery. Contact: 314-941-9378 or [email protected].

This Thanksgiving, we’re sharing stories from our Religious News Service photograph collection that encapsulate moments when Native Americans raised their voices for equal treatment, the rightful return of their lands, and to be viewed as human rather than “other.”

Click here to expore the photographs of "the Longest Walk" and other protests.

New Home for Choir Robes (FREE)

Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church would like to find a new home for its choir robes. There are 16 green robes (fabric: polyester; style: Symphony; sold by: Cokesbury; manufactured by: Collegiate) with 15 matching cream-colored satin collars. We also have 8 gold robes. Photos are available upon request.

If interested, please leave a message with Saint Andrew at (314) 353-0979.

Pancakes & Prayers

Saturday, November 26th

9:00 a.m. to ?

New Horizons Presbyterian Church, sees a world in desperation! So much hurts and so we would like to invite the community to come together in the only hope we have and turn to God in Prayers. We will joyfully partake in pancakes and sausage followed by lifting our hearts together in prayer. If all goes well, we will then begin Pancakes and Prayers twice a month starting in January. Please come join us as we come together in prayer because we all stand in the need of prayer

New Horizons Presbyterian Church, located at 9424 Everman Ave. in Overland, Missouri. Directions are found here.

New Horizons Annual Quilt Sale

Sun., Dec. 4 from 1 pm to 3 pm

We have many beautiful handmade lap quilts to sell. There are quilts for all ages from infants to adults. They will make great gifts for the holidays. All proceeds from the quilt sale will benefit the Church Mission Program. Please come join us and get some holiday shopping out of the way.

Be sure to invite friends and neighbors!

If you have questions, please contact our office at (314) 427-0841 or by e-mail at [email protected].

New Horizons Presbyterian Church, located at 9424 Everman Ave. in Overland, directions can be found by clicking here.

Celebration of Service & Ministry

Sunday, December 11 at 3 pm

By a vote of the congregation, the First Presbyterian Church of Cuba, Missouri, has decided to end its ministry. They will hold a closing worship service on Sunday, December 11 at 3 p.m. The church is located at 701 W. Main, Cuba, Missouri. Directions may be found by clicking here.

Fraught & Flummoxed, a conference for those seeking courage and creativity as they elevate the Gospel. Join us January 30–February 2, 2023, as we engage mind, body, and spirit in the analysis of anti-racism.

Have you been trying to engage your congregation in conversations on anti-racism in light of the myriad of issues brought to light over the past two years? These are important - albeit hard - conversations to be having, and we want to do everything we can to help support ministers and lay people alike as their congregations tackle issues of social reform in an ever-polarized political landscape.

Association of Partners in Christian Education APCE Annual Conference

January 25-28, 2023

Birmingham, Alabama

Come – join us for a few days as we gather (online and in person) to grieve the losses we have endured due to illness, fear, convenience, laziness, complacency, workaholism, and comparison. Jesus is calling us to rest – really rest. It is our hope that you will find rest and company during the Annual Event.

Learn more by clicking here.

Calvin Symposium on Worship

February 8–10, 2023

Register now for the Calvin Symposium on Worship, held on the campus of Calvin University and Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This annual, ecumenical conference gathers worshipers from across Canada, the US, and beyond; brings together people from a variety of roles in worship and leadership, including pastors, worship planners and leaders, musicians, scholars, students, worship bands and teams, organists, visual artists, preachers, chaplains, missionaries, liturgists, council and session leaders, and more; and encourages leaders in churches and worshiping communities of all sizes and settings.

New Commissioned Pastor Class Forming

A Commissioned Pastor is a ruling elder in the Presbytery who, once training is complete, is eligible for limited pastoral services. Commissioned Pastors may, for example, moderate the session of a congregation to which they are commissioned, administer sacraments, and officiate at marriages where permitted by law.

Many current Commissioned Pastors in the presbytery serve as sole pastors of smaller congregations. Others use their training to strengthen leadership roles in their home churches and throughout the presbytery generally.

Many candidates for the Commissioned Pastor Program complete their training while also employed full-time.

Learn More Details Here