Two Mentally Ill People

Blog post by the Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard

Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

Transitional Leader

[email protected]

Beginning in 2011, I spent a year doing fundraising for Bethesda Lutheran Communities. I worked from the corporate office in Watertown WI. I helped fund group homes throughout the Midwest. Bethesda has resources for congregations that help welcome and minister to the mentally disabled. The PC(USA) is greatly lacking in this area. So, when Johanna Wagner and her spouse Michael Coyle developed the idea of Caritas Presbyterian Fellowship (CPF), I saw real possibility. Continue here to read on. 

The Presbytery's New Address

1001 Craig Rd., Suite 170,

St. Louis, Missouri, 63146-5200

Our phone number remains as (314) 772-2395.

Want to send an email, but not sure to whom? [email protected]

2018-2019 Presbyterian

Planning Calendars

Now Ordered

We anticipate their arrival in May.

To reserve your calendar(s) please email Leigh at [email protected] or call 314-772-2395

Earth Day Sunday Up This Week!

This coming weekend is Earth Day Weekend and Sunday is Earth Day Sunday! It is a wonderful opportunity to include caring for God's creation in the worship service through sermon, prayers, scripture, music, children's message, hymns, minute for mission, announcements, any way to remind people of faith that the Lord calls us to care for the incredible blessing of creation. Many of the nine certified Earth Care Congregations in our presbytery are doing just that!  LoveJoy Church's youth group, Youth Quest will focus on Earth Day and Earth care at it's Sunday night meeting. Second Church will put on a special free Earth Day Concert on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. 

For more information on becoming a certified Earth Care Congregation in the Presbyterian Church, contact c [email protected] . There are over 200 ECC in our denomination and nine in our presbytery.

How do we Understand Per Capita

Per Capita is a fundamental way in which all congregations and mid councils of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) connect, participate and share in the work of the wider church. Per capita is the primary source of funding for the Office of the General Assembly and is how Presbyterians mutually and equitably share the costs of coming together to discern the Spirit’s leading for the future. It is funds donated by all members of the PC(U.S.A.) and allocated to all councils above the local congregations.  Continue here.

What do you know about St. Louis?

GA223 Mission and Cultural Tours  

Trivia Q & A

Click Here to Take the Quiz

The Ferguson Ecology Team Video Night Presents: Blue Gold, World Water Wars

 The war over our water is about to begin. This award-winning documentary sounds a sweeping alarm about our endangered water supply. This video presentation will be held on Tuesday, April 24, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Wars of the future will be fought over water, as they are today over oil, as the source of all life enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling fresh water supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management. Will ours, too?

This event will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, located at

33 N. Clay (at Darst), Ferguson, MO 63135. For more information: (314) 521-8418 or email: [email protected]

Nicaragua Mission Trip Team

Forming Now!

We’re shaping up the group who will travel July 21-29 to visit our partners in Plan Grande #2 Nicaragua and we need YOU to complete the team! This mission trip is a wonderful opportunity to travel with others from our presbytery to learn more about the world and deepen relationships with our sisters and brothers in Nicaragua. NO SKILLS REQUIRED – other than the ability to open your heart and mind to God’s presence. Participants must be over 18-years-old or traveling with a parent. It can be an especially meaningful experience for a teen and her/his parent! 

The first team meeting for those who are considering or committed to the trip is being held on Sunday, April 29 at 3:00 pm at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church 45 West Lockwood, 63119. Contact Harriet Hall at 314-707-4750 or email [email protected] to RSVP and for more information. Check out the group on Facebook Here and also on the presbytery’s website www.glpby.org. 

Still Christian: My Journey Through American Christianity with David Gushee, PhD

On Wednesday, April 25, Saint Louis University welcomes David Gushee, a Christian ethicist, public intellectual, Holocaust scholar, a leading voice working to end government sponsored torture, and a defender of LGBTQ concerns within the Church. His positions on issues like climate change, torture, and LGBTQ rights keep him in the public eye and often create conflicts with more traditional Christian constituencies.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Pere Marquette Gallery (DuBourg Hall, 2nd floor). For more information, please continue here.

Mom's Demand Action - Do You?

MOMS DEMAND ACTION for Gun Sense In America is a national, grassroots organization, part of a group founded by Michael Bloomberg, former Mayor of New York City after the Newtown shootings in 2012. The St. Louis Chapter of MOMS is the largest in the country - and has created a Faith Outreach Team willing to offer resources and presentations to religious organizations. The Rev. Susan Andrews, the Parish Associate at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church and a volunteer with MOMS, is available to meet with your congregation (mission committee, Adult Ed Committee, Session ,etc.) to initiate conversations or actions related to gun violence in our region and our country. Presbyterian resources are plentiful around this topic, and can be shared easily. If interested in more information, please contact Susan Andrews at [email protected], or by calling 914-815-6507.

The Verse After the Verse

by Rev. Dr. John Shear

The Verse After the Verse, written by Rev. John Shear, pastor at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Bridgeton, takes twelve familiar passages, ones that people memorize and not only unpacks that verse but looks at the verse just after to see if there is a dynamic created with the two verses. The publisher is Book Ventures and the book is scheduled to be printed within the next two weeks. It sells for $9.50 with a dollar from each sale going into the funds at John Calvin Presbyterian Church.  A "Book Launch" at the John Calvin Presbyterian will be held on Tuesday, May 8th, beginning at 7:00 p.m. Those attending General Assembly will also find a booth site for this book.

Presbyterian Women Spring Gathering

All Presbyterian Women in our Presbytery are welcome to attend our Spring Gathering to be held on Saturday, April 21, at the First Presbyterian Church of Union, Missouri. The event will begin with registration/fellowship time at 9 a.m.

Directions can be found here. - Full details can be found here. 

Get away to

Mound Ridge this Summer…

Experience a ‘thin space’ of rest, rejuvenation, recreation and renewed connection to your family and God. Summer 2018 at Mound Ridge Retreat Center offers a transforming experience for individuals, groups and families within the breathtaking quiet beauty of our Missouri Foothills and Meramec River. Find your camp experience here.

Stewardship Kaleidoscope

Coming to St. Louis in 2018

Stewardship Kaleidoscope is an annual conference offering excellent plenary speakers, informative workshop leaders, provocative worship experiences, and incredible networking opportunities for all who are passionate about stewardship and generosity. Drawing leaders from across the Lutheran Church (ELCA) and the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and beyond, Stewardship Kaleidoscope is designed to help participants explore stewardship, in its many colorful dimensions!

Learn more and/or register, click here.

Women's Interfaith Conference 2018

Holy Days: What, Why and How

 

The 38th Annual Women's Interfaith Conference will be held on Thursday, April 19th, at Congregation B'nai Amoona ( 324 S Mason Rd, Creve Coeur, MO 63141 ). Leaders from a variety of religions will address their tradition's holy days and how they are honored or celebrated in their faith. Speakers will be: 

Cost is $12, which includes lunch. Requires advance registration; online registration deadline is April 12. Learn more or register here. 

Compassion, Peace and

Justice Training Day

Training Day is April 20th in Washington D.C.! In plenaries and workshops, we'll analyze our current context and offer concrete tools for members and their congregations to address these urgent issues. We'll learn how we build a unified public witness of subversive love amidst the abuse and hatred running rampant in our country.

Register now at: http://bit.ly/2EoGOYT

Confession Conversations on Eden Campus

Edward Dowey led the committee that created both The Book of Confessions and the Confession of 1967. Both continue to enrich the church. The focus of C67 was reconciliation and working through this confession confirms for us that there remains much left to do. We have the BC and C67 in large part due to the dedication of a St Louis pastor. Come join our conversation about this most timely confession on Tuesday, April 17, at 9:30 at Eden.

Contact Barbara Willock, [email protected] for more information.                                     

  Triennial 2018: “Dragons, Frogs, & Other Fairy Tales of Women in Ministry”

The National Association of Presbyterian , Clergywomen, invites all Clergywomen to the Triennial 2018 “Dragons, Frogs, & Other Fairy Tales of Women in Ministry” the week of April 23-26, 2018 at the Montreat Conference Center. The keynote preacher is the Rev. Floretta Barbee-Watkins, with worship leader, Rev. Dr. Tracy Keenan. There will be exciting workshops led bydynamic Clergy. There are scholarships and childcare available. The invitation is also extended to Clergymen, CREs, . Seminarians & Laity. More details can be found here.