Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Weekly Newsletter

Newsletter

December / 20 / 2022

In Appreciation for the Meaning of Gifts

"...The most vivid example of gifts specifically intended to express who someone is are the gifts fresh in our mind in the coming weeks: gold, frankincense, and myrrh..."

The Fourth Week of Advent

Rev. Ryan Landino, Presbytery Leader

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Our Presbytery - Our Work

Weekly Prayer Basket

Please pray for...please pray for those struggling with loss as the holidays approach, and for those in the hospital away from their families.
Please pray for.. pray for all in our presbytery who will be struggling with the incoming winter storm
Please pray for...Rachel Leal, as she is currently preparing to undergo StemCell Transplant and treatments.

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PC(USA)

Quick Connect

Support Ministry

Help Wanted

Positions Available Found Here

Upcoming Ministry Team Meetings

This Week

Next Week

No Meetings Scheduled

The Presbytery office will be closed from Friday, December 23 until Monday, January 2. We will still be accessible to you, should you need support. Our contact information is found at the bottom of this newsletter.

News & Updates

Storm Coming - Are You Ready?

We will have historically low temperatures and snow - please check on your neighbors who are elderly, the underserved, and those with no place to call their own.

Ensure they have an adequate heat source.
Proper cold weather attire.
Food is sufficient for several days.
A way of communicating any problems that might crop up to EMS
If traveling, pack your vehicle today or tomorrow. Vehicles, even normally great running ones, could have problems in bitterly cold weather. Make a car kit and put it in your BACKSEAT or PASSENGER seat, not your trunk. (in case of rear-end collision) Here is what it should include: ALMANAC.COM

Last Minute Gift - Giving With A Purpose

With Christmas right around the corner, the Giving Catalog is an easy way to check everyone off your list. This year, give gifts with a purpose in honor of your loved ones and then print or email an Honor Card to share the impact their gifts are making.

Learn More Here

Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy

Christmas Worship Schedules

Friends, we know that many travel for Christmas, and want to make sure that in the busyness of the season, you have somewhere to worship, in person or virtually.

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If your church is not listed, but you will be hosting in-person, hybrid or online services up to and including Christmas and New Years, we would love to add them to this booklet. Email [email protected]

Our Selah offers clergy a safe space to connect, give and receive, exhale and release, be prayed for and cared for. Because it is a nationwide Zoom group, Our Selah allows a certain amount of anonymity that pastors do not feel in similar presbytery groups; plus, all members are invited to make a commitment to confidentiality and members may come with cameras off, as well.

In Search of the Christ Child

Join A Place of Grace in a Walk to Bethlehem. The original goal was to make the 6416.84 mile trek to Bethlehem in time for Christmas, however because of the distance, we may expand the journey with an estimated arrival time on Epiphany. Either way, we're going to need a lot more people with us on this journey. Twenty minutes of intentional movement equals one mile. Each day, you'll be guided by a musical prayer prompt, and you'll be asked to report your mileage by email or through the designated Facebook group. You can RSVP via the Event Form at this link: https://www.aplaceofgrace-juliegvillo.net/upcoming-events.html . We hope you'll join us ... it's never too late to join the search for Jesus in our world!

Deadline Extended

The office of Vital Congregations invites presbyteries to join together in covenant relationship to God and each other, as we seek the Spirit’s revitalizing power for a vital life together, through a two-year Revitalization Initiative -which is a covenant relationship between presbyteries and the PC(USA) to prayerfully walk with pastors and existing congregations in intentional efforts of revitalization. The deadline for enrolling in the 5th Wave of the Vital Congregations Initiative has been extended. There's still no application or fees!

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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.

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.

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.