Newsletter
September / 8 / 2020
In Case You Missed It
Rev. Dr. Ben Sanders was welcomed to our Presbytery Gathering in August. We were very appreciative of the time he spent with us.
If you missed his presentation and the time of Question & Answers, please click below.
Presbytery Gathering Follow-Up Survey
Thank you to all who attended the Presbytery Gathering last Thursday. Please save the date for our next Presbytery Gathering on Saturday, November 7th. Please help us improve our Gathering experiences by taking this brief survey - Click Here.
Our Presbytery - Our Work
Weekly Prayer Basket

  • Please pray for... non-covid related illnesses and medical treatments
  • Please pray for...peace and patience with one another, as we struggle with so many challenging medical, social and political issues at this time.
  • Please pray ... for students, teachers, administrators and support staff as school restarts (digitally and in person)
PC(USA)
Quick Connect
Support Ministry
Help Wanted
Parish Paper
Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy
Upcoming Team Meetings
NOTE: In light of the Covid-19 Pandemic, meetings will be restricted to Zoom or conference call. If you are unsure how to participate, please contact your team moderator, or call the office 314-772-2395, and select Leigh Porter, Office Manager.

Presbytery Upcoming Virtual Meetings
This Week
Next Week
Wed., Sept. 9
12pm - Interim/Trans Pastors - Click Here
1:30pm - COM - Click Here
Thurs., Sept. 11
9:30am - History Team - Click Here
3pm - Plan Gathering - Click Here

Mon., Sept. 14
11am - Dynamic Leader - Emailed Out
12pm - Rural Pastors - Click Here
4pm - Personnel - Click Here
Thurs., Sept. 17
10am - Social Witness- Click Here
4pm -Vision Team - Click Here
Clerks of Session, Personnel, Treasurers & Pastors
Board of Pensions is providing a Benefits Webcast to highlight the 2021 Benefits Plan. Our Board of Pensions, Rev. Kevin Keaton, is offering the following one hour webinar to go over changes and answer any questions you might have. Please add one of these dates to your schedule.
To better serve congregations in the our region, Kevin will be offering four webinars on the following dates:
  • Tuesday, September 15 at 10:00 am CDT
  • Wednesday, September 16 at 7:00 pm CDT
  • Wednesday, September 23 at 2:00 pm CDT
  • Thursday, September 24 at 10:00 am CDT
Those interested in participating are asked to send a request to him at kkeaton@pensions.org so that h may provide them with a GoToMeeting link and advance materials. Link can be shared with those in your congregation that might find this information helpful.
History Highlight
Westminster Presbyterian - St. Louis
Westminster Presbyterian Church’s story goes all the way back to its founding in 1844. Fifty people left First Presbyterian Church and formed a new church called Washington Avenue Presbyterian Church. The first service was in a tobacco warehouse on 6th Street. Missouri was a slave state via the 1820 Missouri Compromise (Missouri joined the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state). Enslaved peoples worked the tobacco fields and the crop was shipped to St. Louis for storage in warehouses and distribution via the Mississippi River. A proper church building was completed at 8th Street and Washington Avenue. In 1851, it merged with Westminster Presbyterian Church, which had been organized in 1848 at 5th Street (Broadway) and Locust Street. Westminster merged with a larger church at 11th and Pine Streets, forming the Westminster Pine Street Presbyterian Church in 1853. In 1880, the church acquired property near Grand and Washington Avenues and became Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church. A large stone church replaced the original chapel in 1884. The congregation moved to Delmar and Union Boulevards in 1914 and changed its name back to Westminster Presbyterian Church. The church on Grand Avenue was in the middle of a bustling residential and commercial area. The Beers Hotel was next door, on the corner of Grand and Olive. It was designed by famous architect, Isaac Taylor, and burned down in 1931. It was replaced by the Woolworth Building. The Midway Theater (demolished 1927), Fox Theater and McClure Mansion and Grove were also nearby.
News & Activities
First Presbyterian - Fredericktown
The final worship service for First Presbyterian Church, Fredericktown, will be held on Sunday, September 20, at 3:00 pm at the church. THE IN-PERSON EVENT IS BY INVITATION ONLY. Social distancing will be followed and masks will be required. A video recording of the final worship service will be posted on G-L Presbytery’s website and a link will be included in the Presbytery newsletter for a few weeks after the service for anyone interested to view.
Even though an in-person Just Worship conference is not possible this year, we hope you will check out Just Worship: The Documentary to learn more about the deep connection between worship and justice.
You can find the documentary and more information at: www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/worship/just-worship
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Faith & Fiction
In these pandemic reading can be a means for “being” in another place for a while. Fiction has the ability not only to tell a story but also to speak truth. If you are interested in joining with others in a zoom book discussion group focused on “Faith and Fiction” contact me, Rev. Karen Blanchard, at kblanchard@kirkwoodpres.org we will select a mutually agreeable time. We will begin with some of the works of William Kent Krueger and select others together.
Please reach out…
Recently our Presbytery Leader sent out an article about the challenges of being a pastor during the pandemic. The article “Too many pastors are falling on their own swords” was posted on August 21st and it struck many of us as a wake up call to the reality of the difficulties of doing ministry in this time. Whether you are a pastor, CLP, elder, staff, member, or visitor, Light for the Darkness invites you to talk one-on-one or with our group to share thoughts, insights and struggles. Being connected with others, especially in this time of limited contacts, can be helpful and becoming part of Light for the Darkness may be a good fit for you. Being in conversation with those who understand what you are going through can help to ease the challenges of anxiety and depression and feelings of isolation.  
Light for the Darkness offers a safe place to reach out whether as a starting point, as a place to receive information on mental health and support resources that are available, or as a place to connect to others feeling similarly.  It is our hope that you will find our group a helpful way for you to explore where God is in the midst of these challenging times with others who are feeling sim. 
We meet Mondays at 7pm via Zoom
Contact me about this group or to speak one-on-one, Thirza Sayers, 404.313.4549, thirzasayers@gmail.com
Get Ready to Vote: Early,
By Mail, or In Person! 
 Election Day is Tuesday, November 3 
You must be registered to vote. You can check to see if you are registered to vote, Missouri, here, and in Illinois, here. If not you may register to vote online in Missouri here and in Illinois, here.
Be a prepared and knowledgeable voter - See your voting options here
Required
Pastor Anti-Racism
Training

Thurs., Oct. 1 | 11:30am-1:30pm
Pastors should have received an email for registration to this event today. If you did not, then please click here to register.
PRESBYTERY PASTORS FALL RETREAT
October 23 & 24


Save the date - more information will be emailed directly to you soon. Keep an eye on your inbox!
Essential Workers
Social Witness Cares for Your Community
The Social Witness Committee is concerned about the spread of COVID19 and wants to supply FREE yard signs to any church that wants one.
These signs would list the steps individuals need to take to help them keep safe from the virus and help slow down the spread in their community. Please consider accepting this FREE sign for your church property.
Click here to learn more
2020 CROP Hunger Walk Update
The ongoing pandemic has necessitated the decision that the 2020 St. Louis CROP Hunger Walk be all-virtual. For possible ways to participate (or donate) as an individual or a congregation, please see www.crophungerwalk.org/saintlouismo and/or contact Clint McCann at cmccann@eden.edu or 314-619-0599. To facilitate the formation of a virtual CROP community, the 4th Annual CROP Concert will be broadcast on Sunday, October 25 at 7:00 p. m., probably as a Facebook Live Premier event. This concert will also be the 9th Annual Eden Seminary Festival of Psalms, featuring Richard Bruxvoort Colligan and a host of other excellent musicians. For updates, check the local CROP website (above) or www.eden.edu. Due to the pandemic, the need is even greater than usual; so please consider how you can support CROP/Church World Service!
Technology Grants - Wave 2
When COVID-19 began to spread across the United States, Giddings-Lovejoy congregations responded in amazing ways to continue their worship and ministries. I am in awe. Congregations have stretched themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of doing. As I like to say, the building may be closed, but the church is not! 
Please submit your grant request to pastorlizkanerva@gmail.com. Note in the subject line Second Wave Grant.
In your request, include the church’s name and address, contact person and email address, and what the grant will be used for.  
By the way, First Wave Grants are still available. Please contact Liz Kanerva at the above email for more information.
PREBYTERIANS CARE 
What a wonderful time to order "Presbyterians Care" T-shirts, sweatshirts or hoodies as a congregation! They might be worn for a church-wide "Presbyterians Care" DAY, for worship, for a neighborhood mission outing, as a youth group or just for fun. 
·        What is the minimum number per order? 
50 T-Shirts or 10 Hoodies or 10 Sweatshirts - you might contact another church to help you complete an order.
  • How do I place an order? 
  1. Appoint a T-Shirt Coordinator
  2. He/she will contact Leigh Porter at the Presbytery office for an order form. Please keep your original to know who gets what when they arrive as the T-Shirt Coordinator will distribute all t-shirts ordered for your congregation as well as collect all payment to send one check for the full order.
  3. Mail to Leigh Porter at the Presbytery Office your church's whole order and ONE Check to pay for the whole order (NOT tax-deductible). 
  • What if I ordered a t-shirt/sweatshirt/hoodie and have not yet received it? Call Leigh Porter at the Presbytery office to let us know.
  • How Long will it take to get my order? Due to COVID, it may take 4-5 weeks, though hopefully less.
  • Where will my order be sent? The Presbytery Office - we will call your T-Shirt Coordinator to come and pick them up there.
Festival of Sharing
Sharefests are operating as limited contact, drive-through systems for kit drop-off. No extra activities will be available. More info at http://www.festivalofsharing.org/sharefests.html.
Festival has just released “Festival at Home,” a packet of activities for people to engage with safely from their home. It includes our Food Box Challenge, set to start September 1st! More info at http://www.festivalofsharing.org/resources.html. (Feel free to use our graphics to share info on social media. Please tag us if you do!)
Join Festival of Sharing for a virtual message and kit blessing. Follow the Facebook Event Page for more info.
Education & Training Opportunities
FREE - Held Virtually September 19 & 26
In an ongoing effort to create a more diverse and inclusive denomination, the Presbyterian Intercultural Network and the Presbyterian Mission Agency, in partnership with the presbyteries of Sacramento and Stockton and Charlottewill host the 2020 Intercultural Transformation Workshops.
The free workshops will be held from 1 p.m. through 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Sept. 19 and 26. All participants must register in advance. Find more information about this event here.
Faith Practices Toolkit
Whether you’re just joining the conversation on Christian practices or you’re a seasoned veteran, we hope you’ll find this resource stimulating and helpful for cultivating a renewed interest in formative rituals within your faith community. Each component of the toolkit is listed below for download. We recommend you start with the introduction document to understand how to use the toolkit. Learn more here
Rethinking Evangelism
October 12-14
The department of Theology, Formation, and Evangelism is inviting you and your churches to the Rethinking Evangelism Conference, October 12–14, 2020. This virtual event will feature Ralph Watkins (Columbia Theological Seminary), Mark Ramsey (Macedonia Ministries), and others for an event you won’t want to miss. Come as a church group or as an individual to explore what it means to practice evangelism in these transformative times.
Art of Transitional Leadership
Virtual Training
Our partner, the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, is offering the Art of Transitional Leadership virtual training the week of October 12-15, 2020. Please visit their website to learn more and register. Click here for details
September 22, 29th and October 6th

The Kaleidoscope conference is just around the corner and it is one of the best conferences the PC(USA) offers. Ruling Elders, Teaching Elders, stewardship chairs, and church treasurers will find the resources and workshops invaluable.
The conference is online and spread out over several weeks making it easier than ever to participate especially our lay leadership. Furthermore you can’t beat this year’s registration fee of $45.00.
Click on the link for a brief overview of the conference theme by keynote speaker, Eric Barreto. Eric will be exploring the relevance of the Acts of the Apostles for a 21st century audience, asking us to imagine what our call as stewards of the gospel looks like today, and how we can be a relevant, impactful church in the midst of crisis.
Becoming Matthew 25
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How Do We Engage Socially Distancing and still participate in Mission & Ministry?
Current Support Ministry Position Openings
Send us your stories of how your congregation is maintaining congregational vitality during this pandemic. Send stories to Office Manager, Leigh Porter at lporter@glpby.org


Part-Tim Organist - First Presbyterian Church of Alton, IL

Associate Pastor - Dardenne Presbyterian, Dardenne Prarie, MO

Pastoral Opportunity - First Presbyterian, Ferguson

Organist/Pianist - First Presbyterian, Jackson, MO

Interim Pastor - John Calvin Presbyterian

Associate Pastor - Dardenne Presbyterian, Dardenne Prarie, MO