Newsletter
July / 28 / 2020
Sylvia Franklin
"When I became the Sunday School Superintendent, Sylvia was my assistant. But she was really my mentor”
Our Presbytery - Our Work
Weekly Prayer Basket

  • Please pray ...  for the family, friends and co-workers of Rev. Peter Kariuki Kaniah, secretary-general of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA), who died Sunday of complications from COVID-19. He was 54
  • Please pray for... for Denise Morrow, daughter of Rev. Doug and DeAnn Mankell, who has surgery today to repair severely broken fingers from a fall.
  • Please pray for... for communities who are experiencing an uptick in COVID19 positives and hospitalization.
PC(USA)
Quick Connect
Support Ministry
Help Wanted
Parish Paper

Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy
80% of COVID deaths are age 65 and above.
Since the early days of the pandemic, COVID-19 has taken its greatest toll among older adults in the US in terms of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Months into the pandemic, older adults continue to be one of the populations  most at risk  of becoming seriously ill and dying from COVID-19. 
Missouri August Primary - August 4
Notary Needed for Mail-In Ballots
If you have a mail in ballot, you will need the return envelope notarized to fulfill ballot requirements for the August Primary and November General Election. Please click the link below to access available notaries in your area.
Not sure where you are supposed to vote? Check here
Medicaid Expansion On the Ballot
Many Missouri families are slipping through the cracks in our healthcare system — forced to choose between paying for life-saving care and putting food on the table or making a mortgage payment to keep their home. These families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and not enough to be able to afford coverage on the health insurance exchange.
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., July 29
12 p.m. - Interim/Transitional Pastors - Click Here
Thurs., July 30
12 p.m. – All Pastors Meeting
10 a.m. - Presbyterian Women Gathering - Click Here 

Mon., Aug. 3
12pm   Pastors Since 2015 -       Click Here
Becoming Matthew 25
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How Do We Engage Socially Distancing and still participate in Mission & Ministry?
Matthew 25: Dismantling Racism
A Message from PMA
July 29 | 2-3 p.m.
Register today for the next Matthew 25 event on July 29 from 2–3 p.m.
The three focuses of the Matthew 25 vision are to build congregational vitality, eradicate systemic poverty, and dismantle structural racism. In view of the current unrest and protest in our nation, the call to be a Matthew 25 church is more compelling than ever. This may very well be one of the first ways that churches can take steps to bring about racial justice.
Mid council leaders will share how they are using Matthew 25 to impact their ministries and communities, and lead in the challenge to do something every day to raise awareness about the perniciousness of racism and encourage action in response to that awareness.  Register here   .
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
News & Activities
Racial Justice Summer Movie Series 
Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
AMEN St. Louis invites high school and college students to join us for a racial justice summer movie series featuring the films Just Mercy, The Hate U Give, Moonlight, and Whose Streets?. Watch the films and join AMEN staff for facilitated discussions via Zoom on Wednesdays at 7pm CST.
Zoom In - Click Here If you are calling in, please call 312-626-6799  and enter the meeting number 849 4257 5991, followed by the # sign. If prompted, the password is: 698732.
Join us for the last event of our summer racial justice movie series Wednesday July 29th at 7pm CST. Watch Whose Streets? beforehand then join us for a facilitated discussion connecting the film to the larger context of racial injustice in America. Whose Streets? is a documentary filmed by two participants in the Ferguson Uprising that shows the activism and community organizing that took place, especially highlighting the leadership of female and queer organizers.
Joining Hands Mission
On behalf of the Peru Mission Network of the PC(USA), the Joining Hands Coordinating Team of the Presbytery of Giddings -Lovejoy is sending you an update on the situation in Peru and urges you to make a donation to COVID-19 Peru Relief Fundraising Campaign .  The Peru Mission Network (PMN), is a coalition of Presbyterian churches and organizations doing mission in Peru.  Read more here
NWCC Dreaming & Discerning
Tues., Aug. 18 at 7 p.m.
The Holy Spirit may also be firing the imagination of some of you around Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery to see visions and dream dreams of inviting disciples into Jesus’ loving mission and ministry through launching a completely new worshiping community. As you look around your corner of God’s creation, the Holy Spirit may be breaking your heart for hurting people you are being called to creatively serve through launching something new. The Giddings-Lovejoy New Worshiping Communities Commission would love to partner with you in discerning and supporting your visions and dreams for launching a new worshiping community. Learn more here.
Summer Camp 2020
Campers go to  https://moundridge.org/virtual-camp/ to register for this free program. We then send packages of supplies to the campers and they follow along online! Space is limited so please register asap!
Camp runs June 15- July 17th and the website is open until August 1st.
Light for the Darkness
Meeting Day/Time Change
Join us Mondays at 7 p.m.
Feeling anxious or depressed, or know someone who is? Light for the Darkness has started a virtual group for anyone struggling with mental health to connect with others who understand and explore where God may be in the midst.Mondays at 7 pm. Please connect with Thirza Sayers, who is intimately aware of these struggles, if you have any questions at  thirzasayers@gmail.com   or 404.313.4549. Learn more about Light for the Darkness by clicking here.
Education & Training Opportunities
CLC Online Webinar:
Tips & Tools for Navigating the Online System
Wednesday, August 5 | 1:30 p.m. (CT)
Mid-Council Leaders and COM and CPM chairs, register to join Omar Chan and Mason Todd, CLC consultants, as they share valuable information about the online system. Manuel Silva, Manager of Call Process, will be also available to answer questions.
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Interim Virtual Training
Presbyteries of Grand Canyon and
de Cristo are co-hosting this fall:
Leading Emotional Systems Training / Interim I
Coaching healthy communication for individuals and groups Noticing your organizational system and knowing how to respond to what you observe Mediation strategies for small and large groups (and the limits of mediation) Clarity on your personal engagement style in low stress and high stress situation s Becoming aware of one’s perspective and narrative, while practicing empathy and interest -based negotiating.
Current Support Ministry Position Openings
Youth Ministry Director - First Presbyterian (Salina, Kansas)

Pastoral Opportunity - First Presbyterian, Ferguson

Administrative Assistant for Program and Pastoral Ministries – Ladue Chapel 

Organist/Pianist - First Presbyterian, Jackson, MO

Interim Pastor - John Calvin Presbyterian