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The Presbytery of Tampa Bay

September 4, 2025

September 7 begins the Season of Peace in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This month-long season is designed to deepen our understanding and our commitment to peace and justice in our relationships, in our churches, and in our world. One of the resources I anticipate during this time is the Season of Peace daily reflections. This year’s reflections tell stories of Presbyterians and organizations that have contributed to the civic and spiritual well-being of our church and world and have made a significant impact on the common good here or abroad. The Peace & Global Witness Offering, which is received during the Season of Peace, enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of conflict and injustice across the world and supporting peacemaking and reconciliation. A variety of resources are available to promote the offering in your congregation.  

I recently visited the 9/11 memorial in New York City for the first time. I overheard a father tell his young son about the events of that day, why they came to the memorial, and about all the names of people that are engraved on the memorial.

On August 28, 2025, the Coordinating Team called a special meeting by Zoom at 9:00 a.m. to address business before the presbytery. The Presbytery heard reports from the Coordinating Team, the Committee on Nominations and Representation, the Presbytery Disaster Assistance Team, the Commission on Ministry, and several Administrative Commissions. For those who were unable to attend, or who would like to review the actions taken, a summary of the meeting is attached.

The attached chart is taken from Appendix C in the presbytery's new draft "All Hazards Emergency Operations Disaster Plan" that's being tested this hurricane season. If you're not already signed up for your county's emergency alerts, you can probably find out how in this document.

NOTE: This list of contacts is a work in progress. If you see anything that needs to be corrected or have questions about it, please reach out to Rev. John Scott, PTB's new Disaster Response Coordinator (DRC) at disasterresponse@pbty.com. You can also reach John by calling our office at 813-868-4800 and choosing option 5 from the voice menu.

FYI: This very part-time DRC position is funded for one year at a time by a grant from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and along with supporting our churches and ministries, John will be working with the Florida Conference of the UMC to support the new volunteer host site in Pinellas County for long-term recovery groups traveling to our area to assist in the ongoing recovery along the coast.

Oakhurst United Methodist Volunteer Host Site is now operational in Seminole, FL. They support the needs of Long Term Recovery Work Teams in Pinellas County. The Presbytery of Tampa Bay and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are supporting their efforts. If you are interested in finding out more information on how your church can support this ministry opportunity please contact Rev John Scott at 

disasterresponse@pbty.com or at 813-308-9367. You can also scan the QR code in the flier to connect directly with the Oakhurst Volunteer Host Site for additional information.

To learn more about what the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Team is doing, visit our website and be sure to say hello to them at our October 30th Presbytery meeting.

DHS Fall Religious Observance Safety and Security Briefing

Sept. 9 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. ET. Registration link

This webinar is part of the DHS’s 4^th annual “Protecting Places of Worship National Weeks of Action.” Throughout September, DHS will host several other webinars intended to empower faith leaders and facility managers to bolster their security. These webinars will focus on topics like:

• Suspicious Activity Recognition and Response.
• Bomb Threat Assessment.
• Active Shooter Preparedness.
• Surveillance Detection Principles.
• Conflict Prevention Strategies.

View the full calendar of events and register for other webinars by visiting https://www.fema.gov/event/protecting-places-worship-weeks-action-2025-calendar-events.

DO YOU LOVE GOD?

Most Christians are familiar with the Greatest Commandment and can readily state it with ease. As Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’.” (Mark 12:30-31a). Yes, this directive rolls off tongues with a finality that is only tested when encountering unexpected people and/or situations or when the ethnic “rubber hits the road.” We seek comfortable situations, avoiding the discomfort that hinders our ability to love those different from oneself. 

The presbytery’s Committee on Racial Equity has developed a training workshop that will help people live into Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors by increasing the understanding of things that get in the way, things like racial animus, and giving folks the tools needed to navigate potentially “thorny” situations. 

Remember, many of us are required to participate in a one day antiracism workshop every three years and the next one is being given on Saturday October 18, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church, Lakeland.

Clergywomen from Seattle initiated the vision and organized the first national conference in 1986 of the National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen (NAPC), an organization to network, share resources, intentionally nurture and support one another, and participate in conferences that provides professional enrichment as well as opportunities for self-care. Since 1987, conferences have been held in Stony Point Center, Louisville, San Francisco, Atlanta, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Princeton Seminary, Ferncliff & Montreat Conference Centers, & even onboard the Carnival Destiny; the last Gathering was at Montreat in 2018 (covid years cancelled future gatherings).

Hope Presbyterian Church, Winter Haven

2110 Cypress Gardens Blvd, Winter Haven, FL 33884

Bridge Interim, Part-Time (30 hours, negotiable)

Hope Presbyterian has just completed a successful interim period and is actively searching for a full-time pastor. In the meantime, the church seeks an ordained PC(USA) or reformed pastor to serve as a bridge interim. The contract would be for a three-month interval, which could be extended if necessary. Either party can end the contract with 30 days’ notice. The position would include preaching each Sunday, moderating the session, some visitation, and preparation time for sermon writing. For additional information or to submit a resume, please contact Maria Roman at the Hope Presbyterian Church office by email maria@hopepreswh.org or by calling the office at (863) 324-6382.