In the Presbytery of St. Augustine Our mission is " to support our faith community, so that together we are a greater witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ!"
| | News From Around the Presbytery | | |
Regional Gatherings
Summer is here, July will certainly give us some hot days, but it also gives us our next opportunity to gather in clusters to share a meal, enjoy fellowship, and offer mutual support. Please note the dates and places we will be gathering in July.
- July 22, 2025, Sonny’s BBQ 2700 NE Waldo Rd, Gainesville, FL 12:00 p.m.
- July 23, 2025, Silver Spring Shores Presbyterian Church, Ocala, FL 1:00 p.m.
- July 29, 2025, Traylor Park 158 Marketside Avenue, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 12:00 p.m.
- July 30, 2025, Scramblers 1500 University Blvd W Jacksonville, FL 12:00 p.m.
RSVP by July 17th via email to our David Rollins our Lead Presbyter so he can know who to expect. david@staugpres.org
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A timely message from our friends and colleagues at the Synod of the Sun:
To friends both near and far from Texas, we ask for your prayers for the people of Central Texas as they navigate the aftermath of the devastating floods on July 4–5. Our local partners, including Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly and Schreiner University, are actively providing meaningful support to those affected—and doing so with great care and compassion.
If you, your congregation are in a position to offer assistance, please visit:
https://pcusa.org/disaster-assistance/active-responses/national-disaster/texas-hill-country-flooding
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Survey available!
Be on the lookout for a brief survey from The Presbytery of St. Augustine sent out earlier this month by email.
We would like it to be completed by ministers, certified ruling elders, directors of Christian Education, and anyone that has been involved in the work of the presbytery.
*If you missed the email here is a link to fill out the survey:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/FCc0KOl/surveystaugpres
Your feedback will help guide us as we continue to move forward in mission and ministry. Please fill out the survey by July 31, 2025.
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Director of Children’s Ministry (Part-Time)
Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church
Hodges Boulevard Presbyterian Church is seeking a part-time Director of Children’s Ministry (approximately 20 hours per week). This position plays a vital role in nurturing the spiritual growth of our children and includes responsibility for:
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Leading Children’s Worship and the Children’s Moment during Sunday morning services
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Overseeing and leading the Children’s Formation Hour on Sunday mornings
- Recruiting, training, and managing volunteers for all children’s ministry programs
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Assisting with Vacation Bible School (VBS), FLAME, Preschool Chapel, and other Faith Formation events
The Director is expected to work on Sundays and additional times as needed. This role involves close collaboration with the Director of Youth and Faith Formation to ensure children’s ministry programming aligns with the broader mission and calendar of the church. If you would like more details, please see the Job Description at https://hbpcusa.org/event/jobs
If you feel called to lead children in their faith journey and work as part of a dedicated ministry team, we encourage you to apply.
Please send your resume to: HBPC_HR@hbpcusa.org
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The Presbytery of St. Augustine adopted its anti-racism policy in October of 2024. The policy was highlighted and further explained at our most recent presbytery meeting held this past May.
We are committed to expanding our knowledge, growing our understanding, and working together to continually develop into the people God calls us to be.
Pictured here is a book endorsed by the council. We encourage every minister and commissioned ruling elder to read it and access the free resources at brownicity.com.
We are exploring putting together a civil rights tour for 2026 as another opportunity to learn and grow together in our discipleship.
| | Please share- we have office space available: | | |
Presbytery of St. Augustine Youth Engagement initiative & 2025 Grants – Update
Read on for an exciting update to the grant award program! Even churches with few youth attending can be eligible.
The Presbytery of St. Augustine has been blessed with a very generous anonymous donor, who desires to support and encourage our congregations to actively engage young people. Over the past two years, twelve churches have received financial gifts for their work in this area.
Now, we are preparing to gift six more churches with similar awards, thanks to the donor’s continued generosity.
In consultation with the donor, the youth team has expanded the definition of ‘youth engagement” to include interactions your congregation has with students both within your own congregation and in your local community. These students do not have to be members of your church, or even attend worship or other church programs.
Some examples:
· If your congregation offers or participates in a mentoring or tutoring program for youth in your area, that counts!
· If your congregation actively supports a local youth organization
(Scouting, 4-H, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, music programs, Riverkeepers, Habitat for Humanity or other similar organizations, etc.), that counts!
· If youth participate in the life of your congregation is formal or informal ways, that counts!
· If students attend “traditional” church/youth programming, that counts! The process remains the same – follow the link HERE or in the email sent to your church to complete the survey to be eligible for consideration for a grant this year.
· The deadline for submitting the survey is July 31, 2025 to be considered for this year's grant.
| | Please join the Presbyterian Women on Saturday August 23rd. Click here for all the information and registration link. Click here for the payment link. | |  | You are invited to attend an exciting Presbyterian Women Synod Gathering October 17-19, 2025 at Epworth by the Sea Conference center. Click here for all the details. | | | |
Ongoing Prayers for Charlie Evans our Stated Clerk as he proceeds through cancer treatment.
Please pray for Ken Goodrich. Ken recently retired from Lake City and is battling very serious health issues.
Pray for the Lord to guide the following church this week:
First Presbyterian Church of Lake City
Don McGarity, Moderator
Janie Killian, Clerk of Session
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Church Spotlight
First Presbyterian Church of Lake City
| | | The First Presbyterian Church of Lake City, FL was organized with twelve charter members on May 30, 1856. The community was then known as Alligator, East Florida. After the Battle of Olustee (Feb. 24, 1864) the church was used as a hospital to care for wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. | | |
Mission Outreach Committee of FPCLC:
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Backpack Program
Our Mission Outreach Committee provides weekend food for children in need every week during the school year. We work with Melrose Park’s school counselor to give the backpacks to 30 of their families. We pack 60 bags every two weeks and they are delivered to the school weekly.
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We provide three meals a month to the Feed My Lambs program coordinated by St. James Episcopal Church. The second and fourth Tuesdays are delivered to St. James. We send them enough food to make 100 meals. We make 10 pans of ziti for them to cook, along with green beans, applesauce, and Little Debbies.
The fourth Thursday, we received a grant from the Presbytery and have been using the funds to provide and cook our third meal at our church and take it to serve to the homeless. We also make 100 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and give out bottled water.
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God has a way of bringing good from even the worst situations. In October 1991, a serial arsonist came through Lake City and set our church on fire. The smoke was spotted by a policeman making nightly rounds. I understand he liked to circle through our parking lot to see his car lights shine on the beautiful stained-glass windows. He saw the smoke and called the fire department. The fire gutted the inside of the Fellowship Hall and caused extensive smoke damage in the Sanctuary.
This is where the blessings began. We had already decided to remodel the sanctuary. The carpet and other items needed for the remodel were already purchased and in storage off-site. So, when the insurance company settled our claim, we had enough money to rebuild the fellowship hall… and build it 30% bigger than before.
This experience left a strong imprint on the congregation of this church. We learned that with God’s help we can overcome any obstacle.
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As the 2025 summer camp season comes to a close, we are overflowing with gratitude. Our dedicated summer staff has grown in faith, leadership, and service—becoming the very team we’ve been praying for all year. Daily, we’ve seen God answer prayers in both quiet and powerful ways.
Our Leaders in Training spent two transformational weeks learning how to lead at camp, in their churches, and in the world. Campers and counselors have participated in conservation, beautification, and maintenance projects—actively caring for creation. Through our “Created to Care” curriculum, campers explored the story of creation and learned that God is the light, our firm foundation, and we are partners in caring for the world.
We’ve had the joy of serving 115 overnight campers, with Session 1 marking our largest week since before the pandemic. This is the last week of our program, with both Discovery and Night Owl campers. The remainder of the summer will host many guest groups, filling our facilities to capacity.
Thank you, presbytery family, for your prayers of support. It is a joy to partner in ministry. God is moving at Camp Montgomery, and we can’t wait to see what’s next!
Rebekah Rodgers
Montgomery Center
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Call to Serve
Are you called to serve God at the presbytery level? Several of our committees have positions that we need to fill to carry out our mission. We are looking for ruling elders and teaching elders that have time and energy to serve Christ beyond the local church.
For more information, please contact Beth Touchton, Volunteer Management Committee Chair, or David Rollins, Lead Presbyter.
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Positions Available In Our Presbytery
Check out the many ministry opportunities throughout our presbytery here.
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Blessings,
Cliff Lyda, Moderator of the Presbytery
Charlie Evans, Stated Clerk
David Rollins, Lead Presbyter
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