February 21, 2024

Greetings Presbytery Family,

In the quietude of Lent, let us pause to reflect on our journey, acknowledging our shortcomings, seeking forgiveness and embracing the grace that leads us towards transformation and renewal. This edition of Staying Connected shares upcoming events taking place around the presbytery and new learning opportunities.

Black History Month

Rev. Benjamin Johnson Anderson was an alumnus of Morehouse College and the first African American to serve as Chaplain at Smith College. He had a career that spanned over 40 years, serving at all levels of the church, both at home and abroad. Read more about his life here.

Download this bulletin insert to share with your congregation.

News From Around the Presbytery

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Palms Presbyterian Church is hosting a FREE workshop called Youth Mental Health First Aid on Saturday, February 24, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Lunch and materials will be provided. This workshop is being offered by Starting Point Behavioral Health Center and The National Council for Mental Wellbeing. This is for anyone who works, parents or lives with youth ages 12 to 18.

Seating is limited. Register today! Learn more about the event by clicking here. If you have additional questions, please contact Jimmy Steele, Palms PC Director of Student Ministries.

Clergy Retreat Survey

As we begin to make plans for a clergy retreat, we are asking for your input on what would make a retreat worthwhile. Click here to complete our survey. Please make submissions by March 1.

Prayer Corner

Please pray for the Lord to guide the following church (its staff and session) this week:

First Presbyterian Church of Fernandina Beach

Leadership

Dawn Mayes

Julie Higbee

Jerie Lukefahr

Upcoming Events at Montgomery Center

• February 23 – Fish Fry Fridays
• March 1 – Fish Fry Fridays
• March 1-3 – Spring Challenge Retreat
• March 8 – Fish Fry Fridays
• March 15 – Fish Fry Fridays
• March 22 – Fish Fry Fridays
• April 1-4 – Easter Respite
• June 1 – Family Fun Day

Deeply Loved: Spring Challenge Retreat

Youth Retreat

We hear so often that God loves us. Those words sound great, but we often find it hard to sustain the feeling that we are loved today, always and forever. How can we hear those words again and protect them? Carry them with us in good times and in challenging times? During the Spring Retreat, we’ll discover ways that we hear God speak those words to us and develop ways that can fit into our busy schedules.

Who: This retreat is for youth in grades six through 12.

When: March 1 through 3

For more information, click here.

Share this event flyer with your congregations.

Register by February 23.

Register as an individual.

Register as a group.

Questions? Please send an email to [email protected].

Family Fun Day

Save the date for Family Fun Day, at Montgomery Center, on June 1. Swimming and archery will be available from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. for guests, and camp tours will be available at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. This is a FREE event.

Summer Camp

Registration is open now for Summer Camp 2024.

For information about 2024 Summer Camps, click here.

Resources

Matthew 25 Book Study: Poverty, by America

Matthew Desmond, the author of the 2023 book “Poverty, by America,” made an online appearance to help launch a four-week PC(USA)-wide study of his best-seller. The text focuses on steps we can take to help eradicate systemic poverty. Desmond is Professor of Sociology at Princeton University. His 2017 book, “Evicted,” won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. 

Click here to read more about "Poverty in America" and click here to listen to a special NPR segment.

Join with other PC(USA) members across the country to discuss Matthew Desmond’s book “Poverty, by America.” The remaining session for the book study is: February 26, at 7:30 p.m. Click here to register.

MissionInsight

MissionInsite is a web based analytical tool providing community demographic information designed to empower churches with the tools they need to visualize and cultivate their current and prospective members, donors and volunteers. Click here to read 10 key ways to utilize this technology.

Conferences and Learning Opportunities

Savannah Presbytery School of the Laity

Registration for the Savannah Presbytery School of the Laity March elective course, on Congregational Care, is now open. This event will take place March 9 through 10, at Epworth By the Sea on St. Simons Island. Click here to register.

The School of the Laity courses are hybrid with both online (via Zoom) and in-person participants. Participants can join a small cohort beginning each June and complete the full two-year program or can take a singular course as their schedule permits. Learn more about the School of the Laity here.

Association of Smaller Congregations Conference

The Association of Smaller Congregations (ASC) Conference: The Gift of Small promotes smaller congregations and highlights their unique beauty and immense potential. Despite their size these close-knit communities can nurture deep relationships and create a profound sense of belonging. In a world that claims that “bigger is always better,” smaller congregations know that passion and love define faith, not size. Smaller congregations can cultivate unity, and shared purpose, and become beacons of hope. Join the ASC at Epworth-by-the-Sea on February 29 through March 4, to celebrate The Gift of Small as we explore the powerful impact smaller congregations can and do have on the lives of individuals and communities. Learn more here.

Key Events

• February 23 – Fish Fry Friday at Montgomery Center, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• February 29 through March 3 – ASC Conference, Epworth-by-the-Sea
• March 1-3 – Montgomery Youth Retreat: Deeply Loved
• March 9-10 – School of the Laity at Epworth by the Sea
• April 1-4 – Easter Respite at Montgomery Center
• June 1 – Family Fun Day at Montgomery Center

Positions Available In Our Presbytery

Check out the many ministry opportunities throughout our presbytery here.

Blessings,

Steve Crowley, Moderator of the Presbytery

Charlie Evans, Stated Clerk

David Rollins, Lead Presbyter