Presbyterian response to Maui wildfires continues
Disaster Response August 28, 2023
‘It can make a very powerful difference to know people have got your back’
by Darla Carter | Presbyterian News Service
Search and rescue soldiers and airmen assist Maui County and state officials in search and recovery efforts in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, earlier this month. The guard mobilized after a wildfire struck Maui. (Photo by National Guard Master Sergeant Andrew Jackson)
LOUISVILLE — A community in Upcountry Maui that endured a wildfire at the same time as Lahaina is receiving a helping hand from concerned Presbyterians who are answering the call to donate to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). Read More
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Registration for both retreats
due Monday, October 2, 2023.
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On Monday, August 28, fourteen leaders met at the Foothills Presbytery Office for the Small Church Leaders Gathering. Those gathered represented eleven congregations with less than 150 members. These smaller church leaders broke bread together then shared joys and challenges.
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Rev. Grace Winestock-McMahand
Guest Speaker
Associate. Pastor,2nd Calvary Missionary Baptist, Greenville, SC
Guest Choirs, Groups and Soloists
Join us for dinner - RSVP
By 9/13/23.
For more information, please click below.
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SC5 School of Theology
Classes will be held on
Friday & Saturday, October 27 & 28
at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.
Registration for the
2023 Fall Semester of the SC5 School of Theology
(formerly called the SC Lay School)
is now open.
Classes will be held at Presbyterian College on October 27 & 28. We will have check-in beginning at 4:30 on Friday, October 27, in Neville Hall.
Classes Offered Fall 2023 Semester:
- New Testament (Core) with the Rev. Dr. Bob Bryant
- Reformed Theology (Core) with the Rev. Richard Burnett, Ph.D.
- Preaching (Core) with the Rev. Dr. Ella Busby
- Pastoral Care (Core) with the Rev. Loyd Melton, Ph.D.
- Christian Education (Elective) with the Rev. Tom Malone
We are pleased to share our new SC5 School of Theology website with you. You will find information about the SC5 School of Theology, who attends, who the two tracks are for, and how to get started here.
Hotel: During registration, you will have an opportunity to reserve a room at the Hampton Inn in Clinton. The last date to book a room is September 27, 2023.)
Registration for the Fall Semester will close on September 27, 2023. If you are not able to register online, please email Robin Morris and she will send you a paper registration form.
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We are excited to share with you our virtual Fall 2023 Program Schedule (open to all who wish to attend without cost). We will send a separate email in December with our Winter/Spring 2024 schedule.
Bible Study (Every Other Week)
In this year’s bi-weekly Bible Study, we are working our way through Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. Participants can choose either:
- Tuesday evenings, 7:00-8:30 p.m. (on Sept. 12, 26, Oct. 10, 24, Nov. 7, 21, and Dec. 5, 19) or
- Wednesday mornings, 8:30-9:45 am (Sept. 13, 27, Oct. 11, 25, Nov. 8, 22, and Dec. 6, 20).
You can also request to be on the invitation list for both Zoom groups. There is no expectation to attend every session—just join us when it suits your schedule.
Bedrock Gatherings (Monthly)
Picking up from our Bedrock Gathering discussions last year on Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a bellwether for modern Christians (Fall, 2022) and how Christians dealt with past moments when the Gospel was at risk (Spring, 2023), our Bedrock series this year focuses on the significant challenges facing the Church today and explores the question “What would a new confession of faith look like for our time?”
- We will meet monthly by Zoom
- The first Thursday evening of each month, from 7:00-8:30 pm: Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2, and Dec. 7.
Each session stands on its own, so there is no requirement to attend all four meetings this fall.
For more information, please email [email protected]
InChristSupportingMinistries.org
Full Flyer
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2023-2025 Book of Order
The updated Book of Order is now available.
We sold out of our first Foothills Presbytery order. We will make one additional order through the Presbytery office. Deadline is September 15. If you would like to participate in this order, please contact LeAnne White before the deadline.
Copies are $10 - FP office pickup.
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On Tuesday, August 22, over 30 retirees gathered for a luncheon sponsored by The Board of Pensions and Foothills Presbytery.
The retired ministers, validated ministers, mid-council leaders, educators, support staff members, and spouses enjoyed a great meal at Fourth Presbyterian Church. Elizabeth Little, Church Consultant, brought greetings on behalf of The Board of Pensions. She shared information about the transition from the Medicare Supplement to a Medicare Advantage plan that will take place on January 1, 2024. All retirees will need to make the determination about the new plan in this fall. The Medicare Advantage plan will be offered through the Humana Group and is a PPO plan. You will find additional information about this plan on The Board of Pensions website.
Debbie Foster, Presbytery Leader and Stated Clerk, and Robin Morris, Associate Stated Clerk, brought greetings from the Foothills Presbytery. Debbie shared information about the congregations and ministers in Foothills.
The event was a lovely opportunity to meet retirees who are now living in our area.
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Discerning your Call?
The Church Leadership Connection (CLC) has been updated and renovated.
If you are a Minister, Educator, Youth Director, or Church Leader
(Call Seeker), CLC will help you with your search.
If you had a Personal Information Form (PIF) in the old system, it is no longer “matchable” in the new system.
You must log in to the new CLC, create an account and complete the new Personal Discernment Profile (PDP).
Additional resources, including a users guide, are available at https://oga.pcusa.org/section/clc/clc/clc-call-seekers/
Please call the Presbytery office if you have any questions at 864-288-5774.
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Youth Leaders Roundtable
Next Gathering is at the
October 5
at First, Spartanburg
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Music Ministry Leaders
Gathering
Wednesday, September 13
by ZOOM
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Christian Educators Gathering
Next gathering is
Monday, September 18
at John Knox
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Resources we have found challenging
& inspirational:
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African American Clergy & Educators Retreat | |
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FORT HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE
The Pansy Duke Scholarship
2023 Award - $1,500
Administered by Fort Hill Presbyterian Church
Clemson, South Carolina
Application Deadline: August 31, 2023
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Presbyterian College is excited to offer a new program focused on fundraising, philanthropy, stewardship, and other giving initiatives for congregations and other faith-related organizations. PC is proud to partner with the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy (Indiana University) to offer the Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising (ECRF). This unique partnership enables this outstanding course to be offered in the southeast region. The executive certificate program provides the research, tools, and customized training to meet the growing needs of leaders in religious communities and fundraisers of faith-based organizations. The focus of the ECRF is on the cultural, organizational, and philanthropic practices unique to religious institutions. These practices in turn enable donors motivated by spiritual and religious values to experience the joy of generous giving.
More details and Registration: https://www.presby.edu/academics/graduate-professional/lake-institute/
Program Dates: September 18-20, 2023 (3 hour online component afterwards)
Location: Shallowford Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA
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Looking for a way to feel more confident about your personal finances? Mark your calendar for Thursday, September 14, 2023, from 2-3:30 p.m. ET, for Money Basics: Let’s Build a Plan. Presenters William K. Wesley, JD, MBA, and the Reverend Reginald Tuggle will explain how to build and implement a plan to feel more self-assured about personal money matters. The session will focus on the following four key areas:
· controlling spending
· managing debt
· prioritizing saving
· maintaining excellent credit
Open to members participating in the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), their spouses, and surviving spouses, this webinar is one of the lifelong learning programs offered by the Board of Pensions through Board University. Registration opens Thursday, August 17. For more information, visit pensions.org/boarduniversity.
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LOOKING FORWARD: CHURCH, HOPE, AND THE FUTURE OF CONGREGATIONS
HENDERSON LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Sept. 24-26, 2023
Will Willimon, Keynoter
OVERVIEW
What is the future of small congregations (the fastest growing segment of North American Christianity)?
Join us for lectures, workshops, worship, and conversations that will inspire your leadership; and receive practical, usable wisdom for giving your congregation a future.
This year's keynoter Will Willimon has been listening to pastors and congregations in hundreds of American churches and has a hopeful, Christ-centered word for small churches and their leaders. He is the author of What’s Next? a book to help contemporary pastors lead their congregations forward. Dr. Willimon will present the Henderson Lecture on Church and Ministry, “Hope for the Many Churches Where Few Are Gathered,” Monday evening, Sept. 25, 2023, at 7:00 person and online. Read More
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The Medical Benevolence Foundation is a Christ-centered organization founded in 1963 to work alongside the Presbyterian Church to transform lives by building sustainable healthcare ministries in developing countries. Through long-term partnerships, MBF equips the indigenous church with tools and resources that allow them to meet the health care needs of their community and share the Gospel.
Read More HERE
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Gather with us in Grosse Ile (a suburb of Detroit) for a day and a half of workshops, worship, warm fellowship, and good food. Through the theme Walking in New Shoes, we will explore trying new things, including ways to continue our service to God and our local and global community.
Learn more and register
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When Faith Hurts: Empowering the Faith Community to Recognize and Respond to Child Abuse & Sexual Assault
A conference for members of faith communities and community partners
October 10-12, 2023
The Julie Valentine Center is pleased to invite you to attend When Faith Hurts. We are excited to bring Victor Vieth, the Chief Program Officer for the Zero Abuse Project, to Greenville to conduct the training.
This training will prepare attendees to recognize and respond to cases of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. We will discuss the prevalence of child abuse, the impact of abuse on spirituality, the interest offenders have in churches and faith-based camps and schools, and will offer suggestions for working to assist a child in coping with maltreatment. The training will also discuss ideal child protection policies for a faith based institution, including handling a situation in which a convicted sex offender seeks to join a congregation.
READ MORE
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Cents-Ability
“Put Your Two Cents In” and put it where it can make a difference in the effort to relieve hunger. What began as a Presbyterian Women (PW) ministry in 1976 known as ‘two cents a meal’, is now a Presbyterian Mission Agency ministry, ‘Cents Ability’. People were asked to contribute a few coins at each meal. It is an expression of thanksgiving for what we have received. It adds up: one person contributing $1, when added to the offerings of 99 others, totals $100. If 58 churches in the Presbytery give $100 each, that would give $5800 for hunger relief in upstate South Carolina. What if we each gave $2?
Some congregations in Foothills are already participating in this effort. In 2022, eight congregations, and one individual, donated $7,604.87 to this ministry. Foothills Presbytery added $95.06 to what had been received so that each ministry would receive $550.00.
Ministries may apply for funds. Read More
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Montreat Wee Kirk Conference
October 16-18, 2023
The Wee Kirk conference aspires to provide Christ-centered opportunities for inspiration, encouragement, and community among leaders of small membership churches so they can do the same in their congregations and regions.
Learn More Here
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Summer 2023 digital edition
of Horizons now available!
Holistic Health
About This Issue: For many years, the term “holistic health” made me think of herbal teas, yoga and a rejection of western medicine . . . in a not exactly positive way. When a loved one suggested I treat my migraine with lavender oil and a day of embracing the pain and noticing whether it had jagged, irregular edges or a rounded perimeter, I felt completely misunderstood.
There was work to be done, children to take to school, dogs who noisily reminded me they wanted to go outside. Obviously, the only the thing that would work was a pill and the perfect dose of caffeine. Read More
Access your digital Horizons magazine HERE.
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Special Offering:
Peace and Global Witness
Have you received your Peace and Global Witness Leader’s Guide?
If not, call 800-728-7228, ext 5047 or go here This year’s theme is You Are With Me (Psalm 23).
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Stewards of Children - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training held at Nazareth Presbyterian Church.
Hosted by Camp Fellowship.
$10 for materials only.
Event Date: 09/20/2023
Event Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM, Eastern time
Event Cost: $10.00
Language: English
Contact
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October 19
at Fourth Presbyterian Church
9 am - 3 pm
Cost is $5, lunch included
Presented by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program
Sponsored by Foothills Presbytery
Click HERE for more information
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Free Conference of
College Students, Seminarians, and Other Young Adults
October 20-22 in Louisville, KY
JESUS and JUSTICE: Believe! Pray! Act!
Online and in Person Options
Are you ready to take part in changing the future for the greater good? Register for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Young Adult Advocacy Conference! The fall conference is being offered free of charge to college students, seminarians and other young adults. Learn more and register HERE.
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The Mattoon Presbyterian Church family cordially invites you to join us as we celebrate our 145th Church Anniversary this November.
Our theme for this anniversary program is “We Have Come This Far by Faith.”
Our two-day celebration will include the following:
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Saturday, November 11: The grand unveiling of Mattoon’s historic marker in the Hampton Pinckney neighborhood, beginning at 3:00 pm.
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Sunday, November 12: Afternoon Worship Service at 3:00 pm with our guest speaker, the Reverend Larry T. Crudup, Ph.D., Senior Pastor, Mt. Moriah Baptist Church of Spartanburg, Inc., Spartanburg, SC.
We look forward to what God will say through him as we reflect on this theme as well as on all that God has done and continues to do through our ministry. We anticipate a joyous time as we celebrate this occasion.
More Information & SOUVENIR BOOKLET AD PURCHASE FORM
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Save the Date!
COM,
CPM,
PJC, PDA
Retreat
will be
February 23 & 24
2024
Details coming.
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Please mark your calendars for February 29 - March 4, 2024, and look for more details by email and on our website. | |
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Bethesda Presbyterian Church
to offer Computer/Media Literacy training.
If you don't have a Facebook page or an email account, or if you want to learn how to use Canva to produce flyers and such, there's an app for that: Me. Bring a charged laptop or tablet, or your mobile phone. (First Saturday of every month at 11)
Bethesda Presbyterian Church, USA, will offer basic computer and media literacy training workshops on the first Saturday of every month, beginning in April. This workshop is for people wanting basic knowledge about such popular programs as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and working with Google docs.
READ MORE
Contact: Kim Smith Ph.D., [email protected], 704-953-3290
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Grants offered through the Presbyterian Mission Agency:
Grants and Scholarships
As part of our mission, we have several grant and scholarship programs that assist people, organizations and congregations. View these opportunities and more HERE!
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Beth Templeton and Amy Jump-Long have just released a book, Scripture Scents, about essential oils in the Bible: | |
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The most famous use of essential oils in the Bible are the gifts to the Christ Child—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Entering the world of essential oils with their aromas opens up the world of the Bible in new and wondrous ways. The stories told here and the information offered about using essential oils will open up new opportunities for living.
Essential oils are from nature—from plants, trees, flowers, herbs, and grasses. They are God’s creation, surrounding us with beauty and bringing amazement. Is it any wonder that people in Biblical times used these gifts for healing, cleansing, anointing, building, and therapeutic caring?
Available at Renurturetherapy.com or at Amazon.
Amy is a ruling elder at Piedmont Presbyterian and Beth is an honorably retired minister of Foothills Presbytery.
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Pathways Online Courses
UPCOMING Polity and Administration
Tuesdays, August 29- October 17, 2023
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
UPCOMING Biblical Interpretation
Thursday, September 14-October 19, 2023
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
To view a FULL list of upcoming opportunities, visit:
https://www.upsem.edu/upcoming-continuing-education/
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Click here to see additional
Available Jobs
on our website.
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Aug 31, 2023
By Rev. Bessie Black,
Westminster (Saxon)
Vacation Bible School was held at Westminster Presbyterian Church (Saxon) Spartanburg, S.C, on July 18-20, 2023 (Tuesday- Thursday) from 6-8:30 pm. Reverend Pressley Cox connected us with several neighboring churches to find materials for VBS. We are grateful to both Fountain Inn Church and First Greer for lending us decorations, curriculum, crafts, and more!
Through this help from sister churches, we were able to experience a time of spiritual renewal and fellowship centered around the Cokesbury VBS “Food Truck Party: On a Roll with God.” This VBS invites children, youth, and adults to pray as Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:11; “Give us this day our daily bread.” These words served as a reminder that everything we have comes from God — and that it’s by turning to God in prayer that all of our daily needs are met. Other scripture that we studied included Exodus 16 (God Provides Manna and Quail and 1 Kings 17:8-16 (Elijah, the Widow, and the Endless Oil) Read More
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Mark your Calendars for these Upcoming Events | |
2023
September
7 Stewardship Committee meeting, Youth Mental Health First Aid & Committee on Ministry meeting
9-16 Ferncliff Mission Trip
10 PYC Meeting
13 Music Ministry Leaders ZOOM
14 CRE Subcommittee meeting
18 Christian Educators Gathering
19 FP Staff meeting
20 Personnel Committee meeting
21 Finance & Stewardship Committee meeting and Examinations Commission meeting
Foothills Presbytery Calendar
2023 Foothills Presbytery Stated Meetings
November 14, 2023
10:00 am - 2:30 pm Foothills Presbytery Stated Meeting #124
At First, Anderson
2024 Foothills Presbytery Stated Meetings
February 20, 2024
May 18, 2024
August 3, 2024 (Virtual)
November 12, 2024
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