121st Stated Meeting of Foothills Presbytery

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

at Trinity Presbyterian Church

Foothills Presbytery Worship

Nov 1, 2022:

On November 1, 2022, Foothills Presbytery gathered for the 121st Presbytery meeting at Trinity Presbyterian in Traveler’s Rest, SC. Taking place on All Saints’ Day, the worship included an opportunity for those gathered to remember our great cloud of witnesses and name the saints of the churches of Foothills Presbytery who died over the past year. The Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo, President of Columbia Theological Seminary, delivered the message. The sermon, centered on Luke 6:20-31, was entitled “The Faithfulness of God”. The service also included the special anthem, “Fix Our Eyes”. This hymn, composed by Heather Sorenson, was commissioned for the 250th Anniversary Celebration of Nazareth Presbyterian. Members from both Nazareth and Trinity came together as a combined choir to share the beautiful music. In addition to the musicians from Nazareth and Trinity, we give grateful thanks to Dr. Steven Taylor for playing the organ for our worship.

We welcomed five new Ministers to Foothills, examined a Candidate for Ordination, offered gratitude to three retiring Ministers, and examined two Master of Divinity students for Candidacy in preparation for Ministry process

Congratulations to John DuBose, who has been called as Associate Pastor at the Easley Church.

Welcome back to the Rev. Collin Pettigrew, who has been called as Associate Pastor for University Ministry at Fort Hill (Clemson).

Welcome to the Rev. Dr. Michael York, who has been called as the Pastor at Central (Anderson).

Congratulations to the Rev. Noelle Read, who will be Installed as the Associate Pastor at Central (Anderson).

Congratulations to John Daniel DeBevoise, who has been called as Associate Pastor at First, Spartanburg.

Welcome to the Rev. Dr. Lynn Miller, who has been called as the Pastor for Limestone (Gaffney).

Welcome back the Rev. Dr. Buz Wilcoxon, who has been called as the E.G. Lassiter Chaplain & Dean of Spiritual Life at P.C.

Welcome to the Rev. David Torrey, member of Trinity Presbytery, who is serving as the Transitional Pastor (Interim) at Pickens Church.

The Foothills Presbytery

Worship Committee

Has created a virtual worship service that may be

December 25 or January 1. 

Through scripture, music, and prayer, the service will tell the story of the birth of Jesus, including the visit from the three magi at Epiphany. The prayers come from the children’s book, “The Twelve Prayers of Christmas.”  

Service and resources will be available no later than December 12 and can be streamed through your own congregation's platform. (Resources include audio and visual links as well as the bulletin.) 

We hope this service will be a gift to all congregations this Christmas season.

This event will be hosted at Camp Fellowship on

Saturday, December 3, 2022.

Registration Fees:

$25 per person

Saturday Day of Training with lunch

$40 per person

Friday Overnight Stay with

breakfast and lunch on Saturday

Dutch Dinner Friday evening at Break on the Lake for anyone interested in gathering!

About the Training:

The event will focus on the four areas on which our Book of Order requires each

new officer to be examined

1) Personal Faith,

2) Reformed Doctrines and Beliefs,

3) Presbyterian Polity

4) Duties of the Office of Elder or Deacon

Having a copy of the PC(USA) Book of Order will be beneficial for attendees.

We will be utilizing a new officer training manual that Tom Malone has prepared,

entitled Being the Best You Can Be: a Notebook for Preparing Church Officers for Service. Each attending person will receive a copy of this notebook which contains the material we will be using that Saturday but also other material which will help you do some additional personal preparation.

Officers who have already been ordained but who would like additional training are welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

Resources we have found challenging and inspirational:

• Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, by Adam Grant 

If you missed the screening of 

At the River: Struggle and Grace in the Segregated South 

Fort Hill Presbyterian will host a screening on

Monday, February 6th, 2023 at 6:00 PM in the Sanctuary.

CRE Peer Group Gathering

November 15, 12:30 pm

Foothills Presbytery

Please bring your lunch. Dessert will be provided.

All current CREs and any Elders interested in the CRE program are invited.  Questions? Please contact Jeff Motes or Elizabeth Jones.

Youth Leaders Roundtable

Thursday, December 1

12 noon

at Fourth

Christian Educators Gathering

No November meeting. 

Next Gathering is

December 5,  12:00

at First Spartanburg

Bring your best Lent ideas to share!

Music Ministry Leaders 

No meeting in December.

Our next Zoom gathering will be Wednesday, January 11.

Check out what's new 

in the Foothills Resource Center!

God’s Holy Darkness, by Sharei Green and Beckah Selnick; illustrated by Nikki Faison. Beaming Books, 2022. (J_220.95 Green – Children’s Books)

  In God's Holy Darkness, the authors deconstruct anti-Blackness in Christian theology by celebrating instances in the story of God's people when darkness, blackness, and night are beautiful, good, and holy. From the darkness at the beginning of creation to the blackness of the sky on the day when Christ's birth was announced to the shepherds, children learn that blackness is something to celebrate as an important element of the life of faith. Lush and vibrant illustrations underscore the mystery and beauty of these wondrous acts of God's holy darkness.



  Perfect for reading and anti-racist reflection in worship, as an affirmation and celebration with children, and at home with caregivers, God's Holy Darkness is a book to cherish.

Registration is now available online and we encourage you to do it now before the December 3 early bird registration deadline.   

Christmas Joy Offering

This offering is received in December.

Formation resources can be found here. 

THE PRESBYTERIAN PROMISE

AN $80,000 SCHOLARSHIP OVER 4 YEARS FOR ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE PRESBYTERIAN.

The Presbyterian Promise Scholarship is a commitment by Presbyterian College (PC) to recognize students for their merit and affiliation with the Presbyterian Church. PC seeks to develop students academically and spiritually in this signature scholarship. Students who are of members of Presbyterian churches will receive a scholarship for a minimum of $20,000 per year for up to four years—that’s an $80,000 commitment to you.

For more information and to apply visit our site: www.presby.edu/presbyterian-promise

About the New Initiative…

Fellowship Camp and Conference Center is expanding its impact to more people in our community. We are proud to announce the formation of the Lake Campus program through a new strategic program initiative beginning in partnership with Presbyterian College (Clinton, SC). This strategic partnership between Fellowship and Presbyterian College will open avenues for interaction and bring new program opportunities that increase Fellowship’s reach and impact with new activity, programs, and resources at the Camp Fellowship location on Lake Greenwood. READ MORE

Landrum Church is looking for 20-25 Hymnals.

If any church has Hymnals available to donate, please contact Beth Hoskins, [email protected].



Winter Camp is back!!

Registration Is Open!

Any questions can be sent

to [email protected]

LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Check out our upcoming continuing education opportunities on the Richmond Campus

Interim/Transitional Ministry Training Week

led by Rev. Nancy Dolan, Rev. Laura Sherwood, Dr. Dorothee Tripodi

Monday-Friday Nov. 14-18

Registration: https://na.eventscloud.com/interim2022

Register today!

Calling all College-Aged Young Adults!

We want you to join us for the 2023 College Conference @ Montreat! Whether you have attended a conference before, or you are new to Montreat altogether, College Conference offers a place for everyone to experience the overwhelming love of God in new and exciting ways. Learn more HERE. 

Want the J&P calendar for the entire year?

Click here to download the PDF or visit the Justice and Peace webpage at presbyterianwomen.org/justice, where you can also find additional bits of help.

The Manna Retreat

A weekend for young adults

January 27–29, 2023

Hosted by Montreat Conference Center

According to The Defining Decade by psychologist Meg Jay, “eighty percent of life’s most defining moments take place by age thirty-five.” Translation: being a young adult is hard. In an effort to support both young adults navigating the messiness of this time in their lives, as well as to support young adult ministries at the local church, we have created The Manna Retreat. The Manna Retreat is three days, 100 young adults, one old hotel, and ten small groups dedicated to creating deeper faith and deeper relationships. If your faith could use a spark plug, if your spirit could use a deep laugh, if your heart could use some new friendships, or if your body could use a place to belong, then this is for you.

Click here for more information.

Registration Opening November 1st

The Friends of the Greenville County Library is looking for space to rent for housing/sorting donated books and holding public booksales to support the Library.  Optimally seeking around 4,000+ square feet, ideally climate-controlled. For more information, please contact Lee Turza, 864-270-8636; [email protected]. 

 

Click here to see additional 

Available Jobs

postings on our

website.

Stewardship of Creation Connections September-October, 2022 Newsletter