On your feet now—applaud God!
Bring a gift of laughter,
sing yourselves into his presence.
Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make him.
We’re his people, his well-tended
sheep.
Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking
praise.
Thank him. Worship him.
For God is sheer beauty,
all-generous in love, loyal always
and ever.
The words of this Psalm command, “On our feet now – applaud, and praise God!” Considering what is going on all around us right now, you might find it difficult, if not impossible, to shout and give praise and thanks to God. However, it is because of what we are enduring that praise is more important than ever. Praise does not require you to be happy or feel joy, yet the practice of praise orients us in the right direction. Walter Brueggemann says that praise is the “Sacred canopy in which a faith community can live out its life.”
Psalm 100 invites us to get physically engaged with the practice of praise: stand, clap, sing, give thanks and laugh. I suspect the psalmist knew what modern Neurobiologist tell us about the correlation between physical practice and its ability to help us endure. Physical practices of praise can expand our capacity to respond to the ever changes demands of our surroundings.
As you practice praise, please continue to listen to each other with compassionate curiosity, and rest your conversation in the grace of Christ. These times are unpredictable, but they also hold immense potential for our lives and values to be transformed by God’s wisdom, generosity, and grace.
Grateful,
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Rev. Deborah G. Foster
Presbytery Leader & Stated Clerk
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Lay School of Theology
at Presbyterian College
Sponsored by the Five Presbyteries of South Carolina
The fall session of the
is
October 15-17, 2021
in-person, at Presbyterian College.
Registration materials are now available:
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Attention all Clerks and Session members:
Issues with Groups
That Use Church Property
Mike Kirk PC(USA) Legal Services and Risk Management Congregations often offer their church property and buildings to be used by outside groups. Sometimes the relationship with that group is set out in a covenant and sometimes in a lease. There are legal, tax, zoning, and practical issues that should be considered when those relationship documents are created, updated, and amended. Here are a variety of issues to consider in drafting or reviewing a covenant or lease with a third party property user or renter (“User”) Click here to read full document
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Explore the Complex Issues with
Managing Church Property
The Day of Learning is back on October 12, 2021, for three online workshops focused on church property …
8:30 PST/11:30 EST Maggie Harmon will present The Value of Vision
How do you get where you’re going if you don’t know where it is that you want to go? And how do you make sure you have the resources you need to get there? Making sure you have a clear vision for your congregation provides the structure you need to assess and align your resources for the most effective ministry.
This workshop will help you define your vision as a core purpose, distinguish that from mission and goals so you can focus your ministry in the areas you are called to serve, and give you tools to take back to your congregation to help in understanding what resources you need to ensure continued viability.
At 11:00 PST/2:00 EST Olanda Carr and Robert Hay will share Options for Repurposing Church Property
In this workshop, we will review various options to consider when repurposing your church property. An overview of church partnerships, rental opportunities to consider, conversion/reinvention, and parcel sales will be provided, with careful attention being placed on the amount of time, energy, and resources required for each. Additional time will be allocated to discernment processes, including beginning steps and resources.
The day will close at 2:30 PST/5:30 EST with Understanding Financial Implications for Property Transition from Paul Grier
During this presentation, attendees will learn about various types of property-specific information that must be gathered, recommendations for the sequence of work, and how a careful analysis can be undertaken to maximize the financial or missional benefit to the church when considering repurposing options.
We will consider the impact of potential changes in property taxation, together with realistic assessments of the marketability of the property and required market exposure time, as well as compliance and impacts from civil and PC(USA) requirements.
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This is a reminder that the next
Financial Forum
meeting is
Tuesday, October 19 at 12 noon
at the Foothills Presbytery office.
To assist us with appropriate preparation, if you haven't already, please kindly complete the RSVP found at the link below:
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Participants in the Retirement Savings Plan of the PC(USA)
are invited to a 30-minute, interactive, virtual presentation filled with tips and a quick tour of NetBenefits, your online retirement resource from Fidelity Investments (Retirement Savings Plan recordkeeper).
Get to Know NetBenefits, hosted by Dan McCarthy, Fidelity Retirement Planner, is a free webinar designed to help you manage your NetBenefits account, review investment options and performance, access educational resources, and use calculators and other modeling tools as you plan for your financial goals with confidence. Following the presentation, Dan will answer your general questions. Participants can also schedule a complimentary, one-on-one consultation with Dan.
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
Noon ET
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Select Attend a learning event.
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On the next page, enter The Board of Pensions of the PC(USA) as the employer, choose Virtual as the event type, and use the calendar icon to select October 5 as your event date.
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Click the green Register button, provide the requested information, and click the blue Schedule Event button to complete your registration.
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Western Region Gathering
9:00 am
Monday, September 13
by ZOOM
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Educator's Gathering
11:00 am
Monday, September 20
by ZOOM
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Youth Roundtable
12 noon
Tuesday, October 5
by ZOOM
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MUSIC MINISTRY LEADER’S
9:00 am
Wednesday, October 13
by ZOOM
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This is the theme for the 2021 Peace and Global Witness Special Offering taken on World Communion Sunday (the first Sunday in October). The promotional period for this offering is September 5-October 3. If you have not received a packet of resources, call 800-533-4371 or go to HERE.
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Faithful Innovation Learning Communities
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Participating congregations will be discerning their unique answer to this question: "When you consider the gifts you have been given and the needs of our world, what future do you imagine God is bringing forth in our midst?"
What is a Learning Community?
A learning community is a group of congregations who commit to one another in a learning experience. Through prayer, skill-building, action, and reflection they address their most pressing questions about the future.
The faithful innovation process works using three distinct practices:
Listen, Act, and Share.
Want to learn more?
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Do you wonder what faith formation
will look like as we emerge from the pandemic?
Are you starting to plan for Fall 2021 and beyond?
Planning for 2022 and Beyond: A Faith Formation Planning Clinic
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm (Eastern Time)
Presenter: Catherine (Catzel) LaVecchia
(Videos from each presentation will also be available after the presentation to share with your leaders and teams in the church.)
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The REvangelism Conference is designed to take you on a deeper journey into faith: into the lives of others, into justice, hope, and the wonder of God. Together we will practice habits of Evangelism that will engage us in the gospel of good news — God’s justice and reconciliation for the world.
At REvangelism you will interact with the wise, diverse voices in the church who contributed to the 8-Habits of Evangelism resource. As you work through each habit together, you will experience the goodness and richness of Christ’s body and the Holy Spirit transforming you, and the world around you.
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Pastor Connect & Student Connect:
Two scheduled Zoom calls to check in with each other, pray, catch up, meet our peers in Foothills, and offer support to one another.
Monday, September 13
2:00 pm (via Zoom)
TOPIC: The importance of “communities” of peer support.
Our conversation will be facilitated by the Rev. Dr. John Hartman
Monday, September 20
2:00 pm
(via Zoom)
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Please register online for this event by clicking on the button below.
A confirmation email and invoice will be sent to you when your registration is received and confirmed.
Registration Fee includes continental breakfast, snacks, lunch, and other materials.
Registration fee can be paid in advance or upon arrival by check or credit/debit card.
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October 17 - Public Training* - @ Camp Fellowship: Waterloo, SC -
3:00 - 5:00 pm
Fee is $25 - includes refreshments and training materials.
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The Nearness of the Kingdom of God
October 18–20, 2021
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. This year’s conference offers the following tracks:
- Barnabas Track
- Missional Track
- Spiritual Formation Track
- Retreat Track
You will select one track that will be your focus throughout the conference (see “Track Descriptions”). Everyone will be together for plenaries and worship.
Click link below for more information.
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General Public Session:
Finding Meaning in a Sometimes-Meaningless World: Grief in Uncertain Times
September 16, 2021 | 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Registration 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
No cost to the General Public | Light refreshments will be served
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"Outside the Walls"
APCE SOAP 2021 Regional Event
November 4 - 6, 2021
will now be
live from the GNTV studio.
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Join other church educators in the APCE SOAP Region (SC, GA, FL, and Puerto Rica) for "Outside the Walls," our 2021 Regional Event, scheduled for November 4 - 5, 2021, live from the GNTV studio. We will begin our time together at 7:00 pm on Thursday and end at 4:00 pm on Friday.
We are excited to welcome Reverend Aisha Brooks-Johnson as our keynote speaker. Eric Nanz will lead us in worship.
Our time together will be filled with worship, plenary sessions, break-out discussions, informal conversation, and plenty of time to enjoy each other.
The cost for registration is only $75.
We do not want costs to prevent anyone from participating in this event. Limited scholarship assistance is available. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to request scholarship assistance.
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The next webinar
"Deacon Ministries"
will take place on
Thursday, September 16
at 7pm (eastern)
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Dear friends,
Theological Education Sunday is observed each September in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This year, Theological Education Sunday is officially set for September 19, but you may celebrate theological education any time that is appropriate for you and your congregation.
VIDEO Minute for Mission: We’re providing a video-recorded minute for mission that you can download and use as part of your worship service. Find it here.
PowerPoint Slides & Bulletin Inserts: We’re providing PowerPoint slides for your use during virtual or in-person worship. You can also find bulletin inserts designed to be printed. Access those here.
Liturgical Resources: This year’s liturgy is written by Rev. Anna Rainey Dickson, Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, and we’re so excited to share it with you. This includes a bulletin announcement, hymn selections, scripture suggestions, a children’s sermon and prayers. You can download it here. If you’re looking for just the bulletin announcement, you can find that here.
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Changes are coming to Triennium!
A new venue and new way of being in small groups are designed to enhance the beloved event, which takes on a Matthew 25 focus.
Event details, registration information and more coming in summer and fall of 2021. Registration is expected to begin in January or February 2022.
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Mediation Skills Training
Registration is now open for Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders, to be held on October 11-15 and November 15-19, 2021. The two identical sessions will be held remotely via Zoom. This workshop is designed to help church leaders deal more effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. For details consult this MSTI Brochure. For a complete list of training events being offered by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center — including our one-day Conflict Transformation Skills and Healthy Congregations — please consult this LMPC 2021 Program Calendar. For online registration go to our website at www.lmpeacecenter.org/all-events. Plan now to take advantage of these outstanding opportunities for spiritual and professional growth!
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Available Jobs
postings on our
website.
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We found ourselves in the midst of the pandemic as we, like many of us, were wondering how we may serve God during this time. There was a sense of a nudging by the Holy Spirit and I wasn’t sure what direction God was leading us. I met with the chairperson of the Mission Committee, Glenda Pepin, to discuss things with her.
Here is a little background before I continue: One of Mt. Zion’s mission partners was a local food pantry we had supported for several years. Glenda had noticed on her visits to the pantry, there was need for toiletries. She contacted the pantry and offered to provide toiletries/paper products/etc. for their clients. What Glenda discovered was the food pantry had closed the previous month because the pastor felt God was leading them to another mission opportunity.
Glenda met with me and her first comment was, “I think that nudge of the Holy Spirit is for us to open a food pantry.” Glenda has a “can do” attitude, and the Holy Spirit continued to pave the way as we prepared for the food pantry. If you have been to Mt. Zion, extra space is not what we specialize in our building! READ more
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Mark your Calendars for these Upcoming Events |
September
9 Nominations meeting
13 Western Regional Meeting and Pastors Forum
15 Investment Committee meeting, Representation & Review Committee meeting, Women's Preaching Cohort
16 Finance & Stewardship committee meeting and Exams Commission meeting
20 Christian Educators Gathering and CPM Student connect
21 Faithful Innovations and Antiracism Committee meeting
22 Foothills Presbytery Staff lunch meeting
23 Committee on Preparation for Ministry meeting
Nov 9, 2021
10:00 am - 2:00 pm Foothills Presbytery Stated Meeting # 118
February 15, 2022
May 14, 2022
November 01, 2022
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