118th Stated Meeting of Foothills Presbytery
November 9, 2021
The last time Presbytery met in person was in February of 2020, so being together again was like participating in a family reunion. Our Moderator, the Rev. Terri Price, called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM, welcomed participants, and offered an opening prayer. She introduced the Rev. Lewis Galloway, Transitional Pastor at First Spartanburg, who welcomed over one hundred of us to First Presbyterian Spartanburg.
We started our day centered in Worship, focusing on Stories of Hope, grounded in Psalm 30 and John 16: 16-22. The service included musical interludes, a dulcimer instrumentalist, and liturgy, which reflected lament and hope. We also celebrated and honored Teaching and Ruling Elders who entered the church triumphant in the last year.
Our Presbytery Leader & Stated Clerk, Debbie Foster, reported on the Future Church initiatives first introduced in February 2020, and updated us on each. She emphasized the Staying Connected Grants that twenty-one congregations received for technology needs during the pandemic and missional grants focused on partnering with God already at work in the community. She referenced the Legacy Partnership Project and our Faithful Innovations Initiatives and invited congregations to consider participating. We heard from Diane Lee, an Elder from the North Anderson Community Church Presbyterian, as she shared about the ministry of NACCP and the ways they celebrated their 50th Anniversary on November 7.
Our Committee on Ministry introduced two new ministers at work in our Presbytery. David Garnett is serving Central Anderson as their Transitional Minister, and Mary Anne Welch (Honorably Retired) who transferred her membership to Foothills. We also honored two of our Ministers as they transition into retirement: David Bailey and Craig Kubias.
We welcomed Eliza Smith, who serves as University Chaplain at Converse and Denny Read, who is serving as a Chaplain at AnMed Health. We heard from Jacob Kennedy who was being examined for Ordination and Installation as Associate Pastor for Youth and Missions at the Fort Hill Church.
The Committee on Shared Ministry highlighted the Centsability offering and invited congregations to partner with the presbytery as we disburse funds to over fifteen organizations across the upstate with a focus on hunger ministry. They also announced the partnership between our Presbytery Youth Council and the Worship Committee in creating a virtual worship service that will be available for use on Sunday, December 26.
After a delicious lunch, the Presbytery approved the budget for 2022 and the list of sixty-two Elders and Minsters names nominated to serve on Presbytery Committees starting in 2022.
We thank First Spartanburg, its staff, and volunteers for hosting us. We also thank the many leaders who work in front and behind the scenes in mission and ministry. Together we share in the Faith, Hope, and Love of God and the abundant grace of Jesus Christ.
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Rev. Eliza Smith (Trinity Presbytery): Eliza is the University Chaplain at Converse University in Spartanburg. |
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Rev. David Garnett (Presbytery of Western North Carolina): David is the Transitional Pastor at Central Church in Anderson. |
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Rev. Dennison (Denny) Read, (Northeast Georgia Presbytery): Denny has accepted a position as Chaplain at AnMed Health in Anderson. |
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Jacob Kennedy, (New Hope Presbytery): Jacob is being called as Associate Pastor for Youth and Mission Ministries at Fort Hill Church. |
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Dr. Mary Anne Welch, (Presbytery of East Iowa): Mary Anne is Honorably Retired and available to serve as Pulpit Supply. |
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Foothills Presbytery
Virtual Prayer Service
Foothills Presbytery is offering a virtual monthly prayer service for all in our area who are interested.
These brief prayer services (no longer than 30 minutes) are over Zoom on the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. The next one will be on December 2. Please let us know by Tuesday, November 30 if you would like to participate. We will email you a link to the prayer service the day before. All you need to do is log in at the appropriate time.
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Dear Friends,
It is almost time to start working on your 2021 Statistical Report. This is a reminder that the reporting portal will open next week, on December 3.
We will send all churches an email from our office next week with detailed information.
User IDs and church passwords are the same as in previous years. Please email LeAnne White or call the Presbytery office if you need log-on information for your church.
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The Dougla-Prieta Story
Please enjoy this video by Steve Jeter, and learn who we are, what we do,
and what a difference your support makes:
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November 28 - December 19, 2021
Christmas Joy
By giving to the Christmas Joy Offering, you honor God's gift of Jesus Christ by providing assistance to current and retired church workers in their time of need and developing our future leaders at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.
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Resources for the Dec. 26 Virtual Worship Service
will be available by December 15th.
This will include audio and visual links as well as the bulletin.
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Western Region Gathering
9:00 am
Monday, December 6
by ZOOM
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Youth Roundtable
12 noon
Tuesday, January 4
by ZOOM
(No December meeting)
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Educator's
12 noon
Monday, January 10
by ZOOM
(No December meeting)
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Music Ministry Leader's
9:00 am
Wednesday, January 12
by ZOOM
(No December meeting)
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SYNOD OF SOUTH ATLANTIC
SAVE THE DATE ~ ZOOM WEBINAR
THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2022, 4:00 PM EASTERN
Together is Better: How Small Membership Churches Fulfill Their Missional Call Through Partnerships
This webinar will introduce Together is Better, and present the rationale and methodology for working together through the missional cluster model of collaboration. The conversation will also include the foundational principles, the rationale of urgency and necessity, the process and procedures, as well as case studies for forming missional clusters.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has made life harder for just
about everyone.
To uphold the health and safety of our community and yours, we’re excited to offer a hybrid event in 2022. The Festival of
Homiletics will be hosted in-person in Denver and will also be available online as a virtual event.
of Homiletics, May 16–20, 2022.
We’re excited about the superb
thinkers and teachers who will present on this year’s theme,
“After the Storm: Preaching and Trauma”
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2022 Montreat Youth Conferences
June 5–August 6, 2022
A Montreat Youth Conference affirms youth in their calling to be and to shape the church of Jesus Christ.
Our desire is to help youth come to know and believe that they are the beloved of God and to be a place where authenticity, community, connection, and God’s truth thrive. We seek to be an inclusive space where each voice can be heard and where each heart can be molded; where change is invited, challenge is expected, and where all are embraced.
We have spent the last year, and more, in a season of disconnect through our challenges and circumstances. God calls us to be connected in all aspects of life. Through the stories of Mary and Martha, Jacob and Esau, Jeremiah, and many others, we are reminded that we are all inter-connected in God’s intentional actions. Join us as we explore the many ways that we can reconnect to live out God’s call.
Youth leave Montreat knowing that:
Their faith matters.
They are loved as they are.
They are part of a community of faith.
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Applications for summer staff are OPEN. For more information visit:
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For more information Contact:
Rev. Brandon Ouellette, Institute Director
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New Online Leader Training Helps Churches Begin or
Expand Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministries St. Louis is now training caring ministry leaders through a live, interactive online training experience called the Bridge Leader’s Training Course (BLTC). This event fully trains Stephen Leaders—the pastors, church staff, and lay leaders who begin and lead Stephen Ministry in their congregation.
The BLTC draws on newly redesigned and updated Stephen Ministry resources to equip participants with the skills and know-how to lead all aspects of their congregation’s Stephen Ministry. This includes training a team of congregation members as lay caregivers (called Stephen Ministers), matching them with hurting people in the congregation and community, and offering ongoing guidance and support to Stephen Ministers as they provide one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people experiencing a wide range of life difficulties. READ MORE
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Let us set our sights on being together February 9-12, 2022, for the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) Annual Event, “Circle of Faith: 50 years + one and beyond,” where God will meet us as we are and nurture us into what God dreams and hopes for us! To learn more about the event click here: https://apcenet.org/2022-annual-event/
Registration is now open
for the 2022 Annual Event!
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Please note: The deadline for applications is December 10, 2021! Apply now.
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Upcoming Worship Webinar
Join us in the spring of 2022 for a webinar that will assist ruling elders and deacons in the vital role of worship leader, both in the context of the Service for the Lord's Day and within other services that connect to the church's ministry of compassion and nurture (such as communion and ministry with the sick). The date and time have yet to be determined but information will be available through future issues of this newsletter and on this website.
Regarding Ruling Elders
To stay connected to resources for ruling elders and the Regarding Ruling Elders monthly series of articles, subscribe to updates here.
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Thanks to the hard work and planning of the Missions Committee, especially Taylor Nunamaker, and the generosity of Nazareth disciples and with the help of Impact Community Church Youth Group and Tyger River Presbyterian Youth Group and our Boy Scout and Girls Scout Troops, we packed 20,088 meals in under an hour and a half to feed hungry children throughout the world! What a beautiful day as we stood together to RISE AGAINST HUNGER!
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When: Sunday, December 12th at 5:30 pm
Where: Belton Presbyterian Church
*Bring a canned food item for BIMA instead of purchasing a ticket.
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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 Institute
or Church Leaders
The June session will be held in Fort Mill, South Carolina; the August session will be held in the Chicago area; and the site for the November session has yet to be determined. Please check our website for updates.
- March 14-18, 2022 (online)
- May 9-13, 2022 (online)
- June 13-17, 2022 (in person)
- August 1-5, 2022 (in person)
- November 14-18, 2022 (in person)
Everyone Has to Deal with Conflict
Conflict is normal and inevitable – whether in the home, school, community, church or workplace. Leaders in all walks of life often have a responsibility to help others work through their conflicts.
The Mediation Skills Training Institute presented by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC) is designed to equip church leaders with the skills necessary to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. The five-day institute also includes a component on congregational mediation and consultation, placed within the context of family systems theory.
Although focused primarily on the church setting, the skills learned are directly transferable to other settings. Thus, managers in business, attorneys, experienced mediators, and others in leadership will be enriched by the training as well.
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A Symphony of Ignorance
Nov 11, 2021, A Sermon by the Rev. Ben Dorr, Westminster, Greenville
Matthew 25:31-46
22nd Sunday after Pentecost
A number of years ago, one of my friends was at the supermarket—and on his list of groceries, items to buy, was BACON. He was about to buy the bacon he usually buys, just your standard, run of the mill bacon…when something on another package of bacon caught his eye. That package read:
“Sunday Bacon: The Bacon for Those Who Seek”…
Well, this didn’t sound like your typical bacon, so he read a little further: “Seek Aroma… [our] bacon may attract uninvited guests and stimulate random acts of kindness among passing strangers.” Clearly, this was DIFFERENT bacon. But there was more. The packaging then read: “Seek Safe Smoke…protecting the earth’s atmosphere.” And then it said: “Seek Simplicity…our ingredient list is shorter than a haiku.” And THEN it said: “Seek Community…”
Now—obviously this was an intentional marketing move to put all that on a package of bacon—but I’ve never forgotten it.
Bacon…leads to community? I have no idea if that’s true, but what I do know is that ALL OF US are craving community these days. It is perhaps the most common comment I’ve heard during the past 6 months: It’s so good to be back in worship. It’s so good to be with my church community. Our subject this morning is community. Now Jesus had something to say about community. He didn’t mention bacon…but he did say this:
“I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
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Mark your Calendars for these Upcoming Events |
November
25-26 Foothills Presbytery Office will be Closed for Thanksgiving!
December
1 Representation & Review Committee meeting
February 15, 2022
May 21, 2022
November 01, 2022
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