darling one—
you precious mess—
you exhausted, grieving, hollowed, hallowed, hallelujah of a human—
today, if even for a moment, may you feel:
your own beating heart
your own courageous coeur
your chest rising and falling with breath
which is spirit
which is lifeforce
keeping pulse
marking time
finding space—
regardless of how you are feeling
no matter what you are capable of
or not—
and, for just for a moment
may you find rest
a bit of ease, held
in that sacred rhythm
that cannot be
without you
because you, you precious mess,
have breath and heart and lifeforce
pulsing through you, yet.
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Our Coordinating Council met on January 18 and decided that
The 119th
FOOTHILLS PRESBYTERY STATED MEETING
on
Tuesday, February 15, 2021
at 10:00 AM
Will be a Zoom meeting.
New Commissioner Orientation
is February 14 at 5:00 pm
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Antiracism Ministry Team, Foothills Presbytery
Resources we have found challenging and inspirational:
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MOVED TO A VIRTUAL FORMAT
January and February 2022
Five SC Presbyteries
Statewide COM, CPM, & PJC Workshops
Providing Education and Training for Ministry Effectiveness
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Topics to be Discussed
*Organizing for successful COM ministry *Working with Congregations seeking pastoral leadership *Empowering the COM to say, “No” *Conducting an effective triennial visit *Preventing & responding to difficulties *Identifying potential candidates *Working together cross culturally *Discovering practical ways to support & guide students under care *Deciding about “fitness & readiness” *Examining inquirers & candidates *Completing final assessment & negotiation for service *Exercising discipline within the context of pastoral care & oversight *Pinpointing the types of conflict requiring judicial process *Appreciating differences between secular & PCUSA judicial processes *Functioning effectively as a PJC when called to act as a court of appeal from sessions *And more!
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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 February 3. Please let us know by Tuesday, February 1 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,
This is a reminder that the 2021 Statistical Reporting portal is open!
We urge you to complete your report by the FIRST of FEBRUARY
to avoid long waiting times when you log on.
THE ABSOLUTE DEADLINE FOR ENTERING STATISTICS
IS FEBRUARY 10, 2022.
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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Youth Roundtable
12 noon*
Tuesday, February 1
at the Foothills Presbytery office
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Western Region Gathering
9:00 am
Monday, February 7
by ZOOM
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Music Ministry Leader's
9:00 am
Wednesday, February 9
by ZOOM
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Educator's
12 noon
Monday, February 14
APCE Share at
Easley Presbyterian Church
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We are excited to announce that our
You can access the schedule, online information and promotional materials and registration online at https://www.campfellowship.org/summer2022. Families who register by January 15 will receive a $10 Camp Store credit!
ACTION ITEMS FOR CHURCHES - WE NEED YOUR HELP:
1. Please share the good news that summer camp registration is open with your church families
3. Would you like to schedule a visit with one of our staff? Email info@campfellowship.org to arrange a program or presentation - in person or online! 4. Contact us with any questions and for additional information!
5. Consider signing up as a Volunteer-Educator-Chaplain of the Week and come to camp this summer! (Contact us for more information!)
We look forward to welcoming you to Camp Fellowship!
All the best,
Kevin M Cartee
Executive Director
Camping Ministries of the Carolinas, Inc.
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Adult Choir Festival
Festival in the Foothills for adult choirs is planned for January 28-29 at Westminster Presbyterian, Greenville. This annual event brings nationally known choral conductors to SC for a weekend of choral music, fellowship, and worship.
Singers are welcome to register at choirfestivals.org either individually or as a group. All are invited to join for worship Saturday afternoon.
Contact Mark Kemp, Westminster Music Director, at MKempwpc@gmail.com for more information.
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Pastors Forum:
Our next Forum for Pastors
to connect, check-in, and support each other
(via Zoom) is on
February 22 at 2:00 pm
We will center our time in prayer, check-in with each other, share ideas, and connect resources.
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SC5 Webinar:
MAKING LIFELONG FAITH FORMATION
A REALITY IN EVERY CHURCH
TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022
9 am – 3:30 pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1715 Broad River Rd, Columbia, SC
John Roberto will present seven essential elements that seek to address the challenges the church faces today in nurturing faith of all ages. Then participants will engage in models for putting these elements into practice.
The event will be available in person and by zoom.
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Ring in the New Year with a gift of love to your PW ministry!
Sharing God’s abundant love in abundant ways is what we do as Presbyterian Women. As 2021 draws to a close, another year of Presbyterian Women’s ministry begins. In anticipation of a new year of PW ministry, please consider a year-end gift to PW’s Annual Fund.
Why PW’s Annual Fund? Because this fund supports all we do as Presbyterian Women. From book groups and Bible studies to advocacy through the United Nations and receiving pennies and pesos for worldwide ecumenical witness through the Fellowship of the Least Coin, we joyfully share God’s abundant love with the world through PW.
There are many ways to support PW’s Annual Fund.
· Give securely online at www.presbyterianwomen.org/give and please choose year-end giving. Become a PW sustainer by choosing "recurring giving" under the "gift type" tab.
· Mail your gift to Presbyterian Women, PO Box 643652, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3652. Please indicate “Year-End Gift 2021” in the notes line of the check or on a separate note.
· Contact Rhonda Martin, rhonda.martin@pcusa.org, to consider other ways to support PW (estate plans, endowments, gifts of stock).
Presbyterian Women’s Annual Fund (the Mission Pledge) makes possible every mission, program and resource of PW, including the Churchwide Gathering. Give now to support Presbyterian Women’s witness in the world.
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PW Churchwide’s Justice and Peace Committee is hosting six book discussion groups in 2022. And you’re invited to participate!
The book discussions will be held on Zoom, bimonthly on the second Monday, 6:30–8:30 PM (Eastern). It’s free to participate, but registration is required. When you register, you’ll receive questions for reflection or discussion, as well as a Zoom link.
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At the Festival of Homiletics, May 16–20, 2022, you’ll hear respected and thoughtful speakers present on the theme After the Storm: Preaching and Trauma.
The advantages of registering now:
- Enjoy early-bird pricing! Prices go up on February 15, 2022.
- In-person attendance will be limited—act now to ensure your space.
To get the most out of the Festival of Homiletics, purchase the recordings for full access to on-demand content you can view anytime:
- All sessions in audio and video formats
- Bonus sermons and lectures from top speakers
- Private social networking with other pastors and leaders
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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UPCOMING ONLINE WORKSHOPS
Thursdays, February 3 - 24, 2022
4-part series, 1:00 - 2:15 p.m. ET
Led by: Rev. John Cleghorn, Pastor and Author,
Resurrecting Church: Where Justice and Diversity Meet Radical Welcome and
Healing Hope
Mondays, February 7 - 14, 2022
2-part workshop series
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. ET
To view a FULL list of upcoming opportunities, visit:
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Free Digital Phones!
Fourth Church recently upgraded their phones to a system that will work better for the more hybrid work situations that many in the office are still taking advantage of. They now have 11+ Avaya 9508 phones that they are willing to donate to another church in the area.
If anyone is interested, they should contact Lily at Fourth Presbyterian, 864-232-8123.
Elisabeth “Lily” Kuzmic
Office Administrator
Fourth Presbyterian Church
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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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Bring your group to stay at Myers Park Presbyterian and engage this community through urban ministry. Whether you have a week or a weekend, CROSS will challenge you and your group to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and love those in need.
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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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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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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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Available Jobs
postings on our
website.
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Generosity and Mission
Jan 13, 2022
By: Rev. Chad Wright-Pittman, Associate Pastor for First Anderson
When First Presbyterian in Anderson, SC began our capital campaign back in 2018, we couldn’t have predicted what the last couple of years have brought our way… Yet, when we began the campaign, we had made a promise that over ten percent of funds raised would leave our church doors and go to support ministries in our local community as well as our global mission partners. So, as we neared the end of the campaign in 2021, with our new welcome center completed, the session decided – in good faith, and with much prayer – to begin to disperse those missional dollars. Despite some shortcomings in our operating budget, unforeseen costs in construction, and an outstanding loan, we knew that the right thing to do was not to postpone our missional commitments, but to act on them with the same expeditiousness and confidence as anything else God had placed under our stewardship.
When planning our giving, we knew it was important to listen to the felt needs of the community and to find reliable community partners whose expertise and relationships would be vital. So we reached out to community members, non-profits, pastors, and leaders in the wider Anderson community – with whom we’ve been building relationship and trust – and listened for where the moving of the Holy Spirit seemed to line up with the challenges and needs of our local community. After presenting the findings of this listening campaign, we discerned 3 areas of focus, and we made a plan to give strategically in the hope of impacting our community in the areas of education, debt, and child poverty.
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Mark your Calendars for these Upcoming Events |
2022
January
27 Committee on Preparation for Ministry meeting by ZOOM
31 Foothills Staff meeting
February
1 Youth Round Table at the Presbytery office
7 - 12 APCE
7 Western Regional Pastors Gathering by ZOOM
9 Music Ministry meeting by ZOOM
10 Statistical Reports Deadline for Churches!
14 Educators APCE Share at Easley
February 15, 2022
May 20 - 21, 2022
November 01, 2022
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