118th Stated Meeting of Foothills Presbytery
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
10:00 am
at First Presbyterian, Spartanburg
We will center our time in Worship, which will include remembrance of Ruling Elders and Teaching Elders who have died since November 2020.
As per our practice, Ministers and Clerks will receive the docket with the agenda for our day and more detailed information about the meeting and registration.
|
|
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 RSVP to the link below:
|
|
Foothills Presbytery Virtual Prayer Service |
|
Dear Friends in Ministry,
After holding two virtual prayer services in August and receiving feedback from the participants, Foothills Presbytery will begin offering a virtual monthly prayer service for all in our area who are interested. My hope is that this time of gathering and sharing will sustain us in the work of the church, providing prayer and reflection to ground us in the presence of the Holy.
These brief prayer services (no longer than 30 minutes) will be offered over Zoom on the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. The next one will be on November 4. Please let us know by Monday, November 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 login at the appropriate time.
Peace,
Terri Price
Moderator, Foothills Presbytery
Pastor, Providence Presbyterian
|
|
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. Participants will be housed in the Assembly Inn, however all participants taking the Barnabas track will be housed at the William Black Lodge.
Check out more details HERE, including leadership, track descriptions, accommodations, registration, and more.
Registration is now available online HERE.
|
|
Honoring All Saints
Foothills Presbytery has a tradition of recognizing and celebrating the lives of Ruling Elders and Ministers (and their spouses), who have entered the Church Triumphant in the last year. We rely on you, our church leaders, to let us know the names of your saints who have faithfully served your congregation and God's beloved community.
Please send the names of those Elders and Ministers (and their spouses) who have died since November 2020 through the present. We will honor and recognize them during worship at our November Stated Meeting of Presbytery. Please send names by October 28 to Warren Templeton, [email protected].
|
|
New Resources for the Persistent Pandemic
How we wish we didn’t need this!
|
|
Fall Festival & Corn Maze
LushAcres Farm
(on the Thornwell Campus)
September 25 - November 6
Fridays and Saturdays
- 11 am to Dark -
Bring your family to LushAcres Farm for our inaugural Fall Festival & Corn Maze! Enjoy our mile-long maze, hayrides, bonfires and s'mores, a mini train and so much more. It's guaranteed fun for everyone!
Our Fall Festival & Corn Maze runs Fridays and Saturdays from 11 AM to dark through November 6th. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to make memories and support our ministry dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, building and strengthening families, and supporting healthy communities in the name of Jesus Christ!
Fall Festival activities include:
Mile Long Maze
Concessions
Hayrides
Bon Fires + S'mores
Mini Train
Corn Pit
Pumpkin Sales
Photo Area
Farmers Market
Tickets are $10 for adults and all proceeds go directly to the children and families we serve at Thornwell. Purchase your tickets by visiting https://lushacresfarm.com/
Volunteers age 16 and up are needed to help make the Farm Festival a success. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Rachel Crescibene at 864-230-3069.
|
|
This conference prepares participants to recognize and respond to cases of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. Conference sessions will discuss in detail the impact of child abuse on a victim's sense of spirituality and will offer concrete suggestions for working with medical and mental health professionals to assist a child in coping with maltreatment. Participants will learn ideal child protection policies for a faith-based institution, including handling a situation in which a convicted sex offender seeks to join a congregation. The conference includes a review of various child abuse case scenarios and a discussion on appropriate and inappropriate responses.
The 2021 conference will be offered virtually. CEUs pending
|
|
“Being the Best You Can Be” – Serving as an officer of your church is an important and high calling. In this workshop, Tom Malone will introduce a new resource he has prepared to train elders for their work. The four topics covered in the resource prepare elders for the examination that our Book of Order requires—1) Personal Faith, 2) Reformed Theology and Beliefs, 3) Presbyterian Polity, and 4) Duties of the Office. Pastors can experience seeing the resource used in the training of officers and will be given a “Pastor’s Guide” which contains suggestions for teaching the new Being the Best You Can Be resource.
|
|
LOVE MERCY, DO JUSTICE
As people of God, we are called in Micah 6:8 to “love mercy” and to “do justice,” but non-profit ministries with small budgets often feel forced to choose between the two. They can show mercy by demonstrating hospitality, but on a tight budget they may unknowingly buy supplies from unjust industries that take advantage of migrant workers and Mexican farmers. On the other hand, they could boycott those industries to act justly, but then they may be unable to buy the supplies they need to demonstrate merciful hospitality.
Frontera de Cristo’s Love Mercy, Do Justice initiative is working to change this narrative by helping ministries of compassion to do both—to love mercy and to do justice—with just a cup of coffee. In partnership with this program, the Migrant Resource Center has welcomed more than 17,000 women and men this year with a delicious cup of Café Justo.
|
|
We are hosting two Follow Me webinars in October! Join us as we give you the opportunity to learn more about our new curriculum Follow Me: Biblical Practices for Faithful Living. Additionally, we are giving you the opportunity to meet one of the Follow Me editors and ask your questions. Finally, we will be sharing with you tips and tricks for using Follow Me in a hybrid or online setting.
RSVP for these webinars by using the links below.
|
|
MUSIC MINISTRY LEADER’S
9:00 am
Wednesday, October 13
by ZOOM
|
|
Educator's Gathering
11:00 am
Monday, October 18
by ZOOM
|
|
Western Region Gathering
9:00 am
Monday, November 1
by ZOOM
|
|
Youth Roundtable
12 noon
Tuesday, November 2
by ZOOM
|
|
Back to PW Sale!
“For everything there is a season” (Ecc. 3:1) and for many Presbyterian Women, fall is the perfect season to reconnect, renew, rekindle and return to a new PW year! For a limited time (and while supplies last), the following PW resources are on special sale! (And remember, your purchase of any PW resource or item supports Presbyterian Women financially.) This sale ends November 8, 2021
|
|
In an abundance of caution, the Presbytery Youth Council Middle School Retreat to Bonclarken on October 29-31 has been postponed. While this is disappointing for us all, we feel that it is the most faithful and safe call to make at this time. There is a strong possibility that we will be able to reschedule a middle school retreat for the spring. We hope to have more information on dates, place, and cost by mid-October.
For questions or if you need additional information, please contact
Joan Jones
Foothills Presbytery PYC Clerk/Point Person
205.222.3732
|
|
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.
|
|
Applications for summer staff open Friday, November 19. For more information visit:
|
|
CHURCH IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Achieving optimum sound in both the sanctuary and online
By Richard Hong | Presbyterians Today
As more churches provide hybrid worship, offering both online and in-person experiences, it is easy to overlook the importance of good audio both in the building and online. Here are a few basic things to think about....click here.
|
|
Faithful Innovation Learning Communities
|
|
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?
|
|
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.
|
|
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
|
|
Fall 2021 Continuing Education
Regardless of personal politics or worldview, there is little biblical, theological, and moral wiggle room for the faithful to step away from the harsh realities of the world. Church leaders have the privilege and sacred responsibility to equip disciples to make faithful and moral decisions based on their faith. Come explore how to construct a framework for integrating justice into the teaching ministry of congregations and contexts for ministry
Led by: Dr. Rebecca Davis, Associate Professor of Christian Ed
Thursdays, November 4 and 11
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. EDT
Dates: Tuesdays, November 16 – December 7, 2021, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EST (Note: This online workshop is a four-part series).
Led by: Christen Kinard, Founder, Digital Congregations
Workshop Description: This 4-part course is designed for churches that want to learn how to use social media for ministry, not just marketing. It will teach you how to enhance and improve your current efforts, to stand out in the social space, and to develop and implement an effective social media strategy. In addition to the four 75-minute sessions, workshop participants will receive the recordings and slides from each class in case they are unable to attend. Each week, office hours are offered for one-on-one conversation.
|
|
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!
Additional Scholarships:
-
The Martha May Holman Scholarship Fund was established in 2002 by the SOAP (South Atlantic & Puerto Rico) Region of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) to honor the life and ministry of Martha May Holman. To apply, complete the linked application and return to: [email protected] no later than October 15.
|
|
Fair Play Presbyterian Church
& Beaverdam Baptist Church
Saturday, October 9th from 4:00-6:00 pm
Hayride, Bounce House, Cake Walk, Fall Crafts and Games
Hot Dogs, Boiled Peanuts, Popcorn, Chips and Drinks served
Come and enjoy the live Country Gospel music of Jameson Road Band that will be playing throughout the festival.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
October 17 - Public Training* - @ Camp Fellowship: Waterloo, SC -
3:00 - 5:00 pm
Fee is $25 - includes refreshments and training materials.
|
|
"Outside the Walls"
APCE SOAP 2021 Regional Event
November 4 - 6, 2021
will now be
live from the GNTV studio.
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
Join the
Rise Against Hunger Event at
Nazareth Presbyterian Church
November 7, 2021
3:00 - 5:00 pm
We hope to have at least 100 volunteers and raise about $2000 for this event!!! Register or donate at the link below:
|
|
Yale Divinity School
Free Upcoming Webinars
- Leading in a Liminal Season with Rev. Susan Beaumont
Zoom | October 20 | 12 - 1:30 pm Eastern
-
Fast-Starting a Career of Consequence with Fred Sievert Zoom | October 21 | 12 - 1 pm Eastern Explore the symbiotic relationship between faith and career and provide practical Christ-centered advice for creating a career of consequence. For more information go here.
- Welcoming the Stranger: Immigration and Faith Communities
Zoom | Saturday, November 6 | 9:30 - 12:30 pm Eastern. From the Bible’s instructions to present-day laws and walls, the status of the stranger—the immigrant—has been central to faith communities. What is the role of faith in caring for the strangers in our midst, and what have migrant communities taught us about how to have thriving ministries in today’s world? For more information go here.
|
|
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!
|
|
Available Jobs
postings on our
website.
|
|
Mark your Calendars for these Upcoming Events |
October
7 Committee on Ministry (COM) meeting and Virtual Prayer Service
10 PYC meeting
13 Music Ministry Leaders - ZOOM
14 Committee on Shared Ministry (CSM) meeting
15-16 SC Lay School
Nov 9, 2021
10:00 am - 2:00 pm Foothills Presbytery Stated Meeting # 118
February 15, 2022
May 14, 2022
November 01, 2022
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
