April 28, 2023

Foothills Presbytery

Stated Meeting #123

Saturday, May 20, 2023

at Camp Fellowship, Greenwood

After our Presbytery meeting and Lunch

You are invited to

STAY & PLAY

at Camp Fellowship!

Walk along the shores of Lake Greenwood, take a hike on one of the many trails, canoe or just sit and relax for a bit! There will be games, crafts and activities for children and families.

Feel free to bring a chair, towel, etc.

Sign-Up for Lunch, Childcare &/or Overnight

On March 24, tornadoes tore across Mississippi killing at least 25 people and leveling hundreds of buildings.

The damage from the storm- one of the worst on record in Mississippi's history — presents tough challenges for the majority-Black communities that were most affected. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has reached out to affected presbyteries following the deadly tornadoes to offer support, resources and prayers.

Gifts can be designated to DR000015

Please join us in praying for the affected communities.

Does Your Church have a Cemetery?

Save the Date:

July 25^th at 5:30 pm

for a Gathering to discuss the Perpetual Care of Church Cemeteries

Many of our congregations are the caretakers of cemeteries. These properties, hallowed ground that shelter the dead until the Resurrection, may be as small as a few gravesites or as large as 40+ acres. The responsibilities facing church Sessions and cemetery trustees are significant, as we have an obligation to provide for these properties’ perpetual care.

The Presbyterian Foundation is receiving increasing numbers of inquiries from congregations and presbyteries about the financial implications of cemetery maintenance and upkeep. Church leaders are seeking strategies to operate with proper care and provide for the funding of (especially older) graveyards and columbaria.

Paul Grier, a Foundation Vice-President and elder and trustee at Greenville’s Westminster Church, will be leading an informative workshop on the “hows and musts and must-nots” of cemetery operation. Time for group discussion of individual challenges and opportunities is included in the agenda.

Location will be in the Greenville area and will be announced at a later date.

Prepare for May’s Mental Health Awareness Month—A message from PC(USA) Store

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to focus on our own and others’ emotional well-being. At PC(USA) Store you'll find resources that minister to both children and adults, equipping readers with information on identifying and accepting emotions, processing daily experiences, utilizing trauma-informed care, and other related topics. These resources can serve as valuable aids in ministering to congregants and act as proactive measures to demonstrate your congregation’s commitment to the mental well-being of all members, regardless of age.

Learn more and browse books.

SC 5 Lay School Fall Semester

The dates for the Fall term for the

SC5 Lay School

have been changed to

October 27 -28, 2023

at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.

We will update the site with Registration materials as soon as they are available.

Foothills Peer Ministry

Youth Leaders Roundtable

Thursday, May 4

12 noon

at Presbyterian College

Music Ministry Leaders

Wednesday, May 10

at 9 am

by ZOOM

Christian Educators Gathering

Monday, May 15

12 noon at Fourth

Greenville, SC

CRE Cohort

Tuesday, August 8

12:30 pm

at the Presbytery office

Bring your lunch.

Resources we have found challenging & inspirational:

Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman

What makes you Come Alive: A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman by Lerita Coleman Brown

Backs Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story

All three are available in the Presbytery Resource Center

Mission Trip to the

Ferncliff Disaster Assistance Center

Little Rock, Arkansas

September 10-15, 2023

Join Foothills Presbytery for a mission trip to the Ferncliff Disaster Assistance Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Ferncliff is home to a 10,000 sq ft Disaster Assistance Center, commonly referred to as “the DAC”. They have a covenant relationship with Church World Service (CWS) and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). The DAC serves as a site for the CWS Gifts of the Heart kits, as well as the national warehouse for tools and equipment used in the PDA volunteer villages around the country. NEW Full Flyer with QR Code

Contact information

Kim Smith Ph.D.

[email protected]

704-953-3290

Bethesda Presbyterian Church

to offer Computer/Media Literacy training.

If you don't have a Facebook page or an email account, or if you want to learn how to use Canva to produce flyers and such, there's an app for that: Me. Bring a charged laptop or tablet, or your mobile phone. (First Saturday of every month at 11)

Bethesda Presbyterian Church, USA, will offer basic computer and media literacy training workshops on the first Saturday of every month, beginning in April. This workshop is for people wanting basic knowledge about such popular programs as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and working with Google docs.

In addition, it will also cover more complicated programs and topics. They will include such as how to: use Audacity (a free audio editing program); produce podcasts; produce flyers, logos and infographic resumes with Canva; write for the web; design websites; produce social media videos and slideshows with express.adobe; write a press release and maximize positive news coverage for your church or non-profit; visualize data; and set up and use Zoom for remote meetings. READ MORE

.....And the South Carolina Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Team (SCPDAT) are joining together to recruit and train volunteers from our churches and Presbyteries who are interested in learning how to be a Crisis Cleanup Volunteer in the event of

a natural disaster impacting our state.

"Crisis Cleanup is a collaborative disaster work order management platform that improves coordination, reduces duplication of efforts, improves efficiency, and improves volunteers' experience.”

Volunteers can be anyone who can use a computer or a phone, and has the willingness to listen to survivors tell their story as they seek help from volunteer work groups who are responding to the disaster. As a Crisis Cleanup (CC) volunteer you complete an online “form” on the CC website for each survivor you speak with, which will then alert work teams as to who needs what kind of help/assistance. Once trained, volunteers are asked to commit to at least 1 hour/day, calling survivors of a disaster and inputting their information into the CrisisCleanup software.

This link will take you to the Crisis Cleanup website where you can learn more

about Crisis Cleanup and even watch the short training video.

CrisisCleanup is an ingenious tool that has been used to help thousands of

survivors across the USA to get the help they need in the aftermath of a disaster. SCPDAT seeks to train volunteers BEFORE a disaster happens in our state, so we can serve survivors in a more timely way. Training is easily accomplished by watching an online video with a follow-up Zoom meeting with a CC staff person to answer your questions.

If you are interested in volunteering or have questions, please contact Sally Dyer ([email protected]), Foothills Presbytery SCPDAT member.

2023 Mother’s Day Offering

On Sunday, May 14, congregations throughout South Carolina will collect the annual Mother’s Day Offering for the benefit of Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina (PCSC). Since the first Mother’s Day Offering in 1954, your generosity has enabled PCSC to provide care for residents who, through no fault of their own, have outlived their life’s savings. This commitment made nearly 70 years ago, required tremendous faith, courage, and vision. Over the last decade, your generosity has allowed PCSC to provide an average of $1.2 million in charitable care each year. Your gift, whether large or small, is vital for the success of this ministry. Thank you for your generous gifts that celebrate and support all who call Presbyterian Communities of South Carolina, “home.”

Resources for congregations to support this offering may be downloaded from the toolkit at https://www.prescommunities.org/church-partnerships-ambassadors. A video Minute for Mission is available at: https://youtu.be/fwVBUhUiPgM. Please contact Bill McConnell, PCSC Director of Foundation Services and Church Relations at [email protected] or 803-365-0844 should you have questions.

Thank you for your generosity!

Art credit: “Thistle Stop” Watercolor by Dody Imhoff, resident of The Village at Summerville. Used by permission.

In the fall of 2022, Presbyterian College unveiled a new strategic plan that introduced a new market position—America’s Innovative Service College. The strategic plan includes seven pillars of focus, one of which emphasizes our Presbyterian-relatedness. PC’s distinctive approach uses innovative service as a tool of self-discovery, an amplifier of problem-solving skills, and a catalyst of curiosity. Some of the new church-related initiatives include:

THE PRESBYTERIAN PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP AN $80,000 SCHOLARSHIP OVER 4 YEARS FOR ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE PRESBYTERIAN
SEMINARY ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS
CENTER FOR SOUTH KOREAN AND EAST ASIAN STUDIES
EXECUTIVE CERTIFICATE IN RELIGIOUS FUNDRAISING

Read Full Flyer

St. Giles Presbyterian Church

... is celebrating its 50th anniversary this spring! Thanks be to God for the investment of the Presbytery through the years. St. Giles will welcome two former pastors back to lead worship, as well as engage in extra mission commitments and educational programming.

Please visit their website for more information. Everyone is invited to join in worship and special programming through these weeks.

April 30, 10am worship will be held in the current Fellowship Hall (original Sanctuary)
May 7, Anniversary Sunday! A special luncheon will be held after worship.

Potluck suppers will be held on Saturdays, March 18 and April 22, to allow people to visit with Rev. Matthews and Rev. Wilkes.

Join us for a holy conversation around "finishing well," planning for the transitions in life as we get older. We will have presentations from Rev. Audrey H. Reese, city attorney Andrew Holliday, a Hospice care representative, and local church members John and Nancy Johnston, who have assisted many friends and family in planning.

RSVP to [email protected], or call Rev. Reese at 864-276-2987 to reserve your spot today!

Each participant who RSVPs will receive a free booklet with useful tools and information!

Good News: I am excited to share the news that The Presbyterian Agency for the Developmentally Disabled (PADD) is preparing to open its third residential home in Florence. This will be licensed as a Community Training Home II, and will become home for 4 men with an intellectual disability.

For Whom: This news could be of interest to members of your Presbytery who have a family member or friend with an intellectual or related disability and is seeking a residential option.

Background: In 2020 the mission known as InDwellings donated $86,750.00 to PADD. I believe this was a mission project supported in part by Foothills Presbytery. At that time InDwellings was attempting to build homes for people with disabilities, but unfortunately this attempt was not successful. Therefore, InDwellings was dissolved, and their Board decided to donate a portion of the funds they raised to our mission in New Harmony. We ultimately designated this gift to a fund we established to build a third home. It took some time…but now the third home is almost ready.

I believe there may be people in the Foothills Presbytery who may have an interest in exploring residential options with PADD. If you know of people who may be interested, please share this information with them. Following are some Frequently asked questions about PADD, and contact information. Read More

College Scholarships

Let youth and young adults in your churches know that the PC(USA) supports their formation and education through 2023–2024 scholarships. PC(USA) undergraduate and seminary students are eligible for $4000–$8000 from the Presbyterian Mission Agency through the Office of Financial Aid for Service.

Applications are open from now till May 15, 2023, for full-time students enrolling for the 2023–2024 academic year. For more information see our full-page advertisement in Presbyterians Today.

To apply in English, Spanish or Korean, follow the QR codes pictured or click links below.

Summer Camp Registration is LIVE!

DID YOU KNOW...

...that Since 1948, Camp Fellowship has provided unique summer programs for children & youth of all ages. We strongly believe camp is for everybody and work diligently to create exceptional programs that engage campers and guests in faith formation, community building, personal growth and development, and fun!

...that the first 25 campers who register from Foothills Presbytery churches will automatically get a $50 Campership

...that this is the 75th Summer on the lake!

Check out the 75th Anniversary Celebration Activities below and on the Camp Fellowship Website

Summer Camp Registration

Faith Formation Leader Connection

With Stephanie Fritz, Coordinator, Office of Christian Formation

and Miatta Wilson, Mission Associate, Office of Christian Formation

2nd Thursdays at 1PM EST and 4th Tuesdays at 8pm EST each month

One-hour sessions: to share resources on the topic and

then open to general conversation, questions, and sharing

https://zoom.us/j/92294289022?pwd=L3c1VlQ3VU9zVUU5cEFaMTZPYnRUUT09

Meeting ID: 922 9428 9022 Passcode: 165642

May Topic: Children’s Resources

Thursday, May 11 at 1PM EST Tuesday, May 23 at 8PM EST

Grants offered through the Presbyterian Mission Agency:

Grants and Scholarships

As part of our mission, we have several grant and scholarship programs that assist people, organizations and congregations. View these opportunities and more HERE!

Festival of Homiletics 2023 | Minneapolis

& Live Online

May 15 - 18, 2023

Join us this year for the 2023 Festival of Homiletics in Minneapolis: "Preaching Hope for a Weary World"

“Preaching Hope for a Weary World” is the Festival’s response to the hardships and heaviness that have been our reality the last few years. In these wearying days, what is our call to preach?

Hope.

The Festival of Homiletics 2023 will inspire us to a renewed sense of our radical calling. Our weary world needs us, preachers.

Come renew, refresh, and recharge your spirit!

The Worship and Music conference is an intergenerational conference for children, youth, & adults, who serve as pastors, directors, instrumentalists, ringers, worship leaders, choir members, or anyone who loves to sing, play, learn, worship, and fellowship.

Information & Registration

Introducing the

2022–2023 PW/Horizons Bible Study

The 2022–2023 PW/Horizons Bible study, Celebrating Sabbath: Accepting God’s Gift of Rest and Delight, by Carol M. Bechtel, is truly buzzworthy! That’s why this series of emails has taken flight! Don’t miss an update—check your inbox often. This is the ninth in the series!

2024 Churchwide Gathering for Presbyterian Women

August 8 - 11, 2024

St. Louis, Missouri

The University of Dubuque Theological Seminary (UDTS) is excited to share that it will be offering two new master's degrees beginning fall 2023.

The master of arts in Reformed theology, a collaboration between UDTS and Theology Matters, is a fully-accredited 36-credit degree, funded in part by the Lilly Endowment. It will focus on a Reformed understanding of the Scriptures, study of classic texts and practices valued by the Reformed tradition, and congregational ministry. Instructors will include members of UDTS faculty and pastor-scholars whose knowledge has been tested in the academy and significant pastoral ministry.

The master of arts in ministry will prepare graduates to be pastoral leaders in local, regional, and missional contexts, especially those pursuing non-traditional pathways to ordained, lay ministry, and Christian formation positions. The fully-accredited, 30-credit degree will provide a flexible, 100 percent online asynchronous curriculum that is ecumenically welcoming, biblically and theologically informed, practical in expression, and focused on serving the Church in its many contexts. The program will also offer optional residential opportunities.

Download the Border-to-Border Registration Form and pay by check

Two ways to learn this June at YDS: The in-person, residential YDS Learn, Lead, Inspire Summit or our traditional online

YDS Summer Study program.

YDS Learn, Lead, Inspire Summit 2023

“The Other”: Defining, Defending, Problematizing

Today’s world is marked by an increasingly sharp divide between “us” and “them.” Social, political, and religious tribalism is on the rise. The current cultural debate centers around who belongs to the in-group and who is classified, implicitly or explicitly, as the “other.” Who counts as “other”?

What is the proper attitude toward or responsibility for the “other”? To what extent is the very idea of the “other” problematic?

Through lectures, faculty-led discussion groups, and social events, participants will explore past and present, where we are, how we got there, and how we can effect positive change for the future.

Join us in person on the beautiful Sterling Divinity Quadrangle in New Haven, June 26-30, 2023. For more information and to register, go to YDS Learn, Lead, Inspire Summit.

YDS Summer Study 2023

This renowned program of study returns online June 5-9, 2023. Classes meet daily, are small to allow for maximum engagement, and feature YDS faculty teaching topics in the Bible, theology, or religion. This year’s schedule includes courses on Faith and Reason, Bible Through Art and Artifact, Romans, music history, the sermons of Jonathan Edwards, the ethics of love, the Book of Exodus, and the Red (and Blue) Letter Bible.

Summer Study includes a keynote lecture on Tuesday, June 6 with YDS Professor Dr. Donyelle McCray on Pauli Murray's spirituality and preaching.

Participants receive a YDS Certificate of Completion at the end of the course week. For more information and to register, go to summerstudy.yale.edu.

Click HERE for Full Fyler

Florence Presbyterian Community Part-time Chaplain

Click here to see additional

Available Jobs

postings on our

website.

COVENANT CONNECTIONS

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Higher Ground Pilgrimage

Apr 20, 2023

By Jackie Putnam

“I’m pressing on the upward way. New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;

Still praying as I’m onward bound, ‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.’”[i]

In 2022, Fourth Presbyterian Church members attended a luncheon with Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer, social justice activist, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, AL, and he challenged us to seek “higher ground” for racial justice in our community. While Fourth is not new to the work of racial justice, in recent years we have grown more intentional in our education, advocacy, and commitment to dismantling white supremacy. In particular, we have felt God’s call to reassess and deepen our relationship with the Sterling Community, a historic Black neighborhood located a few miles from the church, with whom we have partnered for over thirty years. Our relationship has evolved into an authentic partnership, where honesty is embraced, mutuality is nurtured, and unhealthy power structures are reversed. This intentional work led us to travel together on what we named “The Higher Ground Pilgrimage,” a spiritual journey through historic civil rights sites in Alabama. In February of 2023, 45 members of Fourth and the Sterling Community (with nearly equal numbers from each community), visited Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery.

Day One: We departed the church bright and early and made our way to Birmingham where we stopped at the Kelly Ingram Park, which is filled with sculptures depicting civil rights struggles.