God created a World
of great
ABUNDANCE
If we share, there is enough for all [i]
The next Foothills Presbytery Meeting is
November 14, 2023
10:00 am - 2:30 at
First Church, Anderson.
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor 9:9)
The theme for our gathering is Abundance and Gratitude. The Worship Committee is partnering with the Stewardship Task Force and Committee on Shared Ministry to weave the topic of Abundance and Gratitude throughout the day. Worship will include celebrating the Saints of the Church who have joined the Church Triumphant during the last year.[ii] The Word Proclaimed will be based on Exodus 16, intitled “Enough” and offered by the Reverend Maren Sonstegard-Spray (First Anderson). Before lunch, there will be an opportunity to discuss how God’s abundance emerges in our lives and communities. We will hear a report from the Stewardship Task Force celebrating churches who have generously supported the work of the presbytery and highlighting their work.
In keeping with our theme, we invite you to bring donations of grains (oatmeal, grits, cereals) to the November Presbytery Meeting as a sign of God's abundance and provision to those who need it most. The donations will go to Hope Missions of the Upstate. Located one block from First Presbyterian Church of Anderson, Hope Missions serves a hot breakfast to over a hundred homeless men and women every morning. Relationships and crucial services are a high priority at Hope Missions. Oatmeal, grits, and cereals are a constant need. We will collect donations at the front of the sanctuary before the meeting begins.
All who hunger, gather gladly; holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wandering. Here, in truth, we will be fed.
You that yearn for days of fullness, all around us is our food.
Taste and see the grace eternal. Taste and see that God is good.
(All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly, Glory to God, Hymn #509)
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[i] Walter Brueggemann is professor emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur. From the Christian Century, March, 1999.
[ii] Foothills Presbytery has a tradition of recognizing and celebrating the lives of Ruling Elders and Ministers (and their spouses), who entered the Church Triumphant last year. We rely on you, our church leaders, to let us know the names of your saints who 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 2022. We will honor and recognize them during worship at our November Stated Meeting of Presbytery. Please send names to Warren Templeton, wtempleton@foothillspresbytery.org no later than October 19.
Art Image: Grant Wood, Fall Plowing, 1931, oil on canvas, John Deere Art Collection, Figge Art Museum, Davenport, IA (art work in the public domain)
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Seven people from Foothills Presbytery enjoyed a week of education and mission in mid-September. The participants drove to Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center, stopping in Birmingham on both legs of the trip. In addition to learning about Presbytery Disaster Assistance and assembling kits of heart, the trip included working with mission agencies in Little Rock, AR. The team also visited Civil Rights historical sites in Birmingham, Memphis, and Little Rock. Members of the team will share more about their trip during the November Presbytery meeting.
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Registration Numbers for both retreats
due Monday, October 2, 2023.
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SC5 School of Theology
Classes will be held on
Friday & Saturday, October 27 & 28
at Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC.
Registration for the
2023 Fall Semester of the SC5 School of Theology
(formerly called the SC Lay School)
is open until Sept 27!
Classes will be held at Presbyterian College on October 27 & 28. We will have check-in beginning at 4:30 on Friday, October 27, in Neville Hall.
Classes Offered Fall 2023 Semester:
- New Testament (Core) with the Rev. Dr. Bob Bryant
- Reformed Theology (Core) with the Rev. Richard Burnett, Ph.D.
- Preaching (Core) with the Rev. Dr. Ella Busby
- Pastoral Care (Core) with the Rev. Loyd Melton, Ph.D.
- Christian Education (Elective) with the Rev. Tom Malone
We are pleased to share our new SC5 School of Theology website with you. You will find information about the SC5 School of Theology, who attends, who the two tracks are for, and how to get started here.
Hotel: During registration, you will have an opportunity to reserve a room at the Hampton Inn in Clinton. The last date to book a room is September 27, 2023.)
Registration for the Fall Semester will close on September 27, 2023. If you are not able to register online, please email Robin Morris and she will send you a paper registration form.
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Youth Leaders Roundtable
Next Gathering is at the
October 5
at First, Spartanburg
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Music Ministry Leaders
Gathering
Wednesday, October 11
by ZOOM
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Christian Educators Gathering
Next gathering is
Monday, October 16
Join the Educators at First Spartanburg for a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Becky Davis on Social Media Policies and best practices.
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CRE Cohort
Next meeting is
Tuesday, October 24
at 12:30
at the Presbytery office
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Resources we have found challenging
& inspirational:
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Presbyterian Women’s Church-wide Gathering
August 8-11, 2024 in St Louis, MO
Are you making plans to attend?
Want to know what happens at such a gathering?
Watch the Video Below:
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We are excited to share with you our virtual Fall 2023 Program Schedule (open to all who wish to attend without cost). We will send a separate email in December with our Winter/Spring 2024 schedule.
Bible Study (Every Other Week)
In this year’s bi-weekly Bible Study, we are working our way through Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. Participants can choose either:
- Tuesday evenings, 7:00-8:30 p.m. (on Sept. 26, Oct. 10, 24, Nov. 7, 21, and Dec. 5, 19) or
- Wednesday mornings, 8:30-9:45 am (Sept. 27, Oct. 11, 25, Nov. 8, 22, and Dec. 6, 20).
You can also request to be on the invitation list for both Zoom groups. There is no expectation to attend every session—just join us when it suits your schedule.
Bedrock Gatherings (Monthly)
Picking up from our Bedrock Gathering discussions last year on Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a bellwether for modern Christians (Fall, 2022) and how Christians dealt with past moments when the Gospel was at risk (Spring, 2023), our Bedrock series this year focuses on the significant challenges facing the Church today and explores the question “What would a new confession of faith look like for our time?”
- We will meet monthly by Zoom
- The first Thursday evening of each month, from 7:00-8:30 pm: Oct. 5, Nov. 2, and Dec. 7.
Each session stands on its own, so there is no requirement to attend all four meetings this fall.
For more information, please email sarah@inchristsupportingministries.org
InChristSupportingMinistries.org
Full Flyer
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LOOKING FORWARD: CHURCH, HOPE, AND THE FUTURE OF CONGREGATIONS
HENDERSON LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Sept. 24-26, 2023
Will Willimon, Keynoter
OVERVIEW
What is the future of small congregations (the fastest growing segment of North American Christianity)?
Join us for lectures, workshops, worship, and conversations that will inspire your leadership; and receive practical, usable wisdom for giving your congregation a future.
This year's keynoter Will Willimon has been listening to pastors and congregations in hundreds of American churches and has a hopeful, Christ-centered word for small churches and their leaders. He is the author of What’s Next? a book to help contemporary pastors lead their congregations forward. Dr. Willimon will present the Henderson Lecture on Church and Ministry, “Hope for the Many Churches Where Few Are Gathered,” Monday evening, Sept. 25, 2023, at 7:00 person and online. Read More
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When Faith Hurts: Empowering the Faith Community to Recognize and Respond to Child Abuse & Sexual Assault
A conference for members of faith communities and community partners
October 10-12, 2023
The Julie Valentine Center is pleased to invite you to attend When Faith Hurts. We are excited to bring Victor Vieth, the Chief Program Officer for the Zero Abuse Project, to Greenville to conduct the training.
This training will prepare attendees to recognize and respond to cases of sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. We will discuss the prevalence of child abuse, the impact of abuse on spirituality, the interest offenders have in churches and faith-based camps and schools, and will offer suggestions for working to assist a child in coping with maltreatment. The training will also discuss ideal child protection policies for a faith based institution, including handling a situation in which a convicted sex offender seeks to join a congregation.
READ MORE
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Cents-Ability
“Put Your Two Cents In” and put it where it can make a difference in the effort to relieve hunger. What began as a Presbyterian Women (PW) ministry in 1976 known as ‘two cents a meal’, is now a Presbyterian Mission Agency ministry, ‘Cents Ability’. People were asked to contribute a few coins at each meal. It is an expression of thanksgiving for what we have received. It adds up: one person contributing $1, when added to the offerings of 99 others, totals $100. If 58 churches in the Presbytery give $100 each, that would give $5800 for hunger relief in upstate South Carolina. What if we each gave $2?
Some congregations in Foothills are already participating in this effort. In 2022, eight congregations, and one individual, donated $7,604.87 to this ministry. Foothills Presbytery added $95.06 to what had been received so that each ministry would receive $550.00.
Ministries may apply for funds. Read More
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Event Fee: $50, includes Saturday lunch. Scan the QR code to register and pay. | |
Montreat Wee Kirk Conference
October 16-18, 2023
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.
Learn More Here
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Special Offering:
Peace and Global Witness
Have you received your Peace and Global Witness Leader’s Guide?
If not, call 800-728-7228, ext 5047 or go here This year’s theme is You Are With Me (Psalm 23).
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October 19
at Fourth Presbyterian Church
9 am - 3 pm
Cost is $5, lunch included
Presented by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program
Sponsored by Foothills Presbytery
Click HERE for more information
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Free Conference of
College Students, Seminarians, and Other Young Adults
October 20-22 in Louisville, KY
JESUS and JUSTICE: Believe! Pray! Act!
Online and in Person Options
Are you ready to take part in changing the future for the greater good? Register for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Young Adult Advocacy Conference! The fall conference is being offered free of charge to college students, seminarians and other young adults. Learn more and register HERE.
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The Mattoon Presbyterian Church family cordially invites you to join us as we celebrate our 145th Church Anniversary this November.
Our theme for this anniversary program is “We Have Come This Far by Faith.”
Our two-day celebration will include the following:
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Saturday, November 11: The grand unveiling of Mattoon’s historic marker in the Hampton Pinckney neighborhood, beginning at 3:00 pm.
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Sunday, November 12: Afternoon Worship Service at 3:00 pm with our guest speaker, the Reverend Larry T. Crudup, Ph.D., Senior Pastor, Mt. Moriah Baptist Church of Spartanburg, Inc., Spartanburg, SC.
We look forward to what God will say through him as we reflect on this theme as well as on all that God has done and continues to do through our ministry. We anticipate a joyous time as we celebrate this occasion.
More Information & SOUVENIR BOOKLET AD PURCHASE FORM
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Save the Date!
COM,
CPM,
PJC, PDA
Retreat
will be
February 23 & 24
2024
Details coming.
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Regarding Ruling Elders: A Monthly Series for Serving Faithfully
Studying Scripture and the Issues of Christian Faith and Life
Baptism is a life-defining event that emphasizes a commitment from God to God’s family and from us to God’s creation. It is not a checkbox occurrence, but a lifetime process that is complete only in death. Therefore, it is important for the leadership of the church to keep the commitment of baptism always present as it gets involved in Christ’s mission by “studying Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life.”
Most baptismal services in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) include liturgies that echo the Book of Common Worship and ask the congregation two questions:
“Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture this person by word and deed, with love and prayer? Will you encourage her/him/them to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of his church?” READ MORE
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Please mark your calendars for February 29 - March 4, 2024, and look for more details by email and on our website. | |
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.
READ MORE
Contact: Kim Smith Ph.D., drksmith1960@yahoo.com, 704-953-3290
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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!
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Beth Templeton and Amy Jump-Long have just released a book, Scripture Scents, about essential oils in the Bible: | |
The most famous use of essential oils in the Bible are the gifts to the Christ Child—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Entering the world of essential oils with their aromas opens up the world of the Bible in new and wondrous ways. The stories told here and the information offered about using essential oils will open up new opportunities for living.
Essential oils are from nature—from plants, trees, flowers, herbs, and grasses. They are God’s creation, surrounding us with beauty and bringing amazement. Is it any wonder that people in Biblical times used these gifts for healing, cleansing, anointing, building, and therapeutic caring?
Available at Renurturetherapy.com or at Amazon.
Amy is a ruling elder at Piedmont Presbyterian and Beth is an honorably retired minister of Foothills Presbytery.
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Click here to see additional
Available Jobs
on our website.
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Aug 31, 2023
By Rev. Bessie Black,
Westminster (Saxon)
Vacation Bible School was held at Westminster Presbyterian Church (Saxon) Spartanburg, S.C, on July 18-20, 2023 (Tuesday- Thursday) from 6-8:30 pm. Reverend Pressley Cox connected us with several neighboring churches to find materials for VBS. We are grateful to both Fountain Inn Church and First Greer for lending us decorations, curriculum, crafts, and more!
Through this help from sister churches, we were able to experience a time of spiritual renewal and fellowship centered around the Cokesbury VBS “Food Truck Party: On a Roll with God.” This VBS invites children, youth, and adults to pray as Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:11; “Give us this day our daily bread.” These words served as a reminder that everything we have comes from God — and that it’s by turning to God in prayer that all of our daily needs are met. Other scripture that we studied included Exodus 16 (God Provides Manna and Quail and 1 Kings 17:8-16 (Elijah, the Widow, and the Endless Oil) Read More
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Mark your Calendars for these Upcoming Events |
2023
September
21 Finance & Stewardship Committee meeting and Examinations Commission meeting
25 Antiracism Ministry Team meeting
28 Committee in Preparation for Ministry meeting
October
3 Coordinating Council meeting
5 Committee on Ministry meeting & Youth Roundtable at First Sptg
11 Music Ministry Leaders- Zoom
12 Committee on Shared Ministry meeting - Zoom
14 Racial Ethnic Cabinet meeting
16 Christian Educators Gathering
17 Nominations Committee meeting, FP Staff meeting & Financial Forum
19 Examinations Commission meeting & Building Hope Workshop
Foothills Presbytery Calendar
2023 Foothills Presbytery Stated Meetings
November 14, 2023
10:00 am - 2:30 pm Foothills Presbytery Stated Meeting #124
at First, Anderson
2024 Foothills Presbytery Stated Meetings
February 20, 2024
May 18, 2024
August 3, 2024 (Virtual)
November 12, 2024
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