May 12, 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 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

Please join us for an ELDER REFRESH Workshop!

Saturday, June 3

9:00 am - 12:30 pm

at Inman Presbyterian Church

26 S. Main Street, Inman 29349

The Rev. Dr. Tom Malone has offered to lead a workshop* for Elders (newly ordained and those who have previously served) at no charge. This event will focus on the four areas on which our Book of Order* requires each new officer to be examined:

1) Personal Faith,

2) Reformed Doctrines and Beliefs,

3) Presbyterian Polity

4) Duties of the Office of Elder or Deacon

*Having a copy of both the PC(USA) Book of Order and the PC(USA) Book of Confessions is a requirement for attendees. You can download free copies of these books at the PC(USA) Store:

* Please confirm how many participants you have from your church by emailing LeAnne White, [email protected]. *

Foothills Peer Ministry

Christian Educators Gathering

Monday, May 15

12 noon at Fourth

Greenville, SC

Youth Leaders Roundtable

Thursday, June 1

12 noon

at Gather Greenville

Music Ministry Leaders

Wednesday, June 14

at 9 am

by ZOOM

CRE Cohort

Tuesday, August 8

12:30 pm

at the Presbytery office

Bring your lunch.

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.

Review of 2022 Session Minutes

The time has come for the annual reading of session minutes. This year we are grateful that we offer four opportunities to gather and review minutes.

You may choose whichever option is better for you.

June 5 at 6:00 pm at Pickens Church (Pickens)
June 15 at 6:00 pm at Central Church (Anderson)
June 20 at noon at Westminster (Greenville)
June 27 at noon at First Church (Spartanburg)

If you are unable to attend one of these gatherings, you may drop off your 2022 Session Minutes at the Presbytery Office, 2242 Woodruff Road, Simpsonville. Or you may contact Robin Morris at the Presbytery Office to make other arrangements. (Email is [email protected] or telephone: 864.288.5774.)

Please complete two forms that you will bring with your minutes to the review. (Click on the title of each form below to open the document)

1. Clerk’s Session Minutes Review Form

2. Financial Review & Audit Form

Thank you for your continued service to the church and for your faithful work as a Clerk. We look forward to seeing you at one of the regional gatherings where we can learn from each other as we complete the annual review of Session minutes.

Grace and Peace,

Representation & Review Committee Chair Fred Hyslop

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.

Resources we have found challenging & inspirational:

Eye-opening podcast “InDebted” dives into the ecosystem of debt in SC.

Host Scott Morgan is the Upstate multimedia reporter for South Carolina Public Radio. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and editor in New Jersey before finding a home in public radio. Morgan’s work has appeared in numerous national and regional publications, as well as on NPR and MSNBC. Here is a glimpse into each episode of InDebted:

Episode 1: Credit card debt.
Episode 2: Student loan debt.
Episode 3: How does the lack of opportunity drive persistent debt.
Episode 4: Short-term loan debt.
Episode 5: Discussion about debt as a public health risk.
Episode 6: Medical debt.
Episode 7: Scott Morgan discusses ways people with assets can lose them.
Episode 8: Debt solutions.

FERNCLIFF MISSION TRIP

SEPTEMBER 9-16 2023

NEW Full Flyer with QR Code

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.

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

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!

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

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

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.

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

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

Click HERE for more information!

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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A once-dying church hopes to reinvent itself with coffee and kindness

May 4, 2023

Embrace Church had two years left to live. Rather than wait for the end, the church sold its building, reinvented itself and invested in a local coffee house.

BY RELIGION NEWS SERVICE

PUBLISHED: NOVEMBER 22, 2022 | UPDATED: NOVEMBER 28, 2022

-Article from our friends at The Presbyterian Outlook

(RNS) — Community Covenant Church in Kirkwood, Missouri, had a problem common to thousands of churches around the country: an aging congregation, a shrinking budget, a too-big building that spent most of the week empty.

And the clock was ticking.

“We had about 22 months left,” said pastor Chad Wible.

Rather than wait for their reserves to run dry, church members decided to make the most of the time they had left. They sold the building to a local school, put the money in the bank and began praying for the future.

Then they met Olivia Tischler.

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE