Highlights of the May 22, 2024, Session Meeting

Pastor Tami Recob opened the meeting with a reading from Autopsy of a Deceased Church.

Among other actions, the Session:

• Approved a motion from the Scholarship Committee to award $424 each to Macyn Recob and Lilak Kissel, from the Jean Leake Fund, to attend Cedar Ridge Camp.
• Approved a motion from the Scholarship Committee to award $2,000 each (based on full-time enrollment in college) to Eli Bartlett Turner, Caroline Hartmans, Ross Hartmans, and Alek Kissel, from Woosley-Leake Funds.
• Voted to continue the church’s policy of awarding Woosley-Leake scholarships for undergraduate/training programs and not for graduate programs.
• Heard a report on discussions with a group of Master Gardeners who are considering using church grounds and building space.
• Authorized Barbara Hedspeth to contact Penny Sisto, the artist who made the new wall hanging in the sanctuary, to see if she would be willing to come to an event at the church and talk about her piece.
• Continued discussions with church treasurer Jack Marcum about treasurer duties and developing plans for a new treasurer by the end of 2024.
• Heard a report on the May 20 meeting of Mid-Kentucky Presbytery from Jack Marcum, one of the CHPC commissioners to the meeting.
• Elected Eva Stimson and Perry Chang to serve as commissioners to a called meeting of presbytery June 5.

Humanitarian Relief for Gaza

Several of those who have been participating in the prayer group for the Middle East on Zoom every Thursday felt led to draft an open letter to Rep. Morgan McGarvey advocating for humanitarian relief for the people of Gaza. Members of Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church who live in KY Congressional District 3 are invited to sign the letter, which can be found at this link:

https://bit.ly/3wKpBGN

Guns to Gardens, June 9

The prophet Isaiah offers a vision of a peaceful world in which weapons of destruction are transformed into gardening tools. Guns to Gardens Louisville, an organization birthed at Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church, is taking another small step toward bringing Isaiah’s vision to reality by offering our fourth gun safe surrender event.

The next Guns to Gardens event will be on Sunday, June 9, from 2 to 4 p.m., at Church of the Promise/The Table, 1800 Portland Ave., in the Falls Art Foundry parking lot across the street. This is an opportunity for anyone with unwanted guns to dispose of them safely and anonymously, with the assurance that the weapons will not be resold or used in acts of violence. Our first three events brought in a total of more than 50 guns to be cut into pieces with chop saws. The pieces are being forged into tools, art, and jewelry by local blacksmith Craig Kaviar.

If you have guns that you no longer want or need, or if you know someone who does, please bring them and help us “turn swords into plowshares” on June 9. Help us spread the word about this opportunity! For more information about Guns to Gardens, contact Eva Stimson or Soni Castleberry.

June 12: Community Meal and Discussion

Everyone is invited to come together for a catered meal at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, followed by continued discussion of our church community and mission. What do we want our community to look like, and how should it be structured? How can we respond to the needs around us—local, national, and international?

Our discussions will take place in 2 committees:

• OPS (Operations) Committee —Guides work formerly coordinated by the Stewardship Committee (finances, budget, upkeep of building and grounds, etc.). Also oversees work of the Personnel Committee and continues the work of the Generosity Team and Building Use Task Force.
• NOW Committee —Guides programmatic work of the congregation, activities formerly coordinated by the Nurture, Outreach, and Worship Committees (including music and worship, Christian formation, earth care, gun violence prevention, garden ministry, etc.).

The hope is that this will be the beginning of an ongoing discussion that is open to the heartfelt thoughts and requests of all participants. Each committee will be developing a list of responsibilities (see previous committee descriptions on church website under “Our Life Together”). There will be opportunities for each to share “What do I feel called to do? Where/how does God want me to serve?”



Please think and pray about where your gifts can best be used and how God is calling you to serve. Then find your seat at one of these 2 tables. Even if you are not sure about serving on a “committee,” please join us on June 12. We need your presence and ideas!

June 19 Service of Healing and Hope

Celebrating Our Graduates

We are proud of our high school and college graduates! If you have information or know of others who are graduating, please contact the church office. Here is the list of 2024 graduates we know about so far: Eli Bartlett-Turner (from Atherton High School; planning to attend the University of Edinburgh), Simon Bartlett-Turner (from the University of Kentucky), Tess Wallace (from Morehead State University nursing program), Mara Wallace (will graduate in December from Morehead State University nursing program), and Madeline Wilding (will graduate in December from University of Louisville School of Nursing).

Garden Camp This Summer

Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church and Sustainable Agriculture of Louisville will sponsor a Garden Camp June 10–14 (overflow week June 3–7). The camp is open to children, ages 7 and older. Experienced children, ages 13 and older, may come as assistant counselors. The cost is $170 per camper per week. Fee includes lunch, snacks, pool fees, and all gardening and art supplies. Scholarships are provided on a sliding scale, as needed.

Garden Camp includes gardening work of all kinds, harvesting, food processing (grinding corn), cooking, canning (hot salsa), baking (raspberry pie, cornbread), storytelling, teamwork, cleaning, hiking, and swimming.

June 2024 will be the 19th year of Garden Camps. Support is needed to help cover the costs for low-income children, who usually make up 40 percent of the campers. For more information about registering and/or supporting Garden Camp, email Stephen Bartlett at estebanbartlett@gmail.com or call or text him at 502-415-1080. Or visit the SAL website.

In addition, Thursdays from 5-7 p.m., there will be gardening sessions happening at the garden for sharing labor, veggies, and knowledge (weather and schedule permitting). Please RSVP by text at 502-415-1080 ahead of time.