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Week of October 21, 2026
E-News
| | For correspondence mailing/emailing please use the appropriate address: | | Presbytery Calendar At-A-Glance | |
- Prayer Calendar: Oct 25 - Synod of the Covenant Staff
- Oct 21-22, Pastors Retreat, Villa Maria Spirituality Center
- Oct 24, Reading 2025 Session Minutes, 10:00 a.m., Allenside, Akron
- Oct 25, Celebration of Partnership Service, 3:00 p.m., New Lisbon Presbyterian Church
- Oct 27-31 Synod of the Covenant Gathering
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Eastminster Presbytery Stated Gathering
Saturday, November 14, 2026
3:00 p.m.
The Well CDC (site of former First Presbyterian Church, Akron)
647 E Market St, Akron, OH 44304
In keeping with the theme of Love Thy Neighbor, the November 14 Presbytery Gathering will be held at the Well CDC in Akron, site of the former First Presbyterian Church. Executive Director Zac Kohl attended the church in the early 2000s, and years later, he and his wife played a key role in purchasing it to launch The Well CDC, Akron’s first place-based Community Development Corporation dedicated to revitalizing the Middlebury neighborhood through housing, economic growth, and placemaking projects. It is another great example that when congregations make the tough choice to leave their building, ministry can still thrive and serve the community.
1:30 p.m. Pre-Presbytery Workshop - Dollars and Sense: Financial Trends, Stewardship Practices, and How We Navigate a Faithful Future
John Wilkinson who serves as Vice President for Stewardship and Church Relations for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), will facilitate the workshop. A native of Western Pennsylvania, John grew up in Ohio and has Akron family roots.
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Frontera de Cristo
While the Presbytery Council looks for ways to connect with and support Frontera de Cristo, individuals and congregations can get involved now by praying for their leaders, ministries, and the people they serve; donating through the Presbytery Payment Portal on our website (select the Frontera de Cristo option); and learning about and supporting their ministry partners. To help raise awareness about Frontera de Cristo, the E-News will occasionally feature a ministry partner or upcoming event. This week, Cafe Justo takes the spotlight.
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Café Justo - Frontera de Cristo | fair trade plus business model. By removing the middleman who purchases coffee from Mexican farmers and sells it to large American corporations, our fair trade plus system creates an opportunity for farmers to be in control of the process from start to finish. | | | | |
Presbytery Wide Mission Day of Service
October 17, 2026
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Building on the Presbytery theme of Love Your Neighbor, the saints of Eastminster Presbytery came together to support the Warren community.
Thirty-five volunteers from seven congregations and the presbytery gathered to prepare for the annual coat giveaway at Warren Family Mission that will take place this Friday.
Those in need will receive not only a coat but also a hat, scarf, gloves or mittens, and a blanket. Last year, the Mission gave away over 800 coats, and hopes are high to exceed that number this year. In just two hours, volunteers set up racks and hung about 500 coats, sorted hundreds of hats, gloves, and scarves, and folded and stacked around 400 blankets.
Amid the busy work, fun, and new friendships, Paige, the volunteer coordinator at the Mission, kept everyone on task and treated them with pizza for lunch.
Thanks to all who gave up a few hours on a Saturday to make a difference, and to the Resource Committee for offering our churches the chance to serve the community regardless of size or age.
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
-Matthew 18:20
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Attention Clerks of Session
The last peer review of the 2025 session minutes will be held this Saturday, October 24, 10:00-11:00 a.m. at Allenside Presbyterian Church, 410 Rexford St., Akron, 44314. Please bring your session minutes book along with the completed checklist form with you! If you are unable to attend and are still needing the 2025 minutes reviewed, please contact Barry@eastminsterpresbytery.org.
2025 Session Minutes Checklist
Clerks eager to get an early start can find the 2026 Session Minutes Checklist on the Resources Page of our website.
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Celebration of Saints
At the November Presbytery Gathering, we will honor Elders from our congregations who have joined the Church Triumphant November 2025 - October 2026. Clerks of Session, Church Administrators, Moderators, etc. can submit names online HERE. If there are no Elders to report, please indicate so on the form.
Deadline to submit the necrology report is Friday, November 6, 2026.
| | Open Invitations to Attend | |
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Celebration of Partnership Service - Sunday, October 25th, 3:00 pm, New Lisbon Presbyterian Church, 111 E Chestnut St, Lisbon, OH 44432
The Presbyterian Churches of Columbiana, East Palestine and Lisbon invite the Presbytery to join them in a celebration of their new commitment to work together in ministry to Columbiana County and the affirmation of Rev. Fritz Nelson’s pastoral leadership. Rev. Mark Wilds will be preaching. Music by a combined choir under the leadership of Jodine Pilmer. Special music by George & Ginny Fawcett. A reception will follow.
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Music at Westminster - Sunday, October 25, at 4:00 pm, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1250 West Exchange Street, Akron, OH 44313
Westminster presents FAURE’S REQUIEM, featuring the WPC choir; Cantate singers; and Local area High School Choirs. Parking available across the street.
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Founding Scriptures - Zoom Bible Study - Thursdays @ 7:00 - Oct. 8, 22, 29 & Nov. 5
Starting with some of America’s earliest sermons, and their adjacent scriptures, this study will address four topics which have resonated throughout the political and spiritual history of the United States. Week 1: Is America Chosen will look at the Puritan’s identity as Israel. Week 2: Are Your Saved will look at the Great Awakening and the rise of personal religion. Week 3: Disestablished will look at the separation of church and state. Week 4: Who Belongs will look at the efforts to restrict preachers and theologies. Classes will be led by Fritz Nelson. For zoom link and links to handouts contact cpc28@sbcglobal.net.
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Your Story Matters - Book Reading and Signing - Sunday, November 8, 2:00 pm, Generations Coffee House in Columbiana
Join Friz Nelson and THE HUB community for a celebration of Pastor Fritz’s book Your Story Matters: Nurturing Spiritual Community through the Sacrament of Story. Fritz will be reading excerpts from his book and signing copies for those who wish. A limited number of copies will be for sale at the event. To reserve a copy, contact Fritz Nelson or just order it from Amazon
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Eastminster Presbytery invites you to join us in praying for a particular congregation, committee, and validated ministry within the presbytery each week in 2026 that God may bless their ministry and that the grace of Jesus Christ might shine through them. For the week of October 25 we lift up the Synod of the Covenant Staff
October Calendar
- October 4 Northminster Cuyahoga Falls, Moderator TE Barry Chance
- October 11 Committee on Nominations & Representation, Moderator RE Beth Loresch
- October 18 St. Elizabeth Hospital Youngstown, Chaplain TE Stacie Maynard
- October 25 Synod of the Covenant Staff Bloomfield Hills, MI:
Matt Aragon-Bruce
TE Ruth-Aimée Belonni-Rosario
TE Chip Hardwick
TE Heather Johnston
TE Fran Lane Lawrence
CRE Tim Pollock
The entire 2026 Prayer Calendar can be found on the home page of our website: eastminsterpresbytery.org
| | Attention Christian Educators, Faith Formation Leaders, and Committee Members | |
Rediscovering what matters in Christian Formation | Registration for the 2027 Association of Partners for Christian Education Annual Event is now open. Early bird registration lasts until November 15, 2026. The full leadership roster, workshop descriptions, schedule, hotel details and registration information are available on the APCE 2027 Annual Event. | | | |
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Next Preaching Workshop
Nov. 4, at 10:00 a.m., Zoom
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Creating Wonderfully Human Sermons in an AI Age, Alison Gerber, Baylor University
Drawing on her research at the intersection of preaching and AI, Alison will lay out three provable limitations of AI when it comes to writing sermons — limitations that aren’t simply about present-day technologies, but limitations that reveal the value and importance of you, as a human being, being the one who writes your sermon.
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Annual Enrollment for 2027 benefits
Monday, Oct. 19, through Friday, Nov. 6.
| Board of Pension members can log in to Benefits Connect at benefitsconnect.pensions.org to review available benefits for 2027, including any new options, costs, and cost sharing benefits. After the Annual Enrollment period, no further changes can be made until a qualifying life event (e.g., marriage, birth, loss of other coverage). | | | |
Churches can make the most of Giving Tuesday to support ministry, community causes - Presbyterian Foundation | Remember as a child when every once in a while you'd get an ice cream sundae and someone would add an extra cherry or maybe another dollop of chocolate sauce? Not anything you asked for, it was just an added treat? | | | |
Take a planned, methodical approach to church stewardship | Using a strategic, targeted approach is essential when it comes to connecting church members through their financial gifts, said Ryan Ebner, regional gift planner with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foundation. | | | | |
Introducing a new churchwide study series!
The Rev. Marta Pumroy-Cordero and the Rev. Dr. Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer, PCUSA Co-Moderators of the General Assembly, will host a series of three webinars on Fridays throughout October, offering an in-depth look at the PC(USA)'s Social Witness Policy.
"Why 'Presbyterian' Will Never Be a Political Party: A Churchwide Study Series" will be divided into 3 sessions:
Session 1: Religious Liberty — Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. RegisterSession 2: State and Citizen: Their Mutual Responsibility — Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. Register- Session 3: The Church’s Role in Civil Society — Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
- Register
Each session will feature different guests from across the PC(USA) who will join the Co-Moderators in reflecting and expanding on each of these three topics.
Participants are encouraged to read the corresponding sections in this document prior to each session: https://hubs.ly/Q04yf3HH0
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Presbytery Staff & Officers:
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