There are a lot of intrinsic rewards for being a good neighbor and disciple. But every now and again, a little physical reward is nice too. Like getting a Hello Kitty plushie for giving blood.. | | |
Synod of the Sun Newsletter
September 2026
| | Fall Synod Assembly: Connecting, Serving, and Celebrating at Ferncliff | |
The Synod of the Sun looks forward to welcoming commissioners, Covenant Partners, Associated Organizations, and guests to the Fall 2026 Synod Assembly at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. The gathering begins Monday, October 26, with registration from 4–6 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. Most Assembly business will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27–28. The Assembly will conclude on Thursday with worship and lunch.
This Assembly will offer more than time for Synod business. Together, we’ll tour Ferncliff, learn about its changing ministries and plans for the future, and participate in its disaster preparedness and response work. Through worship, meals, service, conversation, and fellowship, we hope to strengthen the relationships that connect our commissioners, presbyteries, Covenant Partners, and Associated Organizations.
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Our Covenant Partners and Associated Organizations will have a special opportunity to share their ministries with the Assembly, highlighting their work, celebrations, future plans, and concerns Partners will have time for an in-person and/or video presentation and may set up display tables with brochures, resources, and other materials. More importantly, the gathering will provide space to explore how our ministries can support and strengthen one another through our shared wisdom, experience, resources, talents, and creativity.
At the heart of our gathering is the Synod’s mission to connect, equip, and empower Presbyterians for Christ’s mission within and beyond the Synod’s bounds. We believe that when we work together across boundaries, we make visible the Good News and find wholeness as the Body of Christ.
Much of the Synod's business will be livestreamed on the Synod's Facebook Page. We invite your prayers for a productive and inspiring meeting.
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Rev. Libby Janes
Director, Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery
The Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery (SPDR) is growing its network and helping churches become better prepared to respond when disaster strikes. From recruiting Presbytery Disaster Response Teams and offering a new adaptable church disaster plan to pre-positioning clean-up buckets for rapid response, there are many ways congregations can get involved. Discover how your church can be part of this growing ministry of preparedness, response, and loving our neighbors.
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How Your Church Members Can Engage Local Resources for Disaster Preparedness | |
Rev. Libby Janes
Director, Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery
Disaster preparedness starts long before disaster strikes. Libby shares practical ways church members can strengthen their communities—from donating blood and becoming CPR/AED certified to completing Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training and connecting with local emergency management resources. Learn how you and your congregation can become better prepared to serve your neighbors when help is needed most.
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SPDR Web Presbytery Happenings | |
Rev. Libby Janes
Director, Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery
From disaster response teams and preparedness training to recovery grants, clean-up buckets, and ongoing flood recovery, SPDR is connecting and equipping presbyteries across the Synod of the Sun to better serve their communities before, during, and after disasters. See what’s happening in your presbytery and discover ways you and your congregation can get involved.
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Recap of Synod Youth Workshop 2026 | |
Mary Meghan Schnittger
Director of Youth Ministry, Northwoods Presbyterian Church
Synod Youth Workshop; an annual youth summer camp experience for high school youth groups at The University of Tulsa says "‘God’s got you,’ when you’re not quite sure what next school year will bring or what’s next."
| | | | NOROC celebrates a season of learning, creativity, and connection for children and young people in Romania—from soccer and art activities to programs focused on self-knowledge and communication. See what NOROC has been up to and learn how you can help make Christmas special for the children and volunteers they serve. | | | |
Making History Today: Old Books | |
James S. Currie, Executive Secretary
Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest
All old books…reflect the time in which they were written. … But all, to one degree or another, have shaped who we are.
| | | | Statewide Oklahoma Wednesday Devotional | |
Join with Presbyterians from across the state of Oklahoma as we continue the weekly Wednesday Devotion at 9:00 AM. The devotion will be hosted by the Oklahoma Presbytery Task Force with ongoing leadership from across the three Oklahoma presbyteries. This will be a 30-minute time of scripture, prayer, and conversation. The OPTF hopes this devotion will foster deeper spiritual and relational connections.
Mark your calendars and we will see you there!
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THRIVE Seminar - Austin, TX | The Thinking Retirement: Identity, Vocation, and Economics (THRIVE) seminar is designed to educate, engage, and inspire plan members and their spouses and partners for their journey toward wholeness in retirement living. The THRIVE seminar is designed for Benefits Plan members who are within 10 years of retirement, and their spouses or surviving spouses. | | | |
World Communion Offering Grant Program | The World Communion Offering Grant program helps eligible PC(USA) councils of the church strengthen local mission and ministry connected to the causes supported by the World Communion Offering. These grants are designed to encourage faithful, practical work that builds reconciliation, advances justice, supports peacemaking, nurtures global witness, and deepens ecumenical and interfaith relationships. | | | | Covenant/Austin directs $200k to help its neighbors overcome financial barriers | |
Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas, is directing $200,000 to four community organizations working to remove financial barriers that can keep residents living in Texas’ capital city from achieving stability.
According to a news release, rather than creating new programs, the church is investing in organizations with established expertise in four areas where a single financial or bureaucratic obstacle can have lasting consequences: housing instability, predatory lending, medical debt and lack of access to identification.
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