November Presbytery Assembly | | |
Join us in person or online via Zoom for the assembly on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at 10:00 am, hosted by Grace Church, 2324 18th Avenue, Rock Island, IL 61201.
We will worship, install the new Moderator and Moderator-Elect, and take action on business related to the mission and ministry of the Presbytery. The newly elected Lead Presbyter, Rev. Dr. Pamela Saturnia, will be in attendance.
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Advance registration is required for both online and in-person attendees. Register Here
- For those attending in person, box lunches are available from Hungry Hobo for $12. Place your lunch order here by November 5.
- Email written reports to Brandy before October 27.
- Visit the assembly webpage for more details and to download the agenda and reports (available November 3).
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The Office of Public Witness is sharing ways you might consider using your voice and your vote through the lens of Scripture and General Assembly policy. We hope you’ll take time to tune in, but more importantly, to pause, pray, discern, plan, and consider who in your community is counting on you to use your voice and your vote during this midterm election season.
Click Here for the Guide.
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Clerk's Corner
The leaves are falling, and the air is starting to get the cool feel of fall, so that can only mean one thing! End-of-year statistics are just around the corner! Yep, it is that time of the year. I know it may only be October, but now is the time to start making sure you have everything in order for when Clerks receive them next month. If the Session Clerk has changed and you have not informed me, please let me know at pastorebailey@gmail.com.
I will begin planning Session Record Reviews in the spring. If your church is interested in hosting, please let me know.
I will be on continuing education leave from October 26-28, and on vacation the week of Thanksgiving. On a personal note, the Baileys took a trip to Savannah at the beginning of October! If you have never been, it is certainly worth the journey. We went to multiple museums, a ghost tour, a lighthouse, and even visited a haunted house! I am including some fun pictures!
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Since becoming the Presbytery of Great Rivers Treasurer in January, I have had the pleasure of meeting most of you at Presbytery meetings, committee meetings, or on Zoom. When asked to write for this month’s newsletter, I wasn't sure what to write. Then I thought I would let you know a little bit about myself and share a personal story that relates to why I love my church, First Presbyterian Jacksonville, so much.
I am a member of First Presbyterian Church Jacksonville and have been all my life. I was baptized and confirmed in this church, and I am a third-generation member. When first hired by the state of Illinois (Department of Revenue), I moved to Bloomington and lived there for 2 years before transferring back to the Springfield office. During those years, I still drove back to Jacksonville to attend church. Moving back put me on the road 5 days a week for a 70-mile round trip. I am a busy member of the church—as part of the choir, currently the chair of our finance committee, and a ruling elder on session. I often say, Jacksonville and First Presbyterian Church will always be home.
There is no time that First Presbyterian Church held me closer in their loving arms than in 2023. The song “Here I am Lord” by Dan Schutte has special meaning to me, especially this part:
Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.
My personal story begins in October of 2021, when I made the decision to retire from the State of Illinois after 32 years of service. For months, I had been feeling a gentle nudge to retire. While I loved my job, I was feeling it was time to leave. Even when asked by management to pull my paperwork back and stay, I told them I was feeling it was time to leave. In late October, I filed all the paperwork to retire December 31, 2021. Little did I know that the nudge was for a reason. A mere 14 months later, my mother had a severe heart attack and died weeks later. During those few weeks, I found myself back on the road going to Springfield daily.
While I did not hear a voice talking to me, I did feel those gentle nudges to retire. The gentle nudge allowed me to spend an entire year with my mom before she passed. We had wonderful experiences that year just staying at home, traveling on vacations, or visiting with family in other states and southern Illinois. I will be forever grateful for that nudge (and that I acted on it). I will never forget the quality time I was able to spend with her before her death.
There is no amount of “thanks” I can give to the church for being there for me during that time. I thank God every day for the church, the choir, the session, Pastor Warren, and gentle nudges. You may not want to answer those gentle nudges, but listen to them; you may not know what is around the corner.
Annette Simmons | Treasurer, Presbytery of Great Rivers
| 2027 Terms of Call and Covenant Agreements | |
The Commission on Pastoral Leadership (CPL) has approved the 2027 Terms of Call and Covenant Agreements. A letter from CPL and four other attachments were sent to each church's pastoral leader and Clerk of Session on Monday, October 19, at the email address provided to our office. If you did not receive the email, please check your spam folder. The form and attachments from that email are also available on our CPL webpage. Please note:
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Covenant Agreements are used only for temporary pastoral positions (Transitional/Interim, Stated Supply, Commissioned Ruling Elders, Bridge/Gap Pastors, and Pulpit Supply on a regular basis)
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Terms of Call forms are used only for an Installed Pastoral Relationship (Pastor or Associate Pastor)
- The corrected BOP Worksheet is also available on our website. The member-only medical should be calculated at 19.75%
Once approved, the form is signed by the Pastor and the Clerk of Session and returned to us by November 24, 2026. Scan and email the complete form to pgrcpl@greatriverspby.org. If unable to scan, mail it to: Attention: CPL, Presbytery of Great Rivers, 3601 N. Sheridan Rd., Peoria, IL 61604.
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As we move towards our future together as a connectional church, we hope to gather information on the skills and gifts of your congregation's members and communities. Our ultimate goal is to inventory these skills in a database that everyone can use! For example, perhaps one church in the Presbytery would like help building a grief support group. They will be able to refer to this database and find a church that can offer guidance. Maybe a church is planning a Vacation Bible School for the first time—they can turn to many people and communities in the presbytery with years of experience!
The Mission Commission sent an email with a PGR Skills Inventory Form to each church and Session Clerk in early August.
We are relying on your congregation to determine how best to complete the form for your session. Forms returned to us by December 18, 2026, are appreciated.
The Skills Inventory can also be found on the Mission Commission webpage. If you have any questions or thoughts, contact us via email at PGRMission@greatriverspby.org.
TE Chip Roland | Mission Commission Co-Moderator
CRE Bob Montgomery | Mission Commission Co-Moderator
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| | Columbia Launches Redesigned MDiv Program | |
Columbia Theological Seminary will launch a redesigned Master of Divinity (MDiv) curriculum in Fall 2027, introducing a 77-credit degree with three pathways — including a new intensive two-year MDiv option.
The redesigned curriculum reduces the degree requirement from 90 to 77 credit hours while creating a more intentional, integrated learning experience. Students may pursue the MDiv through a two-year intensive, three-year full-time, or five-year part-time pathway, offering greater flexibility while maintaining the rigor and depth of a Columbia theological education.
Learn more here.
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The Presbytery of Great Rivers encourages all of our congregations to pray for each other. The Prayer Calendar has been updated for 2027 and is available on our website here.
We give thanks to God for these congregations and pastoral leaders:
- United Church of Woodhull and Pastor Conner Brinson
- Eureka Presbyterian Church and their faithful members and pastoral leader CRE Bob Montgomery
The final worship service for Eureka is on Sunday, November 8, at 10:30 am
| | The Church’s Role in Civil Society | | |
The Co-moderators of the 227th General Assembly, the Rev. Marta Pumroy-Cordero and the Rev. Dr. Kristopher D. Schondelmeyer, will host the final segment of their three-part churchwide study series exploring the PC(USA)’s social witness policy and questions of faith, political engagement, religious liberty, and the relationship between church and state.
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The Church’s Role in Civil Society, October 30, 12 noon (1-2 p.m. ET): The final conversation will feature the Co-Moderators with the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of Advocacy and Witness for PL&W, and the Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of PL&W. Register for this webinar here.
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An Evening with Dr. Francis Collins
Renowned physician-scientist Dr. Francis Collins will deliver the Anita and Antonio Gotto Lecture from the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York on Thursday, November 12, at 5 pm (6 pm ET). Join online and explore big questions about science, faith, truth, and trust. Learn more about the Gotto Lecture Series here.
Dr. Francis Collins is a physician and geneticist known for his landmark discoveries of disease genes, for leading the Human Genome Project, for his twelve years as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and for championing the harmony of science and faith.
Formerly an atheist, Collins became a Christian in his twenties after realizing that atheism did not provide answers to profound questions about the meaning of life and was also inconsistent with observations about the nature of the universe and humankind. He wrote about finding harmony between the scientific and spiritual worldviews in The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, which spent twenty weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. Collins coined the term “biologos” to define the conclusions he reached about how life, or bios, came about through God’s word, or logos. He founded the BioLogos Foundation in November 2007 and served as its President until required to resign by his appointment as NIH Director. BioLogos (www.biologos.org) continues to flourish as a non-profit meeting-place for productive and civil discussions about science and faith.
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Can These Bones Live?

The APCE Annual Event will be held January 27-30, 2027. Register to attend online or in person at the Marriott Downtown Waterfront in Portland, Oregon. Each day, we will look at different questions we ask ourselves about how we do the ministry of Christian education, moving through the breath, sinews, flesh, and spirit of this collective ministry in the world we live in.
Learn more and register HERE.
| 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.
Interested? Learn more and access the application here: https://hubs.ly/Q04BQg270
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Called to Serve
The Presbytery of Great Rivers’ Nominating Committee is looking for candidates to serve on our Commissions, Committees, and Teams.
Visit the Nominating Committee webpage to discover the many impactful
roles that might be a great fit for you!
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Leader Formation Webinars

As ruling elders and deacons serving in local congregations across the denomination, webinars give us an opportunity to gather together virtually and in the presence of other leaders who walk alongside us on this formation journey.
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Upcoming Webinar
"Coffee and Spirituality"
October. 29, 2026 | 6-7:30 pm CT (7–8:30 pm EDT)
Register here

Past Recordings
View recordings of past webinars here and access to their accompanying resources.
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October 27 | Moderators' written reports submitted to Brandy
October 28 | 1 pm | Ministry Coordination Group meeting | Zoom
November 1 | Daylight Saving Time ends | Fall back
November 3 | VOTE
November 3 | Assembly docket and reports available online by end of day
November 7 | 6:30 pm | David LaMotte in Concert | Davenport, First Pres
November 8 | 10:30 am | Final service for Eureka Presbyterian Church
November 10 | 10 am | Presbytery Assembly at Grace Church, Rock Island | Online and in person
November 11 | Veterans Day
November 12 | 1 pm | Commission on Pastoral Leadership meeting | Zoom
November 15 | 2 pm | Final service for First Presbyterian Church of Chenoa
November 16 | 1:30 pm | CARE Meeting | Zoom
November 17 | 10 am | Commission on Congregational Life meeting | Zoom
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