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Week of November 4, 2026
E-News
| | For correspondence mailing/emailing please use the appropriate address: | | Presbytery Calendar At-A-Glance | |
- Prayer Calendar: November 8, First Presbyterian, Salem, Moderator TE Barry Chance
- Nov. 5, EP & WR Memorandum of Understanding Q&A, 5:30 p.m., Zoom
- Nov 10, FMDT Cohort, 6:30 p.m., Zoom
- Nov 12, Resource, 10:00 a.m., Zoom
- Nov 12, COM, 5:30 p.m., Zoom
- Nov 12, FMDT Plenary, 7:00 p.m., Zoom
- Nov 14, Pre-Presbytery workshop, 1:30 p.m., The Well CDC (Akron)
- Nov 14, Presbytery Gathering, 3:00 p.m., The Well CDC (Akron)
- Nov 15, Installation Service for TE Leslie Traylor, 3:00 p.m., First Presbyterian Warren
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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.
Visit the Presbytery Gatherings page to register, request and excused absence, read important details about the gathering, and view pertinent reports (The E-Packet will be finalized the end of this week to allow time to review everything before the November 14th Gathering.)
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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 this Friday, November 6, 2026.
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Join us for an Installation Service
Eastminster Presbytery invites you to attend the Installation of the Rev. Leslie Traylor as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church (256 Mahoning Ave NW, Warren, OH 44483) on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 3:00pm. You are encouraged to attend and to wear red to celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit as we participate in this important function of the presbytery. An offering will be collected for the Sustaining Fund of Eastminster Presbytery, which provides support to pastors in our presbytery. A reception prepared by the church will follow.
This is an exciting time for First Presbyterian Church and we look forward to coming together as one church on this joyous occasion!
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Christian Education & Faith Formation Leaders
The presbytery would like to facilitate a cohort of Christian Educators and Faith Formation Leaders within our congregations. Christian education is a vital ministry that touches all generations, yet those in leadership roles may at times feel overwhelmed, frustrated, or exhausted, and at other times feel energized, inspired, and joyful. The purpose of the cohort is to create a supportive space where colleagues can share ideas, events, curriculum, challenges, and, most importantly, successes. This is open to anyone interested in faith formation in our congregations. To join the EP-Christian Education Google Group, please email your request to Diane@eastminsterpresbytery.org
| | Open Invitations to Attend | |
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Founding Scriptures - Zoom Bible Study - Thursday @ 7:00 -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 November 8, we lift up the congregation of First Presbyterian Church in Salem and their Session Moderator, TE Barry Chance.
November Calendar
November 1 - The Vine Fellowship, Copley, TE John Ritchie
November 8 - First, Salem, Session Moderator TE Barry Chance
November 15 - North Jackson, Pastor Jack Acri
November 22 - First, Warren, TE Leslie Traylor
November 29 - Champion, Warren, TE Alice Phillips
The entire 2026 Prayer Calendar can be found on the home page of our website: eastminsterpresbytery.org
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Virtual Worship for the First Sunday of Christmas 2026 | Greetings Siblings in Christ! We are excited to share with you all that we will be creating a pre-recorded post-Christmas virtual worship service again this year! It is designed for use on Sunday, December 27, 2026. | | | |
2026 Boundaries and Ethics Training | If you still need to complete your Boundaries Training requirement in 2026, one date remains! | | | |
Transitional Presbytery Leader - Detroit - Michigan Position Opening | The Transitional Presbytery Leader will provide spiritual and administrative leadership, guidance and oversight for the Presbytery Staff and such Committees, Teams, and Work Groups as assigned by the Administrative Commission of the Synod of the Covenant (the “Administrative Commission”) to support the process of rebuilding the Beloved Community of the Presbytery of Detroit. | | | |
Henderson Lecture and Leadership Conference 2026 | In a time when many congregations are navigating financial strain, shifting demographics, and urgent community needs, this lecture invites faith leaders to move beyond scarcity thinking and recover a theology of abundance rooted in the gospel. Drawing from Fishing Differently, the Rev. Dr. Sidney S. Williams Jr. | | | |
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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). | | | |
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. | | | |
Find ways to share your thanks and gratitude at Thanksgiving - Presbyterian Foundation | In our Presbyterian churches, Thanksgiving not only is a transition toward Advent and Christmas but also can be an opportunity to find new ways to share thanks and gratitude. While the school children of the church learn about the first harvest feast of the Pilgrims and Native Americans, we can learn new ways to bring joy and thankfulness to the lives of family, friends and community. | | | | |
The New Wilmington Mission Conference invites you to participate in 'Mission Mondays' — a special online event on the second Monday of each month. Each session features a Mission coworker, scholar or partner sharing stories, insights, opportunities and updates about God‘s work around the world. We are excited to have been blessed by all those who have presented in the last year since we started MMM!
Join us to be inspired, connect with others and deepen your understanding of global missions. Everyone is welcome — share this invitation and join the discussion.
On Monday, November 9th at 7:30 p.m. (EST), we'll hear from Isaac Chung, Associate Director of Froniter Fellowship.
Isaac is a TCK, born and raised in South Asia where his parents served as first generation missionaries from Korea. After coming stateside as a nine year old, he lived and worked all over Southern California and might call his hometown Pasadena. After receiving a B.A. Psychology at UC San Diego and a M.Div at So Cal campus of San Francisco Theological Seminary, he entered pastoral ministry with the PC(USA) working several ministry positions in Southern
California and Michigan. He and his wife Misty took their family of six on a journey to live and serve in Central Asia from 2022-2025 and they are still passionate about that region of the world.
When not firing people up to share the good news in frontier regions through partnership and collaboration, you can find him cheering hard for the LA Dodgers, reading tons of books, cooking interesting (and mundane) meals with his wife, leading worship with his guitar, officiating volleyball matches and playing with his four kids - two girls, two boys.
To get a ZOOM link, please register using the button below.
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Presbytery Staff & Officers:
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