One of the blessings of a new year is a fresh start, a reset, a chance to put the less fun parts of the past year behind us, and look forward to opportunities of the future. (The generation of new “second chances,” again and again, are, after all, a cornerstone of our theology!) What a blessing! What a gift!
We as a staff are very excited about the new year. Here are a few of the things we are excited about:
- Continuing “In the Neighborhood” events where we move the presbytery office temporarily to a different corner of the presbytery and connect with the local elders and pastors more directly!
- Organizing a Pastors’ Retreat in late spring/early summer!
- Uniting under a full year’s theme on public witness with inspiring keynotes to help us mobilize our powers together!
- Coordinating another Education Month of weekly opportunities to expand your toolkit as servants of the church, based on positive feedback from last September!
- Hosting a Presbytery-wide picnic event in late summer/early fall!
You should also know that in the coming months, the office staff will be in transition between accounting systems under the management of a new accounting firm. This exercise of good stewardship over our
shared resources will add some significant quality of life improvements to the work of the staff and volunteer teams regarding the organization, access, and tracking of our financials, and at a substantial reduction of expense to the presbytery! We would greatly appreciate your understanding and forbearance as we navigate this transition over the next several months.
I am looking forward to a year of being more organized, more focused, more proactive, and more coordinated, for the sake of supporting our collective ministry to which we have been called by Jesus Christ!
In this together,
Ryan
Rev. Ryan J. Landino Presbytery Leader
Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy