Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I am so glad that 2020 is coming to an end! This has been one tough year. The year has been marked by a pandemic crisis, social unrest, political chaos, and for many of us, some form of personal tragedy and loss. As we turn the corner and look…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org One of my first memories of coming to serve as your interim presbytery leader was the magnificent church buildings in the St. Louis metro area. It was and still is amazing to see the Presbyterian churches off of Delmar, going from Second Presbyterian Church, then Westminster, past Trinity, and…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org Yesterday I along with Rev. Jackie Taylor, General Presbyter of Baltimore Presbytery, lead a group of 61 mid-council leaders from across the country on the topic of reparations. We used the Atlantic article The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It can be found here https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/ Our conversation taught…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I am feeling a sense of gladness as 2020 comes to an end. What a year it has been! The cloud of COVID is passing over, and we can see hints of blue sky and sun rays again. We have learned lessons in COVID that will pay great dividends…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org Advent has many meanings. Advent is a time for waiting. It is a time for preparation. Advent is a time of expectation and anticipation of the coming of our Lord. In the November/December 2020 edition of Presbyterians Today, Jason Whitehead describes Advent as an opportunity to reset. He writes,…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org My father is a veteran of the Korean war. My grandfather is a veteran of WWI. My grandfather was only 16 when he served. He lied about his age because he wanted to be in the armed forces. Like other little boys, I often asked my father what he…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org If you want to know what wakes me up at 3:00 am, it is a congregation that is trying to do something (call a pastor, sell land, build an addition, etc.) and they can’t because they are waiting for the presbytery to take action; they are waiting on the…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I was on the freshman high school wrestling team. I wanted to wrestle because my oldest brother was district champion in his weight class. While on the team I learned wrestling techniques: takedowns, escapes, reversals, and more. But in the back of my mind was a question that the…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org Every now and then I see a film and just say, “Wow!” Last week I watched the documentary, My Octopus Teacher. It is a film about a relationship that develops between the film director and an octopus! The film shows how this alien water creature, whose brain is 200…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org We all contain invisible parts of ourselves, parts that are not apparent, or displayed. This doesn’t mean we should fear what we cannot see. Our hidden self may need to be coaxed to the surface, or persuaded that it is safe to show itself, and come out to play.…