Did you know the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy has a long and historical connection to St. Luke’s Hospital here in St. Louis? Personally, I had no idea until I started preparation to become Stated Clerk for Giddings-Lovejoy and was informed the Stated Clerk, in addition to the Presbytery Leader, account for two of the required seats on the hospital’s Board of…
INDIGENOUS Peoples’ Day will be commemorated on October 14. Not many Americans are aware that this day has been celebrated for 31 years in honor of the original People of the Americas. The celebration takes place on the same day as Columbus Day. Both are United States Federal Holidays. Columbus Day was designated a Federal Holiday in 1937 while Indigenous…
My journey began with a sign—an electronic one at that. Shortly after we joined our church, there was an all-church meeting about an electronic sign. Our church sits in the perfect spot to be seen by many so this electric sign was an important addition to our community outreach. Some months later, I received a social media message from an…
I have been in love with the church all my life. My earliest memories are sitting on soft cushions in a familiar pew, listening to my preacher father’s warm voice and watching the sunshine streaming through the tall windows. I was never bored – even as a preschooler – because I focused on light and color and sound and touch…
You might have heard of Derek Webb from his CCM chart-topping days with Caedmon’s Call or his headline-making LGBTQIA+ allyship at last year’s Dove Awards, but did you know he’s bringing his It Matters After All tour right here to one of the churches in our presbytery? On September 7th, 2024, Glendale Presbyterian Church will be hosting Derek Webb for…
It’s primary election time! There’s still time for in-person, no excuse, absentee voting at various locations around your local community. Check with your local election authority for a location near you. Also, in St. Louis City and County, you may vote at any poll on Election Day, within your election jurisdiction. Everyone registered needs to vote! It’s important to remember…
I’ve always had a fascination with words. And that was the frame of mind I was in one day when I read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Most of us know this portion of scripture; we even have parts of it memorized. But it’s a long sermon, and it’s easy to overlook a part or two. The passage that caught…
I keep the flag which draped my father’s casket, neatly folded in its triangle on a shelf in my closet. I occasionally think to myself, “Liz, you need to stop by the craft store and pick up a display case.” But then a busy schedule takes over and there it continues to rest. My father, a veteran of World War…
The environment was an important focus for Commissioners to the General Assembly. Several overtures were submitted for their consideration. Our presbytery had previously voted to concur with the “Sustainable Peace Pledge,” an overture originally submitted by the Charleston-Atlantic Presbytery. The overture calls for acknowledging the important interaction between environmental issues and justice. The poor, people of color and Indigenous peoples…
One Sunday morning, I arrived at church early for Choir practice. While I sat waiting in the sanctuary, I was feeling the warmth of the sun filtering through the stained glass windows on the east side and those 4 stained glass windows were all warm and welcoming. The 2 stained glass windows at the front of our sanctuary are of…