We received a wonderful letter from Mary Sue Schusky, a member of First United Presbyterian Church, enclosed with a story she wrote for Illinois Heritage. We felt we should share the beautiful reflection of history with Rev. Salmon Giddings and the long-time community connection of First United Presbyterian Church, Collinsville, Illinois. Good things continue to happen at Collinsville’s Historic Presbyterian…
“The Life and Times of a Stated Clerk, part 1” Have you ever wondered what a Stated Clerk does all year long outside of the quarterly Presbytery Gatherings and their agendas? If so, you’ve come to the right place, because this month I focus on a topic a little closer to home for me. For the next two Spotlight on…
A Weekly Witness: Thoughts on Ministry, Justice, and Life Together from your Presbytery Leader “We incubate what we celebrate” I will never forget these words spoken at the 221st General Assembly in Detroit, where I sat as a commissioner in 2014. These words remind me just how important celebration is in our lives of faith. Take a look at…
A Weekly Witness: Thoughts on Ministry, Justice, and Life Together from your Presbytery Leader Like you, I am saddened and crushed by the start of the school year beginning with a mass shooting. The late Presbyterian activist and pastor James E. Atwood first introduced me to the image of rising gun violence being like a flood that rises…
“Presbyterian Historical Society: What’s That?” As the fall approaches and I prepare for another round of annual minute reviews with our Clerks of Session, I was inspired to focus this month’s “Spotlight on Polity” on something that doesn’t get enough attention in the life of our churches, but just as important as anything else when it comes to our Polity.…
A Weekly Witness: Thoughts on Ministry, Justice, and Life Together from your Presbytery Leader I am going to take an opportunity to let you in on a little secret that very few church people will say out loud: I love meetings. Yup. I said it. (Please don’t groan! Wait, don’t go anywhere, stay with me! Don’t close your friendly reading…
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employs more than 20,000 people nationwide. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we have 10 regional offices located across the country. We leverage a tremendous capacity to coordinate within the federal government to make sure America is equipped to prepare for and respond to disasters. FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during and after disasters, and our…
I love that our presbytery makes space for education hour. This last Thursday at our presbytery gathering in Washington, we were blessed to have Rev. Dr. Aaron Stauffer, Associate Director of the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, lead our education hour. During his presentation, he posed a wonderful challenge to our ministry communities…
Reentry can be a jarring feeling that most pastors feel when we return to our offices after times of leave. No matter whether it is vacation or other forms of leave, there is a weary anxious energy over the wonderings of “what did I miss while I was gone?” It can be very hard to “stop thinking about work” even…
On May 3rd, the presbytery approved 12 weeks of medical and family leave for our presbytery leader to have an intentional time of recovery. The following was posted on Ryan Landino’s personal Facebook page on July 17th, as Ryan’s leave was coming to an end. The following is shared to catch everyone up on those reflections! “Hi friends. First, I…