Guest Blog by Elder Lawson Calhoun Chair Presbytery Leader Nominating Committee Member of Westminster Presbyterian-St. Louis Chair of the Board of Trustees for Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize children and to examine ways we can each play a part in enhancing the lives of children and youth in foster care…
Blog Post by Elder Jim Cook Member of our Presbytery and Past Interim Presbytery Leader “This is serious, Jim. You’ve probably got 6 months to 2 years if you’re lucky.” I am not the first person to be diagnosed with cancer. I am not the first person to be given a devastating prognosis. However, this was the first time that…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I recently reached out to an old friend who I haven’t contacted in a while. I simply asked, “How are you doing?” He emailed, “I am doing about as well as can be expected in the midst of a global pandemic, an escalating national crisis demanding racial justice, and the…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I took a two-day trip to Chicago this week to celebrate my oldest daughter’s birthday. It was the first time I’ve traveled since March, and I hadn’t seen my daughters since February. My time with my girls was outstanding and worth the travel and challenges. However, entering into the…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org In March my spiritual director fell in his home and suffered a serious head injury. This led to a brain bleed, stroke, and paralysis. After days in a coma, Chuck was revived with serious physical and mental impairments. One week ago today he passed away while in hospice care.…
Giddings-Lovejoy Transitional Presbytery Leader Rev. Dr. Craig Howard choward@glpby.org Responding to Anxiety One of the many joys of my work is meeting with pastors of the presbytery. Once a month a group of pastors who serve congregations in Illinois gather for lunch, fellowship, and a little bit of business. The Eastside Pastor fellowship are men and women, young and…
Giddings-Lovejoy Transitional Presbytery Leader Rev. Dr. Craig Howard choward@glpby.org Numbers Game One of the toughest things about starting up my insurance agency was x-dating. An x-date is a 3×5 card with the information of a potential policyholder, and the date their current insurance expires. This was back in the bad-old-days before caller id, and before all of the rules to…