As pastor of John Calvin Presbyterian Church, our leadership team and I have recently begun a conversation about our current church structure and the practice of conducting a bylaw review, which has inspired me to focus this month’s “Spotlight on Polity” on Bylaws; what are they, and why are they important? Since coming on as Stated Clerk, every so often…
Claire Krob is a junior at Kirkwood High School and has been in Girl Scouts since kindergarten. Claire has completed her bronze and silver awards and now is about to finish her gold award. For context, the gold award in Girl Scouts is equivalent to an Eagle Scout project for Boy Scouts. Claire wanted to focus on providing an outlet…
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…
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…
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…
I love poetry – I always have. In this poetry month at Second, three poems come to mind – all of them old, like me. As aches and pains come and go each day and my mobility decreases, I recall “The One Hoss Shay” (1858) by Oliver Wendell Holmes. The poem is much too long to print here, but the…
“The Presbytery as part of the Body of Jesus Christ understands itself as a Christian community seeking a balance of worship, business, education, fellowship, and service.” – 1.4a Manual of Operations The Gathering Planning Team is gearing up for our August 22nd Presbytery Gathering at First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, and we are extremely excited for an inspiring day…
The power of one (or two) was alive and well on May 18, 2024 at Berea Curby Presbyterian Church’s Community Meal. The Dismantling Racism and White Privilege Team and Berea Curby invited GLPBY members to fellowship at the monthly Community Meal that Berea Curby offers to their neighbors. Berea Curby was formed when Berea, a predominantly African American congregation,…