Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Transitional Leader of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy choward@glpby.org Beginning in 2011, I spent a year doing fundraising for Bethesda Lutheran Communities. I worked from the corporate office in Watertown WI. I helped fund group homes throughout the Midwest. Bethesda has resources for congregations that help welcome and minister to the mentally disabled.…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Transitional Leader of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy choward@glpby.org If you have ever moved, or done renovation, or had a home built, you know the frustrations of dealing with transition and contractors! I am working from home the next two weeks as our office transitions to our new space. We find ourselves…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Transitional Leader of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy choward@glpby.org This year I spent Easter service at Rock Presbyterian church in Imperial MO. I have been observing Rock’s statistics and am amazed at what is going on there. Rock is one of only two congregations in our presbytery that has grown in membership…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Transitional Leader of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy choward@glpby.org Change is not easy. There is an emotional level to change that I did not count on. I feel sadness leaving the old building space. So much ministry was done on Tower Grove, and so many lives have been affected. As I’ve…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Transitional Leader of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy choward@glpby.org I often say that Jesus is the worst evangelist in the Bible! When people come up to Jesus to be one of his disciples, instead of telling them to just say a few words and declare, “Now you’re a Christian,” Jesus puts heavy requirements…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Transitional Leader of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy choward@glpby.org My first career out of college was as a claims adjuster. As part of that work I learned how to build a house from the ground up. This lead me to work on a national CAT team, where I would be called to respond…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Transitional Leader of the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy choward@glpby.org A couple of weeks ago I received a daily devotional from one of our pastors (a huge thank-you for ideas, notes, and articles you all send me!). The devotional is called The Cottage and is written by Diana Butler Bass. This particular article was…
Blog post by the Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Transitional Leader choward@glpby.org Lent comes from the old English word “Lenten,” meaning “spring.” Lent is an invitation to a springtime for the soul. It is forty days to remember what it’s like to live by God’s grace alone and not by what we can supply for ourselves. My…
Blog post by the Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Transitional Leader choward@glpby.org On Saturday morning it all came together. The presbytery office hosted a celebration of the work and ministry in Tower Grove. After the celebration, we had a called Presbytery Meeting. Close to 60 people came out to fellowship, tour the building, talk about the past,…
Blog post by the Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy Transitional Leader choward@glpby.org At last count I have over 100 relatives. Yet, I am the only Presbyterian in my entire family. This includes my children, siblings, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, and cousins. I have looked into my family history and gone back to 1865. Not one Presbyterian is…