Friends, as I write, I am with our presbytery civil rights pilgrimage group (this is an initiative of our Peace and Justice Task Force). We have spent time at the 16th Street Baptist Church, where four girls were killed in the bombing. Some of the longest tenured members of the church conduct tours and tell the story - it is all quite affecting. We might wonder if we would have taken risks then for the sake of freedom or if we would have stayed silent with the moderate clergy and other church leaders to whom Martin Luther King Jr. addressed his Letter from the Birmingham Jail. We also saw the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a fine museum about the period and events in the city. Tomorrow we will visit the National Memorial to Peace and Justice (the new lynching memorial) in Montgomery and then Selma in the next day. 

Meanwhile, I'll remind you again of our fall stated meeting, next Tuesday, November 12, at First Presbyterian Church of High Point. We are grateful for what our hosts are already doing as they prepare. I look forward to seeing you there. Please make sure your church is represented.

Grace and peace!

Steve Scott

Transitional General Presbyter

Charlotte Presbytery, in partnership with Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, is offering a program in transitional ministry January 21-24. Cost is $100 per participant; housing is available at a discounted rate near the seminary campus. Limited to 25 participants.

If you are engaged or plan to be engaged in interim ministry, if you want a new arrow for your quiver, or if you're increasingly aware that we're all in transition (as they keep telling us), this may be just the opportunity you're looking for. 

The impetus grew out of a proposal by Jan Edmiston, general presbyter in Charlotte, who last March invited presbytery staff members and selected interim pastors to discuss, refine, and focus the proposal. From Salem Presbytery Bryan McFarland, Dianna Wright, and I took part as staff members, and Nancy Dederer and Susan Moorefield were representative interim pastors. 

 Please see the brochure for more information:

The packet for the November 12, 2019 meeting of Salem Presbytery may be found at the link below. 

Presbytery Packet

What:    Mediation Skills Training Institute for Church Leaders (MSTI)

When:   March 23-27, 2020

Where:  Grace Presbyterian Church in Fort Mill, SC (near Charlotte)

Who: Pastors and other church leaders interested in learning skills to help them deal more effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict

Those who register no later than February 21, 2020 will receive a $200 discount off their tuition.  For more information please contact the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center at 630-627-0507 or admin@LMPeaceCenter.org.  To register online please follow the link below.

Lombard Mennonite Peace Center Skills Training Registration

If you need to rid yourself of materials you or your church no longer needs, please do not bring them to the presbytery office. As our realtor shows the listing, as the staff has downsized, and as we prepare to move, we do not have the capacity to steward such donations. 

Take advantage of this handy resource, to which you have access through the Salem Presbytery website. As our staff grows smaller, and as fewer are available to answer the phone, you will find this directory easier to use (password = clemmons3950) than calling the presbytery to get phone numbers and email addresses of committee members or others you want to be in touch with. If using a list you received an email that bounces back, check the directory.

Salem Presbytery Directory

The Mount Tabor Presbyterian Church of Cleveland, NC will celebrate its 152nd Anniversary on Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 11:00 am.

Follow the link below to the church's Facebook page.

  Mount Tabor Facebook Page

Salem Presbytery is compiling a list of "Mission Leaders" in each of our congregations. We seek contact information for mission committee chairs, mission coordinators (staff or volunteer), or those excited about the mission of the church. Click the link below to add your info. 

 

Become and Peace and Justice church! Let your Salem Presbytery Peace and Justice Task Force help, inspire, equip, and send you on a journey. Contact Frank Dew at the link below.

 

Click the link below for the 2019 Prayer Calendar for Congregations and Ministries of Salem Presbytery.

2019 Prayer Calendar