Volume 18

July 2020

Want to enjoy a superior cup of coffee while offering financial support for coffee growers in Chiapas, Mexico?  Frontera de Cristo, a Presbyterian border ministry, supports Cafe Justo, a fair trade cooperative in which farmers own the entire line of production – from growing the beans to consumer sales.   (This was the delicious coffee served at the February Presbytery meeting). Cafe Justo is available ground or whole bean in four varieties: decaf, 100% Arabica (mild), 50/50 Arabica/Robusta (stronger) and 100% Robusta (strongest). All the coffee is organic and shade-grown. It is available for purchase in one-pound bags ($10 each).  Click here to order online . For more information, contact Shandon Presbyterian member Rowena Nylund, 803-252-7752,  rnylund@sc.rr.com .

Order Your 2020-2021 Presbyterian Planning Calendars Now! In order to take advantage of the bulk discount rate, Trinity Presbytery will be placing a bulk order for the 2020-2021 Presbyterian planning calendars. The cost per calendar is $11, which includes shipping and handling to the Presbytery office. If the calendars need to be mailed to churches or individuals, those charges will be invoiced to the recipients.   Order your calendars:  Order now Deadline to order is July 20 th .

Anti-Racism Resources By  Dorothy Blackwelder

There is money available for your church! Apply today!

(click images for an easy to read version)

APA's Council on Accreditation and Standards (CAS) will be offering core courses in PC(USA) Polity via Zoom in July 2020. Event Details: Begins:  Monday June 15th 2020 12:00 PM Ends:  Friday July 31st 2020 12:00 PM Instructor:  Rev. Joyce Lieberman, Synod of South Atlantic Executive/Stated Clerk and former PC(USA) Director of Constitutional Interpretation and Associate Stated Clerk Fee:  The fee is $25 per class or $75 for all three classes. Registration Deadline is July 13 th Click here for course listing and registration information.

In this issue: Online Giving Our Church Got a PPP Loan- Now What? Board of Pensions Dues Relief Trinity Presbytery Connectional Church Grant Click here or the document to view.

Thinking Beyond Tomorrow in the Presence of Today

A Resource Kit for Pastors, Congregations & Communities By Dr. Phyllis W. Sanders & Susan C. Hammersley

Click the above logo to read the latest edition of HSHC's quarterly newsletter. Here are the latest offerings from the Center for Lifelong Learning. Please share with your pastors, leaders, congregations or peers. Click the image above for more info.  Deliveries begin NEXT WEEK! If your church is interested in supporting this program and purchasing boxes for your families with camp-aged children, please visit: https://www.campfellowship.org/reimagine2020 Individual Families that did  not  attend summer camp in 2019 can purchase a box here:  https://www.campfellowship.org/campbox For questions or more information, please contact: kevin@campfellowship or call 864.396.0582. SC Inn at Montreat Re-Opens Click here to read a letter from South Carolina Inn.

Free PC (USA) Blue Hymnals First Presbyterian Church, Greenwood has lots of blue hymnals if anyone knows of a church or community group that would like them. They will need to come pick them up. Please contact Lea Jones at 864-229-5814 or  office@firstgreenwood.com  is interested or have any questions.

MINISTER/EDUCATOR RETREAT October 26 – 28, 2020 "‘A Word in Its Season’: Effective Speech in the Bible and Our Fractured Political Moment” This retreat will examine speech in the Bible, from the prophets to the sages to Jesus himself. We will look at different forms of speech and how the biblical authors discuss effective rhetoric, especially the prophets and ancient sages responsible for wisdom literature. Then we will consider our current moment of polarization and how church leaders might engage complex, difficult issues. A session will also be devoted to online speech and how one might be a faithful witness to the Gospel in the age of social media. Click here for more information.

Peace & Global Witness Offering September 6 - October 4, 2020

By giving to the Peace & Global Witness Offering, we work to share Christ’s peace with one another, beyond our doors, beyond our communites and across boundaries. Together we are building God’s house where everyone is welcome; where all can find compassion, peace and justice.

Presbytery Coordinating Team Offers   Guidance for Returning to Buildings or In-person Gatherings

August 8, 2020 Stated Meeting of Trinity Presbytery Commissioner(s) Information Needed The Presbytery Coordinating Team, at its April meeting cancelled the May Stated Meeting of Trinity Presbytery and directed us to work toward holding a virtual presbytery meeting in August. Part of holding a virtual presbytery meeting will involve holding a mock meeting with as many of the Commissioners as possible to work out any bugs, glitches, or equipment problems  before  the virtual presbytery meeting. To that end, the Stated Clerk Rev. Dr. David Torrey is requesting the name and contact information for the commissioners elected from each of our congregations for the August meeting. Sessions, please send this information as soon as possible to  dtorrey@trinity-presbytery.org .

At the outset, the Presbytery Coordinating Team wants to acknowledge that it is a challenging task to issue Guidance for Returning to Buildings or In-person Gatherings for church leaders in Trinity Presbytery, given the vast diversity found among the congregations that comprise Trinity Presbytery. It is made even more challenging knowing some of you are ready to reopen immediately while others want to wait until late summer. This challenge, however, pales in comparison to the one that you as pastors and session members must face as you make decisions about reopening your churches - decisions that will impact the well-being and health of others. The Presbytery Coordinating Team has gathered helpful, factual information, along with their recommendation for returning to buildings or in-person gatherings and provided it  here  for your guidance. It is ultimately up to each pastor and session to educate themselves and decide as a body when and how to safely proceed with reopening their facility for in-person worship and church-related functions.

The Presbytery office has just learned of the passing of Mrs. Elizabeth “Beth” Phillips Anderson, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Harry Phillips, Honorably Retired Minister Member of Trinity Presbytery. Mrs. Anderson died on June 4, 2020 in Dallas, Texas from complications of early onset dementia.  A memorial service will be held at a later date. Please keep Harry, his wife Carter, and the family in your prayers. Cards and notes may be sent to Harry & Carter at P.O. Box 447, Ridgeway, SC, 29130 The full obituary for Mrs. Elizabeth Phillips can be found here.