GOOD NEWS
from the
Presbytery of Great Rivers
  
We are called to share Christ's love by partnering in service, 
uniting in worship, and risking in ministry.

February 25, 2022
As this pandemic moves, we urge all congregations to revisit your safety and mitigation plans so you and your community can be safe. Please see our COVID-19 website tab on our website for helpful resources by clicking HERE.
Click here for the 2022 Rotating Prayer List.
(Please let us know if you see any mistakes that we overlook so we can update our prayer list!)
"COMMISSIONERS ASSEMBLE!"

Presbytery of Great Rivers

Assembly Notice

TOMORROW!

​Saturday, February 26, 2022
(via Zoom)
Call to Order 9:00 a.m,
Site opens at 8:30 a.m
 
CLICK HERE for the registration link for the meeting.
Please register before Friday, February 25th at 7pm.
Communion during February's Presbytery Gathering:
We will be celebrating communion during worship at February 26th's Presbytery Assembly. If you will be at the meeting on Zoom, we encourage you to gather something to serve as the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation so we can all share in this sacrament together. It is a blessing to be able to connect in communion, even when we are apart.
The Clerks Corner
Next Clerk's Convo

Our next Clerk's Convo is scheduled for March 17th at 10am. This is our monthly meeting for session clerks to gather over zoom to ask questions, discuss anything that might be coming up, and connect with one another in addition to the Stated Clerk. All Session clerks and assistants and admins who prepare minutes are welcome to attend!

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 824 7748 7297
Passcode: 832216
2022 Assembly Dates

February 26, 2022 at 9:00am (Via ZOOM Only)
May 17, 2022 at 4:00pm - Normal, First
August 30, 2022 at 4:00pm - Springfield, Hope
November 19, 2022 at 10:00am - Milan, First
Newsletter Announcement

As we get into 2022 the Newsletter will be published every 2nd and 4th Friday. If you would like to submit an article or announcement for publication, send your article to office@greatriverspby.org by the prior Tuesday.
Church Session Trustee Report for 2021
If your church has not submitted these please send them to smcgrath@greatriverspby.org.
Congratulations!

Congratulations to Inquirer Lorna Blackford for passing the Bible Content Exam in February! 
Matthew 25 Church

First Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois, has signed on to become a 
Greetings from the Presbytery office

We are starting our transition to a virtual office.

As of January 21st, 2022 we will have specific phone numbers to use depending on whom you need to contact.

Virtual Office Assistant - Lindsay Zubal 309-683-6980 Email: office@greatriverspby.org
Lindsay works remotely from Pennsylvania (Eastern Time)
Please leave her a message & she will return calls within 24 hours.

Bookkeeper - Sabrina McGrath 309-683-6981 Email: smcgrath@greatriverspby.org
Sabrina works from Peoria IL.
Her regular schedule is Tues & Thurs between 8am-4pm (Central Time)

Bridge Presbyter - John Rickard 309-683-6983 Email: jrickard@greatriverspby.org
He works remotely from Northern Illinois.
His regular schedule is Mon – Fri between 9am -5pm (Central Time)

Stated Clerk - Elissa Bailey- 309-371-2511  Email: pastorebailey@gmail.com
She works remotely from Bloomington IL.
Leave a message and she will get back to you. Email is the best form of communication.

Please be advised that the phone number 309-251-9958 previously used to reach Presbyter Ryan Landino is no longer in service.
A Message from the Nominating Committee

Presbytery of Great Rivers has a significant tradition of serving our churches. Our Churches and their members have a long proud tradition of participating in committees and holding offices in the Presbytery structure. Our Nominating Committee is reaching out for assistance.

If any of your members have an interest in learning about the inner workings of the Presbytery or assisting in guiding it during this transition period, please contact Julio Garcia at 309-235-3999 or julieman6@yahoo.com.

Travel has been minimized through the use of ZOOM for committee meetings. Attending a meeting does not always mean 90 minutes or two hours of travel time round trip.

The PGR website has material identifying all the committees and their responsibilities. They cover the same basic subjects as the FPC-L structure, i.e. ministry, mission, and administration. There is a good fit for anyone.

Please consider this opportunity. PGR is facing significant challenges and dependable talented assistance is needed
A COVID-19 cancels 2022 Presbyterian Youth Triennium

THE 2022 PRESBYTERIAN YOUTH TRIENNIUM HAS BEEN CANCELED We hope to organize a group (all ages) from Great Rivers to attend the Lakes and Prairies Synod School July 24-29, 2022. Watch the Good News newsletter for more info.

Announcement from The Office of Presbyterian Youth and Triennium

The Office of Presbyterian Youth and Triennium has come to the difficult but important decision to cancel the Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2022 in-person event. This is out of a deep desire to prioritize the safety and health of our participants and their communities – youth and adult volunteers from your churches. It feels heartbreaking but necessary to make this call and to share it with you today. We are also sharing this news with registrars and will be making a public announcement today.

This decision was made thoughtfully and prayerfully alongside our 2022 Coordinators, under the guidance of our COVID Medical Advisory Team, and with the support of Presbyterian Mission Agency leadership. The care and concern many of you have expressed to us over the past few months has also helped to shape and inform the direction in which we are headed.

We have very real safety and health concerns that have increased with each COVID Medical Advisory Team meeting and with the spread of the omicron variant. We also want to do justice to what is significant and wonderful about Triennium, as well as our 2022 theme.

In beginning to address all of the COVID recommendations, our office and coordinators became increasingly concerned that we were no longer planning and hosting a youth gathering so much as coordinating a COVID-centered event. This, along with the news that we would face a 100% chance of clusters at our event, made it clear we needed to shift.

Instead of holding a traditional Triennium this summer, we will flip and begin with our PYT Beyond work. The PYT Beyond Team was created to carry the 2022 theme out into the world after the event and beyond the four days spent in Indianapolis. This work will now serve as a pathway leading up to our next in-person Triennium - which we are close to confirming dates for in July 2025!

In this decision and new direction, we see God continuing to call us beyond the historic framework of Triennium towards incredible opportunities to serve our young people in new and creative ways. Our Production Team is meeting this week to discuss and develop a number of exciting possibilities that will guide our work moving forward. We hope to share these possibilities and much more – including our 2025 Triennium dates – with you after our meeting and in the months to come. For those of you who are concerned about youth who will miss out this summer, we were already planning on a Young Adult track for 2025 which has become even more important with this cancellation.
Still looking for Alternative, Online Worship?
(PLEASE LET US KNOW IF ANYTHING HAS CHANGED!)
 
Here are several possibilities for connecting to different worship spaces around the presbytery. This is a listing of the last Sunday's offerings of different churches providing worship. Please let us know if there have been any changes so we can keep our list updated!


  • Alexis-Norwood Presbyterian Church, Commissioned Pastor Gary Denise Pullen, 10:30 am on Facebook live, on his personal page.

  • Bartonville-Trinity Presbyterian Church has on-line worship on Facebook page and Their Website



  • Bloomington-St Luke Union Church, Rev. Andy Gifford, Sunday at 10:30am in person, and Facebook live Sunday at 10:30 am and posted to YouTube Each Monday morning.






  • Elmwood-First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Marla Bauler, worship led by Zoom (link can be obtained by pastor), then posted afterwards to Facebook.

  • Farmington-First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Andy Sonneborn, 10:30 am by Facebook live.

  • Galesburg-First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Kay Daniel, 10 am by Facebook live


  • Jacksonville-First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Jonathan Warren, 10 am by Facebook live.

  • Leroy-First United Presbyterian Church, recorded YouTube videos of their services posted later on their Facebook page.

  • Lincoln-First Presbyterian Church of Lincoln, 10:00 am by Facebook live (older recorded sermons also on church website)





  • Peoria-First Federated Church, streaming and video on their Facebook






  • Rio-Rio Presbyterian Church, Rio (and Sunbeam Presbyterian Church of Aledo), Rev. Maura McGrath-Nagle, 9:00 am by Facebook live.

  • Rock Island-Gloria Dei Presbyterian Church, Rev. Drew Nagle, 10:30 am, by Facebook live, and posted afterwards.



  • Springfield-First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Susan Phillips, www.LincolnsChurch.org has links for Sunday 10:30am live worship and Wednesday 6:00pm service.

  • Springfield-Hope Presbyterian Church, Rev. Chuck Goodman, 9:30 am by Facebook live


  • Springfield-Third-Presbyterian Church, We are continuing with our radio broadcast on Sundays from 9-9:30am. This is broadcast on Sportsradio1450 (1450 AM or 92.3 FM). We have returned to In-person Worship on Sundays, beginning at 10am. Our In-person Worship Service is also recorded and posted on Mondays on our Facebook page (Third-Presbyterian Church).

  • Springfield-Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rev. Blythe Kieffer, Rev. Christian Choi, 10 am worship streamed online, www.wpcspi.org


  • Woodhull-United Church, Rev. Cheyanna Losey, is still posting services on YouTube and will continue them for sure into August. YouTube videos of their services posted on Facebook page.


FRIENDLY REMINDER TO NOT FORGET TO MAKE SPACE FOR THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICE OF GIVING OUR TITHES AND OFFERINGS!
Get Connected!

Be sure to encourage your congregations, sessions, and even your church newsletter editorial staff and volunteers to be sure to sign up for our presbytery newsletter and follow our Facebook page so you don't miss out on what is going on in our community of churches!

Have you liked our "Presbytery of Great Rivers" Facebook page?