Bi-Weekly Brief news & updates
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"The mission of the Presbytery of Lake Huron is to partner with congregations, helping people to know, grow, share and serve as disciples of Jesus Christ."
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Additional contact information for anyone on this list may be obtained
by calling the presbytery office at 989-799-7481 or replying to this email.
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I am not normally a picture person but this summer has had its share of times that I have wanted to have a picture of. This is one of those times. Having just returned from our usual two weeks up north by Oscoda, with the cottage we rent on the shore on Lake Huron, I keep coming back to this picture. It is a picture from the night of the “super blue moon” that we could see rise from the horizon of Lake Huron and up through the sky, all while sitting on the deck of the cottage with the sand and the shore.
It was wonderful to see this rare astronomical event that won’t happen again until 2037. It is a reminder that the creation we live in is constantly full of changes and surprises and all sorts of beauty. Many of our congregations are beginning our program years with Sunday School and choir resuming and (hopefully) people getting back into the swing of things. And there will be new faces and new ideas, some of which we have never seen before.
Plus moments like this are a reminder that God is always here with us. That brings me great comfort as I hope it does for our churches and everyone who serves in them. We need moments and reminders like that. So I hope that whether pastors or elders or volunteers or congregations, we find moments of peace and beauty as we discover new times and people in ministry for Jesus Christ.
God bless,
The Rev. Ted McCulloch, Stated Clerk
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September Meeting of Presbytery | | | |
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The Presbytery of Lake Huron will hold its stated meeting on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, starting at 9:30 AM. This meeting will be held at Saginaw Countryside Trinity Church. Attendance will be somewhat different for this meeting. Of course, anyone may attend in person at Countryside Trinity. Our online option will be different for this meeting. We are unable to provide a Zoom option for this meeting but the meeting will be livestreamed. Commissioners may view this on the Countryside Trinity YouTube channel. For votes and questions, we will use the comment section of their YouTube livestream, but please note that interactions will be very limited. For example, reports will need to be made in-person. We appreciate all of the patience and understanding as we try to navigate ways for all to participate.
The offering will go to the City Rescue Mission of Saginaw.
Registration for the meeting is still required even though we are not using Zoom. Please register on the Presbytery Meetings page or click the button below.
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Register Now For These Upcoming Events | | | |
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At the June presbytery meeting, the Mission Coordination Committee extended an invitation to the presbytery to join together in reading the book, “I Was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis” by Jeremy Everett. In the book, Jeremy shares his work in communities to build partnerships between organizations to address the millions of Americans who live with food insecurity, hunger, and other poverty related challenges. To foster continuing conversations in our own corner of Michigan, the MCC is hosting a free presbytery-wide event on Saturday, September 30th at Bay City-Westminster, 9:30am-1:30pm. (Sign up through the link below.)
The day will include a keynote address from Dr. Phil Knight, the Executive Director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan. Dr. Knight will then join Samantha McKenzie of Hidden Harvest, and another panelist from our region to discuss the work that each of their organizations does in alleviating hunger and how they collaborate with others to do so.
Please let us know you are coming by registering through the presbytery website, or by contacting Rev. Jamie Milton (pastor@wpcbc.org)
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Minutes Review: There will be three chances for Clerks of Sessions to have their minutes and registers reviewed. The review can include minutes and records through August of 2023.
The dates for the reviews have been set as follows:
Monday, October 16 at the Presbytery Office (If you plan to attend this event, you must register for a time slot on our website by clicking the button below.)
Saturday, October 21 at 10:00 AM Bay City-Westminster
Saturday, October 28 at 10:00 AM Lapeer-First
Information will be sent out within the week to all Clerks of Session. We just want to give a heads up on the dates.
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Training for Elders who want to be able to moderate session meetings will be held on Saturday, November 4th at Saginaw-First at 10:30am. Pre-registration is not required but would be greatly appreciated. You may register by clicking the button below. | | | |
Planning Calendars and Books of Order Have Arrived | | | |
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If you ordered Planning Calendars and/or Books of Order through the presbytery office, good news, they have arrived!
You may pick them up from the office during our normal business hours or at the September 19th presbytery meeting at Saginaw-Countryside.
It is advised that you call the office ahead of time. There are occasionally days when staff works remotely or due to vacations, we may be closed for lunch. Office phone is 989-799-7481.
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Saginaw Strings is gearing up for its 2023 Fall Session which begins Saturday, September 23, 2023, at First Presbyterian Church of Saginaw.
Any student, grades 2 through 12, wanting to learn to play the VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, or BASS, is encouraged to participate. There are Suzuki-inspired classes for beginners, classes for those with some training and basic music reading skills, and small orchestras for those who can read music and are ready to play in a string ensemble. Listening skills as well as the basic string techniques, music reading, and ensemble playing are emphasized.
Classes are 1 ½ hours long and continue weekly on Saturdays, ending with our Celebration Concert on November 18. Our principal teachers are Suzuki trained, professional musicians: Ruth Ann Olorunlowo, Lead String Specialist (violin/viola/cello) and Mary Demand, Assisting String Specialist (bass/cello). Both have been with Saginaw Strings since it began in January 2011.
Classes are $140 per session (13.5 hours of contact time). A non-refundable $25 deposit is due at registration. Generous scholarships are available to all.
Saginaw Strings is proud to be able to provide music education for any child who is interested in learning about music by playing the violin, viola, cello or bass, regardless of the parent’s ability to pay full tuition, thanks to the generous support of First Presbyterian Church of Saginaw and the Robert W. & Eileen E. Hesse Memorial Fund. Future sessions are 2024 Winter (Jan 13 to Mar 9) and 2024 Spring (Mar 16 to May 18).
To register and/or apply for scholarship or receive more information about Saginaw Strings, click the button below or call/text 989-780-0178.
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New CLC System - Out with the old, in with the new!
CLC (Church Leadership Connection) is the matching and referral system for PCUSA. Both call/job seekers and PCUSA churches may use CLC to enter in their information to be matched with potential candidates and positions.
The new CLC system has been in transition since June. The old CLC system that you may be familiar with is no longer accessible. Candidate profile information forms (PIFs) and ministry information forms (MIFs) were not transferred to the new system and are no longer be available.
If you are seeking a call, or are a church looking to hire, you must complete a new profile on CLC. The website has various resources available to help walk you through the process. The link for the new forms and resources can be found at: https://oga.pcusa.org/section/clc/clc/
For questions, please contact the presbytery office.
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Presbyterian Identity Project | | | |
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One of our Candidates Under Care, Nathaniel Asperger, has been working on a wonderful project while preparing for Ordination.
Greetings everyone, I am Nathaniel Asperger. I am a Candidate under care in our Presbytery, and I have been curious about how Identity plays various parts in who we are within our Presbytery. I started the Presbyterian Identity Project, (PIP) as a way to explore that for myself, and I want to share it with all of you as I work through it. I recently launched this project into a podcast, called the Presbyterian Identity Project, which is available to listen to on most major platforms. In this journey I have sat down with the Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick, our Synod Executive, and the Rev. Ted McCulloch, Presbytery Stated Clerk and Pastor of Saginaw-First, to ask from their perspectives what it is they do.
Perhaps more interestingly to myself, how Identity functions from their perspective in a Denomination, a Synod, a Presbytery, and the local church. This project is working through these different perspectives in the Presbytery of Lake Huron, and next up is our local churches, (perhaps your church).
The link below will take you to the landing page for the podcast, I hope you will listen, and get to know Chip and Ted better. Most of all, I hope you will listen as I work to better understand how Identity matters and shapes each of us throughout the Presbytery of Lake Huron.
This is an ongoing Project, if you would like to add your voice please reach out! Whether you are a Minister, an Elder, or you attend any of the Presbyterian Churches in the Presbyterian of Lake Huron, your voice is welcome in this conversation.
You can email me at, presbyidproject@gmail.com.
Check out the Podcast and start listening here: Who am I and what is this podcast? by Presbyterian Identity Project (spotify.com)
Grace and Peace,
Nathaniel Asperger
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