Presbytery of the Miami Valley
An eUpdate for Church Leaders - March 2021
February 13
Presbytery Meeting
One Great Hour of Sharing
resources for churches 
A gift to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) enables the church to share God's love with our neighbors-in-need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, providing food to the hungry, and helping to empower the poor and oppressed.

OGHS benefits Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Presbyterian Self-Development of People.

Most congregations receive OGHS on Easter Sunday (this year on April 4), Passion/Palm Sunday, or both, while many receive it throughout Lent.

OGHS has prepared free online resources for churches, which include a leader's guide, worship resources, bulletin inserts, minutes for mission, education curriculum for children, multimedia, and more.
More News and Information for You
Summer Camp at Kirkmont Center
Registration is now open for 2021 Summer Camp at Kirkmont Center, Zanesfield.

Eighteen day and overnight camps for all ages are available from June 6 through August 6.
Ukirk Cincinnati: A ministry for UC students
Ukirk Cincinnati, a ministry of the Presbytery of Cincinnati for students at the University of Cincinnati, is up and running. Students are meeting weekly for food, fellowship, conversation, service, and fun!

The mission of Ukirk is to foster a diverse and inclusive community where students can explore their faith through honest conversation, experience it through spiritual disciplines, and live it through radical service.
In-person Mediation Skills Training
Institute for Churches August 2-6
The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center will offer an in-person summer session of its Mediation Skills Training Institute for Churches in the Chicago area on August 2-6. The exact site has yet to be determined, but it will be within driving distance of O’Hare Airport.

Should circumstances force LMPC to revert to an online-only presentation, registrants will have the option to attend remotely, apply full credit towards a future LMPC event, or receive a full refund. A final decision will be made by the end of May.

Online registration is now open. Additional sessions in May, June, October, and November will be offered remotely or as hybrid events.
Presbyterian Giving Catalog offers
a free VBS resource for churches
Many churches are weaving the Presbyterian Giving Catalog into their Vacation Bible School planning to celebrate the power of giving. The Jerry Can Curriculum is a free one or five-lesson resource that provides hands-on activities by grade level packaged for your VBS program.

Some congregations use Vacation Bible School not only as a learning opportunity, but as the chance to make a direct impact through a special offering and gift to the Presbyterian Giving Catalog. This giving opportunity is especially exciting for children as it allows them the chance to decide what kind of gift they’d like to share and to work together to meet their goal.
NEXT Church 2021 National Gathering in March
A FREE Live-Streamed Gathering for all Church Leaders

Registration is now open for the NEXT Church 2021 National Gathering to be held March 5-7. This is a FREE Live-Streamed Gathering for all Church Leaders. This year’s theme is “Breaking, Blessing, Building: A Call for The Common Good.”

The NEXT Church National Gathering is filled with church leaders (pastors and lay people) sharing stories of their experiences of ministry, new ideas they are trying, and honest conversations about ministry today. Creative worship centers participants around God's presence, and multiple opportunities to engage in workshops and conversation about particular aspects of ministry foster new and deeper connections.

NEXT Church is a network of leaders - church members, ruling elders, youth leaders, educators, pastors, seminarians and professors - across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) who believe the church of the future will be more relational, more diverse, more collaborative, more hopeful and more agile. NEXT Church provides hopeful space for robust conversations about the theology, culture, and the practice of ministry, supports strong, faithful leadership in a time of adaptive change, and encourages collaboration and creativity across congregations and geographies.
Presbytery of the Miami Valley PC(USA)