Bi-Weekly Brief news & updates
February 9, 2022
We Lift Up In Prayer
The Rev. Dr. Leigh Holder and her husband Blessing, on the recent passing of Blessing's mother, Teresa Eboh in Nigeria. Services will be held later this year.

Elder Roger Scovill, Presbytery Treasurer, on the passing of his wife Shirlee. Shirlee was the long-time Clerk of Session at Saginaw-Warren Avenue. Roger has served the presbytery for many years in various capacities. Private services will be held on Thursday but will be lived streamed on Saginaw-Countryside's YouTube channel. Click here for instructions on how to view her service. Click here to read her obituary.

John Haynes, whose parents are members of Davison-St. Andrews. John is an RN who is experiencing serious heart and lung complications from COVID.

The Rev. Peter Russell, Honorably Retired, who is residing at Abbey Park in Grand Blanc.

Our churches currently in pastoral transition.

Our Mission Co-Workers:
Lucy Der-Garabedian serving in Lebanon.
Cathy Chang and family serving in the Philippines.
Upcoming Ordination and Commissioning Anniversaries:
Rev. Dawn Russell (2/9) - 25 Years - Pastor of Linden
Rev. Larry McMellen (2/12) - Honorably Retired
Rev. Cathy Chang (2/17) - Mission Co-Worker serving in the Philippines
Rev. Mary Anne Justin-Evans (2/25) - Honorably Retired
Rev. Chris Moody (2/25) - Member-At-Large
Elder Liz Long (3/5) - Commissioned Ruling Elder of Ithaca-Lafayette
Rev. Karen Blatt (3/12) - Honorably Retired, Temporary Supply of Houghton Lake-Kirk of the Lakes
Rev. Jamie Milton (3/18) - 10 Years - Pastor of Bay City-Westminster
Rev. Hakbae Moon (3/19) - Pastor of Flint-Unity
Rev. Linda Graham (3/25) - 10 Years - Temporary Supply of Davison-St. Andrews
Rev. Jan Chambers (3/29) - 35 Years - Honorably Retired, Pastor Emerita of Tawas


We ask that you consider including these requests each week in your bulletin and/or newsletter.
 
We also encourage everyone to send a card or e-mail or make a phone call to those listed. Sometimes a small gesture creates a big smile. 

Contact information for anyone on this list may be obtained by calling the presbytery office at 989-799-7481 or replying to this email.

From The Stated Clerk's Desk
One of my favorite shows when I was a kid was “Star Trek.” I’m talking the Captain Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy version of it. There were few things better than getting home after school and finding a Star Trek rerun on channel 32 in Chicago. And who could forget it’s classic opening speech – “These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise…”

So like many people back in the late 80s and early 90s, I was super excited when the news came out that there was going to be another, newer Star Trek and it would be called “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” It’s characters of Picard and Data and Dr. Crusher would become equally well known.

So when the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation aired, I was right there watching. And I noticed something in the opening speech of this new show. If you recall, the original Stark Trek speech ended by saying, “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” For this Star Trek: The Next Generation, the speech now ended “to boldly go where no one has gone before.”

And I can still remember thinking, “that’s really cool.” The changing of that one word created a whole different tone, a whole different set of possibilities for who would explore the galaxy. I learned a couple of important lessons there.

First, words matter. Even one word can make all the difference in how we see something or perceive someone or how we might try to solve a problem. It’s often something many have tried to teach us over the years but that’s because it is so true. Every word matters. And so it’s crucial to be sure about what we’re saying and it’s equally important to be aware of how the people listening will hear our words. Now that’s not always easy but it’s important to try. In the coming weeks and months we will probably be sharing and speaking and listening to lots of words about the life and ministry of the Presbytery.  As we have those conversations, we must remember our words matter.

Second lesson I learned is how many new possibilities that simple word change created. I’m not going to say I was some super-enlightened thinker back in 1987. But I remember thinking not only was it cool that a woman could command a starship but so could a Vulcan or an Andorian. In other words, language matters because it makes it possible to include as many as possible, maybe more than we imagined. This too is part of our work as a Presbytery in the times ahead. We need to include as many voices as possible in who we will be going forward. We need to realize that the best ideas may come from those people we haven’t heard before or have overlooked.

So as the Presbytery of Lake Huron gets ready to boldly go where no one has gone before, may we go knowing how much what we say to each other and to the world matters. May we go hearing so many wonderful voices with exciting and challenging ideas and hopes and dreams – ready to share the Word with all those we encounter.

Yours in Christ,

Ted McCulloch
Stated Clerk
New Presbytery Staff Member
We welcome Jessica Schira as our new part-time Financial Secretary. She has been helping us out in an interim capacity since last summer but she is now an official member of the staff. Jessica and her husband Jake live in Thomas Township with their adorable daughter, Evelyn. We are very excited to have her as part of our team. Jessica will typically be in the office on Wednesdays and Thursdays. She may be reached at jschira@presbylh.org or 989-799-7481 x 3.
Annual Statistics
The deadline for entering information is February 17th.

All of the information you need to enter your congregations 2021 Annual Statistics is available on our website
on the Annual Statistics page.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate contact either Staci Percy (spercy@presbylh.org or 989-799-7481 x2) or Ted McCulloch (tmcculloch@presbylh.org or 989-799-7481 x 4).
Hosting a "Big Game" Party?
If your congregation is hosting a "Big Game" party this weekend, we strongly encourage you to read this article from Church Tax & Law. The NFL has very specific guidelines and they do follow up when they are not followed.

Latest Parish Paper Editions Available
The latest installments of the Parish Paper are now available on our website. The topics are:

March Bringing A Community Project Into Focus
April New Life For Older Buildings

As always, these are short but great reads, and perfect for session training or small group discussions. Click here to view these or any of the previous editions over the years.
Presbyterian Youth Triennium
The 2022 Presbyterian Youth Triennium will be held this July in Indianapolis. The presbytery is sending a delegation and transportation will be provided for all who attend.

If any of your youth are interested in joining, please contact our PYT Registrar, Brandi Higgins at: youthdirector@wpcbc.org or 989-686-1360 ext 208. Brandi is the new Youth Director of Bay City-Westminster.

For more information about the event, please visit https://presbyterianyouthtriennium.org/.
Mr. Rogers Day 2022
Save the date (March 20) and find resources for Mister Rogers Day 2022

The inaugural Mister Rogers Day was a beautiful day in the neighborhoods of many Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations.

On March 20, 2021, Presbyterians across the United States paid tribute to the ordained Presbyterian minister and iconic children’s television host through acts such as distributing care packages, hiding rocks painted with uplifting messages in local parks, and hosting neighborhood gatherings — observing COVID safety protocols, of course — with many participants donning Rogers’ trademark cardigan sweater.

“Last year, we were so inspired by all of the churches that recognized the first Mister Rogers Day,” said Stephanie Fritz, Mission Coordinator for Christian Formation. “They really took on the spirit of Mister Rogers’ work and life with service projects, supporting area businesses and neighbors, and spreading joy.”

The Office of Christian Formation partnered with the Office of Theology and Worship and the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program to create resources for the event. With the success of the debut, they are offering more resources for 2022 and highlighting some created by Rogers himself.

Click here to continue reading this article from the Presbyterian Mission Agency and to find resources to celebrate.
Webinar With Our Mission Co-Worker Cathy Chang
From Michigan to Manila: Stories from a Korean-American Woman Navigating Cultures with National, Regional, and Transnational Labor Migration Advocacy

Rev. Cathy Chang is a Presbyterian Church (USA) mission co-worker serving in partnership with United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Migrant Ministry at the UCCP National Office. Her family was commissioned in October 2015, and they moved to Quezon City in March 2016. She is the first Regional Facilitator for Addressing Migration and Human Trafficking. In this role, she has visited churches and organizations around the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Ecuador. She volunteers with the secretariat of Churches Witnessing with Migrants (CWWM), an international tripartite network of migrants, migrant-serving organizations, and faith communities. She is also a member of the Interfaith Network for the Rights for Migrants (INFORM) Steering Committee, a regional network encompassing Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East. Cathy graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary with Master of Divinity, as well as Carnegie Mellon University, with Master and Bachelor degrees in Public Policy and Management.

Objectives:
  1. Identify opportunities and challenges of being an Asian-American woman who is serving in Christian mission about migration
  2. Using the lens of one Asian-American woman’s experiences, participants are invited to learn, unlearn, and relearn perspectives about Asian and Asian-American cultures

Thursday, February 10, 2022, 9AM – 10:30 AM, Bangkok Time

Click here for a printable flyer that includes the Zoom connection information.

For additional information, please contact Cathy Chang at: cathy.chang@pcusa.org
Scholarships Available
The McCabe Charitable Foundation Scholarship assists Jewish or Presbyterian residents of Bay, Saginaw, or Midland counties in Michigan who are enrolled or planning to enroll in undergraduate studies at Delta Community College or Saginaw Valley State University.

This program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship, tuition assistance and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Deadline to apply: March 16, 2022 3:00 pm CT

Click here for more information.

A donor at First Presbyterian Church of Grand Haven, Michigan, wants to provide generous financial assistance to children desiring to go to a Christian camp. This year the program is being offered to all the churches in the four presbyteries in Michigan - Detroit, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Mackinac. If you are willing, we'd like to have you offer this financial assistance to the children and youth of your church. Please make copies of the application and distribute them among those eligible for the funding.

Here are the parameters of this program:

  • The purpose of the camp must be Christian faith development.
  • It is open to any child or youth with a connection to your church.
  • The camper's family is responsible for paying the camp registration fee (at a minimum).
  • A family can pay more if they choose.
  • The donor desires that children will do work around the house or community to earn the funds for the registration fee.
  • This program will pay the remaining portion of the camp. The expectation is that this will not exceed $500.00 per camper.
  • This financial assistance comes with no income requirements. The donor wants children to go to Christian camp without restriction.
  • The donor expects that the home church will pray for their campers in person prior to attending camp.
  • Following the camp there will be a follow-up letter for reflection by the camper on his or her experience. This letter will be shared with the donor.

Click here for more details and the application.