Bi-Weekly Brief news & updates
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Our churches currently in pastoral transition.
Our Mission Co-Workers:
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Upcoming Ordination and Commissioning Anniversaries:
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.
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The Presbytery Council, upon the recommendation of the Personnel Team, has appointed the Stated Clerk, Ted McCulloch, to serve as the Acting Head of Staff for the Presbytery while future directions are worked on. There are some necessary Executive Presbyter functions that need to be covered during our transitions, such as resourcing all our committees, finalizing presbytery communications and providing information for churches in transition.
The plan is for Ted to work 12-15 hours per week on executive functions. Ted plans to be in the office all day on Mondays and much of the day on Wednesdays. Not surprisingly that time is not enough to cover everything that the executive presbyter does. To that end, other functions will have to be prioritized and some of the Presbytery’s commissions/committees and their leadership will have to take on some responsibilities as well. All of which is why extra patience and understanding will be appreciated. The ability to share in ministry together, including leadership, will be both an exciting and challenging opportunity. Please keep all of us in prayer during this time.
Here are multiple ways to contact Ted:
Presbytery office phone: (989) 799-7481
Church phone: (989) 793-9890
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From The Stated Clerk's Desk |
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I had a wonderful grandma, Grandma Dolly, who lived in York, Pennsylvania to the grand age of 104 years… exactly. She died on her 104th birthday. And if you knew my Grandma Dolly, that would not have surprised you. She was an incredibly precise person. She taught English and Latin (back when Latin was taught in public schools) and my sister and I were terrified to write her even the simplest “thank you” note for a birthday or Christmas gift.
Why? Because Grandma Dolly would send our notes back, corrected in red ink for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. And yet she was also the absolute best grandma. To this day, I can remember sitting with her in the living room watching black-and-white reruns of the old Perry Mason show. You could only talk during commercials when watching Perry Mason with Grandma. But if I did that (and my parents were astounded that I could), then we watched that night’s Philadelphia Phillies baseball game.
As I was going over those memories once again, I have come to realize how much they (and others) mean to me. But not just because they were special moments from years ago but because they have helped shape some part of me. In learning how to be quiet I learned that not only might I get to watch a baseball game but I found a love for mysteries to solve. In being able to write clearly, I found a love for the written word that I treasure to this day.
For our Presbytery, much has happened over the previous months. It has led to changes in our Presbytery with leadership, with who we will be and what will we value. We don’t know what will come next. Frankly, all of that is a little bit scary.
But what I do know is that if we are willing to sit together, to listen to each other and most importantly, listen to where God is calling, we will find what comes next. And whatever that will be is exactly what God intends. It will require work. It will probably challenge us to let go of some preconceptions and call us to truly listen to what others have to say. It will not be easy but, hopefully, it will be fulfilling.
I miss those times with my Grandma and I wouldn’t even mind if she corrected my grammar in these thoughts. But most of all, I am grateful that I learned when to speak and I learned when to listen. Maybe we can do the same as the people of the Presbytery of Lake Huron.
Yours in Christ,
Ted McCulloch
Stated Clerk
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Presbytery Office Schedule |
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Beginning with the week of January 17, 2022, the Presbytery office will use the following schedule:
Monday thru Thursday: Open from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm
Friday thru Sunday: Office will be closed
Given the current staffing adjustments, this will make the best use of available staff resources and allow for the greatest communication. Please use voicemail and email for staff as additional ways to be in touch. Thank you for your understanding and support.
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All of the information you need to enter your congregations 2021 Annual Statistics is now available on our website. Letters were mailed on January 5th to all Clerks of Session. A copy of that letter is also on the Annual Statistics page. The deadline for entering information is February 17th. If you have any questions please contact the presbytery office.
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Welcome Michael and Rachel Ludwig |
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Many of us have met the Rev. Michael Ludwig, his wife Rachel, and their children at presbytery meetings when they were serving as Mission Co-Workers in Niger. Michael has just started a call as Associate Pastor at Midland-Memorial, We are very excited to have the Ludwig family here in LHP full time!
Announcement from the church:
The Reverend Michael Ludwig joins the staff of Memorial Presbyterian Church at the start of this year as Associate Pastor. Before coming to Memorial, Michael served together with his wife, Rachel, as PC(USA) Mission Co-workers in Niger, West Africa for eight years. MPC is an active supporter of the PC(USA) partnership with the church in Niger and so has been connected with the Ludwigs for many years. In Niger, Michael worked as a trainer in the CHE technique for pastors to help empower their communities through self-development. Previous to being a Mission Co-worker, he served as an associate pastor at Overbrook Presbyterian Church in Columbus, OH and taught Latin at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, OH. Michael received a bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster, a master’s degree in Classical Archaeology from the University of Cincinnati, and a Master’s of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2009. A native of Holland, MI, Michael loves living near a Great Lake, making and listening to music, coaching his children’s soccer teams, and is passionate about connecting people and their gifts and needs. Welcome Pastor Michael and family to MPC!
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The IRS announced the standard mileage rates for 2022. They are as follows:
Business/Ministry 58.5 cents
Charitable 14 cents
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The presbytery office will be closed on Monday, January 17th in observance of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
Worship resources are available on the PC(USA) website. Click here for more information. |
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Presbytery Financial Secretary Position |
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For the last number of months, the Presbytery has been served by a temporary Financial Secretary. The Personnel Team is looking to fill that position permanently. If interested, please submit a resume by email to ronan@presbylh.org no later than Wednesday, January 26, 2022. Please click here to view the job description.
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Camping Scholarships Available |
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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.
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Matthew 25 and PC(USA) Resources Quarterly Preview |
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The PC(USA) has published their Quarterly Resource Preview for the first quarter of 2022. Among the resources available are items for upcoming Special Emphasis Sundays.
January
February
March
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The first two installments of 2022 of the Parish Paper are available on our website. The topics are:
January Planning The Future By Appreciating The Past
February Prepare For Community Engagement Through Study
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. |
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