Unexpected pleasures can be such a delight when they happen. It can be anything from running into an old friend or eating a surprisingly good meal or a discovery that we didn’t expect. For me, it happened at a used book sale, of all things. One of my favorite mystery series is written by Steven Saylor and the main character is “Gordianus the Finder.” It is set during the time of Caesar in ancient Rome. The mysteries are fun and it has lots of interactions with historical figures.

Anyway, I had been trying to collect hardcopy versions of each of the Gordianus novels and I had all of them except Catalina’s Riddle. Yes, I could get it on Kindle but it’s not the same. Anyway, I was killing some time one day, wandering through a used book sale and there it was – an almost perfect version of Catalina’s Riddle. What an unexpected pleasure that made my day.

Our faith journey can often be filled with unexpected pleasures as well. There are all sorts of different moments and times that we don’t expect but add so much to our faith. I believe that is something that we can both experience ourselves and share with others. We don’t always know how much the prayer we offer or the listening ear we give or just that peaceful moment in the sanctuary can mean.

I would encourage us as we prepare for the resumption of programs and activities in our churches that we look for the unexpected pleasures that surround us or that we can offer to others. So be a source of unexpected joy in our faith – we will make someone’s day.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Ted McCulloch, Stated Clerk

The Presbytery Office recently began working with a new IT company. Part of the change over included the purchase of a new server for our network. The server will be installed on Thursday, August 17th and it is estimated that it will take four days to transfer all of the data from the old server. We do not know how this may affect our email but it is probable that access to it will be limited at times. Access to documents and our database will not be accessible at all during this time. We ask for your patience and understanding as we go through this much needed upgrade. We hope to be up and fully running sometime on Monday, August 21st.

Presbyterian Planning Calendar 2023-2024

If you ordered calendars through the presbytery office, good news, they have arrived earlier than anticipated!

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.

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 10 AM at the Presbytery Office

Saturday, October 21 at 10 AM Location to be determined

Saturday, October 28 at 10 AM Location to be determined

Information will be sent out in early September to all Clerks of Session. We just want to give a heads up on the dates.

Training for Elders who want to be able to moderate session meetings will be held on a date to be determined this fall.

NOTE: There is a scheduling conflict with the date listed in the last Bi-Weekly Brief. We will provide a new date as soon as possible.

Over the summer the Mission Coordination Committee encouraged the churches of the Presbytery to read, together, the book, “I Was Hungry: Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis” by Jeremy Everett. The book is full of stories and firsthand accounts of organizations working together to combat hunger in their communities. It also offers some tips on how to begin some of this work in our own neighborhoods.

One copy was given to each church at the June Presbytery meeting. Additional copies may be purchased at the link below. (The current price is just $2.99)

The committee is hosting the following presbytery-wide event:

When: September 30, 2023

Where:  Westminster Presbyterian Church – Bay City, MI

YOUR OPPORTUNITY: To Cultivate Common Ground - by focusing on hunger, food insecurity and related issues in our area – in ways called for by Matthew 25 (especially verses 31-46):

To Share - what you/your congregation is already doing.

To Hear - what others are doing as well.

To Discover – collaborative opportunities to address systemic poverty.

RESOURCE: “I Was Hungry” (Cultivating Common Ground to End an American Crisis) by Jeremy K. Everett.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Phil Knight, Executive Director of the Food Bank Council of Michigan

PANEL PRESENTATION WITH Q. & A.: Speakers from local/state-wide organizations invited.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS: How we can put into action in our communities some of the ideas and practices suggested in the book, by the speakers, and by participants’ shared ideas.

BRING A GROUP. BE PREPARED TO SHARE.

LIGHT LUNCH

STAY TUNED: MORE DETAILS COMING!

QUESTIONS: Contact Jamie Milton (pastor@wpchbc.org) or Chris Wolf (wolfgang@airadv.net).

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

What new adventures or hobbies can a new pair of shoes help you undertake? Consider how lacing up a new pair of shoes can help you share your talents with others. Get inspiration from POAMN’s 2023 conference, coming September 14 and 15 in Michigan.

Gather with us in Grosse Ile (a suburb of Detroit) for a day and a half of workshops, worship, warm fellowship, and good food. Through the theme Walking in New Shoes, we will explore trying new things, including ways to continue our service to God and our local and global community.

Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network (POAMN) promotes the development of older adult ministries and the value of such ministries. POAMN’s mission includes nurturing the faith community, equipping leadership, and resourcing congregations and other organizations that minister to, for, and with older adults. POAMN seeks to encourage ministries that affirm the dignity and value of the multiple generations of aging adults with a focus on spirituality, wellness, care, and social involvement. Its purpose is to educate, advocate, develop and share resources, and train leaders by raising awareness around issues facing aging adults and those who serve those aging adults, all in a covenant relationship with the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys in the United States will experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. And over 90% of these cases of child sexual abuse are perpetrated by someone who is known and trusted by the child or the child’s family. Our children are vulnerable. . . even in the church – numerous reports of child sexual abuse have been reported in churches throughout the country.

This child abuse prevention training has been developed to protect the vulnerable and prevent future abuse in the church by increasing knowledge and awareness about child sexual abuse. Through interactive dialogue, participants will learn healthy ways to talk about abuse in the communities they serve. In addition, this training is designed to equip leaders to assess their current environmental risk factors for “blind spots” and create action steps to reduce the potential for abuse and to respond in faithful and ethical ways in the event that abuse is discovered in their context.

This training is designed for both teaching and ruling elders, and satisfies the requirement for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training discussed at the 2022 General Assembly.



Dates: September 11 and 14, 2023 6:00 to 8:30 pm by zoom

Synod of the Covenant's Matthew 25 Grants of up to $5000 for congregations or Presbyterian ministries who are pursuing the goals of the Matthew 25 movement (working towards congregational vitality and/or against systemic poverty and/or against structural racism), will be awarded this fall.  

The focus of the Matthew 25 Grants program is to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism, and/or eradicate systemic poverty. These goals stem from the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Matthew 25 movement. 

Applications for the 2023 cycle are due on September 30, 2023.

Unfortunately there are a lot of email scams going around and with AI becoming more prevalent, they often look legitimate. This is just a reminder that none of the Presbytery Staff, or any of our clergy and leaders, will ask you for gift cards or monetary donations.

Please do not respond to any of these emails or click on any links that may be in them.