GOOD NEWS

from the

Presbytery of Great Rivers

We are called to share Christ's love by partnering in service, 

uniting in worship, and risking in ministry.

May 26, 2023

Announcements

PGR Newsletter

Our Newsletters will go out the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. The deadline for adding information is the Wednesday before at 5 pm.

Grants from your Visioning Team

Grant applications are open now! Check out our Mission page (http://www.greatriverspby.org/mission.html) for information about the Visioning grant to support programming and projects in churches and partner organizations, as well as grants for sabbatical assistance and funding while clergy are on paid family leave. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and the Visioning Team is ready to answer your questions. Contact us at PGRVisioning@greatriverspby.org to learn more!

Greetings from Ann Schwartz

Greetings,

Ten days ago, my spouse and I moved from our home in Hoopeston, Illinois, where we have lived for the past 24 years, to our new residence in Bloomington. We are still unpacking and, because our new place is smaller than our former one, deciding what we will live without. The process is proceeding more slowly than I remember from the last move! However, I am trying to appreciate the opportunity to be intentional about what we keep and let go of and how we craft this new space so that it reflects who we are and how we want to live now.

I am eager to formally begin my role as Lead Presbyter on June 12 and to learn more about the Presbyterians who worship and serve within the boundaries of Great Rivers. I look forward to partnering with ministers and elders as we consider how we will be the church together so that it reflects who we are today. I joyfully anticipate visiting churches and hearing the unique stories of how congregations are sharing the love of Christ and bringing hope to their communities. Our mutual ministry will also involve confronting challenges the Church faces, having substantive conversations, and determining new courses of action.

It will take some time for us to unpack who we are, but here are a few things you might like to know about me. I served most recently as Pastor/Head of Staff of First Presbyterian Church in Danville. Previously I was a chaplain at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana and co-pastor, with my husband, of First Presbyterian in Hoopeston. Within the denomination, I have served on most Presbytery committees and commissions, spent two terms as a commissioner to the Synod of Lincoln Trails and a member of the Synod’s Personnel Committee, and attended the 223rd General Assembly in St. Louis as a minister commissioner. I earned a Master of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in 1999.

Spending time outside every day is essential for my spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being, so I feel especially grateful to be in a community with abundant parks and walking paths. Reading, writing, and cooking are among my other favorite activities. My husband and I have two adult daughters—one in Bloomington and the other in Chicago—with whom we have so much fun! We also value every day with our 13-year-old Golden Retriever-Border Collie mix named Lily.

As I return to my unopened boxes, know that I am praying for you and for us and for our work together.

Grace and peace,

Ann

Rev. Ann Schwartz

Lead Presbyter, Presbytery of Great Rivers

2023 Assembly Dates

August 26th at Peoria United

November 11 at Faith United, Monmouth

In-person and Virtual

Austin College Announces Full-Tuition Scholarships for Presbyterian Students

Clerk's Corner

As the summer is quickly approaching, there is a lot that is going on! In addition to schools letting out and the pools opening (which my children are looking forward to), I wanted to let you know of some times I will be away and of some upcoming events to start looking forward to!

I will be away until Tuesday, May 30th. The Clerk's Convo for June will be held on:

June 7th at 1pm. As always, this is a time for Clerks to gather on zoom for questions or to talk about what is going on in their contexts. The link is at the end of my article.

In July, I will be gone July 9th through the 14th as I will be the Camp Chaplain at Camp Wyoming in East Iowa. I will also be at Synod School July 22nd through July 28th.

It is about that time of year for clerks to start making sure you have your minutes in order! Now is the time to start finding when your minutes were last stamped! You will be receiving information soon about when the record reviews will be taking place.

Also, the CLC is changing. You should have received notice already if you have an active PIF. If you are planning to put a PIF or a MIF in the system soon, the PIFs will be moving over to PDPs the first couple weeks of June and the MIFs will be transferring to MDPs by August. Let me know if you have any questions.

Also, I had the joy of taking the East Iowa Presbytery minutes to the Synod of Lakes and Prairies Stated Clerk's meeting earlier this week. It was a joy to spend time with other Stated Clerks, including my polity professor! I have included a couple of photos. The weather was beautiful at Lakeshore Center at Lake Okoboji!



Here is the zoom link for the Clerk's Convo:

Elissa Bailey (she/her/hers) is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Clerk of Session Meeting

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82477487297?pwd=ZXNIc29YRit3cTE2SGhsK0N5YzUrZz09

Meeting ID: 824 7748 7297

Passcode: 832216

Rev. Elissa Bailey

Presbytery of Great Rivers Stated Clerk

From Your Finance Team

The United States Postal Service mailing services price changes to take effect July 9, 2023. The new rates include a three-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 63 cents to 66 cents. Churches may benefit from looking at planned mailings and if funds allow purchase stamps at the lower rate. Click here to learn more.

FYI: Stamps have gone from .55 back in July 2021 to .63 currently --So once this goes in to effect, they’ll have gone up 0.11 in just 2 years.

Defending The Faith: Ensuring The Cyber Security Of Your Ministry

Date: June 1st

Time: 1 PM EST

DON’T WORRY! If you cannot attend, we will send you the recording after.

P.S. Share this critical event with other staff members in your church community. We look forward to seeing you there!  

Please click on the blocks below to follow the links:

Just a friendly reminder that all 2023 contracts and terms of call forms are due now to COM.  Please download the forms you need from the PGR website, under COM forms.  Thanks for helping us get these all processed.  It takes all of us working together to get them all approved and on file.

Please note: Churches can & probably should send their donations through the Presbytery office – otherwise we don’t know of them for reporting purposes. Churches should include this on their remittance form. Funds sent to the Presbytery Office get forwarded to Presbyterian Mission Agency on a monthly basis. So if we get them before the end of April they’ll be sent the first couple of days of May. Funds rec’d in May will be sent a the beginning of June, etc. The remittance form is linked here.

Click on the image above to subscribe to their newsletter!

SOLT is looking forward to launching two new coaching initiatives later this year: A Coaching Summit and Retirement Small Group Coaching.

Dates are not set yet but click on the link below if you are interested.

Job Postings

Westminster Presbyterian, in Nashville, TN, is seeking a full-time Associate Pastor of Community Life position. All resumes and inquiries can be directed to Laura Addis with this link.

Westminster Presbyterian Church on Moss Avenue in Peoria seeks Organist/Choir Director.

This person should have skills in reading music, playing the organ and piano, working as a choral conductor, and having basic knowledge of handbells. Basic computer and email skills are required, as well as strong communication skills. The person should be reliable, cooperative, and display qualities of enthusiasm, and leadership ability. This is a part-time, salaried position.

For more information about our church: go to https://westminsterpeoria.org/jobs/

To apply, send resume to wpc@westminsterpeoria.org or mail a resume and cover letter to 1420 W. Moss Avenue, Peoria, Illinois 61606.

Presbytery of Great Rivers Virtual Office

Virtual Office Assistant Crystal Goforth 309-683-6980 Email: office@greatriverspby.org

Crystal works remotely from South Carolina (Eastern Time)

Please leave her a message & she will return your call.

Bookkeeper Sabrina McGrath 309-683-6981 Email: smcgrath@greatriverspby.org

Sabrina works from Peoria IL.

Her regular schedule is Tues & Thurs between 8am-4pm (Central Time)

Bridge Presbyter John Rickard 309-683-6983 Email: jrickard@greatriverspby.org

He works remotely from Northern Illinois.

His regular schedule is Mon – Fri between 9am -5pm (Central Time)

Stated Clerk - Elissa Bailey- 309-371-2511  Email: pastorebailey@gmail.com

My regular office hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am - 3 pm.(Central Time) If you have an emergency, please call or text me at 309-371-2511.