GA226 for Observers

General Assembly Observer Registration: Registration is now open for those planning to participate in the 226th Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly as an in-person or online observer, June 25-July 4 in Salt Lake City. Registration and more info, with deadlines for in-person registration, can be found here. 

The 226^th General Assembly begins tomorrow, June 25^th with Committee Meetings meeting on-line this week and with the commissioners flying to Salt Lake City on Saturday for the plenary meetings which will be held in person. Our Commissioners are Ruling Elder Debra Love, Teaching Elder Nick Reed, and Youth Advisory Delegate Abby Bunn. The theme of this year’s Assembly is “Live Into Hope.” To receive a daily update on the Assembly’s actions beginning June 29, subscribe here. May our commissioners be guided O God by your wisdom, compassion, and courage, and may the whole assembly reflect the mind and Spirit of Christ as we seek to minister in these days. 

A bronze bell that once announced the arrival of a locomotive and later celebrated the start of services at a North Birmingham church will have a third life at the Presbyterian Home for Children.

The bell was donated to the Home by the congregation of Gardendale Presbyterian Church, along with funds to build a scaffold to display the artifact. The gift was made in the name of Gardendale church member Evelyn Mae Fitzgerald Boozer, who loved the bell and the Presbyterian Home for Children.

Electric Chapel Organ for the taking



Kirkwood by the River, a ministry of Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, will give its organ to a good home. The organ is approximately 40 years old. It is an Allen, two rank model. It needs repair. Please contact Chaplain Cary Speaker (205-956-2184) if you are interested. This is a limited time offer. Don’t put off making the call. 

Application Period Extended to

July 15, 2024

Small churches

can make a big difference!



Registration is now open for Living River Summer Camp

and for scholarship application.

Click Photo's for more information

The ladies of Second Presbyterian have 40 blue Hymnals they would love to give away. Please call 205-871-4302 if you are interested in these Hymnals.

The Impact of Churches’

Hunger Action Programs in this Presbytery

We are compiling a list of this Presbytery’s churches’ activities in combating hunger. We are wondering what your church is doing to combat hunger, such as: donating to food pantries, operating food pantries, rescuing edible foods, giving food from members’ gardens, participating in the Cents-Ability and Pentecost Can-paign programs, volunteering at food banks, etc.

Our churches are acting to help the hungry and food insecure. Let’s see what everyone is doing. Perhaps we can get ideas from each other on combating hunger.

Please send your church’s information to Ralls Coston, Mission Coordinator, rcoston@pslpcusa.org., phone 205-617-0216. Thank you for all you are doing.

If you are a pastor, commissioned ruling elder (CRE), a leader of a 1001 New Worshiping Community or a member of a stewardship team we have Church Financial Leadership Grants available for you. The grants will enable you to institute best practices for church financial leadership, introduce you to new models of giving and stewardship, and offer you new ways to talk about money and form generous disciples within your church.

Concerned about Gun Violence?

Join Presbyterian Peace Fellowship for the James Atwood

Institute for Congregational Courage:

Aug 22-25, Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico

Join us for four days of hands-on continuing education for clergy and lay leaders. Including:



• Educational, pastoral and action skills taught by leading gun violence prevention activists 
• Keynote speech by Father John Dear, Catholic biblical scholar and activist
• Develop a path for your congregation to join in the Presbyterian Decade to End Gun Violence 

We’ll build skills, courage and community for gun violence prevention mission for the local church.

Join us in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of One Great Hour of Sharing! Consider giving $1 for each year of this offering's impact.

Columbia’s Wonder of Worship offering $1,000 grants to congregations looking to nurture children in their worship and prayer lives

The Wonder of Worship program at Columbia Theological Seminary is offering a second round of grants of $1,000 to congregations nationally looking to enhance the engagement of children in their corporate workspaces. — CTS  (click link above for more information)

First Presbyterian Church - Alexander City is seeking pulpit supply until they can fill their pastoral vacancy. Their worship services are on Sundays at 11:00 for one hour. If you are interested, please call the church office at (256) 329-0524.

Hearts and Minds Prepared for Worship

You are invited to this leadership event being sponsored by The Center for Excellence in Christian Education, Union Presbyterian Seminary, and the Presbytery of Charlotte. This fully online event is designed for folks who are involved in worship leadership whether that be clergy, worship committees, or educators.

I'm sure many of you remember Sarah Dianne Jones who grew up in Sheppards and Lapsley--she is now the Program Associate for the Center and would love to have some PSL folks join this event!

The website for the event is here: https://na.eventscloud.com/website/71005/.

Registration is now open.

Click the photo for more information.

Stewardship Kaleidoscope



On Wednesday, September 25, Rev. Amos Disasa will be our plenary speaker. Amos is the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, TX, a historic congregation in the heart of the city. Previously, he served as the co-pastor of Downtown Church, in Columbia, SC.

Amos' family immigrated from Ethiopia when he was a young child. Amos earned degrees from Presbyterian College and the Wake Forest University School of Divinity. He serves on the board of governors for Downtown Dallas Inc., the board of directors for PubCore, the board of directors for Montreat Conference Center, and is a trustee of Austin College. Amos and his wife Sarah, along with their two children, reside in Dallas. 

We hope to see you in Portland or online! To register, click here.

Register by June 30 to take advantage of our in-person Early Bird Registration rate!

A limited number of scholarships are still available for ELCA Registrants attending the conference in-person. For more information about the ELCA Scholarship, please email tim.brown@elca.org.

PC(USA) Pastors - Learn about the Church Financial Leadership Grant Program through the Presbyterian Foundation here." "complimentary," or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take action, so consider inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"

Presbytery Tech Person Needed

The Presbytery is looking for a Tech person to help with our quarterly Presbytery meetings. (This includes four eight hour meetings per year plus be available for four 2 hour planning meetings quarterly) Must have knowledge of Zoom, including issues with sound and video. Must be available to set up equipment to start each meeting and monitor Zoom participants. Compensation is negotiable. If you or someone you know may be interested please contact Tammy Strickland at tstrickland@pslpcusa.org.

Dallas County Long Term Recovery Group

This Presbytery has been involved with the Dallas County LTRG (Long Term Recovery Group) for the past year. The LTRG is working on Selma’s recovery from the January 2023 tornado which destroyed or damaged so much of Selma and Dallas County. So far, the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley has distributed over $31,000 to six cases in Selma. This money has been used to replace beds, tables, washing machines, dryers and roofing for the six different families impacted by the tornado. The funds for these cases came from contributions from the Presbyterian Disaster Fund, Independent Presbyterian Church, Southminster Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian-Wetumpka and Oakmont Chapel Presbyterian Church. Thank you to all the donors.

There is still plenty to do in Dallas County/Selma’s recovery. Other organizations, such as United Way, Mennonite Disaster Services, Lutheran Disaster Services, Gospel Tabernacle Church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, and the Edmundite Missions of the Catholic Church are some of the workers/contributors to Selma’s recovery.

 This Presbytery can continue to help by providing funds to the Presbytery’s Perry/Dallas County Fund. Both churches and individuals may contribute to this fund. And, as the United Methodist case managers provide the cases, we can continue to help.

The New Wilmington Missionary Conference

July 19-24, 2024 / Westminister College, New Wilmington, PA

The New Wilmington Missionary Conference is one of the oldest continuous Presbyterian Missionary Conferences the church offers. It is a great opportunity to discover how God is active in other parts of the globe. Here is the link to the conference this year. https://www.nwmcmission.org/promo-resources For more information contact Cody Watson.

Please be sure to check out the job openings around our Presbytery at the bottom of this page.

Newsletters, Bulletins, News

• Montreat Conference Center, Arts, Music and Theology
• Earth and Soul: Celtic Wisdom 3
• Presbyterian Outlook, GA essentials for small churches
• Presbyterians Today

PRESBYTERY OPERATING FINANCES April 2024 YTD