Presbytery of Scioto Valley

Kids from your Church Can Receive $500 Grant to Attend Any Christian Camp!
More information HERE: https://buff.ly/49kZqE8

Share with your families!!

Kids from your Church Can Receive $500 Grant to Attend Any Christian Camp!
More information HERE: https://buff.ly/49kZqE8

Poor People's Campaign March is on June 29.

Presbyterians show support for Moral March on Washington The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival announced Monday that it will once again hold an assembly and march in Washington, D.C., to call attention to the plight of poor and low-wage workers, push for moral public policies and encourage people to vote.

I saw this post in a Facebook group that I recently joined. I just wanted to share it

Dawne is a friend of the Fredericktown Presbyterian Church and lives in Fredericktown. Her work is beautiful and tells stories of achievement out of difficulty. Her presentation at Indianola Presbyterian Church will, no doubt, be one that moves you.

The Poor People's Campaign Rally at the State House is THIS Saturday, March 2 - please join us as we call on our lawmakers to Fight Poverty not the Poor!!!

Ohio Mass Poor People’s and Low-Wage Workers’ Statehouse Assembly and to the Polls Join the Ohio Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival on March 2, 2024 at 10:00 AM as we march and rally bringing the demands of poor and low-wealth people for living wages, healthcare, housing, education, environmental justice, and voting rights directly to our lawmakers. We can...

Don't forget that tomorrow is the zoom conversation at 10:00 am to find out more about the Poor People's Campaign and the rally at the Statehouse on March 2. Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpc-irpz4oH9POhX4uUkVMy-96qiqPf1Ow

Want to find out more information about the Poor People's Campaign and the Statehouse rally on March 2? Join us on zoom this Saturday, February 3 at 10:00 am to learn more about it and how you can get involved. Register here - and spread the word!

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Poor People's Campaign. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Poor People's Campaign. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

Don't forget that you can watch part of PIE, our presbytery leadership training day, online tomorrow, Saturday January 20, at the Covenant Presbyterian Church FB page:
9:15 - 10:15 am Welcome and Keynote by Rev. Chip Hardwick, "Reaching Outside Ourselves"
10:30 - 11:45 am Elder Training by Rev Kathy Yount Nice
12:45 - 2:00 pm Workshop with Rev Chip Hardwick

They will also be recorded and available later next week on the presbytery youtube page -

Scioto Valley Presbytery - YouTube The Presbytery of Scioto Valley is a regional organization, or mid-council, of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It consists of the PC(USA) congregations and mi...

There's still time to sign up for PIE, the annual leadership training event on Saturday, January 20 from 9:00 am - 2:30 pm at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Columbus, who will live stream part of the event on their website and FB page. In addition to a keynote by Synod Exec Rev Chip Hartwick, workshops will be offered for elder, deacons, clerks, and other church leaders. Lunch is $15 and will be provided by Freedom a la Carte, which empowers survivors of s*x trafficking and exploitation to build lives of freedom and self-sufficiency. Sign up by January 13.

PIE 2024 - Partners in Education Training Day Saturday, January 20,2024 from 9:00am – 2:30pm Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2070 Ridgecliff Rd., Columbus, OH (Upper Arlington) Cost $15, including lunch. Livestream will be 3 platforms: Covenant…

Christmas Eve 2023 could not have been more beautiful, more inspiring, or any more wonderfully filled withmix of joys and blessings! From Santa's visit to the Mount Gilead First Presbyterian Church and his prayer with the little disciples, to the lighting of our glow sticks as we sang "Silent Night", it was a reminder of how much God does live in our full and messy world every minute. Special gifts of the voices of our worship leaders, Carol Lessick, Tom Rensch, Kim Porter, and Cindy Fidler told the story of Jesus' Nativity into our world were blended with the songs from the congregation that linger in our hearts long after we said goodnight. The special solo performances by Steve Matson and Maddison Hursey were exceptional and the music throughout by organist Angela Carbanetti made us all sound better. And my heart was especially filled by the gift of this loving congregation. We have spent a year together, getting to know one another, as they have searched for a new pastor. I will always treasure our journey in 2023 and, just so I will never forget, they gifted me with this beautiful quilt!!! In every stitch, I will always remember the loving and missionary hearts of this congregation. They truly live out the mission statement of the church, "Loving God, Loving All People, and Living God's Word." I encourage everyone to visit their worship or special mission events. You will come away knowing, as I do, what loving God through loving others really is!

As we come closer to the joy and laughter of Christmas, let us also remember that our spirit of generosity, to church and strangers, is an all-year-round Fruit of the Spirit that means so much to so many. I wrote this blog for the Mount First Presbyterian Church Mount Gilead, OH, but I want to share it will all of my friends as they approach the new year.

COAT POCKET MEMORIES

They say that confession is good for the soul. Some admissions of guilt are much more serious than others, but there are also the ones that are more embarrassing or whimsical than they are sinful. Yes, I have them just the same as you do!

Here in north-central Ohio, we just never know what coat might be the most used over any season. It depends, as do so many other things, on the weather. Most of my coats are machine wash and dry because I am just a little bit like Pigpen from the “Peanuts” cartoon. Because I am as messy as life can be, somewhere through the winter, my coats are laundered in the convenience of my home. My faithful and old dress wool coat, which has sadly mostly become known as my “funeral” coat in this profession, must be dry-cleaned. I do that at the beginning of the season so it is fresh for wear. (I live in an area where dry-cleaning any item requires it being sent elsewhere on a certain day of the week for it to be returned on that day 2 weeks later. Imagine what that feels like with a 100% wool coat that cannot be replaced at any cost, or a $400.00 clergy robe!) So my confession? Every coat I have ends up in the closet unlaundered until the next cold entry when the dip in the snow belt ends up engulfing us again.

But there is a fun side effect to my “outer wear procrastination”. In the washing, or the first wearing, at the beginning of a season, I find wonderful things in my pockets; often amazing things, and sometimes even sad things like the little funeral leaflets of a friend or neighbor picked up at the last one or two funerals where I was either clergy, or just attended. (Both happen more frequently the older we get.) This year, along with some of those leaflets, there was a packet of flowers, Forget-Me-Not seeds, to plant as a reminder of my friend and to remind me too of the new life she has gained in the resurrection. I also find a full stock of store receipts crammed into those pockets, many for things I could have probably lived without but chose not to.

Used napkins, mint or gum wrappers, pocket lint, and yes, even unused tissues carried “just in case”, line those pockets, but there is something even more special that I find in my pockets-full of memories. Always there is some loose change and, more often than not, paper money! A five, a ten, or even a twenty-dollar bill might be folded up in there from when I had gone on an excursion and didn’t want to carry my purse. Most often it really is just several ones all folded there and left for the summer season, but the finding of cash money, “found money,” holds a joy like nothing else.

I have a dear friend, Sandie, who loves found money! She walks and bikes every day. It is not for her physical health as much as it is to provide total spiritual and emotional balance in her life. On her many journeys, instead of letting those pennies just lie there and corrode, she becomes excited with every penny and nickel she is able to retrieve at every opportunity. And those “pennies from heaven” become so much more when they are in her hands. You see, she is the most generous person I have ever been blessed to know and I have known many radically generous people. Every chance she gets, she takes those pennies and multiplies them 10, or 50, or a thousand-fold, just as Jesus asked us to, and gives it to others. Sometimes it is to friends, but mostly to strangers. Sandie reaches out to do extraordinarily interesting things to help others. Sometimes she watches to see who might benefit from her “anonymous” generosity, but most often she just trusts that God has a need for her to help someone that she will never meet.

My friendship with Sandie (and her belief that you cannot out-give God) has taught me more about generosity than I ever thought possible. She believes in tithing 10% of her gross, not her net income. and she makes the world a better place for her friends and for so many others who will never even know who she is. Radical generosity is something that comes from giving in the spirit of which is was meant without much judgement about whether the recipient is worthy. And it is not just a winter thing, or a holiday thing. Generosity is needed, and can be spread around, all year long. Sometimes what I might spend on just one fancy and fattening cup of coffee could make a life giving, or spirit boosting, difference for someone in need.

Every year, when I clean out my pockets, I enjoy these memories! I look at the receipts and file or toss them away. I re-read the memorial flyers and feel blessed to have been a part of a life lived and celebrated. But the money that I find always gets multiplied by some quantity and donated. Usually to a church, but sometimes to someone else in need. Sometimes, I add to it and buy a coat or two to donate to a coat drive. Or I give to our senior citizens, pet shelters, children’s drive, or gift cards from the dollar store for homeless folks who need a little of everything. Need is, unfortunately, a never-ending thirst that needs quenching.

This year (If you are an outer-wear procrastinator like me) I invite you to look through your pockets. It might not only be your coat pockets that you search😉. Find your joys and memories. Keep those safe and remember them fondly. Toss away the unnecessary paper and lint that clutter things up; preventing us from being fresh and open to the new. And take any of that “found money” and multiply and donate it to the church or a special cause. And if you can, add a dollar or two more to your regular church tithing for next year. You cannot out-give God and you will never suffer for being the generous giver that you want to be. Remember the trust of the poor Widow who gave all that she had, trusting that God will care for your needs. Let the spirit of generosity fill you all year long. Pastor Christine Burns

Reverend Julie Oswalt invites anyone who might wish to attend, to watch her online Installation as Pastor of Wildwood Presbyterian Church on Sunday, October 15 at 11:30am CST. Her service will be live streamed on the church website at https://www.wildwoodpc.net and will also be streamed on Facebook.

Wildwood Presbyterian Church We welcome you to join us in person for worship each Sunday at 9:00 AM. We also offer our worship service online at 9 AM via livestream. You can tune into that broadcast via our WPC page or on YouTube.

Happy Labor Day PSV friends!! Mount Gilead First United Presbyterian Church is trying to roll out a new website and has getting some footing with the established page. It would be great if some folks around the presbytery could take a look at the website and they would love for you to follow the page to see what is happening in the northeast corners of the Presbytery of Scioto Valley.

How Beautiful Are Your Feet at Mt, Gilead Presbyterian! “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”   &…

Sign up now for this Matthew 25 online event on August 28 at 11:00 am on eradicating systemic poverty offered by the national offices.

Next of the PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 workshops to feature the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins and more Three dynamic guests, including some of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)’s leading voices, will headline the next Matthew 25 workshop on effective methods for eradicating systemic poverty.

Sharing a post from our Prince of Peace congregation!

Add Prince Of Peace Presbyterian Church - Pickerington to that long list, we have been in transition since 2018 but are hanging tight with God’s help and all the wonderful pastors we’ve had along the way. We are a small multi cultural community with an Indonesian population making us the most diverse congregation in Scioto valley. We are currently searching for a half time pastor. 🙏🏼❤️

Pastors of our presbytery and Synod (or wherever)… I know that there are many of our PSV congregations in the pastor search process. With the GA CLC doing a website update, many are faced with changing MIF’s and PIF’s. Just reaching out to let folks know that Mount Gilead First is searching for a full-time solo pastor. The MIF can be found on the old CLC link. If you are interested in serving a small and mission minded church, please go to the old CLC link and take a look. They would love the opportunity to chat.

The Friday Cafe at Fredericktown First Presbyterian Church has just ended its first session. The dedicated volunteer crew have been working and the meals have been filled to capacity most weeks. The meal and fellowship are free, but the donations have exceeded all expectations when the Ministry Initiative Grant was awarded by the Presbytery! The will be back in the fall for the next year and the project is now funding itself. Thank you, congregations of Scioto Valley presbytery, for the faith and funds to transform this unused space into a wonderful place where people gather and the work of the Lord is being done, one bowl of soup at a time! If you are not familiar, please take the time to watch this video and see what a new and wonderful thing you have done in Fredericktown, Ohio.

Ministry Initiative Fund Project 1 The Friday Café at Fredericktown First Presbyterian Church - A Dream for a New Ministry realized through a cooperative effort with the Presbytery of Scioto V...

Where Does Jesus Stand?: Exploring Five Spiritual Practices to End Poverty, May 23, 2 p.m. (ET)

Since you already know about the PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 vision and have been requesting additional resources, on May 23 we will be offering the first of three programs in our new 2023 online workshop series on the Matthew 25 main foci. The May 23 workshop will focus on eradicating systemic poverty. Gather with Presbyterians — across the country and around the world — to share and learn five spiritual practices (worship, learn, relate, act and share) as well as resources and activities that Presbyterians engage to end poverty. Walk away with practical tools and ideas for next steps! Facilitators will be national staff and mid council leaders who sit on a monthly PC(USA) Matthew 25 consulting team on eradicating systemic poverty. Advance registration is required by clicking here.

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Where Does Jesus Stand?: Exploring 5 Spiritual Practices to End Poverty. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. You already know about the Matthew 25 vision of the PC(USA). As the first in a three-part online workshop series on the Matthew 25 main foci in 2023, the May 23rd workshop will focus on eradicating systemic poverty. Gather with Presbyterians-- across the country and around the world-- to share and l...

VBS and Summer Camp Curriculum Top Picks for 2023 This article highlights Building Faith's top picks and full reviews of new Vacation Bible School and summer camp curricula for 2023.

Share with your VBS people!!

VBS and Summer Camp Curriculum Top Picks for 2023 This article highlights Building Faith's top picks and full reviews of new Vacation Bible School and summer camp curricula for 2023.

The Presbytery Matthew 25 Group invites you to join us on Saturday, March 18 at 10:00 am at Capital University for "Undesign the Redline", an interactive exhibit that explores the history of structural racism caused by the 1938 redlining maps. This exhibit examines how this inequality continues to impact our communities today, focusing on the ways in which we can come together to “undesign” these systems with intentionality. We will gather from 11:00 - 11:30 am at Capital to reflect on our experience. Please contact Steve Hills at stephen.m.hills at gmail.com for more information and to sign up.

Trauma: Poverty, Race and Trafficking
A Zoom Matthew 25 Event.
Join us Saturday, February 18th from 10:00-11:30 a.m. on Zoom to learn about what trauma is, how it affects you and how it affects people who have experiences that are different from your own.

Register in advance for this meeting:
6web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kfuGqqTotGtULGTXT-CUYRlfrzGWnRBO3

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. This Matthew 25 Zoom is sponsored by the Commission for Nurture and Outreach. If you have any questions, please contact the Rev. Katie Kinnison at [email protected].

6web.zoom.us

Before everyone heads out for the holidays, why not put a copy of the PIE flyer in your church officers' boxes (or email it to them)? PIE, our leadership training day, will be held on Saturday, January 21 from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Columbus. LOTS of great workshops! You can find the information here: https://psvonline.org/events/partners-in-education-pie-event/

Presbyterians for Earth Care
Save Money on Church Energy Bills! Attract New Members! Help Save the Planet!
A free webinar of practical ideas for congregations and individuals. We will hear from experienced church leaders from California, Kentucky, Arkansas, New York, Maryland and West Virginia.
Energy conservation, solar panels, heat pumps, new grants for churches from Inflation Reduction Act, planet-healthy potluck suppers for churches, lawn care, electric vehicles charging stations, Christmas ideas for family and friends, and more ideas for a difference.
This Thursday, December 15, 7:30 - 8:30pm Eastern
For more information and registration:

Save Money on Church Energy Bills Save Money on Church Energy Bills: A free webinar of practical ideas for congregations and individuals. We will hear from experienced church leaders from California, Kentucky, Arkansas, New York, and West Virginia. Energy conservation, solar panels, heat pumps, new grants for churches from Inflation

Fredericktown First Presbyterian Church is delighted to invite all of the Presbytery to come to the Friday Cafe in the lower level of the church. The Friday Cafe is open on the 2nd and 4th Fridays from 11:30am- 1:30pm. The meal is free to all who wish to come, but donations are gladly accepted. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, the next open day will be December 9th, so please join us.
This ministry has been made possible by the Ministry Initiative Board grant from the presbytery. If you would like to see our project from start to finish, please view the link below and use the information to plan a dream for ministry with your church. Grant money is available and the MIB is waiting for your ideas!!!

Ministry Initiative Fund Project 1 The Friday Café at Fredericktown First Presbyterian Church - A Dream for a New Ministry realized through a cooperative effort with the Presbytery of Scioto V...