Siblings in Christ:
Grace to you and peace. We continue to pray for each pastor and each congregation by name every day.
- Our prayer is that God gives wisdom, courage, energy and endurance to the pastors of this presbytery so they can continue to attend to the spiritual needs of their congregations.
- We pray for the well-being of our elders that they will be wise and filled with the Holy Spirit as they govern and make decisions on behalf of our communities of faith.
- We pray for our deacons, full of love and compassion, that they are not overwhelmed as they lead our congregations in caring for those who are part of our churches and communities.
- Our prayer for the people of God within the Presbytery of Lake Michigan is that their faith sustains them during this time of uncertainty and fear.
We have every confidence in God’s Word to us through the prophet Jeremiah:
“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord.”
This is a time for the people of God to proclaim the Gospel of Christ loudly even in our social distancing. May you feel God’s presence surround in all you do.
See list of documents below for some grant opportunities from the PC(USA) Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
As many of you are aware, when Fran served First Presbyterian Church in Niles, the congregation received several PDA grants to address needs during the big flood in that community. It was her experience that the grant application is not very difficult or cumbersome, and the grants were easily received. We encourage every church to consider the needs of their churches and communities in the coming months. As of today, the United States has had more than six million people apply for unemployment benefits. We are sure some of those six million people are within the bounds of this presbytery. We believe that the resources being offered through these grants might help our congregations continue to minister to some of the most vulnerable in our communities.
See list of documents below for some information about stewardship during these changing times.
There is a message from Robert Hay, Jr., senior ministry relations office with the Presbyterian Foundation, about Stewardship during a Pandemic. One of the attached files contains a written copy of his message along with some links to video versions of the information. There also are some good thoughts in a piece titled 10 Stewardship Dos & 1 Stewardship do NOT.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Serving God and God’s people in the Presbytery of Lake Michigan,
Rev. Cal Bremer
Transitional Co-Leader
Rev. Fran Lane-Lawrence
Transitional Co-Leader/ Stated Clerk
Documents:
- 10 Stewardship DOs & 1 Stewardship Do NOT (PDF)
- Presbyterian Foundation: Stewardship during a pandemic 2020.03.17 (PDF)
- PC(USA) Presbyterian Mission: Matthew 25 grants (PDF)
- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) Covid 19 EMERGENCY – Initial Assistance Grant Application (Word Document)
- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) Covid 19 Short.Long-Term Grant Request Application (Word Document)
- Copy of this letter (PDF)
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