Letter from the General Presbyter – September 2023
Dear Friends,
Last week, thanks to a grant from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, I was at Davidson Clergy Centre to have some time for rejuvenation and reminders on self-care. It was a wonderful week to consider my spiritual and physical health and to reassess the boundaries around work. I encourage pastors to take a day off from all church related work, but I am very bad at practicing the same. Because of my time away I am committing to taking Fridays off, beginning next week, and turning off my phone for the day. The only time I would not do that is if a hurricane or other disaster were headed our way. Thank you for honoring my sabbath time. If you are a church member, please encourage your pastor to take a sabbath day and encourage others to honor that time.
We continue to live into our new reality as a virtual presbytery. Please remember to call my cellphone and not the old office number. My office at home is set up and working well, as you can see from the pictures. As I travel for meetings, I might be calling your church to see if I could use a space for a few hours to work between meetings. All I need is a table, a chair, and access to internet. The presbytery is here to facilitate the work of the churches in its midst and the Stated Clerk and I are willing to travel to you. As always, Alesia is ready to assist you in whatever ways are helpful. Her cellphone number is also listed on our website.
We are in the height of hurricane season, and it seems to be an active one. We are praying that we do not get hit again this year but know that it could happen. Please keep the presbytery staff aware if a storm causes damage to your church or community. We are partners in ministry and want to provide all the help we can in times of disaster. Many communities in our bounds still have much recovery work to do from Ian. If you would like to make donations to places where hurricanes have already hit, one of the best ways to do that is to send directly to the presbytery where damage occurred or send to our presbytery marked for that purpose. This avenue gets funds to areas of disaster more quickly than other options. Tampa Bay and St. Augustine presbyteries had a great deal of flooding from Hurricane Idalia, please be in prayer for them.
As season approaches, I know churches will be busier and have more programs and opportunities. Please share those with us so we can advertise them on our Facebook page and website. You can email those opportunities to me or directly to our communications consultant at shannonprp@gmail.com
Know that you are in my prayers.
Melana
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