September 26, 2023 Hybrid Presbytery Gathering (In Person or via Zoom)

Dear Friends in Christ, September 5, 2023

Welcome to Fall! With apples ripe and leaves starting to turn, we know it is time for another chapter of ministry together as the Presbytery. The Presbytery will gather on Tuesday, September 26, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Sun Valley Presbyterian Church in Beloit, WI. Along with United Church of Beloit and the Parroquia San Jose, we will collaborate on the business of the Presbytery, enjoy a delightful education hour with the Rev. Dr. Ray Jones, share a tasty dinner, and then participate in worship together Tuesday evening.

The theme for this meeting is “Intentional, Authentic Evangelism,” one of the Seven Marks of Congregational Vitality. For the past year, the Presbytery has been studying all of these Marks, with Evangelism being the final Mark in the series. Dr. Jones is the Director of Theology, Formation, and Evangelism for the Presbyterian Mission Agency, the programmatic arm of our national church. Dr. Jones will be our guest speaker and preacher for the evening.

Evangelism is a timely subject for us to be considering. As we come back from a long and tiring pandemic, we are all wondering how to get some in our congregations involved again. As we read through the gospel of Matthew this year, and hear Jesus’ call to share the good news, we are wondering how we can encourage neighbors to join us. As we renew again our commitment to the Matthew 25 pledge that we made as a presbytery, we are wondering how we can support the least of these as we seek to enrich and grow our faith. Come join Dr. Jones and the rest of the Presbytery as we ponder these thoughts together.

This meeting will be both in person and virtual allowing you to choose the best way for you to join us. The registration link is below for you to click on. For those meeting in person, the cost of dinner will be $10.00. When you register, you can pay for dinner via credit card or indicate that you will bring cash or check to the meeting. ALSO NOTE that the I-43 interchange for Beloit has changed significantly since the I-90/39 construction was completed. A map will be included with the meeting papers to help in person participants find Beloit and Sun Valley. We appreciate your registering in the coming days so that we can help Sun Valley plan accordingly.

During our worship time, everyone will be invited to share in the Lord’s Supper. For those in person, the wine (juice) and the bread (gluten free) will be provided. For those at home, make sure to set aside a sip of juice and a bite of bread so you can join us, for we are all welcome at Christ’s table.

Fall is a wonderful time to take a road trip. Fall is a great time to gather with friends and colleagues. Fall is also a perfect time to meet our new Transitional Presbytery Executive (Lisa will be joining us at the meeting for brief introductions!). Feel free to wear masks or take other COVID-19 precautions as you need to. We look forward to seeing you again after a balmy summer! Don’t forget to register. See you soon!

Peace, Pastor Dave Ewing

Moderator, the Presbytery of Milwaukee

For those registering after the 22nd, please understand that we will submit our dinner numbers on the 22nd. You might want to plan accordingly in case we have more people than food.