Attention, West District Clerks of Session

On Saturday, December 17, First Presbyterian of Crestview will host a meeting to read session minutes. The meeting will be from 2 – 4 p.m. CST. The church is located at 492 N. Ferndon Blvd. in Crestview. This will be to read and approve the minutes for 2019, 2020, and 2021. If you have older minutes that also have not been read, bring them, too. In preparation for the reading, please download and complete a Session Records Review Checklist for each year's minutes to be read. Please also Contact Stated Clerk Jeannie Dixon to let her know whether you'll be attending or will send someone else.

Our presbytery family

► Join Dogwood Acres for some amazing winter retreats in January and February:
- If you have middle or high school youth who are considering being confirmed, DWA's Confirmation Retreat (January 13 – 15) will enhance that experience by bringing our connectional church to life! The weekend will feature hands-on learning activities and discussions for considering what it means to be a faithful disciple who lives that faith out in a Presbyterian Church. Click here for an event flier.
-  Need time to reset, renew and relax? “Pause”, a women’s yoga and mindfulness retreat (January 20 – 22), will be a weekend aimed at helping women in the Presbytery breathe deeply and consider the New Year with new intentions. There will be time to be still, silent, to hike and to enjoy fellowship, to journal, to practice gentle yoga, to take a class or take a nap.
- Dogwood Youth Conference (February 3–5) is a winter retreat bound to set faith on fire! Led by college students at UKirk Tallahassee, middle and high school youth will be invited to consider the Matthew 25 scripture and how it impacts our lives. In-between the keynote addresses, worship, small group discussions and artistic renderings will be bonfires, s’mores, field games and hikes. 
 
Find details about each event and register: https://www.dogwoodacres.org/events/.  Click here for a flier about all three.

► Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church will host their annual Living Nativity, a spiritual journey through the wonders of Christ's birth, 5:30 – 8 p.m. CST this Saturday, December 10, at Laurel Hill Presbyterian, 8115 Fourth St., Laurel Hill. Along the way, visitors will meet people from the Bible who will share their stories. Last year's event was rained out, but had been planned to introduce new characters with a revised script to keep the story fresh and rewarding. The new script and cast will be incorporated this year, and provision for rain has been made by holding the "journey" in the church sanctuary. Click here for a promotional image.

► Tickets on sale now for Faith Presbyterian Church, of Tallahassee's yearly adaptation of "Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol: A Festival of Holiday Music", Thursday – Sunday, December 15, 16, 17, and 18, at 7:30 p.m. EST. The performance will be staged "in the round," providing every seat in the house with a great view and fully-immersive experience as the cast of 60 plus carolers surround the audience with singing and holiday cheer. Find more information and tickets: www.faithpcusa.org/christmascarol

► Trinity Presbyterian Church, of Pensacola's annual free, outdoor concert with sounds of the season by the Perdido Brass is Sunday, December 18 at 2 p.m. CST in the Trinity parking lot. Just bring a lawn chair, your friends and family, and a non-perishable food donation for Manna Food Pantries.

► Trinity (Pensacola) Presbyterian Women will host an "Ignite and Inspire"-themed Women's Retreat January 28 – 29 at Gulf Shores Park Lodge, Gulf Shores, Alabama. Discounted early registration is available until January 1. Click here for an event invitation with more information.

► The Reverend Theodore “Ted” R. Chumley, Jr., 84, of Pensacola, ascended to the Church Triumphant on Friday, November 25. He had served as a U. S. Air Force chaplain, then later as stated supply pastor at Westminster Presbyterian, Pensacola, and as Chaplain for Covenant Hospice and at Westminster Retirement Village, Pensacola. Memorial Service will be held at a later date (approx. late January 2023) at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, Pensacola, with Dr. Hugh Hamilton officiating. Click here for a full obituary.

More news you can use

► Annual statistical reporting opened Friday, December 2. If you missed the statistical reporting workshop via Zoom led by Presbytery Stated Clerk Jeannie Dixon on December 5, a recording is available. An additional workshop will be held Thursday, February 2; registration will be required, so watch the eUpdate for a registration link.
   The statistics portal closes at midnight EST on Thursday, February 16. This report does require session approval, so those submitting statistics should be mindful of your January and February session meeting dates. Download the reporting workbook: English  Spanish  Korean

► When you give to the Christmas Joy Offering, you share your love with the leaders of our Church — past, present and future. A Presbyterian tradition since the 1930s, the annual Christmas Joy offering distributes gifts equally to the Board of Pensions’ Assistance Program and to Presbyterian schools and colleges equipping communities of color. Download a bulletin insert to share with your congregation the next two Sundays.

► Save 50% on more than 30 books from the PC(USA) Store through December 13. These sale items include leadership training and polity resources, as well as books on Presbyterian history and beliefs — perfect for adult study groups and new member classes. Browse all sale items.

► From the Board of Pensions: An updated guide for structuring terms of call is available. Living by the Gospel is a resource for church employers as they determine salaries and benefits for ministers. It details how the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) works with Board programs to support ministers’ well-being.
   This document includes data on effective salary by job code, geography, congregation size, gender, and minister age. The 223rd General Assembly (2018) authorized Living by the Gospel to promote awareness of gender disparity in benefits and salary packages.

Pray for one another

- December 11 – The Presbyterian Church (U. S. A.)
- December 18 – The Church Universal