SPDR Web Presbytery Happenings
Updated: 4 days ago
by Rev. Libby Janes
Director, Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery
Tres Rios Presbytery | Palo Duro Presbytery | Grace Presbytery | Presbytery of New Covenant | Mission Presbytery | Presbytery of Arkansas | Presbytery of the Pines | Presbytery of South Louisiana | Oklahoma Presbyteries
- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) approved a $95,000 PDA National Recovery Grant requested by Tres Rios Presbytery in partnership with the Concho Valley COAD. This grant will support the building of a Mennonite-constructed “tiny house” which will serve as transitional housing for many families in process with the Concho Valley Long-Term Recovery Group for their homes to be rebuilt, in the aftermath of the 2025 floods. [return to top]
- A Tres Rios Disaster Response Team sub-committee is in the works! Our first meeting will be Thursday October 22nd at 1pm. Watch for Libby and Mike Burnett's presentation at the October 9th Tres Rios Presbytery meeting for more information. Libby will be preaching "The Valley of Dry Bones" (Ezekiel 37: 1-14).
- Libby will be visiting Palo Duro Presbytery for the Presbytery meeting this weekend! Libby and Joe Gambill will recruit leaders for a new Palo Duro Presbytery Disaster Response Team. See Libby there! Libby will be preaching at her former home church, Covenant Presbyterian Church, on Sunday September 27th, "Remembering Old Mercy and Love" (Psalm 25 and Exodus 17:1-7 ). [return to top]
- Over Labor Day weekend, some of the Presbyterian Night Shelter's storage facilities were destroyed by a fire. The estimated loss was $100,000. Grace Presbytery churches, and the greater Fort Worth community, rallied to support the Presbyterian Night Shelter and fundraise to restore lost resources.
[Initial Post]
They have updated that their fundraising goal has been met! Thank you to everyone who supported their recovery!
[Update - Fundraising Goal Met!]
- Libby will be teaching two seminars on Church Disaster Preparedness at the Small Church & Commissioned Pastors Retreat at Camp Gilmont on October 5-7th. Interested in joining us? Contact Sharon Curry! (sharon@gracepresbytery.org)
- Libby will be visiting Grace Presbytery at the Presbytery meeting in Granbury on October 8th - hope to see you there!
> Thank you for those who offered prayers and support to churches in Western Grace Presbytery who were impacted by smoke from the Ross Fire. Grace Presbytery Regional Ministry Associate/Sharon Curry and FPC Hamilton RE/David Gonzales really appreciate your prayers and support. [return to top]
- Our disaster team is in full swing! Our next meeting is October 20th at 1pm, anyone from New Covenant is welcome to join.
- We are preparing for a Bucket Project at the November 21 Presbytery of New Covenant meeting! More funding is needed to reach our goal of 100 buckets - interested churches can send donations [here! https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZE32/campaign/C-11JV1] to the Presbytery of New Covenant, designating funds for disaster assistance. Churches are invited to bring these buckets home with them after the presbytery meeting to store at their churches, for the next disaster!
The location of dispersed buckets will be documented on a Presbytery of New Covenant Disaster Response Team spreadsheet. If your local community experiences a disaster and needs buckets, contact the presbytery office or Libby Janes (libby.janes@synodsun.org) to request from this supply, and our goal is to bring them to requesting churches within 24-48 hours!
- The Presbytery of New Covenant Disaster Response Team and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance will be represented at Christ Church Presbyterian Church's Day of Service Event, this Saturday, September 26th, starting at 10am. All New Covenant Presbyterian Churches and local community members are welcome to attend!
- Thank you to the Presbytery of New Covenant Disaster Response Team and churches who collaborated to share updates during Tropical Storm Edouard. No ongoing needs were reported, but the prayers and communication were greatly appreciated. [return to top]
- Mo-Ranch is in the process of becoming an official PDA Site, with Mo-Ranch hosting flood recovery volunteer groups at discounted rates, to then deploy out in Kerrville, through Stephanie Hodges, the Global Empowerment Mission volunteer coordinator. The PDA National Response Team visited with SPDR, Mo-Ranch, and Stephanie Hodges, the volunteer coordinator from Global Empowerment Mission, took place August 26-28th. Mo-Ranch is already hosting and deploying groups, and a formal announcement of this partnership is expected to come soon! Contact Mo-Ranch coordinator, Lisa Winters (lwinters@moranch.com) to sign up today!
Do you wonder what to expect on a service trip to Kerrville through this partnership?
Read this post from Rev. Stephen Finkel from Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church in Austin to hear what their team of 6 volunteers experienced! This church is returning again this weekend, to help "Kaboom!" a new playground in Kerrville.
-Supporting Disaster-Impacted Churches: Thank you to the churches who have donated to FPC Uvalde and FPC Kerrville for flood recovery! The recovery needs are ongoing - please bring this need to your church session and consider donating today, directly to these churches. We are not alone in disaster recovery, and your support means so much.
- Presbyterian Disaster Team National Response Team deployments coming soon to Mission Presbytery:
> Oct 16 Presbytery meeting pre-meeting Emotional Spiritual Care program, provided by PDA
> Coming 2027: Church Safety & Security Trainings! Three trainings are in the planning process, one more is tentative, and we are seeking a host church for one more training location for the Rio Grande Valley!
- University Presbyterian Church in San Antonio was recently impacted by a windstorm that damaged their property and church playground. Here's a picture of damage from the storms [attached]. If your church would like to support them, please contact University Presbyterian Church of San Antonio directly.
- Mission Presbytery has an active Disaster Buckets pre-positioning program where several churches are storing buckets to be immediately deployed if a church requests this assistance. We have a plan to resupply Rio Grande Valley churches with buckets from the Austin area supply, to mobilize when we gather for the October presbytery meeting. [return to top]
- On August 25th, the Presbytery of Arkansas Disaster Response Team visited the Zoom meeting of the new Oklahoma Presbyteries' Disaster Response Team, to share wisdom and disaster response experiences as a disaster team. Further VOAD engagement and regular inter-presbytery communication between disaster team members and local churches was strongly encouraged.
- The Presbytery of Arkansas Disaster Response Team will present at their October 2-3rd Presbytery meeting to continue growing their team. Any Presbytery of Arkansas church members are welcome to join! [return to top]
- Libby will be presiding at the presbytery worship service on November 10th. Nancy Bergeron and Libby Janes are recruiting a new Presbytery Disaster Response Team. If you are in Pines Presbytery and may be interested, see me at the Presbytery meeting! A of this new initiative is building a communication network between churches before, during, and after disasters, and exploring opportunities to become partner churches for evacuation. [return to top]
- Libby will be providing a pre-presbytery meeting workshop on Church Disaster Preparedness at 2-5pm at St. Charles Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. Libby and disaster-experienced local leaders will be recruiting volunteers for a Presbytery of South Louisiana Disaster Team!
- Libby is collaborating with local leaders for tarp trainings. Have a hurricane preparedness resource or training, or recovery story to share? Email libby.janes@synodsun.org to share your wisdom! [return to top]
- Our new disaster team is going strong! Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 12th at 2pm. Any Oklahoma church members are welcome to join.
- The OK DRT has made a map resource, to enhance communication systems with local churches, to support and share resources before, during, and after disasters. Connect with your regional leaders so you know who to call if you need a preparedness resource or if a disaster occurs in your community!
- We had a wonderful gathering at FPC Broken Bow for a Church Preparedness Workshop! The attendance was excellent, especially among local tribally-affilitated pastors. The creativity and experience in the room was inspiring and everyone had ideas to share. Participants left with a disaster plan to take home to their church and adapt to make their own. (Interested in a Church Disaster Plan training in your area? Contact libby.janes@synodsun.org or your presbytery disaster team.)
[one of the pictures is attached]
- Presbyterian Churches are becoming more active with the OK VOAD - Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters. We are learning ways to share our church's strengths with our greater community before, during, and after disasters. Stay tuned for more updates soon! [return to top]
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