The SPDR Web: January Travels

Also see: Hospitality in the Presbytery of South Louisiana

Part 1: Planning, Preaching, & Visiting in Mission Presbytery

Visit to FPC Kerrville

I was blessed to be invited to preach at the First Presbyterian Church of Kerrville on January 4^th, which was Epiphany Sunday, as well as the six month date of remembering the tragic flooding events in July. I preached about the movie It’s A Wonderful Life, which I watched for the first time this December, and we reflected on James Stewart’s first film back in Hollywood after serving in WW2 and the epiphany of experiencing God’s love by receiving love from your neighbors. A link to this worship service recording can be found on FPC Kerrville’s archive for 1/4/26: https://www.fpckerrville.org/worship-online

Synod Leadership Retreat at Mo-Ranch

2026 has officially begun! January kicked off with a Synod of the Sun leadership retreat at Mo-Ranch, where the coordinating team set goals for 2026! The Synod of the Sun Partnership for Disaster Recovery’s 2026 goal is to strengthen our communication network by establishing disaster teams in every presbytery. I believe we can do it! I’ll be visiting each presbytery this year and look forward to listening to and partnering with you all.

What I learned about our Synod leaders is they are a resourceful bunch. When a light was out, Karen Rogers pulled a multi-box of lightbulbs out of her car and illuminated our meeting space. When we needed boxes for leftovers, Sharon Curry was determined to fill a sauce jar with spaghetti, even as it kept spilling back out! The Synod of the Sun is the Synod of theFun, and I think God has wonderful things ahead for us.

Schreiner University Tour

Before I departed from Kerrville, I also visited Schreiner University! Audrey Mitchell, FPC Kerrville member and Student Affairs administrator at Schriner welcomed me with a lovely campus tour. Did you know Schreiner University includes the cost of books and mental health counseling in their tuition? Have you seen the many deer roaming their campus? I would recommend any college applicant to visit – Schreiner is a lovely community. I visited as well with their chaplain, Dr. Dongwoo Lee, and had a wonderful conversation about their religious studies and the theology of disaster recovery.

Preached at FPC Copperas Cove

On January 11^th I visited the First Presbyterian Church of Copperas Cove and preached for Baptism Sunday. My seminary friend, Rev. Ochuba Okam Ochuba visited with me and we had a lovely time! Thank you FPC CC for the wonderful hospitality! Also, Elder Jeff Hampton shared with me their session’s impressively comprehensive church security and disaster readiness plans. Jeff gave SPDR permission to share these plans with other congregations who are hoping to prepare for disasters, so stay tuned for more information to be shared on developing emergency preparedness plans.