Synod of the Trinity Enews: Merry Christmas!

	December 22, 2025 The Synod of the Trinity Being More Together Synod of the Trinity Your Synod of the Trinity staff includes (from left) Forrest Claassen, Elizabeth Connelly, Frank Orzehoski, Skip Noftzger, Mike Givler and Gwenn Egresitz. Merry Christmas! The Synod of the Trinity staff wishes you the merriest of Christmases, and health and prosperity in the new year. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:13-14 Pittsburgh 2026 APCE Annual Event has distinct local flavor Next month, the Association of Partners in Christian Education's Annual Event will converge on Pittsburgh. For those from the Steel City area, they'll notice a distinct local flavor to this gathering, thanks to planning that was done by people with ties to the city. “We really worked hard for people to get a taste of what Pittsburgh is all about, maybe in ways that haven’t been done in the past,” said John Ryan, a pastor in North Carolina who grew up in nearby New Cumberland, WV, and graduated from Westminster College. “Our Biblical, grounding text is The Great Commission, the Matthew version of it," John added. "This year’s theme is ‘Bridging the Gap: Love God, Love Self, Love Neighbor.’ We played up the rivers, the bridges with all of our thematic work. Even with how we’re naming groups and some of the worship times are all playing into that.” For more on the APCE Annual Event and all that is planned, click here. Upper Ohio Valley Gene Toot, 96, was 'prominent member' of East Liverpool, OH Gene Toot was more than a pastor. He was a valuable member of the East Liverpool, OH, community who served on boards of service groups, was a teammate and friend on softball and bowling teams, and a renowned dahlia grower. Gene also helped form Upper Ohio Valley Presbytery more than 50 years ago and was involved with Beaver Creek Presbyterian Church Camp from its inception in 1953. “He was a friendly guy to be around. He had a lot of depth," described Ian Leyda, the current pastor at Long’s Run Trinity Church in East Liverpool where Gene was pastor emeritus. "He was a sports fan, a sports nut. He was truly a universal guy, meaning he was very well read in many subjects – politics, philosophy, theology and Ohio State football.” Steve Cramer, a former pastor at Trinity Church, added, "He was just seen widely as a prominent member of the community, not just the church." For more on Gene's life and impact in his community, click here. The Synod of the Trinity is thankful for Gene’s work and service to the region and sends condolences to his family and friends. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Luminosity Conference aims to help churches through change where faith and innovation meet, will be held  Luminosity is a conference for Presbyterian leaders who want fresh ideas and real tools for guiding the church through change. Attendees will hear from experienced leaders, learn practical strategies and walk away re-energized and equipped to make an impact right where you serve. To apply for a grant for the Luminosity Conference, Stewardship Kaleidoscope and/or the Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising, fill out an application by clicking here. The only requirement is that an applicant is a Minister of Word and Sacrament or Commissioned Ruling Elder. Remember, if any church members go to Stewardship Kaleidoscope with their pastoral leader, they are also eligible and should be included on the pastoral leader’s application. For more information and to register for the Luminosity Conference, click here.
Click image above to find events occurring around the Synod region! Christmas Joy Offering supports pastors Each year during the Advent and Christmas season, past, present and future leaders of the church are recognized. God has blessed the church with incredible leadership in every time and place, but those leaders often need to be supported by their communities as well. The Christmas Joy Offering provides support for Presbyterian church workers and their families in their time of need and leadership development and education for communities of color at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. More information is available by clicking here. Welcome new pastors! Gleaned from presbytery newsletters in the Synod of the Trinity region, we recognize these pastoral celebrations: PRESBYTERY OF PHILADELPHIA *Adrienne Poissant was ordained at Wallingford Presbyterian Church on Nov. 16. PRESBYTERY OF CARLISLE *Drew McFayden will be installed at Gettysburg Presbyterian Church on Jan. 18. Pittsburgh collecting for medical debt Over the past few months, Presbyterian church members in Pittsburgh Presbytery have donated nearly $75,000 as part of a campaign with the national nonprofit group Undue Medical Debt – enough to eliminate more than $14 million in outstanding bills. The coalition has exceeded its initial goal to raise $65,000 and the campaign is still open through the end of the year for those who would like to erase burdensome medical debts for their community. Click here to learn more and donate. Carlisle scholarship program helping in Honduras Students in Honduras can attend elementary school without charge. However, unlike public education in the United States, tuition and fees are charged for secondary school. The Presbytery of Carlisle, which has a partnership with the Presbytery of Honduras, is supporting this scholarship program. Any amount of money may be given towards scholarships. A gift of $100 will cover a significant portion of a student’s annual tuition and change their life. For more information on this program, contact Carlisle's Honduras Mission Subcommittee through Kathy Wells (kathywells1207@gmail.com) or Tony Lorenz (alorenz.fpcarl@pa.net). Join Mission Mondays at NWMC On the second Monday of each month, the New Wilmington Mission Conference holds "Mission Mondays," a special online event featuring a mission coworker, scholar or partner sharing stories, insights, opportunities and updates about God‘s work around the world. Join the NWMC to be inspired, connect with others and deepen your understanding of global missions. Everyone is welcome — share this invitation and join the discussion. The next Mission Monday is Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. Details to come. To get a Zoom link, register by emailing office@nwmcmission.org. PHS to help churches, mid councils write their histories The Presbyterian Historical Society is in the process of developing a resource and/or training to help churches research and write their own histories through an anti-racist lens. To inform our process, PHS staff would like to hear directly from churches and mid councils on what would be most useful for you as you engage in this work via this survey. As part of this effort, PHS is collecting and preserving products of self-study undertaken by PC(USA) congregations and mid councils and providing access to them via the PC(USA) Self-Studies on Racism digital collection. Use this webform to submit your church or mid council's self-study product to be preserved and added to the digital collection.
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