WE ARE FAMILY IN FLORIDA A
By Martha McKenzie
lthough Florida Presbyterial does not currently have an organized board, I am serving as the Florida representative. We are having events that give our women opportunities to join together in fellowship. We are family. We have local kin, Pres-
byterial family, and even some Synodical connections. I remember when we used to visit one another’s churches, stay in each other’s homes, and meet in your sanctuaries. We shared ideas and got stronger when we returned home. Let me share a couple of events from Florida: a Fall Tea and a Mini Retreat. Bartow ARP was the host for a Fall Tea which included some youth servers , delicious food and a panel of three ladies from different generations who answered several ques- tions, as a fun way for us to get to know each other better–it was enjoyed by all. The First Presbyterian Church of Lake Placid, hosted the State of Florida ARP Wom- en’s Mini Retreat. After many months of planning by a committee of incredible, godly women, FPCLP hosted 176 women from 11 different churches from around the state. The retreat opened with prayer, which was followed by a sweet time of praise and worship through song and music, led by FPCLP’s Praise Team. Another time of wor- ship and praise closed the retreat! The theme of this retreat was “Finding True Riches,” using the Bible verse, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:34) The retreat speaker was First Presbyterian’s own Catharine Grigsby. Catharine led used the Bible to teach us about storing our true riches in Christ Jesus. The second session revealed ways to help us to identify what we personally
considered our “true riches”, and how we are to apply what the Bible teaches to our personal lives, drawing closer to Jesus through Bible study and prayer. came to speak with the ladies about missions and the Jubi- lee Birthday ladies. A love offering was taken and $1900 was given! Praise God. The decor for the retreat used Lake Placid’s orange grove
industry. The “orange” theme was carried throughout the retreat with food, centerpieces, goodie bags and door priz- es. Lunch was served in orange fruit baskets and included a chicken salad wrap, crudites with dipping sauce, chips and a brownie. Thirty fun door prizes were awarded and an invitation was given to ask for the next host for an event. This was a fun way to end an enjoyable day of worship, praise, studying God’s word, prayer, meeting with other sisters in Christ, and learning to draw near to Jesus and placing your TRUE RICHES IN HIM!
GRACE PRESBYTERY
During the General Synod meeting in June 2018, it was proposed and passed that First Presbytery (which included all ARP churches in North Carolina) should be divided and that the eastern portion of North Carolina would become Grace Presbytery. There are currently 18 churches in Grace Presbytery. Organized Women’s Min- istries do exist in some of those churches but there is not an organized WM board in Grace at this time. The ARPWM Board is currently looking for a woman from Grace who would agree to serve as the representa- tive on the board for Grace. Responsibilities would include sending information to all women’s contacts (and to the churches that don’t have a women’s contact) about events and opportunities which the women of Grace might want to attend. In addition, our board meets in March, July, and October and the rep can attend the meet- ing at Bonclarken in person or by ZOOM. If you are a woman in Grace Presbytery who would be willing to serve as your Presbyterial rep, please contact me (Vicki Marsh, president of ARPWM (
vcmarsh1414@gmail.com)! I look forward to hearing from you.
May/June 2025 21
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