April 2025 Presbytery Leadership Council Update

April 2025 Presbytery Leadership Council Update

April 2025 Presbytery Leadership Council Update

The Leadership Council of the Presbytery of Des Moines met via Zoom on April 9. In addition to usual “meeting things” such as approving/correcting minutes and adjusting the agenda, this meeting included reports from the three executives and from members of the council in relationship to the committee/commission they represent. Also shared were calendar highlights, e.g., dates of the All-Iowa Presbyterian Gathering—August 23 and the 2026 General Assembly in Milwaukee—June 22-24 online (committee work) and June 27-July 2 in person.

One focus of the meeting’s conversation was the upcoming Presbytery meeting that will take place in Corning on May 20th. The proposed docket for that meeting was discussed and adjusted. It was decided that the meeting’s offering would be directed to the Presbytery’s Harvest Offering program through which it could be used to help a variety of projects related to rural areas and those living there.

Other items discussed included Zoom workshops on compassionate church closures, the most recent Presbytery budget statements, the General Assembly Commissioner election process, and various current events. The meeting had a time of prayer. The next Leadership Council meeting is scheduled for May 14.

First Presbyterian, Guthrie Center Invites You to 150th Anniversary

First Presbyterian, Guthrie Center Invites You to 150th Anniversary

First Presbyterian, Guthrie Center Invites You to 150th Anniversary

On Sunday, June 22, the First Presbyterian Church of Guthrie Center will be celebrating their 150th Anniversary. All are invited to attend any and all of the celebration!

Schedule

  • 10 AM – Worship Service
  • Light lunch following service
  • 1-3 PM community open house in the downstairs fellowship hall with cake and ice cream
Thoughts from the Sudanese Support Team

Thoughts from the Sudanese Support Team

Thoughts from the Sudanese Support Team

(As this article was being finalized, news came to us that the U.S. is revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, accusing the African nation’s government of “taking advantage of the United States.” People from South Sudan had been granted temporary protected status by the U.S. because of insecurity at home. That status expires on May 3. We will provide further updates as we learn more about this situation.)

First Arabic Presbyterian Church (FAPC) is our presbytery’s newest, youngest, and fastest-growing congregation. Many of its members – Sudanese refugees and immigrants who left their homes to escape the horrors of war – have endured untold obstacles to make their way to safety. Here in this country, they have faced many challenges in adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings, a new culture and a foreign language.

Our presbytery’s Sudanese Support Team – along with several other churches in our presbytery – have been walking along side this young congregation, providing assistance and support. However, when we reflect on this partnership, we realize that WE, too, are the ones who benefit.

We enjoy friendships with people we might not have otherwise had a change to meet. We are inspired by their strength, their endurance and their faith, which has carried them forward through unspeakable challenges. We have come to realize that there is much we can learn from First Arabic Presbyterian Church:

  • FAPC is a growing congregation – we can learn how to grow our churches.
  • We can learn about inclusive fellowship, which is very strong at FAPC. In addition to worship, the congregation gathers regularly for meals, holiday celebrations, special events, etc.
  • We can learn how to offer extraordinary welcome, which FAPC does so very well. Among those who are drawn to FAPC are several Arabic-speaking folks from the Muslim community, because they feel comfortable, knowing they are welcome. If you attend FAPC worship services, you, too, will experience their warm and genuine hospitality.
  • We can learn about the plight of refugees in this country, which can bring deeper understanding to the current climate of polarization and division.

We celebrate this beautiful, growing congregation, and we ask for your continued support and prayers for their well-being.

Sincerely,
The Sudanese Support Team

2025 Palm Sunday Procession for Peace

2025 Palm Sunday Procession for Peace

2025 Palm Sunday Procession for Peace

Join Des Moines Faith Committee for Peace for a Palm Sunday procession and worship service at New Beginnings Christian Church (8631 Hickman, Urbandale) on April 13 at 3:00pm. There will be a Procession led by a donkey which will start, loop and end in the parking lot of New Beginnings Christian Church where the Prayer Service for Peace will be held. We will gather to renew our commitment to be instruments of God’s peace and raise our voices in support of justice and peace, an end to war, and an end to violence here at home. Children are welcome to the procession and service where there will be a special children’s moment. The service will be live streamed on Facebook.

Prayers for Sudan

Prayers for Sudan

Prayers for Sudan

First Arabic Presbyterian Church and the Sudanese Support Team ask for your prayers as the atrocities of war continue in Sudan. While the situation in Sudan does not often make the headlines in the U.S.A., we are following recent developments:

  • The Sudanese Armed Forces report that acts of genocide, murder, rape, theft, forceable displacement and vandalism are being perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group in Sudan.
  • As fighting intensified in western Sudan, Doctors Without Borders had to suspend its relief operations in the Zamzam Refugee Camp, ending life-saving humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced people.
  • The Sudanese are feeling the impact of the reductions in foreign aid by the U.S.A. In South Sudan, the International Rescue Committee closed a project providing access to quality health care and nutrition services to more than 115,000 people. In Sudan, 90 communal kitchens have been closed in Khartoum (the capital city), leaving more than half a million people without consistent access to food.

(Sources: recent articles in the New York Times, Concern Worldwide, and the Associated Press)

Our Sudanese brothers and Sisters in Christ at First Arabic Presbyterian Church suffer, too, over deep concern for their family members and friends back home. The support from the Presbytery – both through prayer and financial gifts – is truly appreciated.

At the last Presbytery meeting on February 22, representatives from First Arabic Church, along with folks from the Sudanese Support Team, were invited to share their history, stories, joys and concerns. If you missed this presentation, here is a link to the video recording.

Mission Trip to Korea

Mission Trip to Korea

Mission Trip to Korea

The Presbyterian Peace Network for Korea (PPNK) invites you on a mission trip to South Korea from October 21 to October 30, 2025. The registration period is open now through April 30.

This trip is open to Presbyterians and others who are interested in Korea and are concerned about the prospects for peace there and around the world. The participants will build connections with peacemakers in the Presbyterian faith as well as with other churches and groups in South Korea. The journey is not primarily for Korean-Americans, but for people in our presbytery who want to promote peace.

PPNK is a mission network related to the PCUSA, whose primary mission is to educate and advocate for peace on the Korean peninsula. This trip intends to involve a broader group of Presbyterians in this mission.

Details and registration information can be found linked below. Questions should be directed to Ministry & Mission Executive, Amgad Beblawi.

More information: