Dr. Teresa Berger, Professor of Ecumenical Theology at Duke Divinity School, will be in Greenville this weekend to lead three events. All events will be at First Baptist Church, 847 Cleveland Street. This evening from 6:30 - 9:00 the topic will be Centering Prayer Quiet Evening and will include a presentation by Dr. Berger on "Prayer as Pilgrimage - Journeying into the Heart of God." On Saturday there will be a workshop on "Basics of the Christian Journey: How to Think Theologically" at 9:00 a.m. in the church parlor. A donation of $5 at the door on both Friday and Saturday will cover expenses. Sunday morning from 10:00---10:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall, Dr. Berger will present "Mary of Magdala: Framing a Biblical Woman."

Dr. Berger is also author of Fragments of Real Presence: Liturgical Traditions in the Hands of Women." Copies of the book will be on sale for $25 at each event. For more information about Teresa Berger, visit the link below.

Nexus Laity Institute also will hold a contemplative retreat with the Rev. Carolyn West on "Holy Fire: Praying with the Celtic Christians" at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville, North Carolina, October 6-8. Celtic Christianity scholars say that the Celtic Christians learned from the monastic way of praying that "there was no separation of praying and living; praying and working flow into each other, so that life is to be punctuated by prayer and become prayer."

The Rev. Carolyn West is retired from the clergy staff of Christ Episcopal Church and has studied Celtic Christianity through pilgrimages to England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man. She was born and raised in Texas and attended Bryn Mawr College and Virginia Theological Seminary. Before her ordination as an Episcopal priest, she spent almost 20 years as a reporter and editor at a daily newspaper in Tidewater, Va.

St. Francis Springs Prayer Center (near Winston Salem) is a beautiful retreat center on 140 wooded acres that offers a comfortable, peaceful environment where you will experience the beauty of nature, the sanctity of silence, and the joy of Franciscan hospitality. The cost of the retreat is $210 for a single room, $170 double, and $150 triple. This includes all costs for two nights lodging, six meals, snacks, and all retreat materials.

To register, contact Sandra Davis at 864-370-2424, ext. 111. Registration deadline is September 26.

Kathy Galloway, leader of the Iona Community in Scotland, will visit Columbia Theological Seminary on Friday, October 13, and the Center for Lifelong Learning will host a luncheon conversation with her. Galloway, a minister of the Church of Scotland, was elected leader of the Iona Community in 2002. She lives in Glasgow, where she is based at the Community's mainland office. Her visit to the States is an opportunity to renew old Iona Community contacts, meet new friends, and share information about the Community's current work and concerns.

Advance reservations are required for the event and, regretfully, walk-ins cannot be accommodated. Luncheon reservations may be made by registering online at www.ctsnet.edu/lifelong/learning/calendar.asp or by contacting the Lifelong Learning Registrar at roperp@ctsnet.edu or 404-687-4587. The cost of the luncheon is $9 For more information about the Iona Community, visit the link below.

The Rev. Alex Adu-Sekyere, Kwahu Presbytery's new clerk, sent the following message to friends in Foothills Presbytery on September 11.
Dear Esteemed Friends,
Another year has come as we remember the events of September 11. We share your grief and sentiments on the occasion of the September 11 event. The shock and surprise that gripped all of you and other friends all over the world at large is still fresh in our minds.
The work of the enemy has not ceased; the desire to create terror, fear and destruction to humanity began at creation. Thank God, Christ came to redeem humanity, and there is hope for the believer in Christ. Our Saviour and Redeemer called on His followers to watch the signs of the times and pray unceasingly.
On behalf of the Kwahu Presbytery, I wish you all well in the years ahead. May the God of all peace be with you all.
Sincerely yours, Rev. Alex Adu-Seyere, Presbytery Clerk.

PEER NETWORK CONFERENCE - The 22nd annual PEER Network Conference will be held October 19-20 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. Is your church's endowment 1) A vital support for operations and/or ministry? 2) A source of contention and confusion? 3) A dead-in-the-water elephant? Make every effort to attend the PEER Network Conference on "Greater Endowment for Greater Ministry" with keynote speakers Dr. Robert Wood Lynn and Dr. Laura Mendenhall as they talk about the relation of endowment to ministry. Go to www.peernetwork.org for details.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN ANNUAL SPIRITUAL RETREAT - Reminder of the PW Retreat at Camp Hope in Clemson on October 7. The Rev. Nancy Blakely will be the speaker, and the cost is $15 per person. Registration is due by October 1. Mail to: Sandra Sweet, 106 Fernridge Dr., Spartanburg, SC 29307.

OPENING FOR PART-TIME SECRETARY - Walhalla Presbyterian Church has an opening for a part-time secretary. General office experience with good computer skills. A knowledge of data base, word processing and desktop publishing. If you are motivated and have good people skills, send resume to Walhalla Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 917, Walhalla, SC 29691 or e-mail to secretarywpc@earthlink.net.

PRESBYTERIAN YOUTH DAY AT CAROWINDS - A day of fellowship and service for Presbyterian youth sponsored by the Charlotte PYC. For more information, contact: Nancy Youmans at 704-535-9999 ext 205 or 800-926-1537 or nancy.youmans@presbyofcharlotte.org

NEW LOCATION FOR PW HISTORIES - The Presbyterian Historical Society will be transferring PW and congregational annual histories to Columbia Theological Seminary this fall, where they will be maintained. In January 2007 please send your PW annual history documenting 2006 activities to: Linda Davis, Special Collections Librarian, John Bulow Campbell Library, Columbia Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 520, Decatur, GA 30031.

SEPTEMBER PRESBYTERY MEETING - Don't forget the Foothills Presbytery meeting this coming Tuesday, September 19, at First Presbyterian Church in Anderson. Registration will begin at 9:00 and the meeting will convene at 9:30.