Together, we celebrated 30 years of the Colombia Partnership!

To celebrate 30 years of the Colombia Partnership between Presbytery of the Miami Valley and the Presbytery of the North Coast, Colombia, there were two celebrations in the Summer of 2026:

The first events in Barranquilla, Colombia were in June, when a delegation of 20 from Presbytery of the Miami Valley traveled to Colombia to celebrate with partners from the Presbytery of the North Coast.

For the second celebration in July, our presbytery welcomed visitors traveling from the Presbytery of the North Coast, Colombia, who participated in celebration events here in Dayton.

Three people, one from Colombia, one from the Dayton area, and one now in Florida have given us their thoughts on the celebrations and the abiding significance of the 30-year Partnership.

Belkys Teheran Estrada, Principal of Colegio Americano de Barranquilla, Colombia, shared her faith story during worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dayton, when she visited in July. Twenty-two years ago, the Colombia Partnership first brought her to Westminster when she visited from Colombia. Here’s part of what she had to say:

“Today I want to thank God for the partnership between the Presbytery of the North Coast and the Presbytery of Miami Valley. For me, this is not only the story of two presbyteries. It is part of my own story. It is part of how God changed my life. I grew up in a home with three generations of women: my grandmother, my mother, and me. We did not have many resources, but we had faith, love, and the desire to move forward.

“The church gave me a scholarship that allowed me to study at the Colegio Americano, a Presbyterian school (where she serves today as Principal). That opportunity opened a door for me. It gave me an education, but it also gave me a community, values, and a place where I began to discover that God had a purpose for my life. Because of the church, I met people who believed in me. And because of this partnership, my world became much bigger…

“My prayer is that this partnership will continue for many more years, and that new generations will also find a place in this story. May they receive the same faith, love, and opportunities that I received. And may they also learn that the Spirit of God always moves outward, creating community, crossing borders, and bringing us together in Christ.”

Read Belkys’ full faith story

Megan Worcester, from Oxford Presbyterian Church, attended both celebrations and gives us an excellent account of what went on. Here’s an excerpt:

“Over the past month five churches from Presbytery of the Miami Valley, celebrated the 30th Anniversary of our Partnership with their sister churches from the North Coast Presbytery.  This is a major feat in our presbytery and can be seen as an example of how true partnerships can endure and thrive over the decades. During these weeks there were two different celebrations planned: one in June in Barranquilla, Colombia, and one in July around Dayton, Ohio.  While these celebrations had moments of church-to-church fellowship and worship, the majority of the events on both sides focused on the presbytery-to-presbytery relationships…

“While both trips were short and jam packed with events and outings, they were also full of meaningful time together.  We laughed together and shared stories of the past 30 years.  We agreed that both countries are in troubling times, but we will work together to make things better.  Most importantly, however, we reminded each other that we are not in this alone.  None of our sister churches walk alone but are loved by both God and their brothers and sisters in Christ, despite our differences.”

Read Megan’s full article

The Rev. Mario Bolivar, Equipping Presbyter and Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Florida, shared his gratitude for the Partnership and personal effect it had upon his life. Here is what he had to say, along with a video Mario made for the occasion:

“Although I could not be present for this year’s partnership celebration, I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has invested in this ministry over the decades.

“This message is a personal tribute to the extraordinary partnership “Hermanamiento” between the Miami Valley Presbytery (Ohio) and the Presbytery of the North Coast of Colombia—a relationship that has faithfully connected two communities of faith for more than 30 years.

“I was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, and I am living testimony to the power of that partnership. As a child, I never imagined that translating for visiting mission teams would become part of God’s call on my life. Through the friendships, encouragement, and shared ministry fostered by this covenant relationship, God revealed gifts, opened doors, and ultimately led me to become a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).”

Watch Mario’s video 

Impressions of the 227th General Assembly
From our presbytery delegation in Milwaukee

 We asked members of the Presbytery of the Miami Valley delegation attending the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) held earlier this summer in Milwaukee, WI, to share their impressions of GA 227.

Ruling Elder Alice McCollum
Commissioner
Trinity Presbyterian Church, Dayton

“Persevering Toward Wholeness”

While I am a fourth generations Presbyterian, attending the 227th General Assembly was a first. I arrived with no predetermined agenda and no preconceived ideas.  It was my belief that the Holy Spirit would guide me.  Believe me when I say, I really needed that guidance! For the most part, the commissioners were on one accord. To arrive at consensus on committee recommendations, it was truly amazing to watch parliamentary procedure in action. The major focus of the ecumenical worship services was to bring healing and wholeness to the attendees as there is still hurt and a lack of trust in leadership due to the dismantling of the PC(USA) mission outreach as we had known it. The GA was well organized, educational, enlightening, and exhausting. I will submit a full report for the September 2026 Presbytery meeting. I thank the Presbytery for allowing me to serve.

The Rev. Cynthia Holder Rich
Commissioner
Corinth Presbyterian Church, Dayton

I was grateful to serve as the Teaching Elder Commissioner for PMV at GA 227. I learned a lot, met great people, and took part in important conversations about the past, present, and future of our church. At a time of great change, it was energizing to see so many people from all over the church take the business of the denomination seriously.

We who served will report at presbytery in September. One question I’m reflecting upon in response to our experiences at GA is the church moving through change with fewer dollars to fund ministry. In efforts to faithfully navigate these changes, denominational staff and elected leadership made decisions over the past few years that centralized power and granted authority to a far smaller group of people than in the past. In just one example, there is one person in executive leadership of the church rather than two, and one unified agency leading the church rather than the two that existed before. The Assembly raised many questions about accountability, clarity, and process, and pushed back on decisions made, changing some paths forward for the denomination’s mission and ministry plans and organization.

Jorge Herrera
Young Adult Advisory Delegate
College Hill Community Church PC(USA), Dayton

Realistically, when I first arrived, I had no clue what would happen. Before I arrived in Wisconsin, there were meetings that explained what would happen there. Unfortunately, because I had work, I barely got to attend them. Despite that, when I arrived, I met a group of random YAADs, and they immediately invited me to hang out with them for the day. As time passed, I hung out with them more and more, and we pretty much settled on sticking together for the whole trip. On the days when Plenary had begun, I was a bit nervous since I felt like I didn’t really belong. I did not have the same experience as the people around me. That faded away once I got to sit with my presbytery, since they explained what we would be voting on and helped me fully grasp what was going on. What really stood out to me was how many people were against the church using AI. It always seemed like a niche topic, and I felt like it was never ever thought about. That moment showed me how many people had the same opinion as me. Overall, the experience was truly one of a kind. From feeling shy at the beginning to being able to express what I thought to others, I truly cannot wait for the next General Assembly!

Practical Resources for Churches
Free materials and benefits for you!

Presbytery of the Miami Valley has partnered with Practical Resources for Churches (PRC) to provide a variety of materials and services to our churches. Many of you are probably already familiar with the free training webinars that have been offered.

Because of our presbytery’s membership, your church has access to all the products in the PRC online store at no cost. The free products in the store include materials for use with children, teens, and adults. There are resources for curriculum, faith formation, worship, liturgical seasons, leadership, and more.

Beyond the free resources in the store and free webinars, PMV’s membership also gives your church access to additional support and services designed to equip and empower your ministry.

How to get free materials and benefits

What people are saying about Practical Resources for Churches

The Rev. Amy Duiker
Pastor of Sugar Creek Presbyterian Church

I find the website very easy to navigate to find what I’m looking for and I’m always looking through their creative worship and education ideas for inspiration.  PRC is prolific – there is always something new.  I love being able to tell our leaders that this is our connectional ministry dollars at work in the presbytery.

I’ve watched several of the tech webinars on offer and had our session watch some of them as well.  I can speed up the prerecorded ones to maximize a lot of information inside an hour.  As with most webinars, I know some of the stuff, but there’s always new stuff in there that’s usable now or later.

We have started using a resource from one of those videos to quickly distill our full worship service videos into short clips for Facebook and YouTube and that has resulted in a ~500% increase in our Facebook reach and about 12 new subscribers to our YouTube last month

With Publisher disappearing and Sugar Creek looking to reimagine our newsletter options and patterns, our Administrative Assistant is registered for webinars on Affinity and Canva and I’ve watched one on thinking through newsletters that meet needs that has shaped my current vision

We connected to a consultant couple who work with PRC and have done some of their webinars and session voted to engage them; they’ll be here for a weekend assessment at the end of June; they specialize in small and medium sized churches and identifying highly contextualized, individualized, workable plans for macro and micro outreach to stimulate health, vitality and purpose.

The Rev. Cynthia Holder Rich
Pastor of Corinth Presbyterian Church

I’m really grateful for the PMV subscription to PRC, making these resources available at no cost to congregations. We ordered and are receiving digital resources from their Summer Strategy Pack.

Here are three ways Corinth is using the resources:

1. The On-the-Go blessings are being sent out to all members via text each Monday. There is one for each week June-August, so today, I sent out the second of these. Response and engagement are strong–and some members have started copying and sharing with their friends as well.
2. From the “RCL (revised common lectionary) Snapshots” resource, which gives direction for deeper reflection on sermon texts, Corinth is printing reflection questions based on the Gospel text for the day in the bulletin, and worshippers are discussing these in small groups after the sermon.
3. There is a resource called “RCL–Into the Prayground”, which offers lectionary based lessons for children. A committee of the church decided to use these for children’s lessons six Sundays this summer during an adult Bible study, with children and teachers gathering in an adjoining room to discuss the text.

The Rev. Diane Ziegler
Pastor of The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church

I have appreciated PRC as a way to engage in an hour or so of learning as I have time. PRC is an abundant source of ideas and assistance. PRC also has folks who can assist with particular problems or needs, which can be a tremendous time saver. If your congregation has not yet checked out PRC’s resources, I would encourage you to do so. It is one portion of our connectional support as congregations, and it is a wonderful investment!

The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church Session began using the PRC Boundary Training resources in 2026 to meet our training requirement. We have found the videos and materials to be excellent in helping us to think broadly and strategically about key areas of the church’s operations, and how we can increase safety and welcoming for everyone. The PRC training is designed for leaders, understanding that they are thinking about the congregation, as well as regarding Sunday School and particular parts of the church’s life and ministry. The training content provides immediate steps, as well as challenges congregational culture and provides pathways for making cultural changes that improve safety and welcome. We have appreciated the training and the conversations and actions that have risen out of them.

Additionally, staff and committees have used PRC resources for particular needs or to seek out ideas. For example, we have been working for several years on discipleship. There are a number of helpful videos on PRC that support thinking about and developing discipleship programs in participatory and sustainable ways.

Kylie Hettinger
Director of Discipleship
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dayton 

I really appreciate the resources provided to you because they are very easy to use and adaptable to your needs. It only took me a few minutes to get my access set up and I was off!

Practical Resources for Churches is a deep well of knowledge and, as it says in the name, resources. Here are a few of the things that you have access to: free live webinars, an online resource center, as well as groups you can be a part of via Zoom. The website also provides past recorded webinars. All of this is free to you, through the presbytery!

Colombia Partnership 30th Anniversary Celebration in Dayton

To celebrate 30 years of the Partnership between the Presbytery of the Miami Valley and the Presbytery of the North Coast, Colombia, there are two celebrations in the Summer of 2026:

The first celebration in Barranquilla, Colombia is happening June 18-22, 2026, with a delegation from Presbytery of the Miami Valley traveling to Colombia.

For the second celebration in July 2026, our presbytery will welcome visitors traveling from Colombia to Dayton.

Two celebration events in Dayton for everyone in the presbytery!

Vespers Service
Thursday, July 9, 5:00 PM
College Hill Community Church PC(USA)
1547 Philadelphia Drive, Dayton

Sunday Worship Service and BBQ Dinner
Sunday, July 12, 4:00 PM
Covenant Presbyterian Church
415 N. Main Street, Springboro

RSVP for the Sunday Dinner
Email Megan Worcester at miworcester@gmail.com
(Dinner will only be available for those who RSVP by Monday, July 6.)

The Colombian Partnership Network of Presbytery of the Miami Valley maintains and expands relationships established in the 30-year-old partnership with Presbiterio de la Costa Norte de Colombia.

Over the years the partnership has involved visits between the sister presbyteries and among churches here in the Miami Valley and in Colombia.

Download a flyer

Presbytery’s Retiree Ministry

Our outreach to those who have served the church

In 2024, the Committee on Ministry of Presbytery of the Miami Valley identified an unfilled opportunity to coordinate, encourage, support, and resource pastoral care for retired clergy, retired Certified Educators, and surviving spouses.

Ruling Elder Janet Miller was commissioned to fill this role as she had earned a Certificate in Congregational Leadership from Dubuque Theological Seminary (2022) and earned a Certificate in Older Adult Ministries from Columbia Theological Seminary (2020). Additionally, she completed two units of Clinical Pastoral Education.

While Janet regularly sends emails, holiday cards and ordination anniversary cards, another of her tasks is hosting luncheons in the different areas of PMV for the retirees. The first was held at First Presbyterian Church of Troy, the second and third were in Dayton at Coco’s and Meadowlark restaurants, and May 19, 2026, they ventured south to Liberty Township and met at Cozy’s Restaurant. These luncheons have allowed conversation to flow and memories to be shared, all while enjoying delicious meals together with lots of laughter.

Meeting with groups of retirees has been rewarding, giving them time to talk and strengthen their relationships. Janet has also visited several beloved retirees in their homes and called others to introduce herself and chat.

These efforts help to ensure that our presbytery’s retirees know they are appreciated and not forgotten after many years of ministry.

Some words of wisdom from our retirees

Advice to pass along: Things work out, trust. Rewards of getting older: Having time for self-care and saying ‘yes’ to things that matter. Words for a new pastor: This won’t be 40-hour weeks, have boundaries, define limits, know when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’. Life advice: Never give up, don’t close doors, especially on relatives. Finding happiness: Develop relationships and find your tribe. Reminiscing: Look back with appreciation and respect for spiritual inheritance.

Meet our new Moderator and Vice Moderator

At its May 12, 2026 meeting, Presbytery of the Miami Valley elected Minister of Word and Sacrament Diane Ziegler as Moderator and Ruling Elder Greg Eyler as Vice Moderator for 2026-27.

The Rev. Diane Ziegler, Moderator
The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church, Bellbrook

The Rev. Diane Ziegler was raised in the Oxford Presbyterian Church. She has served as Stated Supply pastor of The Bellbrook Presbyterian Church since 2016, and as Parish Associate of the Oxford Presbyterian Church since 2010. Prior to serving the Bellbrook church, Diane served as Executive Director of Kirkmont Center, as transitional pastor for the Belle Center United Presbyterian Church, and as pastor of the Reily Presbyterian Church.

Within the Presbytery Diane has served as a Commissioner to General Assembly, a Commissioner to the Synod of the Covenant, Chair of Staff Support, Chair of the Executive Presbyter Search Committee and the Stated Clerk Search Committee, Member of the Transition Visioning Team of the Presbytery, co-leader of the Small Church Transformation Project, and Missional Presbyteries Project Participant.

She is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Theology. Diane lives in Loveland with her husband and three cats. She has two adult sons.

Ruling Elder Greg Eyler, Vice Moderator
The Presbyterian Church, Hamilton

Greg is a Ruling Elder and Deacon from the Presbyterian Church of Hamilton. A lifelong Presbyterian and Ohioan, he graduated from Miami University with a degree in History and completed additional coursework in Geriatrics at the University of Cincinnati. Greg entered long-term healthcare as a recreational therapist and served as the department head until his retirement in 2012.

Over the years, Greg has served the Hamilton congregation in many capacities, including as a Stephen Minister. Presently, he is on the session and chairs the Nominating Committee. He has a passion for Seeker Ministries and Multicultural Ministries.  In the early 2000s, Greg was a contributing writer for the ecumenical periodical “Net Results,” focusing on identifying new ideas for vital churches and ministries.

Greg has been involved with PMV since the 1990s and recently served on the Nominating and Staff Support Committees. He is also a member of the Administrative Commission working with the Corinth congregation.

Single, Greg enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews. As well as selling mid-20th Century glassware and dinnerware at an antique shop in Lebanon. In his spare time, he collects postcards and grows African Violets and Irises.

Introducing Good Futures Accelerator

What if you could use your church buildings and property to further your mission and ministry in your neighborhood and to generate new forms of income?

Good Futures Accelerator was designed by Rooted Good to help congregations address core questions relating to the use of property for mission and ministry in the changing context congregations face today. The project aims to help congregations understand their changing context – both in terms of ministry and finances.    

The Presbytery of the Miami Valley has joined in this program and is hoping to create a cohort of churches which are working through the Good Futures Accelerator.  PMV is also offering the possibility of a $5000 grant to churches that complete the program and come up with an idea to fulfill their mission and purpose in their communities that utilizes their buildings and creates possibly new revenue streams for the church.

Our hope and prayer are that this in-depth study will help churches fulfill their mission and purpose in our local communities, utilizing our buildings and land in new, creative ways, and generate new revenue streams.  As we know, our God has created everyone to do good work, and the role of faith communities in the world today is still significant. And more needed than ever.

We will provide more information about the formation of a PMV Good Futures Accelerator cohort group as it becomes available. In the meantime, please feel free to email questions and comments to the Rev.  Kazy Hinds, PMV’s Good Futures Facilitator, at kazybh@gmail.com .

Learn more about Good Futures