The 158th Meeting of the Presbytery of Arkansas will be held February 21-22 at Lyon College in Batesville. Lyon needs our lunch numbers by early next week, so we need you to register by Monday, February 10.

Register Here

Host Packet

Draft Minutes of October 25-26 Meeting

Two Presbytery Workshops Planned

• Soul Shop - Friday, 2/21 from 4:00 to 5:00 - Join the Rev Maggie Alsup as she talks about how suicide isn’t just a result of mental illness or depression; it often arises from profound despair and isolation. In a world where relationships are fractured, and hope is fading, the church has a unique opportunity to step in, offering healing, connection, and renewal. Join us for a pre-presbytery workshop to learn how Soul Shop can help equip faith communities to recognize and repsond to suicidal desperaiton and be empowered to be sources of hope and social connection.
• Commissioner Training Session - Saturday, 2/22 at 8:30 AM - If you are a first time commissioner or it has been a while since you have attended a presbytery meeting and would like a refresher, we have you covered. Saturday morning, join our Stated Clerk, Blake Brinegar, in the President's boardroom for an orientation and training. We will cover details about the meeting and the role of the commissioner in the meeting.

Register for both workshops on the 158th Presbytery meeting registration form.

Visioning Team Report Now Available - New staff rolls will be presented and voted on at the February Presbytery meeting, Executive Presbyter and Director of Presbytery Operations and Congregational Vitality. Click here to read the full report on these jobs along with next steps and opportunities for everyone to meet with our Interim General Presbyter, Jim Poinsett and discuss where the Presbytery is going.

Information Sessions with Interim General Presbyter Jim Poinsett

To provide further clarity on these proposed staff roles and updates on the presbytery’s transitional interim period, Interim General Presbyter Jim Poinsett will be holding informal information sessions in an office-hour style at the following four locations:

• Thursday, 2/13, 4:00 to 7:00 pm at First in Wynne (Happy Hour)
• Sunday, 2/16, 1:00 to 4:00 pm at First in Rogers (Drinks & Cookies) (Rogers folks can meet with Jim after worship)
• Tuesday, 2/18, 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Central in Russellville (Happy Hour)
• Wednesday, 2/19, 4:00 to 8:00 pm at Trinity in Little Rock (Happy Hour)

These sessions will offer an opportunity to ask questions, gain a deeper understanding of the presbytery's direction, and engage in discussion about the future. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is invited to stop by any time during the office-hours listed. No reservation needed! Have questions, ask Jim!

• Annual statistical reporting for congregations of the presbytery is currently open. Click here to link to the reporting page. All reports must be completed by February 15th. If you need help with your log-in or password, contact Kim Palmer or Blake Brinegar.

• All but 19 churches have completed their Visioning Survey! Yeah!!! Please, if you are one of those 19 churches, click this link and have one person, pastor/CRE, clerk, administrator, complete it ASAP.

• New 2025 Clerks of Session - if you have a new clerk in 2025, please let Blake, Kim, or Julie know so they can keep the directory updated and make sure the clerks receive important information.

Youth @ Presbytery, February 21-22 at Lyon College (Batesville, AR). The event will begin at 6:30 pm on February 21st and end approx. 2 pm on February 22nd.

Register here

Your voice matters! High School youth are invited to attend the Spring meeting of the Presbytery, this year at Lyon College in Batesville. Youth will have voice on the floor and advisory votes on specific pieces of business. We will attend worship Friday evening, and we will get to know each other better. We will also hear from speakers who will let us know what business to expect during our Saturday meeting. Friday dinner and Saturday lunch will be provided. 

Who can attend:

  •     High School Youth (9th -12th Grade)

  •     Adult leaders who will serve as chaperones.

Register by: Feb 15th

Questions? Contact Sarah Leer, Transitional Youth and Young Adult Developer

R.E.M., Ruling Elders in Ministry, returns Friday, February 28-Saturday, March 1. All ruling elders in the Presbytery of Arkansas are welcome to gather at the University of the Ozarks at a retreat to explore the opportunities and challenges facing congregations today. This gathering will focus on membership integration and care, as well as public, personal, and congregational prayer. The event is offered free of charge through the Thriving in Rural Ministry program. If you have questions, please contact the Rev. Phil Blackburn.

Click here to register. We hope to see you there. 

Presbytery Wide Confirmation Retreat, February 28-March 2, 2025 @ Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center. Are you a small church who has a few youth who haven't been through Confirmation? Did COVID or a staff transition interrupt your Confirmation rotation? Do you have youth who would like to connect with others in the Presbytery as they go through your church’s Confirmation process? Well, you are in luck!

In order to better support our congregations, the Presbytery of Arkansas is offering a Confirmation opportunity for youth grades 7-12 for churches throughout our Presbytery. This Confirmation model is a Retreat weekend + some digital classes after the Retreat to round out Confirmation instruction. Youth will then be confirmed in their own congregations. We will work with the individual churches in order to make sure the youth have support as they move through the process.

We will begin the retreat around 7 pm on February 28th and end by 10 am on March 2nd, Register here by February 15th.

Due to the generosity of our ministry partners at Ferncliff, this event is free! 

Questions? Contact Sarah Leer, Transitional Youth and Young Adult Developer

Mission: Possible 2025, April 4-6 at in Northwest Arkansas (for Middle School/Junior High youth).

This is a weekend event for junior high/middle schoolers. The youth will be serving with our Presbyterian partners in Bentonville. Mission: Possible is a Junior High/ Middle School retreat in the Spring centered on service. This year we will be serving throughout Northwest Arkansas and staying in Bentonville. 

Cost: $75 per youth (financial assistance available by request)



Who can attend:

• Youth (6th-9th Grade)

• Young adults (18-23) and Adult leaders who will serve as chaperones.

Register here by Friday, March 21

Questions? Contact Sarah Leer, Transitional Youth and Young Adult Developer

PC(USA) Leader Formation Webinar: Pondering God with Presbyterians - On March 6 at 6:00 PM, join Martha Moore-Keish, the J.B. Green Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary, as she explores some basic theological convictions of our faith, including what we hold in common with other Christians and peculiar treasures of the Reformed tradition. Want to learn more about the mystery of the Trinity, justification by grace through faith, or the puzzle of predestination? Come join the conversation!

Church Administrators, this would be a great thing to share in your church newsletters. I bet people in your pews would like to attend!

Click here to register.

Mission of The Church Grants - The deadline for this year's first round of MOC grants is Tuesday, April 15. Dream big about the mission work your church/Presbyterian organization might undertake this year and let the MOC help you realize your dream by awarding you a grant of up to $1,500.

Click here for information about registering. Direct questions to committee moderator, Peg Falls-Corbitt.

Proposed Amendments Discussion - In case you missed the webinar in real time, click here to watch the on-demand recording that our Stated Clerk, Blake Brinegar did. He does a very thorough job of explaining each of the 13 proposed amendments, breaking them down into the pros and cons of each side of the argument as well as answering participants questions.

Leadership Training for Sessions – The Resource Team has been able to access short videos with questions from PRC (Practical Resources for Churches).  These can be used by Sessions to comply with changes to the Book of Order which require all sessions to have boundary training at least every 36 months, specifically, Pastoral Boundaries, and Protecting Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults.

The videos currently available are: Shared Shepherding, Crafting a Leadership Covenant, Healthy Communication for Leaders, Pastoral Boundaries, Protecting Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults. This collection will be added to and PRC welcomes suggestions for the Training Series. 

Click here to download the videos with questions and suggestions for ways to use them. Click here for more training resource options.

Upcoming PRC (Practical Resources for Churches) Webinars presenting fresh ideas to help your church do ministry:

• Reaching New People in New Ways in a Traditional Established Church, on demand.

• Funding Fresh Ministry Initiatives, February 6 at 1:00 pm.

How To Help With The CA Fires - PDA deploys disaster spiritual care providers to support the operations of the American Red Cross. They award emergency initial assistance grants to assist Presbyteries as they support the impacted communities. These grants are typically used in partnership with congregations serving the impacted communities. PDA is in touch with the Emergency Network of Los Angeles (ENLA), working to create a sense of community and focus and providing necessary resources to those in need.

This will be an ongoing recovery and rebuilding process - entire communities are gone. The scale is devastating and inconceivable.

Follow the most recent updates from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance on Facebook.

Photo shared from @pcusafoundation from threads.net