The 158th Meeting of the Presbytery of Arkansas has been rescheduled due to inclement weather. The meeting will now take place Thursday, March 6, at Central Presbyterian church in Russellville.

Here is the meeting schedule:

12:00-1:00 PM Soul Shop Workshop (lunch option)

12:00-1:00 PM Lunch & Learn with Jim Poinsett (lunch option)

12:45-1:10 PM Commissioner Training (lunch option)

1:00-1:30 PM Registration

1:30-5:00 PM Meeting

Everyone must register again who is attending the meeting in-person.

Three Pre-Presbytery Events Planned

• Soul Shop - 12:00-1:00 PM - 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 respond to suicidal desperation and be empowered to be sources of hope and social connection.
• Lunch & Learn - 12:00-1:00 PM - Interim General Presbyter, Jim Poinsett, will offer an opportunity to visit about the new staff job descriptions, Executive Presbyter and Director of Presbytery Operations and Congregational Vitality, and help you gain a deeper understanding of our presbytery's direction and strategic vision. Register below and opt to order a box lunch to enjoy during the session.
• Commissioner Training - 12:45-1:10 PM - 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. Join our Stated Clerk, Blake Brinegar, before the meeting begins, for an orientation and training session. We will cover details about the meeting and the role of the commissioner in the meeting.

Register for all three sessions on the 158th Presbytery meeting registration form.

Informal Gathering With Jim in LIttle Rock - Our Interim General Presbyter, Jim Poinsett, is excited about the journey ahead for the Presbytery of Arkansas, and he would love for you to be part of the conversation as we continue our season of transition and discernment. He invites you to join him at the third of four informal gatherings where you will explore the future of our presbytery together.

Join him between 4:00 and 7:00 PM at Trinity Presbyterian church in Little Rock on Tuesday March 4th.

These sessions will be a great opportunity to:

• Learn more about the new job descriptions for our presbytery’s executive team.
• Get an update on the interim/transitional process and where we are headed.
• Gain a deeper understanding of our presbytery’s direction and strategic vision.
• Engage in open conversation about our collective future.

The fourth session will be the Pre-Presbytery Lunch & Learn session on March 6 at Central in Russellville from 12:00-1:00 PM.

I am so disappointed that we won’t be gathering in Lyon as planned. I was truly looking forward to seeing all of you in person, experiencing the Lyon College campus, and sharing in worship, conversation, and discernment together. However, I know that even with this change in plans, our work as a presbytery continues—and I am grateful for the many ways you are already engaging in this season of transition.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of meeting with groups across the presbytery to discuss the proposed executive structure recommended by the Strategic Planning Leadership Team. These conversations have been rich, thoughtful, and filled with a shared commitment to the well-being of our pastoral leaders and congregations. At the heart...Read More...

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. 

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

Triennium 2025 - July 28-31 in Louisville, Kentucky,

for Rising 9th - Graduated Seniors & Young Adults (19-23)



Extended Deadline: February 24

Click to Register!

Spots are limited for this trip and participants will be chosen through the application link above. Applications for this event will be reviewed after Feb. 17th and youth and young adults will be told if they are able to be part of the delegation by the end of February.

The Presbytery of Arkansas will be joining delegations of youth and adults for this event. In July 2025, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will welcome thousands of its high school age youth and their adult youth workers to Louisville, Kentucky for four days of worship, recreation, Bible study, outreach, and faith formation all around the theme of “As If We Were Dreaming”.

Most programming and meals will be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center (KICC) with all participants housed at nearby Triennium hotels.

The Bridge Builders Reading Group is gathering for the spring series. The group focuses on issues of racism, discrimination, and poverty. Come be a part of it, even if you can’t finish the books or attend all the sessions. We have a rich series of discussions planned for March 4, 11, 18, and 25, 6:30-8:30pm by Zoom. Regarding We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance, Kellie Carter Jackson; and Lovely One, Ketanji Brown Jackson. Included in the discussions will be presentations by legal practitioners in the Little Rock community.

March 4, 11, 18, and 25, 6:30-8:30pm - by Zoom

Click here to Register!

Support The Presbytery's Honduras Mission Group This March a group of folks from the Presbytery of Arkansas will taking off for the 11th year to do ministry in and with the people of Honduras. You may not be going, but you can still support this ministry by:

• Sharing this bulletin insert in your church's Sunday bulletin.
• Praying for the team and their work.
• Helping purchase Bibles and instruments for two rural Honduran churches.

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!

Apply to be in the Fall Around The Table Initiative Cohort. Thanks to a Lilly grant, you may have an opportunity to be part of a cohort designed to strengthen the role of households in nurturing lifelong faith and discipleship in Jesus Christ.

Click here to learn more and apply!

Deadline to apply for fall cohort is Friday, May 2, 2025.

The PC(USA)'s Office of Christian Education and Presbyterian Publishing has created a survey to help learn about the resource needs of our congregations, new worshipping communities, and camp and conference ministries.

Click here to learn more and take the survey!

Registration is open for the 2025 Worship & Music Conference, Clothed in Love, in Montreat, NC, June 15-20 and June 22-27. Join musicians and worship leaders for the most widely-attended annual conference of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) denomination.

Click here to learn more and 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.

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. 

Contact Julie Price for the videos with questions and suggestioned ways to use them. Click here for more training resource options.

Upcoming PRC (Practical Resources for Churches) Webinars:

• Reinventing your Church or your Ministry for 21st Century Agility - Thursday, February 27, 2025

1:00 – 2:00 PM

• Has American Christianity Become a Threat to American Democracy? - Thursday, March 13, 2025

1:00 – 2:00 PM