Does your congregation have traditions at Advent that really add to the season? Share your idea(s) in 150 words or less with pictures and they will be published in the November 19th Presbyark newsletter!

Please get your information in by November 4th to kimdanehower@mac.com to be included.

Montreat College Conference 2027 

The time to sign up for Montreat College Conference is here again! If you have a college age young adult (18-23) in your church community, please let them know about this opportunity.  

We will be taking a group from the Presbytery of Arkansas to this wonderful event in Montreat, NC. Participants will worship together, hear speakers, and discuss big ideas in smaller groups, and attend interest based workshops. This event always yields great discussions and connects folks across our Presbytery! We will all be housed together as a Presbytery. Our group will leave Arkansas on January 1st, with pickups in Clarksville and Little Rock, stay overnight in Tennessee, and then attend the conference January 2-5. They will return to Arkansas in the late night on the 5th. The cost per person is $328, plus 4-5 meals on the road. 

Presbytery of Arkansas + Presbytery of the Pines Confirmation Retreat February 12-14, 2027 at 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 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 and the Presbytery of the Pines are offering a joint Confirmation opportunity for youth grades 7-12 for churches throughout our Presbyteries. 

 This Confirmation model is a Retreat weekend; youth will then be confirmed in their own congregations. We will check-in 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 12th and end by 11 am on February 14th.

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

Questions? Contact Sarah Leer, Transitional Youth and Young Adult Developer (arpres.ateam@gmail.com) or Rev. Julia Farrell (juliapinespres@gmail.com) 

From the Office of Christian Formation: Updated Resource Page 

Have you been looking for resources from the Office of Christian Formation? Click the button below to see the newly updated resource page listed by topic.

Robert Williamson has a great podcast on the narrative lectionary that would be worth checking out. He is a Bible scholar and member of our presbytery. 

It can be found on all the major platforms, and there is a search feature so folks can find the podcast on the scripture they need even if they aren’t following the narrative lectionary.