“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Luke 3:4 (NRSV)

As we journey through this holy season of Advent, I am reminded of the powerful words from Luke 3:1-6, where John the Baptist calls us to "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." Advent invites us into a time of waiting—not a passive waiting, but an active, hope-filled anticipation for God's revelation among us.

In your congregations and communities, I see the faithful ways you are preparing the way of the Lord. Your ministries, prayers, and acts of compassion bear witness to God's love, even in these challenging times. You are making the crooked paths straight, lifting up the lowly, and proclaiming hope to a world in need.

As we wait for the new thing God is doing among us in this coming year, let us embrace the season with open hearts, trusting in God's promise to make all things new. Thank you for the countless ways you embody Christ's light and love in Arkansas and beyond.

May your Advent season be filled with peace, joy, and the certainty that Emmanuel—God with us—will enter our midst in new and unexpected ways.

Peace be with you,

Jim 

Don’t forget Boundary Training is required for all members of the presbytery. Whether you are in active service, in a validated ministry, at large, or retired. If you have not already submitted your completion certificate to Blake Brinegar, please do so before Jan 1, 2025.  

If you still need to do boundary training, go to Safe Gatherings Boundary Training and it will take you to the registration page for the course. While this course does cost $29, there is greater flexibility when one takes this course online. The Synod of the Sun will continue to offer boundary training in 2025, but at this time no dates have been set. If you have questions, please contact the Stated Clerk.

Child Protection Policy - The draft of the Presbytery's "Policy for the Protection of Children, Youth, and Vulnerable Adults" was introduced at the October Presbytery Meeting. Click here to read the draft, along with a letter from Rev. Maggie Alsup. The Stated Clerk, the Chair of Youth and Young Adult Committee, and the Transitional Youth and Young Adult Developer all reviewed the draft prior to sharing at the meeting. The document has also been shared with legal counsel since the October meeting.

Note: At the meeting, several people asked that we create an introductory paragraph about this policy to clarify its purview and make sure it is delineated from our individual congregations. We will be adding a caveat clarifying that this policy pertains to Presbytery events/trips and does not apply to individual churches/Presbytery organizations. However, the paragraph will also state they are invited to use the policy as a template in their own contexts.

Please send feedback to Rev. Maggie Alsup (margaret.alsup@lyon.edu) or presbytery staff member Sarah Leer (sarah@sarahleer.com) by Jan. 15th. After receiving feedback, we will modify the draft and bring it forward for a vote at the Presbytery Meeting in February.

It’s Annual Statistical Report Time!  Once again, it is time to compile and enter your congregation’s statistical report to the denomination. Your window for entering that information online is from December 16^th through February 8^th. If you need help finding your PIN or password, Kim Palmer or Blake Brinegar can help you get that information.

When you are ready to enter the data from your statistical report, you can go to this link to enter your information - statistical reporting. If you have further questions, please contact Blake Brinegar.

All but 23 churches have completed their survey! Please, if you are one of those 23 churches, click this link and have one person, pastor/CRE, clerk, administrator, complete it ASAP.

These surveys are very imporant for the work of the visioning Team and the presbytery staff. If you have any questions, contact Julie Price, Presbytery Connector. f you aren’t sure whether your congregation has completed the survey, reach out to your church staff to make sure.

We really appreciate the time you take to do this!

It’s the scammer season! Just a friendly reminder that neither the presbytery nor any of the employees or volunteers will ever ask you to purchase a gift card and send it to them or to someone else. No matter what reason - it may sound legitimate like buying gift cards for the staff for Christmas or gift cards for a food pantry. No one at the presbytery office will ask any church or person to buy gift cards for any need. The request may seem to come from our new interim general presbyter or from our financial administrator but it will not be a legitimate request. When in doubt, you can always call the office and verify.

Gift card scams are a growing threat, often targeting individuals through phone calls, emails, or texts. Scammers typically impersonate trusted entities like government agencies, tech support, or even family members, demanding payment via gift cards for fake fines, taxes, or emergencies. They may pressure you with urgent requests, claiming it’s the “only” way to resolve the issue.

Once a gift card code is shared, the money is gone—nearly impossible to trace or recover. Legitimate businesses and organizations never request payment in gift cards. To protect yourself, verify the legitimacy of any urgent request, never share gift card codes, and report suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Https://reportfraud.ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP. Stay alert and safeguard your funds from these deceptive schemes.

Soul Shop is an interactive workshop that equips community leaders and people of faith to train their organizations to care for those impacted by suicidal desperation. Chaplain Maggie Alsup is a Soul Shop Trainer and can lead your congregation, session, and communitie through a one day training program.

At a Soul Shop workshop, you will learn:

• How to prevent suicide in your community
• The signs of suicide risk and warning signs
• How to ask a person at risk if they might be thinking about suicide
• How to be a companion to those experiencing suicide loss
• About local and national resources available for suicide prevention
• What the Bible has to say about suicide 
• How to integrate suicide prevention into the life and ministry of your faith community

The workshop includes the creation of worship/faith resources, training in suicide awareness and basic conversation skills, and advice on how to extend the invitation to those who have been suicidal in the past to share their stories. The workshop also engages the question of how to cultivate a soul-safe culture within your community.

The mission of Soul Shop is to equip leaders and congregations to minister to those impacted by sucide. Soul Shop wants to create a world where no one loses hope and no one feels alone.

If you are interested in learning more or wish to set up training for your community, reach out to Maggie (rev.maggie.alsup@gmail.com) today. Watch for information about a pre-presbytery Soul Shop workshop where Maggie will give an overview of the program.

The Mission of the Church Committee has some funds available by application to help with:



1. Travel to or participation in a mission trip (domestic or international), and
2. International Mission Initiatives.

Activities for which funds are requested must be completed by December 31, 2024. Funding available for either is unlikely to exceed $1000. Applications should indicate which type of activity you are pursuing and provide: (a) a description of the activity or activities for which funds are desired; (b) the missional goals of the activity; (c) total budget, amount requested from MOC, and how remainder will be funded; (c) beginning and ending dates of the activity. Send applications to MOC Moderator Peg Falls-Corbitt at fallscorbitt@hendrix.edu no later than Dec. 6th.

The MOC will also consider applications for small (e.g. under $500) Mission Initiative Grants for outreach to vulnerable populations that will be carried out prior to December 31, 2024. Click here for application guidelines and requirement. Send applications to: MOC Moderator Peg Falls-Corbitt a fallscorbitt@hendrix.edu no later than Dec. 6th.

Six Stone Jars: The Economy of Jesus - Fully scripted worship services for the new year from Worship Design Studio focuses on the story of the wedding at Cana. The guests have drunk all the wine before the party is over. At times life can feel like we’re “running out” of so much, and scarcity is shutting down the party. In these moments, we are invited to turn to the currency and economy of Jesus. In his economy, the true measure of abundance is fullness for the whole community, not just for some. Let us build the Kin-dom of God by drawing from jars of Hope, Purpose, Healing, Meaning, Vision, and Grace for all people.

Does Your Welcome Team Need Revitalizing? The new year is just around the corner and it's the perfect time to work on revitalizing your church Hospitality/Welcome team or creating one from scratch.

You should check out this First Impressions Conference 2023 magazine that's full of articles about everything Hospitality.

To find other articles, webinars, and resources on hospitality, scroll down on the Ministry Resources page on Church Vitality.