Listening Sessions for Pastors/CREs - We value the ministry you are providing the congregation you serve and we want your input as we consider what type of presbytery we will be in the future. We want to build a sustainable and strategic ministry that is going to have a deep impact; therefore, we want to develop a game plan together, so, we have invited Ministry Architects to join us in helping to develop this plan. If you have not yet shared your thoughts in a listening session, we invite you to sign up for one by clicking this Sign up Genius Link. The listening sessions will take place January 23-25, so please sign-up ASAP as there are a limited amount of slots. After spending time in listening groups, and reading survey responses, the Ministry Architects team will write a report, sharing with us what they’ve heard – including assets, challenges – and where it seems that God might be taking us next.

Everyone, we invite you to complete this digital survey by January 22.

Annual Statistical Reports—As we begin the new year, so does the request for Annual Statistical Reports. The ability to submit your churches information is open and will remain so, until February 8, 2024. This information is important because it helps the denomination know how many members we have. The information also impacts the presbytery’s budget by determining how much per capita the presbytery pays. If you do not remember your username or password, you may contact Kim Palmer or Blake Brinegar who can assist you with the needed information. The link to submit your information is Church Statistics Login.



Clergy Compensation Form—It is also the time of year when congregations vote on changes to the terms of calls of their pastors. It is also important to remember that MWS members are also now mandated by the Book of Order to have 12 weeks of paid family medical leave. The form to report compensation can be found here, 2024 Compensation Report All MWS and CREs are encouraged to fill out the form even if there are no changes to the terms of call. 

GO WITH THE FLOW! At our last Presbytery meeting, we were pleased to welcome Dr. Lester Ruth from Duke University as he talked about worship. Now, we invite pastors and elders to join us as we consider how to strengthen and create more inspiring worship. If you are interested, order a copy of the book FLOW by Lester Ruth.  We'll gather by zoom on Wednesday, January 31st at 12:30pm for a discussion about the book and other worship ideas. In February, prior to our March Presbytery meeting, we're planning a zoom meeting with Dr. Jonathan Ottoway, one of Dr. Ruth's doctoral students who wrote the chapter called "Musical Flow: Important Techniques." He brings a lot of knowledge and information with him. If your musicians are interested, please talk with them about joining in!  

Our March 1-2 Presbytery meeting will be at the University of the Ozarks. At that meeting, we hope to include elements of the book FLOW in the conduct of our worship service. We hope elders, ministers and musicians will consider joining in the reading and the zooming. Keep an eye out for more information.  If you have questions or want more information, contact Carol Clark at cbclark05@aol.com or 501-563-6279.

2024 Youth Events - It's that time of year to think about Spring events and register for youth summer trips. By clicking here, you will find the registration links, costs and details for: 

• Mission: Possible, a mission opportunity for our junior high/middle schoolers)
• Sabbath Saturday on the Kings River, a day long event where our high schoolers can disconnect from technology, and reconnect with nature and each other
• Montreat Middle School Conference, a new (to us) Junior High/Middle School summer youth conference offering in the mountains of Tennessee
• Montreat Youth Conference, a longtime Presbytery of Arkansas summer youth conference offering for our high schoolers 

We are able to reduce the price of our trips because of generous donations and through collaborating with partners in the Presbytery. We are so grateful to be able to offer another year of exciting trips and events. We have a few other tricks up our sleeves, so watch the Update and our social media pages for other events headed your way. -Sarah

Need Continues for Volunteers, Post-Tornado Assessment of Emotional & Spiritual Health -

Volunteers, under the auspices of the Pulaski County Long Term Recovery Committee, are needed to do door-to-door assessment of emotional and spiritual health of people impacted by the March 31, 2023 tornado in Pulaski County. The date will be Saturday, January 20, 2024. Compassion and active listening skills are required; professional training and/or disaster response experience, while not required, are extremely helpful.

The schedule for the day includes training at Westover Hills Presbyterian Church, 6400 Kavanaugh, Little Rock 72207, from 10am - 12noon, enjoy pizza lunch at noon and go out to assigned neighborhoods from 12:30 – 3pm. All this will occur on Saturday, January 20, 2024, At this meeting we’ll plan future volunteer outings.



Please share this request with your congregation and other /organizations. For information or to sign on, contact Liz Branch.

The 2024 Lent Workshop is in the can - Click here to watch the recorded Presbytery of Arkansas Lent Workshop presented by Julie Price, Presbytery Connector. All resources shared can be found on the Lent/Easter page on the presbyark.org Ministry Resource pages, our online Resource Center.

Apply for Montreat Summer Staff - Do you know a young adult looking for a summer job? Montreat Conference Center is currently accepting applications for its 2024 Summer Staff season. All young adults who are at least one year out of high school are invited to apply.

Available positions cover a wide range of skills and interests such as A/V production, childhood education, marketing, environmental studies, hospitality, and more! All positions are paid and include the option to live on campus. Plus, certain positions may qualify for college credit.

This is a great opportunity to gain valuable job experience and enjoy life in our close-knit

mountain community. If you think someone you know would be interested, please encourage them to apply. Click here to learn more.

The Presbyterian Planning Calendar, a publication of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is once again seeking photo submissions from congregations and worshiping communities, mid councils, camps, conference centers and education centers for use in its 2024–25 edition.

The deadline to submit photos is Feb. 14. Photos should be submitted online using the form found here. Click here for more information.