Following the 226th General Assembly

by C. Anderson James, Stated Clerk

The 226th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will gather June 25 through July 4, 2024. Committee meetings will be held online from June 25-27, with plenary gatherings convening in person in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 30-July 4. All meetings of the Assembly (including committee meetings) will be livestreamed on the General Assembly website at www.ga-pcusa.org.

Highlights of the docket for the Assembly include the election of the Moderator of the General Assembly, the election of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly—expected to be our own Rev. Jihyun Oh!—and consideration of numerous overtures from presbyteries and reports from national committees. (The exact schedule for consideration of various items of business will be determined after committee meetings are completed.)

To learn more about the items of business being considered by the Assembly, visit www.pc-biz.org or join one of several informational sessions and town halls hosted by the Office of the General Assembly during the week of June 3. You can also participate in online public hearings on items of business before the Assembly during committee meetings. Learn more and sign up here.

Reports on the work of the General Assembly during and after the meeting will be posted on the General Assembly website. The Presbyterian Outlook magazine also provides coverage of the General Assembly meeting. Our General Assembly commissioners will also provide a report to the Summer Stated Meeting of the Presbytery on Tuesday, August 6.

Please be in particular prayer for the Presbytery’s commissioners and advisory delegates to the General Assembly:

• Ruling Elder John Fountain (Conyers)
• Ruling Elder Brenda Gales (Church of the Resurrection)
• Ruling Elder Allie Hay (Covington First)
• Ruling Elder BJ Steele (Norcross)
• Teaching Elder Jasmine Evans (North Avenue)
• Teaching Elder Tully Fletcher (Decatur)
• Teaching Elder David Lewicki (North Decatur)
• Teaching Elder Alex Rodgers (Timberridge)
• Young Adult Advisory Delegate Isabelle Adams (UKirk Atlanta)
• Theological Student Advisory Delegate Ximena Leroux (Columbia Theological Seminary)

If you have questions or need additional information about the General Assembly, please contact Stated Clerk Andy James at cajames@atlpcusa.org.

The Visioning Task Force of the Synod of South Atlantic invites all Presbyterian leaders across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina to join in a town hall conversation about the mission and ministry of the Synod. In April 2024, the Synod Assembly approved a new journey statement and guiding values for the Synod, and the Visioning Task Force is now working to create the structures and processes necessary to take the next steps on our journey together. Learn more about the journey statement and guiding values on the Synod website at www.synodofsouthatlantic.org.

In this work, the task force would like to hear from you! Please join us for a town hall conversation via Zoom on Wednesday, June 12, at 7pm Eastern or Tuesday, June 18, at 4pm Eastern. Sign up at the link below to receive a Zoom link and conversation materials as we listen together for how God is calling us to embody, cultivate, and inspire ministry across our region. We look forward to having you with us!

The Synod Visioning Task Force

Elder Catherine Byrd, Charleston Atlantic Presbytery

Rev. Holly Dillon, Tampa Bay Presbytery

Rev. Jamil el-Shair, Savannah Presbytery

Rev. Andy James, Greater Atlanta Presbytery (co-chair)

Rev. Danny Murphy, Trinity Presbytery

Rev. Christina Greenwalt, Central Florida Presbytery

Elder Jacquelyn Rembert, New Harmony Presbytery (co-chair)

Elder Billie Sutter, Cherokee Presbytery

Presbytery Night at Atlanta United

by C. Anderson James, Stated Clerk

Southeast Region National Black Presbyterian Caucus Conference

Hunger Walk 2024 Results

by Destiny Williams, McDonough Presbyterian Church

Thank you to everyone who participated and donated towards the 2024 Hunger Walk. We had over 130 children, youth and adults walk with the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. Some of us walked in person at the Home Depot Backyard (Mercedes Benz), while others walked with their home church in their communities. We had so many different churches that came together and participated in different and creative ways.

The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta raised over $9,000. Johns Creek Presbyterian Church was ranked as one of the top teams for the entire event. As a benefiting partner, the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta keeps 60% of the funds we raise as a presbytery, which supports our Diaconal Grants program. All Presbytery of Greater Atlanta churches are eligible to apply for a Diaconal Grant to support hunger initiatives within their congregation. The remaining 40% that we raise goes to the Atlanta Community Food Bank where - among many other outstanding results - they leverage every $1 into $9 worth of groceries for hunger relief (enough for3 meals!).

If you are interested in helping with the planning of the 2025 Hunger Walk, please contact Destiny Williams at destiny@mcdonoughpresbyterian.com.

Summer Children's Programs Around the Presbytery

Ordination of Allison Arsenault

Saturday, June 15, 3:00pm

North Decatur Presbyterian Church

611 Medlock Rd., Decatur, GA



Join us as we celebrate the Ordination of Allison Arsenault to a validated ministry as Director of Community Engagement at the Forum for Theological Exploration. The ordination service will take place at North Decatur Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 15, at 3 PM (ET). A reception will follow in the fellowship hall. Worship with us in person or worship with us online. An offering will be received to benefit the Inquirer/Candidate Scholarship Fund of the presbytery.

Splish Splash Summer Bash

Sunday, June 23 - 1:30 PM-3-30 PM

Druid Hills Presbyterian Church

1026 Ponce de Leon Ave NE

Atlanta, GA 30306



Join us for our Splish Splash Summer Bash! With a bounce house, inflatable water slide, snacks and ice cream. Best of all, it is all free! Click here for more information.

Food Pantry Volunteers Needed

Presbyterian Church of the Resurrection

3676 Highway 20 N.E.

Conyers, GA 30012

The Presbyterian Church of the Resurrection needs volunteers to serve in our remarkable Food Pantry. We currently serve an average of 40 families a week and each family receives around 115-120 pounds of food. Duties range from assisting with unloading deliveries from the Atlanta Community Food Bank, pickup from one or more of our community partners, stocking and distributing food to clients. Our pantry does a remarkable job providing food to individuals in and around our community. For more information please contact Pastor Greg McMinn at 678-485-4715 pcrpastor@gmail.com, Sandra Ramsey, Coordinator at 770-918-1606 or the church office, 770-922-5553.

2024 Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women

August 8-11, 2024

St. Louis, Missouri

Presbyterian Women’s 2024 Churchwide Gathering will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, August 8–11, 2024. Save these dates, share these dates and plan to join Presbyterian Women from around the country on these dates!

The 2024 PW Gathering will be an exciting, faith-filled time to renew our connections within and across PW groups from across the country. Join us to be invigorated, equipped for your PW life, welcomed into community by hundreds of other PWs, and empowered to “Do everything in love.” Click here for information and registration.

Click here to read Peace and Global Witness partnership's latest newsletter and here to read Mission Haven's latest newsletter.

For an archive of New Church Development Commission newsletters and/or to sign up for upcoming NCDC communications, click here.

Prayer Box

Each month we are taking the time to pray for our churches and new worshiping communities throughout the year. Please take a moment each week to lift up the following communities in prayer:

6/2 - Good Shepherd, Grace Korean, *Iglesia Presbiteriana Horeb

6/9 - Greenville, Gum Creek, *Junction Ministries ATL

6/16 - Hamilton Mill, Hanbit, *La Esperanza

6/23 - Hemphill Memorial, Hillside, *Living Stones

6/30 - Jackson, Johns Creek, *New Jerusalem

*Denotes New Worshiping Communities

Communications, such as this one, are supported by your giving to the presbytery. Thank you for your support.