It was a privilege to welcome Dr. Lester Ruth, research professor of Christian worship at Duke Divinity School, as our guest preacher and speaker at the October Presbytery meeting. Dr. Ruth preached during the worship on Friday night and presented the 'keynote' address for us on Saturday morning. His discussion was based on the Eucharistic prayer and how it offers a framework for all worship. The elements of worship can be expressed in a wide variety of ways so that worship can connect with all kinds of people, particularly those who did not grow up in the language/rhythm of the church.  

Dr. Ruth is the author/co-author of 3 books, two of which are on the development and history of contemporary worship:  Lovin' on Jesus: a Concise History of Contemporary Worship (with Swee Hong Lim as co-author) and A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship, Understanding the Ideas that Reshaped the Protestant Church.   His other book Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship, is both a theological and practical guide to worship planning.  One reviewer said of the book, "This balanced and charitable approach calls worship planners to consider their order of service, music, visuals, preaching, and more through the lens of flow."  

Click here to listen to Dr. Ruth's Saturday morning talk.

What impact did youth ministry in the Presbytery of Arkansas have on you and your life?

"While my faith was nurtured by my parents and my home church (Westminster Presbyterian in Hot Springs), my ministry skills were honed by the Presbytery of Arkansas and its then named Youth Sub-Committee. Not only did I have the opportunity to attend leadership training events, but I got to put those skills to use in planning and leading ministry events before I ever graduated high school. Adult mentors (so many, but special shout out to Jann Greenland) not only gave us the opportunity to lead, they made sure we knew the why behind what we were doing. Way before people regularly used the word "intentional," the Arkansas Presbytery Youth Sub-Committee (circa 1980-something) taught me what it looked like to be intentional in ministry."

Want to support the work and offset the costs for events of current youth in the Presbytery? Click here and donate to "Montreat," "Jr. High Summer Trip," or "Youth Retreat-Quake, YAP, A-Team, etc."

Pictured above right: "I (Ann Russ) am in the middle. The guy to my right in the suspenders is Vo Johnson and Cara Rose Hatfield is next to him." 

As the Presbytery grows our online Ministry Resources, we are downsizing our physical Resource Center and all of those books need to find good homes. Since I took all of these photos a few weeks ago, some of those resources have found new homes. At the same time, as I have unpacked more boxes, new books have taken their place on the shelves.

Whether you are a MWS, CRE, RE, or a worshipper in the pews, you are welcome to come by and take all of the books/resources you would like whether for your church or your personal book shelves. Contact Julie Price to find a time when someone will be at the office to let you come wander, but don't wait too long!

Retired Minister of Word and Sacrament and member of the Presbytery of Arkansas, Rev. Dr. John Barklind died at his home on Friday, October 13. 

After graduating from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, John was ordained in 1969 as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Fullerton, NE. In the 1970’s and 80’s John served at two other churches in Nebraska at Fairbury and Holdredge and while serving at Holdredge John earned his Doctorate of Ministry degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary.  Click here to read article.

Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell is the author of Always On: Practicing Faith In A New Media Landscape and The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found will be the 2023 Claubaugh lecturer at First Bentonville.

Dr. Gorrell will preach on Sunday, October 22 in the 10:15 am worship service and will give a public talk at 6:30 that evening. On Monday the 23, she will speak at a luncheon (RSVP the church) and at a 7:00pm public talk.

The talks and the Sunday morning service can be accessed on Bentonville's Youtube channel or Facebook page.

I miss having Carol Clark on staff for many reasons, but one of those reasons is her wonderful proofreading skills. She would catch the missing word, the missing letter, the sentence that doesn't quite make sense, and so on. So now, I really could use a couple of good proofreaders.

If that's something that you would enjoy and have a propensity for, please let me know and I will start sending you my Update on Wednesday afternoons before I send it out on Thursdays to find all of my mistakes.

Thanks so much, Julie Price, Presbytery Connector.

Several Updates ago, there was a post that small churches could apply for a grant from the PC(USA) Office of Faith Formation to receive free children's books. Fern Davis at Holly Grove applied and received her books. Here's what she had to say:

"I am blown away with the quality of the Psalms of Wonder books! The books are hardcover and the artistry on each page is lovely, very creative and appealing to children. The resource card and online resources provided to assist families in engaging with the book are very user friendly. I looked to see which Bible translation was used and found none. I think each is a paraphrase by the author, but it would appear the scripture meaning has been faithfully and authentically expressed for children of all ages. This book is a certain keepsake."

The grant deadline has passed, but additional copies can be purchased at the PC(USA) Store at 35% off for churches.

Most of us are still in the middle of our Fall Campaigns and getting the budget ready for 2024. Have you thought about using a narrative budget instead of a line item budget? Here is a great recorded webinar about creating a Narrative budget - Narrative Budgets: You can do this!

Other recorded webinars and documents you might find helpful:

• Cultivating the Craft of Asking
• What's Next for the Offering Plate?
• Revolving Door Offering Talks v2 - a document
• Sample Scripts for Offering Talks - a document
• Stewardship, It Matters Together
• Unlocking the Secrets of Bountiful Generosity Session 1
• Unlocking the Secrets of Bountiful Generosity Session 2
• Encouraging Year End Giving