Volume 21 | May 6, 2021
The Presbyark Update
Keeping the Presbytery of Arkansas informed.
May 6, 2021
3 MissionInsite Workshops scheduled
Tom Verdery, Marie Mainard O'Connell, Susan Arnold, and NiAnn Thompson were part of a break-out group at our Comeback Conference. While talking about reaching out into the community, MissionInsite came up and they asked our Presbytery Builder Carol Clark to do more trainings. Choose one of the listed dates in May OR if you'd like more personal attention, contact her at cbclark05@aol.com 

The dates of the zoom sessions (on our Presbytery zoom) are:  Wed. May 12th at 10am and 3pm and Thursday May 13th at 7pm.  You don't need to let her know, just come to the one that works best for you.  She will gladly come to your church or zoom with your session or that special person (s) with gifts for working with data and finding ways to use the data to connect with your community.
May Meetings for Church Professionals
If you are a Retired Pastor, please join us on Friday, May 14 at 10:00am. Members of the Presbytery staff will join you on zoom as we share with and update one another on what's been going on.

On Wednesday, May 26 at 10:00am, pastors and other church professionals are invited to join members of the Presbytery staff for an hour where we will share important news and continue our discussions about moving our churchs out of the pandemic and into the pews.

If you don't receive an email reminder with the zoom link the day before the meeting, contact Julie Price at julietannerprice@gmail.com.
A Visit With Carol Clark
It feels so great to be out in the world again (safely of course!). I would love to head your way, visit with pastors or sessions or people who love their church and want to talk about it.  Call me (501-563-6279), email me (cbclark05@aol.com) and let's find a way to visit.  

I'll be calling, emailing and looking for a way to get together! If you email or mail a newsletter (12706 Meadows Edge Ln, Little Rock, 72211), I'd really love to get one so I can see what's happening in your churches.

Note from Julie: So you will know how serious Carol is about this, listen to her theme song here.  
Join the 21-22 Youth A-Team!
Do you want to help plan events in the Presbytery of Arkansas?
Do you want to get to know your fellow youth from around our Presbytery better?
Do you want to be more involved with Youthquake and summer trips?
Then sign up to be a part of the 21-22 Youth A-Team.

Who can apply?
– 10th-12th Grade Students
– College Students
– Adults

What is the commitment?
– Attending three large-group planning meetings
– Being part of the Leadership Team for at least one YAT Event
– Participating in YAT programming throughout the year

Click here to apply by May 15th. Click on the picture to watch a special video announcement from Cade Johnson, our 21-22 Youth Co-Moderator.
Presbytery Office Hours
The Presbytery staff are often asked if we work at the presbytery office and if we have office hours? We all work from home except Stewart who regularly works from the office, 9 to 5, Monday through Friday. Kim works from the office 2 or 3 days each month. All of us, except Stewart, are part-time employees and we each have our own flexible schedules.

If you need to drop off or pick something up, or browse the shelves of the Resource Center, we encourage you to call Stewart first to make sure he'll be there to let you in. Staff contact information can be found here.
Post-Pandemic Church Resources
As churches begin opening their doors, we struggle with a myriad of new issues. In response, the denominational office of Theology, Formation, and Evangelism has created a page called The Scattered Church that contains both theological reflections and practical resources for socially distanced ministry.

Other Post Pandemic church resources can be found on the new Ministry Resources page of our website. Check it out today!
Two New Presbyterian Curricula
The denomination has just announced a new curriculum, Follow Me: Biblical Practices for Faithful Living will be available in July. It is a thirty-six-unit curriculum based on practices Jesus did and taught us to do as faithful followers. Click here to explore this curriculum further and preorder today. Click here to watch a PRC recorded webinar about the curriculum.

Can't decide if you should have a totally in-person VBS this summer? Presbyterian Outlook has created an online Staycation Bible school curriculum for 2021 called Our Daily Bread: Where God Provides. Depending on your congregation's size, the cost is only $30-$40. Click here to learn more.
Transformational Congregational
Leadership Course
Rev. Debbie Freeman (now Debbie Carl) who served in our presbytery at Westover Hills in Little Rock and at Central Presbyterian in Pine Bluff, has been certified as a coach and is partnering with another coach to offer a course in transformational congregational leadership. The course will use a "coaching" model that will help mine the expertise from congregational leaders rather than simply providing information. Those who participate will have group coaching sessions with other colleagues and also individual coaching sessions as well.

Click here to learn more about the program. If you would like to visit with Debbie to learn more about the program, her email address is deblc63@gmail.com
Small Church Resources
PRC-Practical Resources for Churches, does a series of webinars just for small churches on a wide range of topics. To see their list of recorded webinars, click here.

Two upcoming webinars are Small Church Series: Sunday School on May 6 at 12:00 noon and Small Church Series: Websites on May 20 at 6:00pm. All webinars are recorded and can be watched at a later time.

Presbytery of Arkansas
9221 N. Rodney Parham Road
Little Rock, AR 72227
501-663-2424