Visioning Survey - There is a lot going on right now in the Presbytery of Arkansas! We are working through a strategic planning process to envision our future. Soon, we will have a new Interim General Presbyter. In order to best support the churches and ministries of our Presbytery, the Presbytery staff and Strategic Planning Leadership Team (SPLT) need to know who to contact in each church as new opportunities and offerings to support you arise.

Please complete this survey by mid-September. Only one person from each church/ministry needs to complete this survey (pastor/CRE, Clerk of Session, Administrator). If you have any questions, contact Julie Price, Presbytery Connector. If any of the information listed here changes after you complete the survey, please contact Julie and she can update your responses.

We really appreciate the time you are taking. Please know that this information will help the Presbytery serve you better. Thank you!

The Board of Pensions - The time to review Employer Agreements for 2025 benefits is Thursday, Aug. 29 through Friday, Oct. 4. During this period, congregations’ designated representatives will log in to Benefits Connect to review their Employer Agreement. 

• August 2024 Update from Board of Pensions, Kevin Keaton
• A New Benefits Plan to Serve the Changing Church 
• Congregational Guide to Benefits for the Changing Church 

Just a friendly reminder that Boundary Training is required for ALL members of the presbytery. More specifically, that means Ministers, Commissioned Ruling Elders, Certified Christian Educators currently serving are required to have this training. If you are at-large, retired, or serving in a validated ministry, or supplying a congregation, or on the Pulpit Supply list, you too, need to have boundary training. If you are an Inquirer or Candidate, you need to get training. The deadline for getting this finished is January 1, 2025. After that date, you will be out of compliance with the Book of Order and disciplinary steps will be taken to get you back into compliance with the Book of Order. If you have already finished your training and have not sent me a copy of your certificate, please do so.

Click here to register through Synod of the Sun (no cost/only 40 per class).

Click here to register for the Safe Gatherings training (your cost, $29).

Registration Closes Sunday, September 1 for Youthquake 2024! Youth in grades 6 through 12 are invited to attend YouthQuake on September 13-15, 2024! This youth conference is a Presbytery of Arkansas tradition and a highlight of the year. Youth can expect time in small groups, worship, a keynote speaker, music, and games all at our beloved Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, AR.

Click here to learn more and register!

Social Media 101, An Online FREE Workshop! The Presbytery's Resource Team has hired media specialist Christen Kinard to lead an online workshop on September 26 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. This is your opportunity to bring along other people from your congregation that might be interested in learning the basics of building your church's social media presence and why this is so important for reaching people. This workshop will demystify social media platforms and teach you how to use them most effectively in connecting with your congregation and beyond.

Click here and register today!

Adultquake '24 - Are you looking for a weekend of rest and renewal with other adults at camp? Are you a church leader who needs a Thursday - Saturday Sabbath event? Are you a grown-up Arkansas Presby kid who is missing your YouthQuake days?? Then we have a retreat for you!

Join us November 8-11 for a restful weekend. Thursday evening will be an optional add-on for anyone who needs to be back for their Sunday gigs. Our leadership is packed with amazing familiar faces in the Presbytery of Arkansas. We will hear keynotes from Rev. Anne Russ, be led in worship by Rev. Julianna and Rev. Alice Whitson, and Rev. Jeremy Wilhelmi will lead us in camp songs and singing of all sorts. 



Registration is open now! Click Adultquake to register. Coupon codes available (including young adults), if you need financial assistance. Please contact Sarah Leer for a code. 

IMAGINE: Life in the Margins - Join the Synod of the Sun, November 6-8 in New Orleans and explore, listen, and learn from ministry partners and communities operating at the intersection of systemic poverty, structural racism, and congregational vitality.

Click here for more information and to register.

Clabaugh Lecture Series - You are all invited to attend the 2024 Clabaugh lecture series at First in Bentonville, October 20-21. This year's series, Creation Care For Our Living Planet, will feature Dr. Richard L. Lindroth.

To learn more about Dr. Lindroth and the series, click here.

Elizabeth Cahoon was ordained and installed as a minister of word and sacrament at Second Presbyterian church in Little Rock on Saturday, August 17. Members of her commission were (front) Lindy Vogado (TE, Second, LR), Ben Kane (TE, Second, LR), Marge Anna Luttrell (RE, Second, LR), Elizabeth Cahoon (TE, Second, LR), Alisa Secrest (TE, Second, LR), Nicole Ball (TE, First, Richmond, VA) (back) Alex Honeycutt (TE, Second, LR), Jeff Price (TE, Trinity, LR), Dr. Robert Lowry (TE, Westover Hills, LR), Marie Mainard O'Connell (TE, at large), Dr. David Stricklin, (RE, Westover Hills, LR) Dr. Dorothy White (Episcopalian Priest), Ruskin Falls (TE, Pulaski Heights, LR), Karen Herbert (RE, Grace, LR), Liz Branch (RE, Westover Hills, LR), Ezra Voth (RE, Second, LR), Beckett Wright (RE, Second, LR).

Sharing Spaces - Tim Pollock, commissioned ruling elders and commissioned pastors coordinator for the Synod of the Covenant, recently offered a webinar full of ideas on extending ministry networks to municipal and nonprofit agencies. People on the call shared innovative ideas for how their churches are partnering with schools, local government, food pantries, service organizations and other entities to better serve their communities.

Watch the hour-long broadcast here.

Visioning Documents - In December 2023, the Presbytery of Arkansas entered into a relationship with Ministry Architects to help guide the presbytery through a strategic visioning process. The goal of this process is to establish a clear vision and structure that aligns with the current landscape and sets the stage for the presbytery’s continued growth and impact.

If you would like to check out what has been accomplished thus far, all of the documents can be accessed at presbyark.org under Our Presbytery/Visioning Documents or click here.

A Quick-Start Guide For Congregations With New Leadership - What should a pastor in a new call do first? How do they understand the congregation’s origin story? What’s the best way to engage the staff or structure meetings with the church’s governing body? And where can they best connect within their community?

These questions and more are dealt with in this new book by Episcopalian priest, Neal O. Michell. It's also Presbyterian Outlook's book of the month. Preview it here.

Did you know that The Presbytery has retained a bookshelf of physical resources for lending at the Presbytery office located at 9221 N. Rodney Parham Road in Little Rock. These resources are all listed on the Resource Center page which can be found on the Ministry Resource pages under General Resources.

To check out or inquire about a resource, contact Julie Price, Presbytery Connector, at 501-626-6477 or julietannerprice@gmail.com. Resources are free to check out to anyone associated with the Presbytery of Arkansas. Resources can be mailed outside of the Little Rock area.

If you are looking for a study we don't have, contact Julie Price about sharing the cost of the resource.