Volume 48/June 23, 2022
The Presbyark Update
Connecting & Informing the Presbytery of Arkansas
June 23, 2022
Synod of the Sun Announces new Director SPDR
The Synod of the Sun announces that the Rev. Kathy Lee- Cornell will become the Director of the Synod Partnership for Disaster Recovery. Kathy currently serves as Supply Pastor for St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Dallas and will continue working part-time with the Synod and St. Mark until July 31st. She will begin her work full-time with the Synod on August 1st. Read more...
General Presbyter Summer Schedule
General Presbyter and Stated Clerk Stewart Smith will be out of the office for 3 weeks during the summer for continuing education and vacation.  
 
June 27-July 1             Vacation
July 18-July 22             Cont. Edu. at Zephyr Point
July 24-July 29             Vacation
 
As a reminder, if needed, you can reach him during these times via email and on the office phone (501) 663-2424 or his cell phone (479) 466-0195.  
 
If you need physical access to the office during those times, please contact Kim Palmer, Carol Clark or Julie Price.  
Transforming Conflict from the Inside Out
Mark your calendars! The Presbytery of Arkansas Resource Team is sponsoring a Nonviolent Communication Workshop with Rev. Theresa Latini on Wednesday, September 21 from 1:00 - 3:00pm. This interactive workshop will present basic skills for transforming conflict into mutual connection, collaboration, and creative vision. Rev. Latini is the co-author of Transforming Church Conflict: Compassionate Leadership in Action.

For more details and registration, click here.
From Christian Education to Faith Formation
We keep hearing how Sunday school no longer works, the old ways don't speak to the young people today, but not much conversation about new ways of doing things. Well I'm excited about some things I've been reading and watching lately. The main two take-aways I see are that we have to move from a programmatic to a relational model of teaching and we have to start equipping our parents and other adults to make faith formation a natural part of their homelife. I want to share three resources with you that I found very useful:
Happy transformations!
Julie Price
Theological Discussion with Tod Bolsinger
At the 150th meeting of the Presbytery of Arkansas, our Theological Discussion guest speaker was the Rev. Tod Bolsinger, author of Tempered Resilience: How Leaders are Formed in the Crucible of Change. 

We did have some technical difficulties at the start of his talk, so the first few minutes are missing, but you can click here for his full set of slides.

Click here to watch his talk. You will also find the link at presbyark.org with the other information from the 150th meeting of the Presbytery and on the Ministry Resources page under Church Vitality.
Faith Storytelling Toolkit
We tell stories because we’re made in the image of God, who chose stories as the way to share God's great love for us. And we tell stories because there is no better way to convey deep truth, deep pain, and deep love.

But even though we know the power of story, we often struggle to tell our own faith stories to each other. That’s a sad thing, because when we don’t share our stories, we deprive ourselves and others of the blessing of telling and hearing about God’s faithfulness in our everyday lives.

The resources in this toolkit will help your congregation develop a storytelling culture in which sharing faith stories becomes a deep, rich, natural pathway to growing together in Christ. Click here to learn more.
Retired Pastor's Meeting
Whether you've been retired for years or months, join Stewart Smith on Friday, July 8 at 10:00am on the Presbytery Zoom for a time of catching up and connecting.

There's no registration required. You should receive an email reminder the day before the meeting. If you have any questions, contact Stewart at stewart@presbyark.org.
The 225th General Assembly
Stay current with everything happening at the 225th meeting of the General Assembly by clicking the GA225 Homepage and the Spirit of GA Facebook Page.
Don't You Want To Be A YAT?
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 Presbytery's Youth A-Team (aka, Youth Advisory Team or YAT).

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

What is the commitment?
- Attending two weekend planning meetings (Aug/Sept and Jan/Feb)
- Being part of the Leadership Team for at least one YAT Event
- Participating in YAT programming throughout the year

To apply, submit this form by July 15th.
Worship Planning Retreat
Marcia McFee (Worship Design Studio) and Jason Moore (Both/And: Maximizing Hybrid Worship Experiences for In-Person and Online Engagement) are coming together to present a worship planning retreat both in-person and online August 14 - 17. This retreat will inspire creative ideas for the 2022-2023 liturgical year and focus on meaningful ways we can re-shape our in-person, online, and rhythm-flexible worshiping! Click here to learn more.
Looking Ahead
  • Friday 7/2-7 Jr. High Jubilee Trip
  • Monday 7/4 Office Closed for 4th of July
  • Tuesday 7/5 10am COM, 2pm Staff Meeting

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