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PWNC NEWS & EVENTS

December 3, 2021

We Need Your Pledge Card!

Information was sent to our churches and Clerks of Session some time ago to help us prepare for PWNC's 2022 Budget. Even though our November 10th deadline has passed, we are still missing a number of pledge cards from our churches.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide your church's anticipated givings for PWNC to Lisa Pressley ASAP. Our Finance Committee relies heavily on these pledge cards to accurately determine available funding for the ministry of the Presbytery in the forthcoming year.

We certainly appreciate your continued support which allows us to minister to those not only in our region, but around the world as well!

The 2021–22 “Called to Service: Witnessing God’s Love Around the World*” Mission Personnel Guide highlights the work of our more than 70 mission co-workers and the global partners with whom they serve. Their ministries include peacebuilding, teaching, preaching, agriculture, theological education, evangelism, accompaniment, advocacy, and community health and development.

World Mission is re-envisioning how we financially support the work of global ministry, especially the sending of mission personnel. Rev. Rosemary Mitchell, senior director of Mission Engagement and Support, shares the shift that will be implemented in 2022: “World Mission is deeply grateful for the generous mission co-worker support from congregations and individuals. We value the deep relationships that exist and want to continue and add to those relationships. After conversations with mission personnel, we are glad to announce that, beginning in 2022, we are removing the burden of fundraising from individual mission personnel. We are inviting support for all of our mission personnel through one fund (E132192 — Mission Personnel Support). More details about the Mission Personnel Support fund can be found in the FAQs beginning on page 25.”

Should you have questions or need further clarification, feel free to reach out to Ellen Dozier, a member of PWNC's Mission Committee, either by email (ellendozier@hotmail.com), or cell phone (828/403-4988403-4988). *The Presbytery office has a limited number of copies of "Called to Serve" on hand for those who prefer a printed copy. Please contact the Presbytery office at 828/438-4217 if you would like a copy mailed to you.

Episode 5 is Ready to View!

Below is a link to Byron's next video in his series called, "On the Western Front."

Click here to watch Episode 5 and hear about Byron's visit to the Third Street Presbyterian Church in Gastonia on November 21st!

The Building H.O.P.E. Vital Church Committee

wants to hear from you!

We are seeking your responses to the following questions as we plan to supply funds to churches in the presbytery:

1) Are there specific ways the Vital Church funds can be used to achieve the goals of revitalizing the leadership of our churches?

2) Do you have a vision that might be fleshed out for implementation in our congregations?

3) What would be most helpful to your particular fellowship?

4) What do pastors and ruling elders need most to sustain and energize their ministry?

5) How can we encourage and invigorate elder and clergy leadership?

We would love to hear from you concerning the needs and dreams you have for your community of faith. Please send your responses to the General Presbyter, Byron Wade, at bwade@presbyterywnc.org or call/text him at (828) 430-1515. Thank you!!

Vital Churches Initiative Web Application

Click here to download additional details. The CROSS summer internship application can be found here.

I am pleased to share an upcoming webcast that will be facilitated by Howard Sewell, retired insurance risk manager. Howard will discuss the importance of conducting regularly scheduled safety inspections of facilities and grounds. This webcast will dive into the specifics about what needs to be evaluated at churches. Please share with those that you believe are interested in attending on Thursday, December 9th, at 2:00 p.m. EST to hear Howard offer suggestions on how to mitigate losses from inspection findings.

Please see the attached flyer and visit the registration page for additional information: Conducting Church Safety Inspections - Insurance Board

Previously recorded webcasts can be found on the online learning site: Online Learning - Insurance Board

Have a great week and feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Steve Pardue CIC, CRM

Vice President, Commercial Insurance Advisor

Countybanc Insurance Services, Inc.

Physical Address: 3501 Pelham Road, Greenville, SC 29615

Mailing: 3431 Pelham Road, Greenville, SC 29615

864-335-2465 Office

864-201-4521 Cell

864-335-2482 Fax

spardue@ecountybanc.com

www.countybancinsurance.com

Fall 2021 Mission Team to Wilmington NC

The PWNC Fall 2021 Disaster Assistance Team to Wilmington, NC included: (Front row, l to r) Ken and Sue Unnasch (Long Creek, Kings Mt ), Bobbi Trick (Hickory FPC), Betsy Keith (Gastonia FPC), Margie Lang (Burnsville FPC), Derwin Nelson (Hickory FPC), (Back row, l to r) Russ Rankin (Franklin FPC), Phil Trick (Hickory FPC), Joanne Mitchell (Gastonia Southminster), Bob Abel (Hayesville), Brian Schroeder (Gastonia FPC), Gail Lehman (Franklin FPC), and Stancil Campbell (Asheville FPC).

Thirteen volunteers from Western NC Presbytery met up in Wilmington, NC on Sunday, October 10, 2021. First Presbyterian Church in Wilmington would be our home for the next week. Our accommodations were the Katherine Kennedy Home, which the church uses to house groups doing mission work in the Wilmington area. Here we would cook, eat, & sleep.

On Monday, we had a thirty minute drive to Rocky Point, NC to our work sites. Rocky Point is a very rural community in Pender County. The group worked with the local organization - WARM (Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry). Our group of 13 split into two smaller groups in order to work on two homes.

One group of 6 worked at the home of Ms. Willie. The work at her home included installing new flooring in the kitchen & living room, window & wall repairs due to water damage, installing a new front door, and installing grab bars. The WARM supervisor was Dwayne.

The other group of 7 worked at the home of Ms. Edith. Work at this home included porch/door/flooring/siding repairs, as well as construction and installation of a ramp.

The team experienced a wonderful week, getting to know each other, learning new construction skills as well as sharing construction skills with other team members, talking to the home owners & listening to their story. It is a very humbling experience to serve others as part of a mission team.

Hope these pictures give you a little insight into how we spent our week!

APCE Scholarship Availability

The Presbytery’s Christian Education Committee has limited monies available to help scholarship interested participants in APCE's 2022 annual conference, which will be held February 9-12 in Chicago. The conference theme is "Circle of Faith: 50 years + one and beyond,” where God will meet us as we are and nurture us into what God dreams and hopes for us!"

If you are planning to attend and need assistance, please complete the scholarship application and submit it electronically to Tonya Williams at the Presbytery office by December 8th. After review by the CE Committee, awarded funds will be distributed by year-end.

Logos for PWNC

We are still in search of a new logo! Be on the lookout as we share some newly designed logos in our publications. Click this link to see what has been presented to date. Feel free to tell us what you think by emailing Byron or Tonya at the Presbytery office.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Design courtesy of Janeen Dishman of

Unity Presbyterian Church.

Joyful Noise Newsletter

The latest edition of Presbyterian Women's ‘Joyful Noise’ can be viewed at the following link.

Download Full Details Here

Leadership Institute at Union

The Leadership Institute is committed to equipping and inspiring church and ministry leaders. Our desire is to foster the continuing, ongoing process of leadership and professional development for pastors, educators, and lay leaders alike. We invite you to explore how we may partner together to strengthen our witness and service to the church in the world.

Current online courses and continuing education events being offered can be found at this link. For more information about these and other programs of the Leadership Institute, please visit our website.

Presbyterian Planning Calendar 2021-2022

The Presbyterian Planning Calendars are available to purchase directly from the PCUSA Store at a cost of $16.95 each.

Books of Order and Books of Confession, along with other resources are available as well. Click here to visit the store.

Opportunity for Safe Gatherings Training for Congregations in PWNC

Some churches have asked whether Presbytery might help in providing training for their volunteers who work with children, youth and vulnerable adults. In addition to the policy that was adopted by PWNC last year on child and youth protection, we have made arrangement with the Safe Gatherings organization to allow any congregation of the Presbytery to have their volunteers access online training that may help ensure safety in their ministries.

Here is a brief description of the course that is available:

Safe Gatherings Training Course is a comprehensive training empowering leaders to protect children, youth and vulnerable adults through greater awareness of:

o Sexual predators and their habits

o Types of abuse

o Signs of abuse

o How to respond to disclosure of abuse

o Mandatory reporting

o and more!

To begin the registration process, click here This takes you to the home page. To register for the Safe Gatherings Training Course, click the red button at the top of the page labelled “Get Started.”

The next page will ask you to establish your own account, working your way through several pull-down menus. After you choose “Church or Faith Based Organization,” then “Presbyterian” as the denomination, you are asked to indicate your specific organization. Begin typing “western” and the option for the Presbytery of Western North Carolina will appear. Next you will enter your personal information to establish your account with a password. This will take you to the next screen where you enter additional details and agree to terms of service. On the following screen you are asked to pay $24.00 for your course online with a credit card. Churches may work out arrangements with their members for reimbursement as needed. When you take the final quiz for your course, presbytery will receive a notification that you have completed it. On request, the Presbytery office can certify whether a particular individual has completed the course.

If you encounter any difficulties in this process, please be in touch with Cam Murchison (cmurc1@gmail.com; 404-556-8041) or with Tonya Williams (twilliams@presbyterywnc.org; 828-438-4217). Thanks for joining us in exploring new ways to ensure healthy and sacred boundaries in PWNC.