PWNC NEWS
& EVENTS

August 5, 2022
2022-2023 Church Leadership School

It's almost time for CLS! Applications are being received for the fall semester.

The Church Leadership School/Commissioned Pastor (CLS/CLP) Training is a course of study designed to help you learn and grow in discipleship. The program offers 170+ hours of training and class work in a two-year cycle and begins with a fellowship and orientation gathering on the first Saturday after Labor Day, held at the First Presbyterian Church in Morganton. The orientation provides an overview of the educational program, an opportunity to get to know one another, explore faith sharing and development, and obtain valuable information about how our classes are conducted, and our expectations for completion. In addition, students will engage in a special topic presentation, and acquire their textbooks and syllabi for the beginning term.

Many people take the course for their own personal enrichment or to strengthen their ability to serve their church. For others, the program is designed to meet some (but not all) of the requirements leading to commissioning as a Commissioned Pastor.

The CLS meets 6 bi-weekly Saturdays each in the Fall and Winter, and 5 Saturdays in the Spring. All classes are held at First Presbyterian Church, Morganton.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating, you can find more information linked in the buttons below. Please share the word!
Check out Byron's latest edition of "On the Western Front" as he visits Reems Creek-Beech on Sunday, July 17th.
Nominating Needs Your Help!

Attention Ministers and Clerks of Session! If you missed this communication from the Nominating Committee, please take a moment to read!

The Presbytery needs you to identify skilled individuals to help us carry out the mission and ministry of PWNC. If you or someone you know is interested in serving on a committee of Presbytery, please provide contact information on the attached form and return it to Robbin Buchanan at the Presbytery office. Your help is greatly appreciated and we thank you in advance!
When and What Is the Season of Creation?

If your church missed the opportunity to have a Creation Care service during Earth Month (April) you can still honor God’s creation this year during the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and creation itself. Started as an ecumenical effort in the early 1990s, the Season starts with the World Day of Prayer for Creation on September 1 and ends with the Feast of St. Francis on October 4.

This year’s theme is “Listen to the Voice of Creation” and the symbol is the burning bush, reminding us of the numerous destructive wildfires on our planet and the bush that Moses witnessed that did not burn. “I have heard their cry…I know their suffering…Come, now! I will send you…I will be with you” (Ex 3:1-12)

The Season of Creation organization has put together a complete Celebration Guide focusing on prayer, sustainability, and advocacy with links to help you plan your events. https://seasonofcreation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SOC-2022-Celebration-Guide-Final-English.pdf

Additional resources for Presbyterians that you might find helpful:

If you would like more information about what the Presbytery Earth Care Team is doing to honor and protect God’s creation year round, email wncearthcareteam@gmail.com
The Parables Bible Study Was A Great Success!

About 30 adults gathered at the Green Mountain Presbyterian Church for three days of wonderful study, worship and fellowship, studying the Parables of Jesus. The ages of the participants ranged from 30 to 93 and folks came from as far away as Weaverville, Asheville, Morganton and the Mayland Fellowship Area!

Lunch was provided and donations were received for Daily Change in the amount of $57.55! The event is the second to be held at Green Mountain and was supported by funds from the PWNC Building HOPE Campaign.
PYT Provides Fabulous Resources for FREE!!
3 new resources YOU can use to create and host your local or regional PYT theme experience. Professionally written and beautifully designed, these guides are here to help YOU create a program that fits your community’s needs. These resources are FREE for you to enjoy and use to launch this timely biblical theme into the hearts and minds of your youth, young adults, families, and intergenerational groups. Each can be adjusted for a wide variety of events and settings including a small church, presbytery gathering, weekend retreat, regional PYT experience, or mid-week series. You name it! You will find that you can easily utilize the activities in all of these guides!
Living Waters for the World

“I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,” (Matthew 25.35). If you are a Matthew 25 congregation or if you are simply convinced that providing safe, drinkable water to anyone in need is what our Savior wants you to do, then you might be interested in knowing more about a ministry that does just that.

LWW, a well-respected PCUSA ministry, trains, equips, supports and empowers people in global partnerships to be Matthew 25 followers of Jesus. ​These partnerships enable international communities to install and sustain water purification systems and health education programs that transform lives.

If you are interested in learning more about how you and/or your congregation or a group within your congregation might be involved in this ministry, I am willing to travel anywhere in the Presbytery to meet and talk and discuss it with you.

Pastor Bob Edmunds (HR)
703.402.4453
PWNC Disaster Recovery Trip
October 2-8, 2022
to Help our Neighbors in Canton
The Canton, North Carolina area was devastated by flood waters on August 17, 2021.  The Presbytery is hosting another work trip to help our neighbors in need from October 2 – 8, 2022. 
 
The work is very similar to working on a house for Habitat for Humanity. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to learn new skills and help people in need. Cost for the week is $25, which includes food & shelter for the week. The team will stay at Canton Presbyterian Church. The maximum number of participants for week’s stay is 20.  

Opportunity for working 1-3 days and/or spending 1 or 2 nights is available for $10/night. 
Not sure about staying all week? Come up for the day!  There is no up-front cost for this option, but donations for on-site materials are always welcome. You must register just like other participants. 
 
The deadline to submit registration forms is Monday, September 19, 2022. More information and registration can be found at the following link:
 
IRS Mileage Reimbursement Rate Change
The Internal Revenue Service announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rate for the final 6 months of 2022. Taxpayers may use the optional standard mileage rates to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business and certain other purposes.

For the final 6 months of 2022, the standard mileage rate for business travel will be 62.5 cents per mile, up 4 cents from the rate effective at the start of the year. The new rate for deductible medical or moving expenses (available for active-duty members of the military) will be 22 cents for the remainder of 2022, up 4 cents from the rate effective at the start of 2022.

These new rates become effective July 1, 2022. The IRS provided legal guidance on the new rates in Announcement 2022-13.
Untitled Design
Families Donate Fresh Vegetables

Four family gardens have provided 350 pounds of fresh produce to local families and the McDowell Food Hub in Marion. This doesn't count the neighbors and friends who received some of the bounty, as well as the huge amounts of seedlings for which Bounty and Soul in Black Mountain was the recipient.

What a wonderful way to share God's love with your neighbors!
Funds Critically Low!
Our "Daily Change" fund (formerly "Nickel a Meal") is at a critically low point. This affects the PWNC Hunger Committee's ability to fund grant requests received bi-annually from agencies across our Presbytery. We are already receiving requests for the fall funding cycle, so we need your help!

*Please encourage your members to contribute to this worthwhile cause! Consider taking up a special offering during Sunday worship in the coming weeks, or designate 5th Sundays as an opportunity for this collection.** Make it a staple in your annual budget.

The Parables Adult VBS that was held recently at Green Mountain took the opportunity at their event to collect an offering for Daily Change. $57.55 was received to go toward helping those who are food insecure. How wonderful!

Please help us replenish the fund! Give the change you want to see in the world.
Malawi Mission - Nkhoma Seminary
PWNC Continues to Support Seminary Graduates

In May 2022, Nkhoma Seminary, in Malawi, graduated 12 new, much needed pastors. Nkhoma Synod has more than one million Presbyterian members and many of their churches and prayer houses are without trained ordained pastors. Each graduate received a Biblical commentary, a clerical shirt, and a bicycle. Plus, there is a special graduation dress for each wife. Books, like commentaries, are so important when there is no reliable internet, or sometimes no internet at all. Several years ago, a seminary graduate thanked a PWNC mission team member saying that he had prayed for a clerical shirt, but did not have the money to purchase one. The student’s prayer was answered. Bicycles will save the pastors much time in trying to reach the different churches and prayer houses that they will serve. One pastor said this was the best gift.
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.
Click the buttons below to explore current job
opportunities that are also listed on the PWNC website.
We Love to Share Your Good News!

If you have items of interest to share with the Presbytery in the weekly newsletter, please email Tonya Williams.

Information should be sent electronically, preferably with an image, 10 days in advance, for inclusion in the following week's distribution. Submissions may be edited for brevity. The General Presbyter or Stated Clerk will make final decisions about what may be included.

The e-news publication goes out each Friday to members across the Presbytery. We look forward to sharing your good news!
In an effort to help ease the burden of fuel prices on our staff, until further notice, all PWNC staff will operate remotely on Fridays. Please make note of the contact information provided below as the best way to reach respective staff members during this time.
PWNC OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Office building closed/staff remote)
 
STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
Byron Wade
Cam Murchison*
Beth Gunn*
Marie Palacios*
Charles Davenport*
Barbara Ross*
Bob Ayala*
Lisa Pressley
Tonya Williams
Robbin Buchanan*
Marcia Puckett*
828/430-1515 cell/text
404/556-8041 cell/text
828/329-9209 cell/text
828/838-4245 cell/text
704/689-0296 cell/text
828/387-6332 phone
828/284-6628 phone
828/443-4600 cell/text
828/443-6412 cell/text
828/438-4217 ext. 13 phone
828/438-4217 ext. 18 phone

*Denotes part-time
Presbytery of Western North Carolina | 828.438.4217 | www.presbyterywnc.org