Category Archives: Presbytery News

Diversity fuels mission of newly localized Tennessee church plant

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The congregation of The Avenue Community Church in Memphis, following the service of localization held on March 20, 2022, at Highland Heights Baptist Church in Memphis.

Embracing diversity has fueled the mission and growth of The Avenue Community Church (TACC) in Memphis—leading to achieving local church status in the Presbytery of the Central South in March. Local church status means a congregation is self-governing with its own elected and installed officers, including Ruling Elders and Deacons.

“We know from Scripture that God’s true church is diverse, from every nation, tribe, tongue,” said Lead Pastor Tim Johnson. “So as the local church, we strive to be diverse as well.”

Tim Johnson

Johnson noted that TACC’s goal is to be not only multi-ethnic, but also multi-class and multi-generational.

“We have to seek to reach people from all types of backgrounds,” he said. “Our heart is to do what every other faithful church has been doing since its inception, and that is to be working for the God of the Bible reverently, passionately, and faithfully. There’s a blueprint to the church that the Lord left us and that’s what we want to fulfill. We want to witness, we want to worship, we want to edify the body until He comes back.”

TACC has been focused on the community in and around—and is named for—Summer Avenue since its launch in September 2018. Running east-west on the north side of central Memphis, Summer Avenue is one of the most diverse areas of the city. In fulfillment of Johnson’s vision for ministry in the community, TACC acquired and is renovating the old Highland Heights United Methodist Church property on Summer and hopes to hold its worship services in the historic Gothic structure within the next year or so. TACC has met at a local school for the past three and a half years.

“The new location places us right in between two communities we would love to wed and be a bridge and bring together,” Johnson said. “One has the highest dollar amount per square foot, and the other is a very multiracial, lower-middle-class. We strategically have always prayed to be on the Avenue. Now that we are officially on Summer Avenue, we can truly be The Avenue sitting right in the middle of all the intersection of all the people who are doing business on our streets.”

The Summer Avenue corridor in central Memphis is the focus of The Avenue Community Church’s ministry.

Johnson and TACC are accomplishing the work that Second Presbyterian Church of Memphis envisioned in the pre-pandemic days of 2017, according to Dan Burns, Second’s World Missions Pastor.

“We were dreaming and praying about how to help plant a diverse, multi-ethnic church in one of our ‘edge’ neighborhoods,” Burns explained. “There are many dividing lines in Memphis where economic and racial patterns tend to divide the community. We were praying about launching a church ‘on the line’ that could serve the community on both sides and draw them into a common fellowship.”

Burns said Johnson has both the vision and passion to pursue this vision.

“He sensed the Lord lead him and his core team to Summer Avenue, immediately got engaged in the community through youth work and community connections, and launched The Avenue a year later,” Burns said. “The Lord soon gave them energy, direction, and resources to launch—and they weathered the pandemic and racial tension of 2020 with gospel grace.”

And the gospel ministry of TACC will now reach literally around the world.

“I was overjoyed to see the first couple from The Avenue commissioned at the 2022 EPC General Assembly to serve as World Outreach global workers in the Middle East,” Burns said.

Johnson said the journey to local church status wasn’t as encumbering as he anticipated.

“The administrative commission from Second Presbyterian and the delegates from the Presbytery just really made it seem more relational, and that we are brothers and sisters and that we’re excited about this process,” he said. “It did not feel like an interrogation—like with the hope that you would fail—but was a discovery and birthing of a new relationship and friendship. That was quite refreshing.”

Tim Foster, Senior Pastor of Highland Heights Presbyterian Church in Memphis, prays over Tim Johnson during the service of localization held March 20, 2022.

Seeing God’s hand in the formation of TACC and its success led to a “marvelous day of God’s grace” when TACC was constituted as a local congregation, said Ken Van Kampen, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Central South.

“It was, in one sense, the climax and closing of one chapter and the opening of another chapter in the life of the church,” he said, explaining that the timing of TACC’s localization was evidence of God’s blessing.

“The Lord graciously upheld the congregation during COVID,” Van Kampen said. “It was during this time that the leadership of The Avenue—who were ordained and installed as the initial class of Elders and Deacons on March 20—was raised up and trained. In the midst of this it was clear that the Lord prepared the congregation for localization. It was all the power and grace of the Lord.”

Johnson said he has been humbled to see God work through TACC from the very beginning.

“We believe the nations are literally in our backyard: Black, white, Hispanic, rich, poor. We believe that God has placed us uniquely and strategically in the middle of all those people,” he said. “And we think He has placed us in the middle of all those people to preach the gospel, to preach it faithfully, and to preach it indiscriminately to whomever we encounter.”

by Tim Yarbrough
EPConnection correspondent

John Manon, former Presbytery of the Midwest Stated Clerk, dies at 87

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John and Diane Manon

John Calvin Manon, Ruling Elder for St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Auburn, Ind., and longtime Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Midwest, died on March 3 at his home in Auburn.

He was born in Auburn on February 18, 1935, to Walter Calvin Manon and Mary Kathryn (Owens) Manon. He graduated from Auburn High School in 1953 and attended Tri-State (now Trine) University in Angola, Ind., and Indiana University in Bloomington.

Manon served in the U.S. Army from 1957-1959, as an administrative clerk. He was assigned to the Eighth U.S. Army Headquarters, Chief of Staff Section, in Seoul, South Korea.

After discharge he managed two family-owned Texaco Service Stations in Auburn and worked briefly as an insurance agent before beginning work at Cooper Engineered Products in Auburn. He retired in 1992 following 30 years in Cooper’s sales department.

On February 27, 1971, he married the Rev. Diane Marie Davis in Auburn, who currently serves on the Session for St. Andrew Presbyterian Church.

In retirement he served as volunteer administrator of the Presbyterian Self-help Ministries in Auburn and an assistant soccer coach at Lakewood Park Christian School. He served on the first advisory board for DeKalb Area Schools at Home (D.A.S.H.). He also was a funeral attendant at Feller and Clark Funeral Homes in Auburn and Waterloo, Ind.

Manon served as the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Midwest from 2001 until 2018. He was a founding member and the first Clerk of Session of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and served the congregation from its inception in 1993 as Ruling Elder, Trustee, and Deacon. He also served nine years as the Church Administrator. He had served as Clerk of Session, Elder, and Deacon for his previous church, Auburn Presbyterian Church. At both churches he was a worship leader, a teacher of new church members, an officer-training instructor, a Sunday school teacher, and served as Sunday School Superintendent for many years. In 1982, Manon received a certificate as a Lay Preacher from the Lay Preacher’s Institute of his former denomination’s Presbytery of Wabash Valley.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Diane; daughter and son-in-law Angie and David May of Columbus, Ind.; daughter Molly Manon of Auburn; son and daughter-in-law John and Amber Manon of Auburn; son and daughter-in-law Justin and Joni Manon of Fort Collins, Colo.; granddaughters Katrina Ann May, Cassidy Marie May, and Lynlie Rae Manon; and grandsons Liam John Manon, Jonah Calvin Manon, and Judah Kelso Manon.

Memorials can be sent to St. Andrew Evangelical Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 6041, Auburn, IN 46706.

Presbytery of the Alleghenies golf tournament raises $42,000 for EduNations

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Thanks to the sponsorship and participation of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies, EduNations hosted its third annual golf outing in September at Avalon Golf and Country Club in Sharon, Pa.

Motivated by compassion for “the least of these,” EduNations gives forgotten children tangible reasons to hope. More than teaching ABCs, EduNations creates schools in Sierra Leone, West Africa, that become beacons of growth and learning. In addition to providing education to children during the week, these schools function as the center for their communities’ development by providing clean water, health education, AIDS prevention, adult education, future vocational training, and community empowerment. Through partnership with the EPC, many first-generation believers have been born in the six remote villages where EduNations has schools. As part of the Engage 2025 initiative of EPC World Outreach, the Presbytery of the Alleghenies has adopted two of these remote villages—Rokassa and Fintonia.

With the support of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies, EduNations held its first golf outing fundraiser in 2019 to support the construction of its first boarding high school, which officially opened in January 2021. This two-story school building in Rokassa enables EduNations students from all six remote communities to receive a high school education, focusing in either Science, Commercial Business, or Liberal Arts. In addition, students live in dormitories with the other boarding students and receive three meals each day. In 2020, funds raised at EduNations’ golf outing supported room and board expenses for the first class of 130 high school students who started attending the Senior Secondary School in January 2021.

The goal of this year’s golf outing was to “Send More to School” and provide room and board for EduNations’ second class of students entering the Senior Secondary Boarding School in Rokassa. The boarding school is a big step for EduNations because prior to this, students who had passed the national Basic Certificate Exams after junior secondary school (the equivalent of middle school in the U.S.) simply had nowhere to go to further their education. Now, students from all villages will have the chance to complete an undergraduate education in a Christian environment. This opportunity to directly impact students’ spiritual lives is invaluable, as all of them are entering an age where they can really make their faith their own.

Thanks to the Presbytery of the Alleghenies and all who supported and participated in this year’s golf outing, EduNations raised $42,000—an increase of $10,000 over the 2020 fundraiser. This year, about 260 students are attending EduNations Senior Secondary Boarding School in Rokassa. We are looking forward to seeing how these students, who are for the first time in their lives removed from the Islamic beliefs and practices of their parents, will be impacted spiritually as they are exposed to the gospel and discipled in their young and growing faith. Thank you!

by Sarah Pietryga
Development Coordinator, EduNations

With the support of the Presbytery of the Alleghenies, EduNations golf outing fundraisers have helped support the construction of its first boarding high school, which officially opened in January 2021. This two-story school building in Rokassa, Sierra Leone, enables EduNations students from all six remote communities to receive a high school education, focusing in either Science, Commercial Business, or Liberal Arts. In addition, students live in dormitories with the other boarding students and receive three meals each day.

Ministry paths converge in Orlando for Bahamas, Pennsylvania ordination candidates

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FROM THERE; GOING THERE: Carrie and Barrett Hendrickson (left) greeted Jude and Keitra Vilma after a recent worship service at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. Jude grew up in Marsh Harbor and now serves as a pastoral resident at FPCO. The Hendricksons arrived in Marsh Harbor on November 4 to serve with the EPC’s Kirk of the Pines under the auspices of the Caribbean Youth Network.

What do Pittsburgh, Orlando, and Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas have in common? For two EPC ordination candidates and their families, Orlando is the middle link in a chain that stretches more than 1,000 miles across two countries.

On September 3, Jude and Keitra Vilma arrived in Orlando from Nassau, where he had served as a pastoral intern for St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk. He grew up in a Haitian Creole community in Marsh Harbor, has been a youth worker with the Bahamas Youth Network, and now is a pastoral resident at First Presbyterian Church in Orlando while pursuing a Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS).

Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, Barrett Hendrickson was in the process of transferring his status as Candidate Under Care from the Presbytery of the Alleghenies to the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean. A May 2020 RTS graduate, he and his wife, Carrie, had joined the Caribbean Youth Network (CYN) to serve with EPC Teaching Elder Gabe Swing at the Kirk of the Pines in Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas. The church is a mission of the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean.

The Hendricksons staged in Florida for several months while they waited for pandemic-related restrictions in the Bahamas to be lifted. On November 4, they arrived in Marsh Harbor, which was devastated by Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

“We are extremely excited to welcome the Hendrickson family to Abaco,” Swing said. “They will provide needed support for relief efforts and help us re-engage the community through outreach and worship opportunities.”

Hendrickson said that when he was young, one of the ways his youth pastor mentored him was through preforming manual labor, such as mowing the lawns of older church members.

“I wanted to be able to do that here,” he said. “Of course sharing Jesus and discipling people, but also by providing tangible, physical needs.”

Swing said conditions in Marsh Harbor continue to be “very difficult” for residents, with many still without adequate housing, electricity, and running water.

“The reconstruction moves at a snail’s pace, and many residents have to acquire drinking water from Water Mission distribution sites,” he said. “The pandemic has frustrated recovery efforts, and food security has become a major problem. Thousands of people are relying on free food distribution from the government and NGOs.”

In the wake of Hurricane Dorian, approximately $175,000 has been disbursed to Kirk of the Pines from the EPC Emergency Relief Fund.

Swing noted that “regular giving has all but vanished” since so many church members have been displaced to other islands in the Bahamas, as well as the U.S. He said the Emergency Relief Fund donations have been used to purchase a truck to distribute relief supplies; provide food and housing for several displaced families; assist with living expenses for he and his wife, Jan; and fund pastoral visits to members of the congregation.

‘Raising up the next generation of pastoral leaders’

While Orlando was a stopping point in the Hendrickson’s journey to the Bahamas, the Vilmas are adjusting to life at FPCO and RTS. He is the recipient of the Andrew Jumper Scholarship, which is named for one of the EPC’s founders and awarded by RTS to a full-time MDiv student who demonstrates “exemplary Christian character and potential for ministry.”

David Swanson, FPCO Senior Pastor, said the Vilmas are “settling into the FPCO family beautifully” as the congregation has resumed in-person worship.

“Our commitment is to take an active role in raising up the next generation of pastoral leaders with a special eye towards greater diversity,” he said. “The Vilmas are the perfect fit for a mutually beneficial partnership. Jude is already leading in worship and will be meeting with each member of the pastoral team on a regular basis as the meat of his pastoral residency program. He will be exposed to every dimension of church life, including finance and administration, with the goal of helping him be ready theologically and practically for a fruitful future pastorate.”

Vilma said that he did not expect to be awarded the Jumper Scholarship, and when he received the news he knew he and his wife would be moving to Florida.

“I knew I was coming to Orlando,” Vilma said. “First Pres was very generous to us coming here with their love and support, so it’s really great for us. I hope to continue to grow under David Swanson, Case Thorp, and the other pastors here, and eventually to serve within the EPC itself.”

FPCO has partnered with the EPC congregations in the Bahamas “in extremely meaningful ways,” said Bryn MacPhail, Senior Pastor of St. Andrew’s Kirk. “No individual congregation has contributed more to the health and progress of St. Andrew’s and Kirk of the Pines than First Pres Orlando.”

Hendrickson said Vilma is “our great success story” from CYN.

“When we came down last August before Hurricane Dorian hit to see the opportunity with Gabe and CYN, Jude walked us through Marsh Harbor and the Haitian neighborhood where he grew up,” he said. “So to connect with him and Keitra in Orlando was wonderful. To recognize how God raised him up here—and now bringing us to Abaco—it was like God was saying to us, ‘there is opportunity to raise up more.’ That’s our long-term goal: to raise Bahamian pastors.”

 

Louisiana, Texas brace for Hurricane Delta as EPC churches continue cleanup effort from Hurricane Laura

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Blue tarps on homes in Lake Charles, La., indicate the extent of damage left by Hurricane Laura as Hurricane Delta takes aim at the region. (photo credit: Erik Stratton, KPEL965.com)

As Hurricane Delta bears down on the northern Gulf Coast, volunteers from numerous EPC churches expect to ramp up their ongoing recovery efforts since Hurricane Laura swept through southwest Louisiana in late August. Delta is expected to strengthen by the time it makes landfall on October 9.

Members of First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, La., and First Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs, Miss., have traveled to the heaviest-hit areas in the weeks since the category 4 storm made landfall August 27, causing extensive damage in Lake Charles and the surrounding area. Additional damage from Delta could further complicate what is a serious situation, according to relief effort leaders for the EPC’s Presbytery of the Gulf South.

Whitney Alexander

Whitney Alexander, Associate Pastor of Missions for First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, said recovery efforts have focused largely on removing debris from wind damage and flooding. Alexander and Kory Duncan, Associate Pastor of Missions at First Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs, are coordinating EPC relief efforts in the region.

“The wind damage was unbelievable,” Alexander said. “More than 50 percent of trees have been knocked over or damaged for the entire western side of Louisiana. Thousands of power lines were snapped or leaning over, with 80,000-plus roofs in these three communities damaged or destroyed. In some cases, the entire home has been leveled by trees falling.”

He noted that relief efforts were underway quickly after the storm moved out of the area. Members of First Presbyterian Church in Vicksburg, Miss., joined the teams from Baton Rouge and Ocean Springs with chainsaws and other tools in Alexandria, La., on September 4 and 5. The groups removed limbs from homes of members of Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria—approximately 100 miles north-northeast of Lake Charles and the nearest EPC congregation to Laura’s path of destruction. The following weekend, another group of 15 volunteers continued debris cleanup work in Alexandria.

Teams from Baton Rouge have continued to work in Lake Charles on Wednesdays and Saturdays, sawing downed trees and moving the debris to the curb.

“I just returned from my 12th trip,” Alexander said.

Kory Duncan (left) and volunteers from First Presbyterian Church in Ocean Springs, Miss., drove four hours to Alexandria, La., to help cleanup efforts following Hurricane Laura. (photo credit: Kory Duncan)

Duncan said students from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge joined the church teams to help clear debris in Alexandria.

“When trees fall in your yard, your insurance will cover it to get it off your house or to get it off your driveway or to get it off of any outbuildings, but the stuff that’s just lying in your yard, it’s on you,” Duncan said. “We spent an entire day working with a 90-year-old man. He was working when we got there and was working when we left—the whole time on one tree that had fallen that was probably 40 inches in diameter. We helped him—and we helped him a lot—but he still had more to do when we left.”

Alexander said he is praying there are no more injuries or property damage with Hurricane Delta.

“People are desperate,” he said. “My job is to continue loving people—that’s what I do. I’m going to continue to go to Lake Charles for a long time. We don’t need resources. We just need prayers. The supplies will be tripled and quadrupled. I’ll be there until next March, that’s how bad it is.”

He added that the 80,000 damaged and destroyed homes in the region will be rebuilt, but it will likely take several years.

“My heart hurts for those people,” Alexander said. “We’ve been through this in 2005, 2008, and 2016. Baton Rouge has been through it. I know how hard it is for these people. Gratefully, the Lord has spared us in Baton Rouge this time.”

He said his prayer for Hurricane Delta—the 25th named hurricane of the Atlantic season—is that “somehow the Holy Spirit and His mighty strength can dissipate that storm from 100 mph to like 50 when it gets on land. We know it is going to hit somebody, but we don’t want it to slam in as the last one did. The last one just annihilated everything.”

Duncan said his prayer is for more EPC churches to organize together or with other groups to train and prepare in advance to respond to future disasters.

“Thank goodness for organizations here and for the church,” Alexander said. “Without the church, I promise you they wouldn’t be this far in recovery efforts.”

by Tim Yarbrough
EPConnection correspondent

Presbytery Moderators hold annual meeting

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PresbyteryModerators201908At their annual meeting, Moderators and Moderators-elect from the EPC’s 14 presbyteries developed proposals for Leadership Institute workshop topics, ministry resource distribution strategies, and requirements for churches to adopt child protection policies.

The group met August 22-23 at the Office of the General Assembly in Orlando, Fla.

Other items addressed in the meeting included reports from several presbyteries of growth in their church planting initiatives, as well as annual retreats for Teaching Elders that were well-received by the pastors in their presbyteries.

Among topics of concern was a discussion regarding the pipeline of younger Teaching Elders. Several individuals expressed unease about the number of qualified pastors who would be available to fill pulpits that are expected to be vacated in the coming years as pastors reach retirement age. In response, Assistant Stated Clerk Jerry Iamurri reported that the Office of the General Assembly has processed 33 ordination examination requests for Teaching Elder candidates so far this year, and is on pace to have completed 50 by the end of the year.

Current Moderators who attended were Mike Gillett, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean; Palmer Griffin, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Southeast; Randall Leonard, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Great Plains; George Salnave, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes; Mike Wright, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of West; and Roy Yanke, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Midwest.

Moderators-elect who attended were Josh Brown, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Alleghenies; Jim Conners, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest; John Dorr, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the East; Bryant Harris, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Southeast; Joyce Harris, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Midwest; George Hertensteiner, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Great Plains; Mac MacGowan, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Central South; Bill Reisenweaver, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean; and Rich Swedberg, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the West.

Two Minute Topics video series to answer frequently asked questions

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The EPC Office of the General Assembly has launched a new video series, “Two Minute Topics.” The short, informative videos will address questions that the Office of the Stated Clerk frequently receives.

“We believe these videos will be useful tools for our leaders and others,” said Jerry Iamurri, EPC Assistant Stated Clerk. “With many people asking us the same questions, we realized that answering those inquiries on video would be a good resource.”

In the first video in the series, Iamurri discusses the Candidates Educational Equivalency Program (CEEP). The CEEP is designed to help non-traditional candidates for ministry satisfy the educational requirements for ordination as a Teaching Elder in the EPC.

The videos are available at www.epc.org/news/twominutetopics, as well on the EPC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/EPChurch80. Additional topics will be covered in the coming weeks and months.

Nine churches join EPC, three church plants become local churches in 2018–2019

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A total of 12 churches joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church as local churches in the reporting period of May 31, 2018, through June 1, 2019. Of the nine new congregations, eight transferred from the Presbyterian Church (USA). One was previously an independent Presbyterian church. In addition, four church plants attained local church status.

These newest members of the EPC family of churches are:

Antioch Presbyterian Church (Jacksonville, N.C.)
Pastor currently vacant
www.antiochpresbyterian.weebly.com
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Church of the Redeemer (Maryville, Tenn.)
Dave Strunk, Pastor
www.churchotr.com
Presbytery of the Southeast

Deerfield EPC (Bridgeton, N.J.)
Kenneth Larter, Pastor
www.deerfieldpres.org
Presbytery of the East

First Presbyterian Church (Martinsburg, W.Va.)
Rufus Burton, Pastor
www.fpcmartinsbgwv.org
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

First Presbyterian Church of Stanton (Stanton, Ky.)
Lucas Waters, Pastor
www.fpcstanton.com
Presbytery of the Southeast

Grace Brevard EPC (Brevard, N.C.)
Brian Land, Pastor
www.gracebrevardchurch.org
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Grove Presbyterian Church EPC (Dunn, N.C.)
Michael Weaver, Pastor
www.grovechurchofdunn.com
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Langhorne Presbyterian Church (Langhorne, Pa.)
Bill Teague, Pastor
www.langhornepres.org
Presbytery of the East

Nación Santa (Haines City, Fla.)
Luis Quiñones, Pastor
www.nacionsantaflorida.com
Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean

New Albany EPC (New Albany, Ohio)
David Milroy, Pastor
www.newalbanypresbyterian.org
Presbytery of the Alleghenies

Stow Presbyterian Church (Stow, Ohio)
Bob Stanley, Pastor
www.stowpres.church
Presbytery of the Alleghenies

The Table (San Francisco, Calif.)
Troy Wilson, Pastor
www.thetablesf.com
Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest

Woodlands Presbyterian Church (Hot Springs Village, Ark.)
Randy Carstens, Pastor
www.woodlandschurchhsv.org
Presbytery of the Central South

#epc2019ga

Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean celebrates ‘firsts’ at spring meeting

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FloridaPresbyteryInPuertoRicoA201905

Juan Rivera, Pastor of Iglesia Presbiteriana Westminster in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, leads the 87th stated meeting of the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean in prayer.

The EPC’s Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean held its first-ever meeting in Puerto Rico May 17-18, 2019. The 87th stated meeting of the presbytery was held at Iglesia Presbiteriana Westminster (Westminster Presbyterian Church) in Bayamón, a suburb of San Juan.

FloridaPresbyteryInPuertoRicoC201905

Carlos Sierra Pou (right) was received by the Presbytery of Florida and Caribbean as the first Candidate Under Care from an EPC congregation in Puerto Rico.

In addition to being the first EPC presbytery meeting held in Puerto Rico, attendees celebrated another first. The presbytery received Carlos Sierra Pou as the first Candidate Under Care from one of the EPC’s three Puerto Rican congregations. A member of Westminster Bayamón and a Master of Divinity student at Seminario Teológico de Puerto Rico, he is pursuing ordination as a Teaching Elder.

“Our three EPC congregations on the island poured out rich and sincere Puerto Rican hospitality,” said Case Thorp, EPC Moderator-Elect. “We toured Westminster’s recently acquired property that will one day be their new home, and had a prayer of dedication. What a great weekend!”

Thorp is a Teaching Elder in the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean, and serves as Senior Associate Pastor for First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Fla.

Attendees also heard reports from Presbytery Stated Clerk Bob Garment, Ministerial Chair Rick Gerhardt, Treasurer Don Mason, and Church Development Chair Greg Gunn. EPC Assistant Stated Clerk Jerry Iamurri presented a report on church planting efforts in the presbytery.

In addition, Marc de Jeu, a member of the EPC’s Revelation 7:9 Task Force, provided an update on the group’s work. The Task Force will make a full report on the first year of their work at the 39th General Assembly, June 18-21 at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in suburban Denver, Colo.

Ministerial Vocation Committee, presbytery Ministerial/Candidate Committee chairs meet in Orlando

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MVC-MCC201903

Brad Strait (right), Chair of the Ministerial Vocation Committee, leads discussion during the annual meeting of the MVC and presbytery Ministerial Committee and Candidate Committee Chairs on March 12 in Orlando.

Members of the Ministerial Vocation Committee (MVC) and Presbytery Ministerial and Candidates Committee Chairs met March 12-13 at the Office of the General Assembly in Orlando. The MVC addresses ministerial issues at the national level of the EPC, and the Presbytery Chairs lead at the presbytery level.

“It’s hard to overstate the importance of the work tackled by the MVC and these presbytery committees,” said Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk. “I have said for a long time that the most important committee in our presbyteries is the Ministerial Committee, because when it does its work well it frees the presbytery to focus on mission and outreach. The networking, sharing best practices, and addressing common issues that took place between MVC and these chairs this week will have high value for the ongoing health of the EPC given the overlap in their ministries.”

Among the topics discussed by the group were the EPC ordination process, the Candidates Educational Equivalency Program (CEEP), and strategies to address the ongoing physical, mental, and emotional health of EPC pastors and ministerial candidates.

Members of the Ministerial Vocation Committee are Brad Strait (Chair), Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the West; Michael Flake, Teaching Elder from the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic; Neal McAtee, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Central South; Frank Rotella, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the East; Phil Stump, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic; and Caroline Tromble, Ruling Elder from the Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes.

Ministerial Committee and Candidate Committee Chairs who attended the meeting were Bruce Tenenbaum and Eric Toohey (Presbytery of the Alleghenies); Scott Sealy (Presbytery of the Central South); Jamie Cupschalk and Jay Lee (Presbytery of the East); Rick Gernhardt (Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean); Tom Pitman (Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic); Joshua Hansen and Charles Youther (Presbytery of the Midwest); Ed Cummings and Scott Koenigsaecker (Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest); David Abdo and Jay Hull (Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest); David Hoffelmeyer and Zach Hopkins (Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes); and Greg Daniels (Presbytery of the West).

Presbytery Moderators gather in Orlando

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PresbyteryModerators

Moderators of the EPC’s 14 presbyteries met at the Office of the General Assembly in Orlando, August 23-24. Among the topics of discussion were successes and challenges in each presbytery over the past year, initiatives for the coming year, as well as sharing best practices. The group also heard updates from the EPC Church Planting Team, the 2018 Annual Church Report, 2018-2019 EPC Ministry Report, and Benefit Resources, Inc. In addition, Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah provided an update on the “State of the EPC.”

The Moderators meet each year in late summer.

EPC adds seven churches in 2017–2018

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Seven churches joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in the reporting period of May 23, 2017, through June 1, 2018. The new EPC churches were announced on June 22 at the 38th General Assembly at Hope Church in Cordova, Tenn.

Ken Roberts, Moderator of the 32nd EPC General Assembly, prayed for the new churches.

“You already know every person who will be attending all these churches,” Roberts said in his prayer. “You know their needs, joys, hurts, and hearts. We pray for each staff member who will be ministering to each person in these congregations. As we commit these churches to you, may You be gloried in the worship and business of each church, and in each heart.”

These newest members of the EPC family of churches are:

Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (Leawood, Kan.)
Sheldon MacGillivray, Pastor
www.cornerstoneks.org
Presbytery of the Great Plains

First Presbyterian Church (Malden, Mo.)
Derek Evans, Commissioned Pastor
www.facebook.com/Malden-Presbyterian-Church-144604838944152/
Presbytery of the Central South

Hendersonville Presbyterian Church (Hendersonville, N.C.)
Bill Campbell, Pastor
www.hendersonvillepc.org
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

New Life Gathering (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Scott Jackson, Pastor
www.newlifeknoxville.org
Presbytery of the Southeast

Walkersville Presbyterian Church (Waxhaw, N.C.)
Eric Bartel, Pastor
www.facebook.com/pages/Walkersville-Presbyterian-Church/117441554948378
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Wayside Presbyterian Church (Sanford, N.C.)
Robert Johnson, Pastor
www.facebook.com/pages/Wayside-Presbyterian-Church/464287536951632
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Wylliesburg Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Wylliesburg, Va.)
David Wood, Stated Supply Pastor
Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic

Each of the new churches was a previous congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

#epc2018ga

Paul Heidebrecht, 2006 Moderator, dies at 67

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PaulHeidebrecht

Paul Heidebrecht

Rev. Dr. Paul Heidebrecht, Moderator of the 26th General Assembly and current Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes, died at home in West Chicago, Ill., on January 2. He was 67.

A native of Winnipeg, Canada, he was raised in a Mennonite immigrant family and graduated from the University of Winnipeg. He also earned a Master’s Degree from Wheaton Graduate School and a PhD from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

He served as Associate Pastor for the EPC’s Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville, Ill., from 1990-2001. He later was Executive Director for Christian Leaders for Africa, and beginning in 2012 served as Pastor of Calgary Community Reformed Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He became the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Rivers and Lakes on January 25, 2016.

Heidebrecht authored several books and periodicals, and was a contributing editor to the Africa Study Bible.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Priscilla; daughter Kecia Heidebrecht of Chicago; son and daughter-in-law Caleb and Elisabeth Heidebrecht of Brooklyn, N.Y.; son and daughter-in-law Andrew and Katina Heidebrecht of Salt Lake City, Utah; and four grandchildren: Jeremiah, Eliza, Mark, and Christopher Lucas. He also is survived by eight siblings and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 6, from 10:00–11:45 a.m. at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, with a memorial service at 12:00 p.m. Memorial gifts may be directed to Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

Click here for a full memorial notice and to sign the guest book.

Gulf South church leaders assess hurricane damage, plan recovery efforts

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CityOfRefugeHarveyRelief

Volunteers prepare donations received by the EPC’s City of Refuge Church as the congregation helps meet needs of its neighbors near downtown Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Amidst the devastation in southeast Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey, a number of EPC congregations in the region have been affected. On August 31, the Presbytery of the Gulf South hosted leaders of Houston-area EPC churches via conference call to assess damage from the storm and discuss recovery strategies for their congregations and communities.

Participants included presbytery leaders Kory Duncan, Bob Vincent, and Michael Herrin; EPC Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah; Richard Harris, pastor of Christ EPC in Houston; Ikki Soma, pastor of City of Refuge Church in Houston; Carter Sanger, pastor of Cornerstone EPC in Katy, Texas; Alan Trafford, pastor of Covenant EPC in Lake Jackson, Texas; and Michel Yonts, pastor of Edna EPC in Edna, Texas. Edna is about 90 miles northeast of Rockport and is the closest EPC congregation to where the hurricane made landfall on August 25.

During the conference call, the church leaders reported that all members of their congregations are safe and accounted for, though some families and individuals responded to mandatory evacuation orders and have yet to be reached. However, some church members’ homes have been flooded, and they will need significant help in the days to come. The church properties only sustained minimal damage. The pastors’ homes were not damaged, with the exception of Harris’ which received minor damage.

Christ EPC suffered some electrical problems at their church building, but the facility received no major flood damage. Harris said the church is making plans to help church members and the community.

Soma reported that City of Refuge, located five miles from downtown Houston, has been helping their neighbors, volunteering, and directing donations to flood victims for several days. The only damage to church property was the loss of some ceiling tiles, though he said 20 percent of the congregation suffered damage to their homes.

Cornerstone in Katy had no damage to their church building, but Sanger said that some church members have not yet been able to determine the amount of flood damage to their homes. He also said they plan to offer space to other congregations whose places of worship were damaged.

Covenant EPC in Lake Jackson is downstream from Houston, so Trafford said they are waiting on the waters to rise to see how much of their area will be flooded. They are making preparations to serve as a shelter for local residents if necessary.

Yonts reported that that town of Edna suffered significant wind damage, but the church building did not flood. He said they were under a mandatory evacuation order, so many of the church members are still out of town. He added that the area is only “just now” getting electric power restored.

Herrin, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Gulf South, said that EPC Chaplains Daniel Situka and Aaron Laenger were both flooded out of their homes.

Evangelist Daniel Nguyen—who works among the Vietnamese community in the Houston area—reported that he’s in the same situation as Lake Jackson, waiting to see how high the rivers will rise to know whether his house will flood. He has made contact with his church members and discovered one had their home flood.

Each pastor noted that they are still evaluating the needs in their congregation and community, and will have to identify what will (and will not) be useful in a recovery effort that will last for months.

Jeremiah encouraged people across the country to donate to the EPC’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. In collaboration with the Presbytery of the Gulf South, donations will be sent to EPC churches affected by the storm. Click here to donate online (Choose “Emergency Relief” from the first pulldown menu and “Hurricane Harvey Relief (506)” from the second pulldown menu,) or make check payable to Evangelical Presbyterian Church and designated “Hurricane Harvey Relief,” and send to:

Evangelical Presbyterian Church
5850 T.G. Lee Blvd., Suite 510
Orlando, FL 32822

As of September 1, more than $30,000 had been received into the fund.

Descending Overtures from the 2017 General Assembly available

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DescendingOverturesCommissioners to the 37th General Assembly approved four amendments to the EPC Book of Government. These amendments address the following topics:

  • Specifying terms of service for an out-of-bounds call.
  • Expanding areas of authority that may be given to a presbytery’s Ministerial Committee.
  • Creating and defining the called position of Transitional Pastor.
  • Clarifying that calls to Teaching Elders must be approved by the presbytery.

All constitutional amendments are sent to the presbyteries for approval. If approved by nine of the thirteen EPC presbyteries (75 percent), the amendments come to the 38th General Assembly for ratification. The 2018 Assembly will be held at Hope Church in suburban Memphis, Tenn.

Sessions should download and distribute the Descending Overtures for discussion in their fall meetings, in preparation for voting in each presbytery’s winter meeting.

Click here to download the Descending Overtures and other documents from the 2017 General Assembly.

 

Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest presbyteries formed, Presbytery of Florida renamed

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GA2017PresbyteryMapNewNWSW

The new Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest is shown in brown; the Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest is shown in green.

Commissioners to the EPC 37th General Assembly approved dividing the Presbytery of the Pacific into a new Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest and Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest, effective January 1, 2018.

Annie Rose, Ruling Elder from Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville, Ill., noted that this action would result in the Presbytery of the Pacific multiplying into two, to which Moderator Dean Weaver quipped, “As multiplication is one of our strategic initiatives, this certainly seems in order.”

The Presbytery of the Pacific is the EPC’s largest presbytery by area, and includes all of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as the western portion of Idaho. Not including Hawaii, the presbytery stretches more than 2,600 miles from north to south and spans three time zones from east to west.

The new Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest will include Alaska, Oregon, Washington, the portions of Idaho and Montana west of the 114th meridian, and the portion of California north of a line 10 miles south of state highway 299.

The new Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest includes the entire states of Hawaii and Nevada; the portion of Arizona west of the 114th meridian; and the portion of California south of a line 10 miles south of state highway 299.

Using the most recent reporting numbers for the Presbytery of the Pacific, the Presbytery of the Pacific Northwest will have 39 churches and approximately 7,000 members, while the Presbytery of the Pacific Southwest will include 30 churches and approximately 10,800 members.

Ron Bengelink, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Pacific, wrote when submitting the recommendation to the Assembly that both proposed presbyteries contain experienced and capable leadership since the Pacific’s Candidates Care, Ministerial, World Outreach, and Church Planting committees have been functioning with separate Northwest and Southwest teams for the past three years.

In a related presbytery boundary action, the border between the current presbyteries of the Pacific and West was amended to fall on the 114th meridian, effective July 1, 2017. The adjustment provides two benefits:

  • Accommodates a request from Kingman (Ariz.) Evangelical Presbyterian Church for travel convenience of church officers when attending presbytery meetings, and to recognize that most of its members are retired from California and have a strong affinity for that state .
  • Provides a rational and easily defined border between the two presbyteries.

The Assembly also approved an Overture from the Presbytery of Florida to change its name to the Presbytery of Florida and the Caribbean. The basis for the change was that previous Assemblies have approved expanding the boundaries of the presbytery to include the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, and there are indicators that additional Caribbean churches may wish to join the EPC.

GA2017PresbyteryMapCurrent-114W

The boundary of the presbyteries of the Pacific (brown) and West (blue) becomes the 114th meridian on July 1, 2017. The current boundary is at left, the new boundary is at right.

#epc2017ga

Three INPM presbyteries seek church planting partners

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mexicopresbyterymap

The EPC and National Presbyterian Church of Mexico (INPM) ratified a fraternal relationship on September 8 that focuses on church planting in both countries. In October, the EPC was notified that three INPM presbyteries are ready to initiate a relationship with EPC presbyteries:

  • The Presbytery of de la Chontalpa, located in the state of Tabasco in southeast Mexico. This presbytery was organized in March 2016.
  • The Presbytery of de la Riviera Maya in the state of Quintana Roo. It is centered in Cancun, in southeast Mexico.
  • The Presbytery of the State of Morelos, located in south-central Mexico.

Adolfo Arias Job, INPM Executive Secretary, said the three presbyteries present unique church planting opportunities.

“The presbyteries of Chontalpa and Morelos are located in rural zones that are very needy,” he said, “and the Riviera Maya presbytery is in a tourist zone. For these reasons, we have given them all the freedom to evaluate and choose with which presbytery they would like to work in the EPC.”

EPC presbyteries and churches interested in pursuing a relationship with one of these INPM presbyteries should contact EPC Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah at jeff.jeremiah@epc.org.

Presbytery of the Alleghenies partners with Trinity School of Ministry

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TrinitySchoolForMinistryIn partnership with the Presbytery of the Alleghenies, Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pa., has developed a Presbyterian Track for its Master of Divinity curriculum.

EPC Pastor Rich Herbster, Trinity’s Director of Presbyterian Studies, said the school has been training Presbyterians for ministry for many years. “Now we are able to improve on an already excellent experience,” he noted. “Those preparing for ministry who are theologically Reformed and evangelical will benefit tremendously from this new partnership.” Herbster also serves as Pastor of Mt. Pleasant Presbyterian Church in Aliquippa, Pa.

Justyn Terry, Trinity’s Dean and President, expressed excitement about the partnership. “We have many friends and alumni in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and look forward to the opportunity to train future pastors for this and other Presbyterian denominations.”

Founded in 1976, the Pittsburgh-area Trinity School for Ministry is an evangelical seminary in the Anglican tradition.

The Presbytery of the Alleghenies covers parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and New York. Since its inception in 2011, the presbytery has nearly tripled in size and now has more than 60 congregations and approximately 16,000 members.

Renewal of fraternal agreement with Argentina presbytery on GA docket

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Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk, and Guille MacKenzie, Stated Clerk of the St. Andrews (Argentina) Presbytery

Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk, and Guille MacKenzie, Stated Clerk of the St. Andrews (Argentina) Presbytery.

Dean Weaver, EPC Committee on Administration member, with St. Andrews Moderator Jorge Lopes (left) and past Moderator Catherine Ogden

Dean Weaver, EPC Committee on Administration member, with St. Andrews Moderator Jorge Lopes (left) and past Moderator Catherine Ogden.

Jeremiah with young adults and Pastor Reinaldo Capparelli of Escalada, one of St. Andrews Presbytery's newest churches.

Jeremiah with young adults and Pastor Reinaldo Capparelli of Escalada, one of St. Andrews Presbytery’s newest churches.

The EPC and St. Andrews Presbytery in Argentina have finalized a new five-year fraternal agreement, which now goes to the Fraternal Relations Committee for review and the 2015 General Assembly for approval. Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah and Committee on Administration member Dean Weaver visited leaders of St. Andrews in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 20-22 in a series of informal gatherings and at their presbytery meeting.

The presbytery met March 21 at Escalada, one of St. Andrews’ newest churches. It was planted in 2012 and was established as a local church—one of ten in the presbytery—in late 2013. In addition, St. Andrews currently has seven church plants.

Both Jeremiah and Weaver addressed the presbytery. The EPC vision statement, presented by Weaver and originally announced at the EPC General Assembly in 2014, received an enthusiastic response. St. Andrews leaders were particularly interested in the EPC’s commitment to multiplication (church planting) and effective biblical leadership. The presbytery has an aggressive church planting strategy and is interested in developing a church planting network. Due to the financial difficulties of local seminaries, challenges of pre-ordination and continuing education are growing more acute.

The Church of Scotland (CoS) established St. Andrews as a presbytery in 1831, and the CoS General Assembly appointed St. Andrews’ ministers until the 1980s when CoS oversight ended. The EPC received St. Andrews as a presbytery in 1987, a status that remained until 2004 when St. Andrews was dismissed as a national church. Since 2004, a series of five-year fraternal agreements have defined the relationship between the two bodies.

Guille MacKenzie, St. Andrews Stated Clerk, has been invited to the EPC 35th General Assembly in June to visit and bring fraternal greetings.

Following the Argentina stop, Jeremiah and Weaver attended the fourth General Assembly of the World Reformed Fellowship (WRF) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 23-26. The EPC is a member of the WRF, as well as the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC).

Presbytery of the West Retreat

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Jeff Jeremiah Oct 17, 2013

Thirty-six members and guests of the Presbytery of the West met for its annual retreat on October 1-3 at Lost Valley Ranch, Colorado.  Brian Post, pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Ft. Collins, CO led the gathering.

Presbytery-of-the-West-Retreat

The theme of this year’s small group discussions was “The Call.”  West’s leaders broke up into groups of 4-6 to discuss and pray for one another after they had heard an aspect of God’s call presented by Eugene Scott, Brad Strait and Brian Post.

Presbytery-of-the-West-Retreat-2In addition to the “just take it easy” option, free time activities on Wednesday afternoon included fishing, skeet shooting and horseback riding.   As usual, the meals were outstanding.  The retreat concluded on Thursday morning with a time of worship and communion.  Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah led in the celebration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.

Long time retreat participant Tom Melton said, “This retreat helps us to build trust through relationships with other leaders in our presbytery.”  He added, “We’re able to operate as a body of Christ when we trust each other.”  Jeff Jeremiah said, “The connection that leaders in the West enjoy is without parallel in the EPC.  This yearly retreat has a way of bonding colleagues into friends and friends into brothers and sisters as together we serve our Savior and Lord.”

Presbytery-of-the-West-Retreat-3

West Presbytery Retreat

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Jeff Jeremiah Oct 08, 2012

West-Presbytery-RetreatThirty-four members and guests of the Presbytery of the West met for its annual retreat on October 3-5 at Lost Valley Ranch, Colorado. Brian Post, pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Ft. Collins, CO led the gathering. Joining him in leading worship, singing and prayer were Zac Hicks, Michael Klassen, and Mark and Madeleine Huebl.

The theme for small group discussion was “Sore Spots.” Attendees broke up into groups of four to six to discuss and pray for one another as they focused on the problems of losing our first love, conflict with colleagues, and moral sink holes. In addition to the just-take-it-easy option, free time activities on Wednesday afternoon included fishing, skeet shooting and horseback riding. The retreat concluded on Friday morning in time for participants to get to the Presbytery of the West’s meeting that convened later that day at Littleton Christian Church in Littleton, CO.

Long time retreat participant Tom Melton said, “This retreat helps us to build trust through relationships with other leaders in our presbytery.” He added, “We’re able to operate as a body of Christ when we trust each other.” Dave Strunk commented, “It’s really great to connect with older, middle-aged and younger guys in a setting like this.”