The Center for Youth Ministry Training (CYMT) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that exists to equip youth ministers and churches to develop theologically informed and practically effective youth ministries. CYMT partners with churches from multiple denominations within a four-hour radius of Memphis, TN and Austin, TX to place students from the CYMT Graduate Residency who serve for 3 years as their youth minister. During the 3-year practicum, residents work towards their Master of Arts in Youth Ministry in partnership with either Memphis Theological Seminary or Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In addition to the placement of the resident, CMT equips partner churches with the tools to develop sustainable youth ministries. To learn more about becoming a Partner Church or a Graduate Resident, visit CYMT at cymt.org.

• Christianbook.com
• Cokesbury
• The Thoughtful Christian – Study resources for adults and youth and a virtual store for deeply-discounted books and PC(USA) curriculum.
• The Presbyterian Leader
• Reformed series for adults
• Adolescent development resources
• Lectionary-based curriculum for children, tweens, youth, young adults, and adults
• Curriculum for children
• Curriculum for tweens
• Re:form – curriculum for youth
• Articles relating to children, youth, and family
• Questions to reflect upon in curriculum selection
• Curriculum resources from the Reformed Church of America

Handbook for Clerks of Session

2020 Session Records Reviews

Please pre-register for Session Record Review Workshops with Stated Clerk Lynn Hargrove, lhargrove@pbyofnewcovenant.org (713-526-2585 ext. 210). Please complete the Minutes Check Sheet prior to the review.  Bring it along with all session minutes since those last reviewed which will include a copy of the page bearing the stamp of approval.

Check Sheet for Minutes Review – DOC | PDF – to be completed by Clerk of Session prior to the Review Meeting

For meeting dates and times of a committee meeting, contact the chair or Patricia Brantley pbrantley@pbyofnewcovenant.org or view the presbytery calendar.

Committee on Ministry (COM) – provides support for presbytery’s minister-members (Teaching Elders), Commissioned Ruling Elders, and Certified Christian Educators. Its 4 subcommittees: Calls and Contracts, Examinations, Congregational Life, and Professional Life.

Committee on Preparation for Ministry (CPM) – provides for the care, support, and direction of Inquirers and Candidates preparing for the Ministry of Word and Sacrament and those preparing to be Commissioned Ruling Elders. CPM forms are located in Our Filing Cabinet.

Committee on Representation – is responsible for implementing the church’s commitment to inclusiveness and participation. The committee consults with the Nominating Committee to ensure fair and effective representation in the elected membership of divisions, ministries, and committees. 

Congregational Resourcing Team (CRT) – provides training, resources, and leadership development in support of individuals, church professionals, and church leaders, as well as consultative services for ministries such as Christian education, pastoral care, spiritual formation, evangelism, missions, stewardship, theology, and worship. The CRT supports the specialized needs of various groups within the presbytery, as well as providing oversight for the presbytery’s Resource Center.

Ecclesiastical Affairs Committee – oversees the ecclesiastical affairs (or “church business”) of the presbytery. The committee is responsible for coordinating all aspects of each presbytery meeting and providing the training of commissioners and alternates to General Assembly meetings.

Evangelism and Church Growth – empowers and encourages congregations towards vitality and transformation. Provides support and oversight for our New Worshipping Communities. 

Finance Committee – oversees the financial and business affairs of the presbytery, including management of all funds and property held in the name of the presbytery. They propose to General Council a comprehensive annual budget for the Presbytery, which blends our vision for the year with the financial resources needed to make that vision a reality.

General Council – serves as the coordinating team of the presbytery, monitoring the total mission and program of the presbytery. The General Council serves as the presbytery’s visioning and community-building arm of the presbytery.

Nominating Committee – works to nominate persons to fill vacancies on continuing committees (except the nominating committee), councils, and governing boards that require election by the presbytery. The committee is broadly representative of the member churches of the presbytery with a membership of 1/3 teaching elders (pastors), 1/3 laywomen, and 1/3 laymen. The committee also nominates commissioners to the General Assembly and to the Synod of the Sun. Nomination form and brochure may be found in Our Filing Cabinet.

Outreach Ministries Committee – administers the presbytery’s benevolence budget and works to establish firm covenantal agreements with these supported organizations: United Campus Ministries of Greater Houston and Aggieland, Central American Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies (CEDEPCA), Juan Calvino Presbytery in Lima, Peru; Christmas International House, Communidades Unidas Pro Salud (CUPS),Presbyterian Outreach to Patients (POP), International Seafarers Ministry, and Presbyterian Service Center.

Permanent Judicial Commission – considers and decides cases for presbytery that are relative to itself or one of its churches in accordance the Book of Order. The commission is composed of ministers and elders in numbers as nearly equal as possible.

Personnel Committee – oversees and counsels the presbytery’s staff regarding job performance. It recommends compensation and conducts annual reviews. The committee is also responsible for forming search committees to fill staff vacancies and provides congregations within the Presbytery with assistance on evaluation procedures, personnel policies, and staff compensation.

Healthy Boundaries

Those required to have this training once every five years include all ordained clergy-members of this presbytery, Christian educators, youth workers, commissioned ruling elders, and candidates under care. It satisfies the PC(USA) and Presbytery of New Covenant requirements for sexual misconduct training and is offered several times throughout the year at various locations within the presbytery and is good for five years.

Please plan to arrive by 8:45 a.m. for registration and a light breakfast. The class begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. and will go until 3:00 p.m. RSVP to Patricia Brantley at pbrantley@pbyofnewcovenant.org and include whether you would like lunch provided (bring $10) or will supply your own.

Contact Helen DeLeon with questions at 281-415-5855 or hdeleon@websterpresby.org.

CPM and CRE Forms

2017 Guidelines for Publications

Disaster Planning Materials for Congregations

Disaster Preparedness Planning Resources:

Contacts:
Carol Davis – Certified Disaster Trainer – 281-778-9654 home; 281-725-7830 mobile; caroldavis@entouch.net
Val Aldred – Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) National Response Team – 281-451-1827 mobile; valdred1@aol.com

Documents:
Safe Church: Emergency Reaction and Recovery Plan
72-Hour Emergency Kit

Presentation from July 16, 2016, Stated Presbytery Meeting at Orange, First PC:
Disaster Preparedness, by Joyce Batty

Additional Resources:
After a disaster hits a local congregation, the question is, “What about Sunday?”
Here are worship and Christian education resources for congregational use after a local disaster, with emphasis on the needs of children, youth and families immediately after a disaster. Please keep this information and send it when needed.

God With Us

Presbyterian Assistance

Energy Audits

LIT has partnered with the Presbyterian Foundation and the Presbytery of New Covenant as a means to provide energy efficiency options for churches. Energy efficiency does not mean a church has to spend money to save energy. According to the EPA, 30% of the energy we use is wasted, which means we can recapture that waste through behavior change. However, there are a number of opportunities to save a significant amount of energy through capital expense opportunities, and as our church buildings age so does the respective equipment. This finds a number of churches in need of HVAC, lighting and building envelope renovations, but with little or no capital.

Flyer

Restoring Creation Loans

The Presbyterian Foundation offers the Restoring Creation Loan in order to provide low interest loan options for the PC(USA). In this scenario, ideally, there is no extra funding needed to purchase equipment. The cost of the new equipment is paid out of the energy savings, verified by the engineer. LIT engineers project managed a similar program via the State Energy Conservation Office of Texas for 20 years by leveraging the LoanSTAR program at 3% interest for partnered school districts, local hospitals and colleges. An engineer provides an energy study, which is rolled into the loan, verifying and stamping a report that states (short of a guarantee) that the identified project will have a payback of ten years or less, and that the savings will pay for the cost of the loan. This type of program is an excellent option for churches in need of assistance, but the energy study is also stand alone and an excellent resource for our partnered churches to save energy at no cost.

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faithfulactioncc.org

Final Action from the 2016 General Assembly on Divestment of Fossil Fuel:

1.  Requests the Board of Pensions, the Presbyterian Foundation, and the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Inc., to consider an increasingly more diversified energy sector in their overall investment portfolios, which would increase exposure to potentially profitable alternative energy companies and/or companies with an active interest in changing the consumer market’s energy demand (e.g. automobile companies producing alternatively powered vehicles).

2. Directs MRTI to pursue its focused engagement process on climate change issues with all corporations, particularly with those in the oil, gas, and coal sectors, and report back to the 223rd General Assembly (2018) with recommendations, including possible selective divestment if significant changes in governance, strategy, implementation, transparency and disclosure, and public policy are not instituted by the corporations during the engagements of MRTI and ecumenical partners.

3.  Directs the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) to inform the denomination and the larger public of the passage and implementation of this overture.

News from the 2016 General Assembly:

Efforts to address climate change intensify following GA222

Consultation Document:

Our Consultation Document:  Faithful Alternatives For Engagement with Climate Change

Presbytery Financial Statements

2015 Presbytery Auditors’ Report

2014 Operating Fund Closing Statement

2014 Restricted Accounts Closing Statement

2015 6 Month Budget vs Actual

New Covenant leaders and Synod of the Sun leaders have worked through a process born in New Covenant to help congregations better see themselves and their communities and dream a God-inspired future. The process is called Future Story and it enables sessions to grapple with current realities and to dream big, God-inspired dreams.

The process begins with four seemingly simple questions:

1. What are particular blessings of this congregation for you?
2. What do folks in this community know about or say about this church?
3. What challenges is your congregation facing in the next five years?
4. What do you imagine God’s greatest hopes and dreams are for this congregation

The answers to these questions and others, the discussion that follows, along with demographic and other material collected by the Future Story team will lead the Session to a clearer understanding of who the congregation is and where God may be calling the church to be in its next chapter of life.

In the second visit, potential future stories of the congregation are shared by the Session members and leadership team. These stories are told from the viewpoint of an individual who, five years from now, has had a life-changing experience because of some connection with this particular congregation and its members. All stories are Resurrection stories of new life, whether the path chosen is one of Faithful Renewal (focusing on the spiritual renewal of members), Faithful Transformation (involving a willingness to make huge, sweeping changes in the way the congregation “does church”) or even Faithful Dissolution (For a congregation whose leaders recognize that it may be nearing the end of its life cycle and wish to leave a legacy behind).

The Session is energized so that it can choose a path of faithfulness that allows the congregation to make some of those dreams a reality. The Congregation makes choices for itself about where it believes God is calling it into ministry. And the Presbytery is strengthened by a better understanding of its member congregations. And together we can concretely exhibit our mission and vision as a presbytery.

Confessing Jesus Christ as Lord
Connecting One Another in Ministry
Challenging One Another in Mission
Growing Congregations that Passionately Engage Their Community to Make Disciples

If interested in learning more about the Future Story process, please contact 

Being and Becoming a Multigenerational Church
Unpacking Generational Theory with Rev. Dr. Karl Travis

      The blessing and the curse of healthy congregations is that we have four to five living generations, each with a unique worldview and organizing principles, gathered in a body committed to being a Beloved Community that focuses more on what unites us than what divides us.

      The Rev. Dr. Karl Travis wowed participants at the 2016 Presbyterian Leadership Enrichment Event with his insights drawn from generational theory, sparking multiple requests for more time and greater detail spent on this important topic. Karl returned to us with an extended format, designed to help church teams consider how differing generational approaches can best be addressed in a way that honors all and does not set up unintended barriers to participation.  The event was Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1; sponsored by The Congregational Resourcing Team of the Presbytery of New Covenant, and made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Vision Initiative Fund.

See what Karl had to present about these topics:

vimeo.com/29075079