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United in the love of God, and commissioned by our Lord Jesus Christ, Savannah Presbytery, a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) family, is called out of the world Savannah Presbytery. Your Presbytery: v
Nurtures and supports churches and ministers
through frequent personal contact, particularly during times of
special need; v
Initiates and encourages communication with and
among congregations; v
Provides training opportunities and resources for
Christian Education and Youth; v
Provides opportunities for Spiritual growth; v
Provides opportunities for Christian service; v
Enables broad participation in the life and work
of the Presbytery insuring inclusive representation; v
Provides lay leadership training; v
Develops plans for New Church Development and
Congregational Revitalization; v
Promotes faithful stewardship; v
Is accountable for sound financial management. Presbytery
functions through its stated and special meetings, its Coordinating
Council, its officers, its staff and its committees and agencies
which proposes programs to the Presbytery and executes those
approved by the Presbytery. Your
Church and Savannah Presbytery need YOU!!!
Serve the Lord by sharing your time, talents and treasures. Savannah
Presbytery Laity
Committee, The
Savannah Presbytery funds the School of the Laity and a large
portion of the Leadership Development Conference. The School
of the Laity has over 250 graduates, since its inception in 1987,
with a peak enrollment of twenty in each of the current
classes. The Leadership Development Conference is celebrating
its 25th anniversary in 2004. The past few years have shown an
increase in attendance, averaging approximately 260 persons. The
combination of these two programs directly affects the Presbytery's
congregations by developing more informed leadership and
better-educated disciples. Mission
Committee The
Mission Committee has received the approval of Savannah Presbytery
to send a missionary couple to Korea for a two-year period, to work
with migrant workers in that country.
They are also looking at more ways to involve Savannah
Presbytery in mission not only abroad, but also in our own
backyards, through mission trips involving persons from across the
presbytery. In past
years, the mission committee was responsible for financial support
of some churches during periods when some assistance was needed. Currently there is an ad hoc committee working in the area
of congregational revitalization and transformation. Also Campus Ministry is now being done by a commission
instead of by the Mission committee. M.K.
Pentecost Ecology Fund Committee The
presbytery is the beneficiary of annual income from the M.K.
Pentecost Ecology Memorial Trust Fund, which Mr. Pentecost
established to be used for ministries of ecological stewardship and
environmental justice. The M.K. Pentecost Ecology Fund Committee
receives grant applications from organizations each May, reviews the
proposals and makes decisions on approval or disapproval of those
requests. Each
December, the committee reviews progress reports from the grant
recipients and receives a financial activity report of the trust
fund. The committee
believes that the church has a responsibility for protecting God’s
creation, seeking environmental justice, encouraging conservation,
promoting education, and restoring the ecosystem.
New
Church Development Especially
in the last several years, Savannah Presbytery’s New Church
Development Committee has been working on the development of new
congregations. New
congregations have been started in Hinesville at the Mok Chung
Presbyterian Church, in Richmond Hill at the Richmond Hill
Presbyterian Church, at Faith Presbyterian Church in Rincon, at the
Presbyterian Church at Frederica on St Simons Island and The
Savannah Korean Church, which is due to charter in December of 2003. Presbyterian
Women The
principles of the Presbyterian Women include the challenge to all
Presbyterian women to support the mission of the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) through the Savannah Presbytery by personal participation
as well as giving financially. The basic operating budgets of
PW in the congregation and the presbytery are understood as mission
and are included in a mission pledge. Contributions from PW
include: Birthday Offering is PW support to celebrate the
heritage and tradition of the Presbyterian Women (every May), Least
Coin is PW support for evangelism, service and relief throughout
the world, Thank Offering is Fall PW support of hospitals and
health ministries, as well as grants for programs geared at
improving living conditions of women and children, Blessing Box
is PW monies distributed between two yearly projects within Savannah
Presbytery determined at the beginning of each year and Columbia
Friendship Circle supports scholarships for Columbia Seminary
Students.
Christian
Education Committee The
Christian Education Committee is responsible for the training of
teachers, advisors, and administrators, accomplishing this through a
variety of means including, training events for teachers and laity,
as well as promotional events to share curriculum and resources. The
Committee also has responsibility for Children, Youth, Adult and
Family Ministry providing for these programmatic needs through
excellent camps, conferences and retreats. Our resource center at
the Presbytery office is rapidly becoming a useful tool to provide
much needed resources for the Presbytery thanks to the diligence of
the C.E. Committee and especially the Staff Associate for Christian
Education.
Congregational
Development Committee While
there is a need for new church development, we also recognize the
need to encourage new life into some of our existing churches.
The presbytery has organized an ad hoc committee to develop a
committee to support congregational efforts at revitalization.
The new word for that is now “transformation”.
We are in the planning stages of that committee, while at the
same time taking care of the needs of some of our congregations as
they move into the next stage of their development.
Sometimes that means financial support, other times it
includes helping congregations develop a planning process.
We are all in this together.
Social
Concerns The
Social Concerns Committee is involved in developing and supporting
programs to address the social needs of persons in our area as well
as developing support for churches efforts in addressing those
needs. Some of that
committee’s contributions are: Seafarers’ Center, Morningstar,
Peacemaking, Prison Ministry, Hispanic Ministry Habitat for
Humanity, Sparrow’s Nest and others.
They promote the various denominational programs and giving
opportunities, like One-Great-Hour-of Sharing, Peacemaking offering,
etc as well as other opportunities such as Habitat for Humanity,
Souper-Bowl Sunday, and Two-cents- a-Meal.
Committee
on Ministry Charged
with the pastoral care of pastors and congregations, one of the main
functions of the COM is to work with congregations during their
search for a new pastor or supply for churches that are without
pastoral leadership. Occasionally,
they work with churches who are having difficulties They also visit
with each session at least every three years, to touch base and hear
how their ministry is going. Pastoral
care is always the emphasis of the work of the COM.
“Servant
of the Church”
