Presbyterian polity requires clerks to maintain minutes of stated and called session meetings as well as congregational meetings. These records shall be submitted annually to the church’s presbytery for review. Review and feedback helps clerks and church leaders to better carry out their functions. Clerks have been notified of their assigned reader and the reader’s
The 104th stated meeting of Presbytery of the James will occur on Saturday, February 15, at Westminster Church in Charlottesville. Lunch will be provided on a free-will offering basis with a suggested contribution of $10. Net proceeds of offering will be given to The Haven day shelter in Charlottesville to support their hunger program. The planned menu is Brunswick stew, cornbread, and chocolate
Older adults in rural Madison County, a community one hour north of Charlottesville, enjoy meals, fellowship, and enriching programs through a ministry by Madison Presbyterian. Breakfast Buzz, which regularly attracts about 20 people, is held at 9 a.m. on the third Friday of each month. When it began in 2015, the Christian Education team deliberately
Active and retired ministers, certified Christian educators, and commissioned ruling elders must follow two policies about sexual misconduct enacted at the October 2019 presbytery meeting. First, they must read the sexual misconduct/harassment policy, adopted on October 19, 2019, and return a form acknowledging they have read it. Find the policy and form (the last page
Congregational financial support is vital to the shared ministries of the presbytery, the synod, and the General Assembly. Complete your 2020 Covenant (formerly the statement of intent) with Presbytery of the James to designate your commitment to office expenses, committees, ministries, Camp Hanover, per capita, mission co-workers, validated missions, and special projects. Please send your
Bott Memorial Presbyterian received a $4,000 grant from the peacemaking fund of Synod of the Mid-Atlantic this year to provide school supplies to children in Dinwiddie County. The funds supported a project by the county’s faith community, local government, and schools to make education more equitable by providing incoming kindergarteners with crayons, pencils, scissors, and
In October, volunteers from Presbytery of the James churches spent a week helping Ocracoke Island residents recover after Hurricane Dorian devastated the community the month prior. The 9.6 square-mile island is one of the most remote in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. There are no roads connecting it to other bodies of land. Three
A new initiative is helping Swift Creek Presbyterian tend to Jesus’s sheep (John 21:15-17) in more ways. Using part of the church property, the congregation created Grace Garden, growing tomatoes, squash, peppers, and cucumbers. Produce from the garden benefits the community in two ways. Some of the harvest is given to the Chesterfield Food Bank.
Encouraging older adults to take active roles in their churches and communities was the focus of a retreat November 7 led by Presbytery of the James’s Older Adult Ministry and Camp Hanover. The theme, “Strength for Today, Bright Hope for Tomorrow,” and each of the presentations addressed a different phrase from the hymn “Great is
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, It was December 2017. It was the 88th Kansas City Power & Light Plaza Lighting Ceremony. The switch was flipped by two Kansas City Chiefs and a child selected from the crowd. For many Kansas Citians, this marked the beginning of the holiday season. Amid the joyful, generous, thankful,