A Council of the PC(USA) in the Highlands of Virginia.
Abingdon Presbytery seeks by the grace of God to nurture its congregations and pastors and to foster Christian unity among them, and to offer and develop leadership in order that congregations will grow in faith and in numbers, and to exhibit the Kingdom of God, thereby witnessing to the Lordship of Jesus Christ throughout Southwest Virginia and the world.
Presbytery Office Office Location: 285 Church Street Wytheville, VA 24382 Send mail to: P.O. Box 317 Wytheville, VA 24382 Voice: (276) 378-7688, Fax: (276) 378-7689 Presbytery Staff Stated Clerk: Bill Parish Office Manager: April C. DiYorio Abingdon Presbytery Way Forward Vision Team UpdateThe Way Forward Committee held their first meeting with our consultant, Rev. Jim Moseley, on April 26. After a time of devotions and prayer, we spent some time introducing ourselves to Jim and talking about our progress over the past year. We worked with Jim on a timeline of events that went back to the committee's formation and continued into the future. We spent the final hours of our meeting discussing possible scenarios of Presbytery leadership.
We were asked to communicate the objectives of the committee. These are the areas we have communicated previously to Council and at the November 2017 Presbytery meeting.
The Way Forward Vision Team may be reached by email at 2018wayforward@gmail.com Church Development Committee Announces New Grant Opportunities for CongregationsThe Church Development Committee of Abingdon Presbytery is committed to partnering and working with the congregations of our Presbytery when it comes to revitalization and renewal. To show this commitment, the Church Development Committee is making a portion of Church Development funds available in the form of cost-sharing grants to assist our congregations in revitalization and renewal efforts.
The Presbytery of Abingdon.
Have you ever heard the word “Wild” used in the context of church?Wild Goose Christian Community is a non-traditional worshiping community in Floyd County. Our purpose is simple: to reach out to those that might never darken the door of a traditional church, and to talk about the Good News of Jesus Christ--maybe in a way you've never heard it before.
Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm wildgoosecc.com |
Highlighting Our Congregations!Different congregations in the Presbytery will be highlighted below. Come join us for worship in Abingdon Presbytery!
Royal Oak Presbyterian Church Royal Oak Presbyterian Church is on the move this summer! In June a small group from our church, led by one of our Elders, Dr. Jeff Jones was part of a Medical Mission Team to Tanzania. They were part of a larger team of 36 Americans from around the country and a similar number of Africans who ministered in two different, remote, underserved villages. In each of these villages they provided a medical clinic, a pharmacy, a dental clinic, an evangelism area, a ladies hygiene class, a children’s ministry area and a Pastor’s Conference. The team works with local government officials to select areas that have very limited access to health care. Two other criteria which they use for choosing these ministry sites are 1) no electrical service and 2) no running water. They were given access to a local school in which to set up the medical clinic and other ministries. These schools consisted of a couple of long cinder block buildings divided into classrooms. Every evening two smaller teams went out to other nearby villages to show a version of “The Jesus Film” which has been translated and dubbed into the local language.
Over the course of seventeen days the entire team, both Americans and Africans, lived in a small “tent city” in a cleared field adjacent to the schools. The team ministered to over 3,500 people over the course of the trip. Many in our congregation helped put together more than one hundred health kits which were distributed at the end of the ladies hygiene classes. We also packed thousands of pills of various medications which were distributed by the Doctors through the pharmacy. We were also able to send $1,000 from our “Two Cents-A-Meal” Offering to buy and distribute over 1,700 pounds of cornmeal. All these varieties of compassionate care were clearly carried out in Jesus’ name, as a tangible demonstration of Jesus’ love for them. Through their words and actions they shared the message of Jesus, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” and often prayed with those they served. Also earlier in July thirty of our Youth and their leaders were on the move for a week long mission trip to Jamaica. They worked at the “Jamaican Christian School for the Deaf”, the “West Haven Children’s Home” for children with special needs and at an orphanage called “Blossom Garden Children’s Home.” They did some hard physical labor which included mixing concrete by hand on the ground and pouring concrete supports for additional dorm space at the school for the deaf, as well as doing some carpentry and painting projects. They took time each day to care for the children. They helped lead a VBS program through a local church and simply spent time with the kids and loved them in Jesus’ name. You are probably on the move as well – maybe not to Africa or Jamaica – but on the move nonetheless. Maybe it’s on a vacation to the beach or maybe it’s just you’re weekly run to the grocery store. Your personal mission field is right outside your doorstep. It’s not that we don’t have daily opportunities to minister in Jesus’ name, but we simply need to be more intentional about taking advantage of them. How can you express God’s love to the clerk at the grocery store through your attitude and actions? How can you embrace the lonely child or widow who lives down the street? Maybe you can share a glass of lemonade with them or invite them with you when you go on a family outing. “The kingdom of God” comes near to those in need, when the people of God come near to them in Christ’s name. In Christ, Alan Gray Pastor, ROPC “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He (Jesus) told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals…Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” – Luke 10:1-4, 7-9 | ||