The Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic is a regional body of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC). Our mission is to resource, train, and
encourage one another to fulfill the Great Commission.

Teaching Elder
Kevin Cauley
Moderator

Upcoming Meetings
2021 Meetings
Dates and Locations
To Be Determined
We pray that we will
meet in person!

Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
97th Stated Meeting
January 30, 2021
9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Via Zoom

Registration Now Open

Zoom Information For This Meeting Here
Zoom Meeting Registration Here
Please register at Zoom in advance of the meeting.

After prayerful consideration, the Executive Council (EC) has agreed that the 97th Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic will be an ALL virtual meeting via Zoom video conference.

The EC is working hard to make sure that this meeting will be both worshipful and a valuable use of our time as both Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders. A full agenda will be forthcoming in January along with a Commissioner Registration link.

IMPORTANT: We will have a break-out time for the three missional regions to meet for updates from the Regional Transition Teams along with sufficient time for Q & A. We think this will be encouraging as we all hear about what God is doing to shape our future presbyteries into disciple making, church planting, Kingdom focused worshiping communities.

IMPORTANT: We will not have a resource time in January, but will be announcing separate resource dates in February for the three regions. At these regional meetings, the Church Development Committee will host both resource and dialogue specifically targeted at moving beyond the pandemic. These meetings will be specifically for ALL PASTORS, SESSIONS AND CHURCH LEADERSHIP to help us capture this moment as a God moment in the life of our worshiping communities.

IMPORTANT: After a break for lunch, we will spend the early afternoon examining three Reformed Transfers, hearing their testimonies, their views and their visions for ministry within our presbytery.

So, mark your calendars, elect your RE Commissioners and look forward with us as we connect to serve our Lord together in the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic.

Your Brothers in Christ,

Bucky Hunsicker, Missional Executive Director

Ron Horgan, Stated Clerk

Rev. Jack Maxwell
1931–2021

Jack Maxwell is now with the Lord!

It is with great sadness but great joy that we report the homegoing of our friend and brother, Pastor Jack Maxwell. Jack was a long term associate pastor at Perrow Church in Cross Lanes, WV and was received into glory yesterday. He had been at Perrow since the early 1980s, became associate pastor emeritus in the early 2000s, but served that church call very faithfully and very well. He was a humble and good man. TE Keith Cobb will lead a graveside service for him at the Steele Creek Memorial Cemetery in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. And there will be a later memorial service at Perrow Church (that time to be announced).

All of us in the PMA who had the privilege of knowing him were blessed by Jack’s quiet, calm, godly manner of life and ministry. He as truly a pastor to pastors and always had time (and sometime even quietly injected himself into our lives) as we navigated our calls to ministry. Never one to call attention to himself, Jack always pointed us to Jesus. He will be missed but we will look forward to the day when we see Jack and our Savior face to face.

Be comforted, PMA. To God be the glory for the life, faith and ministry of our brother, Jack Maxwell.

Bucky Hunsicker, Missional Director

Ron Horgan, Stated Clerk

The full obituary can be found at: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/cross-lanes-wv/jack-maxwell-9999604.

William's Place

William’s Place is a ministry begun by members of Christ Community Church, Montreat, NC and was highlighted at a previous presbytery meeting.

Please read more about how this wonderful ministry is meeting an important need as they serve those suffering with addiction issues.

More information is available at https://www.williamsplace.org.

Emergency Fund for Missionaries

A special emergency fund for missionaries has been established by the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic (for missionaries hailing from our presbytery). This fund is being kicked off by a matching gift challenge of $5,000. The deadline for this matching gift is January 31, 2021.

Could you check to see if there are any unused missions funds for 2020 at your church that will "go away" after December 31? Or would you consider allotting 2021 dollars for this fund and get them sent right after the new year? Personal donations are also welcomed from you or your congregation!

Checks should be made out to the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic and mailed to our treasurer—

Tim Burns
2514 Plantation Center Drive
Matthews, NC 28105
Put Missionary Emergency Fund in the memo line.

For more information or questions, please contact TE Jeff Smith, PMA World Missions Committee Chair.

Support For The Brunsons

At our Presbytery meeting in September, Andrew & Norine Brunson shared their vision for ministry moving forward, as well as their needs for rebooting their ministry. We also became aware that the Brunsons were are completely starting their household over again. Because of this, the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic is taking one-time gifts to help the Brunsons with their immediate needs. These gifts can be made by our worshiping communities and individuals within those communities until Sunday October 11, 2020. We encourage you to give if you can. Adm continue to be in prayer for the Brunsons and their ministry.

Get to know the Brunsons by viewing this video.

Click here to go EPC online giving site.

To designate your gift to the Brunsons, check the box under “Additional Information”

Enter “Andrew and Norine Brunson” in the “Dedication Name” field.

For more infromation on their new ministry, please go to WaveStarters.org.

Two Pianos Available to
PMA Congregations

Attention congregations who might be able to use an upright piano! Two upright pianos are being donated to any EPC church in our Presbytery who might like them. If you are interested, please contact TE Michael Weaver of Grove Presbyterian Church, EPC in Dunn, NC at msweaver@centurylink.net.

PMA Pastors' Weekly Hour of Prayer
Every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

God is calling us to pray as a Presbytery—a connected and gathered people of God in this place and time. Would you please consider arranging your calendar to join us? Our connection is needed more now than ever before.

The zoom link will open every Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. TE James Banks will lead us through prayer and worship. Our prayer time ends around 9:50 allowing those who need individual prayer to stay and receive the love, encouragement and prayer of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

We will be using this recurring Zoom link.

God is calling us to align our hearts and wills to His by the power of His Holy Spirit through Spirit-filled prayer.

If you have a specific need or simply want to chat, Ron and I are available via Zoom, cell phone and email. May the Lord bless and keep each of you as we seek Him together through prayer.

Your friend and brother in Christ

Bucky

CasaVista
"A House with a View"

Robert and Jane McRae of Eagle Rock, VA are offering a beautiful cabin in Eagle Rock as a place for respite. Robert was pastor of Galatia EPC in Eagle Rock. They served Galatia for 32 years.

They describe the cabin as "a mountain cabin for ministers, missionaries, family, friends to rest, rejuvenate, relax, rejoice..." Set in a beautiful location with mountain views, the cabin offers a full kitchen, three bedrooms and beautiful deck to relax outside and enjoy the mountain air.

If you need a time to rest and refresh your spirit, please contact Robert and Jane at roja.mcrae@gmail.com.

For more details, please download the brochure here.

Missional Region Facebook Groups Growing

Michelle Munger (see other things Michelle does on our Resourses page) has created new Facebook groups for each of the Missional Regions. These groups allow those who are members of that group to post directly for real time interaction with one another. Please welcome and invite your region brothers and sisters.

The groups are growing and in need of an administrator for each group. If you can help with that, please contact Michelle Munger.

We can change the names of groups once we are settled on each region's name.

Here are the links:
Mountain: https://www.facebook.com/groups/618574605400689/
Piedmont: https://www.facebook.com/groups/208932690320270/
Coastal: https://www.facebook.com/groups/314662386176273/

Thank you Michelle!

Need Help Getting Your Church Online?

Michelle Munger is available to help PMA churches develop or enhance their website and social media presence. Michelle manages several websites herself and uses social media to connect people and help communicate the Good News! Michelle has offered to help PMA churches get online. Please contact Michelle with any questions you may have. She has written a Social Media Primer to help churches. Download the Social Media Primer here.

Helpful Tips for Using Zoom

Michelle Munger has provided us with another great resource. She has written a helpful tutorial on using Zoom for your church. Please contact Michelle with any questions you may have. Download the Zoom Essientials document here.

Thanks again Michelle!

Resources for Racial Justice Response

EPC Stated Clerk Jeff Jeremiah provides a letter to all EPC congregations.

June 12, 2020

To: TEs, Commissioned Pastors, Chaplains, Presbytery Stated Clerks, Committee Members
From: Jeff Jeremiah
Subject: NAE Racial Justice Resources

Dear EPC colleague,

Thank you for how you are bringing the hope and truth of the gospel to your congregations and communities in these unsettled days. As you consider how to address the cultural firestorm raging around us, the National Association of Evangelicals has developed some resources on racial justice response from a biblical perspective. These are available on their website at www.nae.net/racialjustice.

Because the EPC can only issue official statements on topics that have been approved by the General Assembly (by way of Position Papers), we often point people to the NAE’s statements in areas that we haven’t publicly addressed as a denomination. Among these is the NAE’s “Statement on Racial Unrest and Call to Action” issued on May 29. It is available on the website linked above.

I also want to let you know that we have posted the recording of our webinar from earlier this week, “Leading EPC Sessions and Congregations in Issues of Race and Justice,” on our website at www.epc.org/june10webinar. If you did not participate in this one-hour event, I hope you will take the time to hear Michael Davis, Rufus Smith, Dean Weaver, and others address this important topic. Plans are underway to continue the discussion; we will of course announce the details as it comes together.

May we continue to be the voice of peace, love, and reconciliation that our communities, country, and world so desperately needs today.

Thank you, and remember: He is risen!

Jeff

Resources for Reopening Churches
Available on EPC Website

An article at EPC Connection provide resources for reopening churches as COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed.

With many jurisdictions around the country loosening shelter-in-place restrictions, the EPC Office of the General Assembly has curated a variety of resources on how and when churches can begin to open their doors for public worship and other ministries. The materials offer guidelines and suggestions for churches seeking to safely welcome worshippers back into their facilities. Sources include EPC partner ministries and other reputable organizations.

“It is very likely that our pre-lockdown church experience will not be what we experience going forward,” said Jeff Jeremiah, Stated Clerk. “I hope our churches and leaders benefit from the guidelines and suggestions as they look to safely welcome worshippers back into their facilities.”

Included are checklists, guidance, and other helps from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ChurchLeaders.com, the Family Research Council, The Gospel Coalition, the National Association of Evangelicals, Smart Church Solutions, Vanderbloemen Search Group, and others.

The resources are available at www.epc.org/reopeningchurches.