Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - Small Church and Community Ministry

Small Church and Community Ministry: Serving Rural and Urban Congregations


	Small Church and Community Ministry Stories

	To close or not to close: that was the question By Diana A. Stephen Deacon Jody Goodwin, her daughter, Aimee, her granddaughter, Nola Grace, and Elder LaVerna House. Photo by Ann Marie Simone To close or not to close? Three and a half years ago that was the question facing the members and friends of the North Turner Union Presbyterian Church, a congregation in Androscoggin County, Maine, that had been serving its community since 1878. Attendance at worship had dwindled to six and the Presbytery of Northern New England had appointed an Administrative Commission. This group of faithful and committed members was not very happy about this action of presbytery. Rather than getting stuck in their displeasure, they marshaled their energy and resources with the determination that North Turner Union Presbyterian Church would live. As a member of The Mission at the Eastward (MATE), a cooperative parish of eight churches in central Maine, this congregation had an immediate resource. If the church at North Turner was determined to live, the people of MATE would surround it with their loving support. A team from the MATE churches was formed to be present with the North Turner church as it began to move through a process that proved to be transforming. This team, together with representatives from the presbytery, joined the members of North Turner as they began this time of transformation. Members of the team demonstrated their commitment by regularly attending the meetings. This required them to travel great distances. Distance is one of the characteristics of rural communities. The geographical scope of this cooperative parish covers 60-100 miles and the geographical breadth of the presbytery is far greater. Goals were set for the congregation. Challenged by how they might be fulfilled in the specified time, the larger group began to exchange ideas about ministry and mission. Participants from the presbytery and other MATE churches began to show up for worship to demonstrate through their presence support of the North Turner Church. The congregation began to realize that God wasn’t finished with them yet. The Holy Spirit was truly present and empowering them. Keep reading this story.


	Friends of the Carpenter “Wood crafted into a community of Christ” by the Rev. Duane L. Sich Church volunteers work together one of their woodcraft activities with homeless guests. Photo by the Rev. Duane L. Sich, program director. A ministry in Vancouver, Washington, has found a creative and constructive way to connect persons who are homeless (or at risk) with volunteers from faith communities. Friends of the Carpenter is a nonprofit, faith-based ministry that uses woodcraft as a way to create a safe and supervised setting for friendships to be formed. It’s a sanctuary of a different sort — more like the stable in which the Christ-child was born, where shepherds and kings were equally welcome. Participants (volunteers and homeless) gather in the warehouse (the Friendship Center) to fit and glue wood pieces together. During the woodcraft activity, God’s grace guides and glues new friendships together. As rough edges are sanded from the wood, simple conversations of care, kindness and compassion smooth the way for friendships of encouragement, assistance and accountability to be formed. Keep reading this story.


	Small churches thrive with shared ministry Many small churches are thriving today because they share ministry, mission and/or leadership with other small churches. Once just a model for the rural church, shared ministry is becoming an effective approach for urban and suburban congregations as well. Keep reading this story.


	An Urban Congregation in the Last Frontier Immanuel Presbyterian Church started as a Sunday church school class in a house. Photo by Bert Tom. Immanuel Presbyterian Church was organized by the Presbytery of the Yukon with 19 chartered members in 1961 and is located in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska (population c. 300,000). The congregation was started as a Sunday church school class in a house purchased by the former Board of National Missions-UPCUSA. The house was to be the future manse of a new congregation and it was used to hold Sunday church school classes and Sunday morning worship until a first unit was constructed with supplemental funds from the denomination’s Fifty Million Fund. Keep reading this story.


	The Garden of Hope The Westminster Presbyterian Church Garden of Hope now has 17 renters. Much of the produce is collected and shared with local food pantries. Photo by Michelle Parsons. Westminster Presbyterian Church, a smaller-membership congregation located in Belleville, Ill., on the outskirts of St. Louis, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Westminster’s congregation has been involved with the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy’s congregational transformation training program, focusing its mission on the surrounding neighborhood. Westminster’s young, dynamic pastor, the Rev. Michelle Parsons, is leading the congregation in its transformational ministry effort that includes a community garden, an archery program for kids, a martial arts ministry and an older adult ministry. Keep reading this story.


	Small church takes huge risk, goes buildingless Congregation moves to retirement home, invests proceeds in mission By Emily Enders Odom MIJHH communications coordinator LOUISVILLE — Just call it the little church that could. And did. Faced with declining membership, dwindling revenues, and an aging, non-handicapped accessible building, the Buechel Presbyterian Church here joyfully embraced what it saw as its only viable option for survival. Rather than close its doors to future generations, the congregation voted in August 2006 to sell its building and make its new home across the street at Westminster Terrace, a neighboring independent living home. Keep reading this story.


	The biggest little church in Kalamazoo North Church has been located in Kalamazoo County since 1919. Photo courtesy of North Presbyterian Church. by the Rev. Linda Cook MacDonald North Presbyterian Church Kalamazoo, Mich. A chuckle rose from everyone gathered under the shade of the ancient oak on a late summer afternoon at Curtis’ description of North Presbyterian Church. Then it dawned on us; he just might have described this congregation very well! Never large by numerical standards, never flush with financial resources, North Church has been big — generous when it comes to its life together and its life within the community of Kalamazoo County. Keep reading this story.


	Giving it all away Successful evangelism lies in community service, not self-preservation, Linthicum tells PHEWA by Jerry Van Marter NEW ORLEANS — Renowned urban evangelist Robert Linthicum recalled being asked by San Gabriel Presbytery to "intervene" with First Presbyterian Church of Pomona, Calif., a once-thriving PC(USA) congregation now facing extinction as the neighborhood around it changed dramatically. "The church, which had more than 2,000 members in 1939 was down to 80 members 50 years later," Linthicum, a former urban pastor who is now president of Partners in Urban Transformation, told participants in last week's Social Justice Biennial Conference sponsored by the Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association (PHEWA). "Business and industry had fled and the population, which in 1939 was almost entirely white, was now 93% racial ethnic and many of those were undocumented immigrants ... illegal aliens if you will." Keep reading this story.