GA 2022 NETWORKING LUNCHES

Connect with others who have similar ministry interests at the 42nd General Assembly. Boxed lunches will be distributed at a location on the Ward Church campus (to be announced). Enjoy a time of fellowship and enrichment from 12:00-1:15 p.m. Unless otherwise noted, all lunches are at Ward Church.

Wednesday, June 22
Thursday, June 23
Friday, June 24

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

BUILDING RETIREMENT SAVINGS AND TAX-EXEMPT HOUSING EXPENSE WITHDRAWAL

Organization: EPC Benefit Resources, Inc.
Host: Bart Francescone
Location: Room 423

Join BRI’s Executive Director for an informational session about the EPC’s 403(b)(9) Retirement Plan, and the investment counseling and retirement planning resources available to help you build your retirement savings and guard against losses. Did you know that ordained EPC ministers can withdraw funds to cover housing expenses on a tax-exempt basis? Come and find out how.

CHRISTIANS NEED TO BE EVANGELIZED, TOO

Organization: Westminster Society
Host: Cameron Shaffer
Location: Room 113

Cameron Shaffer serves as Pastor of Langhorne Presbyterian Church in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, and is a member of the EPC’s Theology Committee.

CHURCH PLANTERS AND FRIENDS

Organization: EPC Church Planting Team
Host: Rodger Woodworth
Location: Room 413

Our National Church Planting Team has made church planting in under-served and under-resourced areas one of our highest priorities. Our speaker is Rodger Woodworth, founding pastor of two interracial EPC churches, an adjunct seminary professor, and the Director of Cross-Cultural Ministries for the Coalition for Christian Outreach. Roger also is author of Playing Favorites: Overcoming our Prejudices to Bridge the Cultural Divide.

Whether you are a church planter, interested in church planting for your church, or just want to know more about how your church can bridge the cultural divide, we welcome you. Copies of Rodger’s book will be given to the first 50 participants!

DEVELOPING SIX KEY RELATIONSHIPS TO AVOID BURNOUT

EMPOWERING LEADERS TO SPARK DISCIPLE-MAKING MOVEMENTS

Organization: The Antioch Room
Host: Marcos Ortega
Location: Chapel Suite 3 (Room 317/319)

This year, The Antioch Room presents a panel discussion called “Empowering Leaders to Spark Disciple-Making Movements” featuring EPC church planters from four different cities. Those who attend this networking lunch will learn why disciple-making is central to church planting, reflect on successful strategies and hard lessons learned, and be encouraged to implement these strategies in their own ministry contexts.

The Antioch Room is a fellowship group for people of color within the EPC. Our goal is to help people of color develop a network within the EPC to develop relationships, encourage one another, share experiences and insights, and spur one another on to faithful Kingdom ministry. While The Antioch Room exists for the encouragement of people of color, all people are welcome to this networking lunch.

Marcos Ortega serves as Lead Pastor of Goodwill Church‘s Beacon (New York) campus.

GUARDING YOUR SOUL WHILE CARING FOR THE SOULS OF OTHERS

Organization: EPC Chaplaincy Ministries
Host: Jan McCormack
Location: Room 105

Ministry demands that we sit in the pain with others as they live in some of their darkest “valleys of the shadow.” This session will help us explore how to enter into the spiritual and emotional needs of others while guarding our hearts and soul from being overly enmeshed or disengaged from our care-recipients.

Jan McCormack serves as Associate Professor and Chair of the Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Programs at Denver Seminary. She is a retired Air Force chaplain with 22 years of experience in military chaplaincy.

OFFERING GRACE AND TRUTH: THE TRANSGENDER EXPERIENCE

Organization: Where Grace Abounds
Host: Scott Kingry
Location: Room 350

Who is under the transgender umbrella? When did biological sex and gender become separate identities? What does pastoral care look like for a family in the midst of these questions? This luncheon will offer participants information and resources for understanding the transgender experience through discussion and the provision of reference lists.

Scott Kingry serves as Program Director for Where Grace Abounds, a Colorado-based ministry designed to guide and support men and women who seek to understand sexuality and relationship, and to inspire all people to know and personally appropriate God’s plan for their sexuality and relationships.

STRENGTHENING OUR LEADERSHIP RELATIONSHIPS

Organization: PIR Ministries
Host: Roy Yanke
Location: Room 401/403

Based on the premise that strong leadership relationships cultivate a culture of ministry health, this Network Lunch is designed for both Teaching Elders and Ruling Elders. It is targeted to identify the signs of a growing culture of ministry health, and to address how we, as pastors and elders, can share in cultivating that culture. We will identify to the 2 Key Principles that are foundational to leadership relationships and the 5 Critical Features that need to be present if our ministry culture is meant to flourish.

Roy Yanke is Executive Director of Pastor-in-Residence (PIR) Ministries in Farmington Hills, Michigan, an endorsed pastoral care resource of the EPC Ministerial Vocation Committee.

THE EVANGELISTIC CHALLENGE TO THE PRO-LIFE CHURCH

Organization: Presbyterians Protecting Life
Host: Dr. Patricia Lee June, MD
Location: Room 407

Can you confidently navigate pro-life issues yourself and steadily equip your congregation to do the same? Remember that our work for the pre-born is a work of evangelism—a way of spreading the Good News to those in crisis, those who have forgotten or have never heard, and those who might never hear if they remain unborn. There are so many ways to reach people caught in the web of abortion. There is a way that God has prepared for you to not just believe in the pro-life cause, but to act in the prolife cause at such a time as this. Let’s talk about the ways your congregation can prepare to step up its witness for life.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECHARGE A CHURCH DURING A PASTORAL TRANSITION

Organization: Church Health Team
Host: Bob Stauffer
Location: Room 405

For most congregations, the prospects of a pastoral transition of any sort causes uncertainty, panic, and a great urgency to call the next pastor as soon as possible. These normal responses can lead to unhealthy actions. There is a better way—Transitional Pastoral Ministry. Join the EPC Church Health Team for an overview of Transitional Pastoral Ministry, how it can provide for stable and consistent ministry during times of pastoral transition, and also provide tools for recharging the vitality of a congregation, ministry leadership, and the eventual calling of the next pastor. This gathering will be particularly helpful for Ruling Elders and Presbytery Ministerial Committee members.

Bob Stauffer serves the EPC’s National Director of Church Health. A member of the EPC’s first ordination class in 1982, Stauffer has served in a wide variety of roles in the local church, Presbytery, and national levels of the denomination in his 40 years of ministry.

WOMEN’S CONNECTION LUNCH

Organization: Ward Church Women’s Ministry
Host: Rachel White
Location: Room 409

Come and join Rachel to connect with other women in leadership for a time of connection and encouragement. Women of all ages and stages are welcome!

Rachel White serves as LifeGroups Pastor for Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Washington.

WORLD OUTREACH MASTER PLAN

Organization: EPC World Outreach
Host: Gabriel de Guia
Location: Chapel Suites 1-2 (Room 307/309)

Join us and hear about the revised Master Plan for EPC World Outreach that outlines our mission, values, and priorities.

Gabriel de Guia serves as Executive Director of EPC World Outreach.

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THURSDAY, JUNE 23

FEMALE TEACHING ELDERS (AND ORDINATION CANDIDATES)

Organization: Presbytery of the Alleghenies
Host: Carolyn Poteet
Location: Room 423

All female Teaching Elders (and female candidates for TE ordination) are invited to join us for an opportunity to connect, encourage, and pray for one another. Please note that this lunch is specifically designed and reserved for female Teaching Elders, Chaplains, and ordination candidates (not Ruling Elders).

Carolyn Poteet serves as Lead Pastor of Mt. Lebanon Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

HOW TO FLOURISH IN THE GRIND OF MINISTRY—CARING FOR YOUR SOUL

INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION NETWORK (ITEN)

Organization: EPC World Outreach
Host: Bruce Anderson
Location: Room 419

The International Theological Education Network of EPC World Outreach is poised to enter its second decade. Join ITEN leaders to hear about what God has done to shape and form this ministry since its founding, and get the news about big transitions coming as ITEN moves into a new season of ministry.

Bruce Anderson founded and directs EPC World Outreach’s International Theological Education Network. He also is the founder and president of the Institute for Reformation.

REACHING THE NEXT GENERATION NEXT DOOR TO YOUR CHURCH

Organization: Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO)
Host: Jen Burkholder
Location: Room 113

Do you have a college or university in proximity to your church? Have you considered that the university the most strategic mission field for reaching the next generation—and the world? The CCO wants to see a generation of college students transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, in partnership with the local church, reaching the world for the glory of God. Join us to learn more about how your church can reach the mission field of the college campus near you.

Jen Burkholder serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships for CCO. She also is a member of the EPC’s Next Generation Ministries Council.

RE-EQUIP: YOUR CHURCH AS SEMINARY

Organization: Knox Theological Seminary
Host: Scott Manor
Location: Room 350

Discover how a collaborative, church-centered, remote educational model allows you to keep and train new pastors and ministry leaders in, with, and for your church. Gain insights on how a remote seminary education makes it possible for your church to equip leaders all the way to ordination without “sending them off” from the very church contexts where their call to ministry is realized and cultivated. This networking lunch will feature testimony from current EPC church partners and a presentation from Scott Manor, President of Knox Theological Seminary.

REVELATION 7:9

SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP: A PRACTICE OF VOCATIONAL RESILIENCE AND RESISTANCE

Organization: Ambrose Collective / Tin Man Ministries
Host: Brandon Addison
Location: Room 413

The past few years have been difficult for pastors and ministry leaders. Many of us have considered a change of call—or even leaving ministry altogether—because of the strains and trials. Alongside that are the very public failures of various celebrity pastors and leaders. We see these challenges and we ask ourselves, “What is the way forward for longevity in ministry?”

There is no magic bullet answer to this question, but one essential aspect is spiritual friendship. We need friends who know us, who share common convictions about ministry, and who also share common practices that will sustain us in the Christian life. In this gathering, a group of pastor-friends from across multiple Presbyteries and churches will talk about why friendship is essential in the Christian life, how their own friendships have been so crucial over the past few years, and what it might look like to practice this yourself no matter what your ministry context is.

Panelists for this lunch include Mark Grapengater, Pastor of The Table in Denver, Colorado; Andy Cornett, Associate Pastor for Families at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, Tennessee; Joshua Smith, Associate Pastor at Saint Patrick Presbyterian Church in Denver; Tanner Fox, Associate Pastor for Mission and 20s at First Presbyterian Church of Orlando; and Joey Sherrard, Associate Pastor of Discipleship at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church.

Brandon Addison serves as Lead Pastor of The Neighborhood Church in Littleton, Colorado. He is the Denver City Network Leader for the Made to Flourish network.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECHARGE A CHURCH DURING A PASTORAL TRANSITION

Organization: Church Health Team
Host: Bob Stauffer
Location: Room 407

For most congregations, the prospects of a pastoral transition of any sort causes uncertainty, panic, and a great urgency to call the next pastor as soon as possible. These normal responses can lead to unhealthy actions. There is a better way—Transitional Pastoral Ministry. Join the EPC Church Health Team for an overview of Transitional Pastoral Ministry, how it can provide for stable and consistent ministry during times of pastoral transition, and also provide tools for recharging the vitality of a congregation, ministry leadership, and the eventual calling of the next pastor. This gathering will be particularly helpful for Ruling Elders and Presbytery Ministerial Committee members.

Bob Stauffer serves the EPC’s National Director of Church Health. A member of the EPC’s first ordination class in 1982, Stauffer has served in a wide variety of roles in the local church, Presbytery, and national levels of the denomination in his 40 years of ministry.

WHAT DOES YOUR “PERSONAL WELL-BEING” LOOK LIKE?

Organization: EPC Benefit Resources, Inc.
Host: Bart Francescone
Location: Room 417

Are you too busy to take time to manage your own financial, physical, and mental well-being? Sheep need a healthy shepherd, and financial stresses and health concerns can drag us down. Come hear sobering facts about the toll our stressful lives are having on our bodies and mental outlook. More importantly, you can turn this around! Learn about easy-to-use health and financial management resources available to you through EPC Health Benefit and Retirement programs. There’s no better time than now to get real about addressing your health!

Bart Francescone serves as Executive Director of EPC Benefit Resources, Inc.

WORLD OUTREACH ENGAGE 2025

Organization: EPC World Outreach
Host: World Outreach Staff
Location: Chapel Suite 3 (Room 317/319)

With the year 2025 fast approaching, join World Outreach leaders for an update on the EPC’s effort to send teams from each Presbytery to reach those with least access to the gospel. Help us envision how to build better partnerships to plant church movements among least-reached peoples.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 24

B.O.O.M.: BOOMERS OUT ON MISSION

Organization: GO Center
Host: Ken Priddy
Location: Room 407

Many of our churches are in plateau or decline, and many of our congregations are aging. In short, we are growing older as we are growing smaller. Seniors—who are mostly Boomers these days—often are the largest demographic within a congregation. Though the future surely demands that we meet the challenge of reaching younger generations, the present could be greatly strengthened by mobilizing Boomers for vitality within the church and strategic, proactive outreach and evangelism outside. Join us and learn about the GO Center’s Boomer mobilization resources that capture this timely opportunity. Tap into what the GO Center now provides to get your Boomers Out On Mission. B.O.O.M!

Ken Priddy serves as Executive Director of the GO Center of the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic.

BUILDING RETIREMENT SAVINGS AND TAX-EXEMPT HOUSING EXPENSE WITHDRAWAL

Organization: EPC Benefit Resources, Inc.
Host: Bart Francescone
Location: Room 405

Join BRI’s Executive Director for an informational session about the EPC’s 403(b)(9) Retirement Plan, and the investment counseling and retirement planning resources available to help you build your retirement savings and guard against losses. Did you know that ordained EPC ministers can withdraw funds to cover housing expenses on a tax-exempt basis? Come and find out how.

CREATIVE OUTREACH WITH YOUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND

Organization: EPC World Outreach
Host: Shawn Stewart
Location: Chapel Suite 3 (Room 317/319)

Find inspiration and resources to assist your church members in reaching their neighbors with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can help your church family learn how to welcome and reach recently arrived Afghans or local diaspora communities. And we can walk with those seeking to do outreach beyond your church, such as college or young adults through denomination-wide mission cohorts. EPC World Outreach has some unique missions hubs being developed, where High School student ministry leaders can participate in retreats to learn how they can reach the unreached right here in the U.S. Join us and learn how you can help your congregation gain a heart for reaching those with least access to the gospel, and also share what your church is doing.

Shawn Stewart serves as Mobilization Coordinator for EPC World Outreach.

DISABILITY MINISTRY MEET AND GREET

Organization: Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic
Host: Michelle Munger
Location: Room 423

Does your church have a connection with those with disabilities and their families? No matter how big or small your disability ministry efforts might be, let’s connect and share both what we are doing and what we hope to do to build belonging with our brothers and sisters with disability and their families.

Michelle Munger serves as Peninsula Director for the Faith Inclusion Network in Newport News, Virginia, and leads the Accessible Church ministry of the Presbytery of the Mid-Atlantic.

DISCIPLING THROUGH DECONSTRUCTION

Organization: Ward Church Women’s Ministry
Host: Nicole Unice
Location: Room 350

Ladies—join Nicole Unice for a facilitated conversation about what discipleship looks like in a deconstruction era.

Nicole Unice serves as Adjunct Teaching Pastor for Ward Church.

EXECUTIVE PASTORS AND CHURCH ADMINISTRATORS

Organization: EPC Office of the General Assembly
Host: Patrick Coelho
Location: Room 421

Get to know your fellow Executive Pastors, Church Business Administrators, and others involved in church operations for this time of fellowship and sharing best practices.

Patrick Coelho serves as Chief Financial Officer for the EPC Office of the General Assembly in Orlando, Florida.

FAITH AND WORK MINISTRY AT YOUR CHURCH

SHARING THE GOSPEL IN TIMES OF TUMULT:

ANCIENT WISDOM FOR NEW CHALLENGES

Organization: Westminster Society
Host: Joey Sherrard
Location: Chapel Suites 1-2 (Room 307/309)

We are in a time of rapid, unexpected change. Any Ruling Elder, ministry leader, or Pastor knows this to be true from their own experience of leading and serving the past few years. But God has not left us to ourselves; we have not only the testimony of the Scriptures and the promise of the Spirit, but also the communion of the saints and the witness of how the Church has responded in times past—not retreating, but faithfully continuing to extend the word of truth. In this session we’ll learn from one particular pastor—Augustine of Hippo—and how he winsomely shared the gospel in a time of theological confusion, political upheaval, and cultural change. As we learn from Augustine, we’ll learn what evangelism looks like in our own time and context.

Joey Sherrard serves as Associate Pastor for Discipleship at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

THE ESSENTIAL ROLE OF THE SMALLER CHURCH

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