WELCOME TO YELLOWHEAD PRESBYTERY

WeAndrew Ardrossan Athabasca Barrhead Clover Bar Devon-Calmar Drayton Valley Edson Evergreen Fox Creek {Mission Field} Fort McMurray Fort Saskatchewan Grande Cache Green Grove Hinton Jasper Lamont

Leduc Moose Hill Morinville Namao Onoway Peers {Mission Field} Rainbow Rochester {Mission Field} Slave Lake (ALU) South Cooking Lake Spruce Grove Stony Plain Sturgeon Valley Swan Hills Telfordville Victoria Trail Westlock Woodland

Yellowhead Presbytery is made up of representatives from 33 Pastoral Charges (47 Congregations and 3 Mission Fields), and two church camps - Surprise Lake and Camp Mackinickolea.

The whole Presbytery gathers for 3 two-day meetings per year (February, April and October) and also at the Annual Meeting of Conference in May.

The Executive meets in January, March, June and September.

Three Common Questions:

What is Presbytery?

It is one of the decision making courts of the church, with representatives from the Pastoral Charges within its bounds.

The United Church Of Canada is organized as a Concilliar System.

The four courts are Pastoral Charge, Presbytery, Conference, and General Council.

Pastoral Charges are made up of one or more Preaching Points or Congregations. The Pastoral Charges in a geographical area are grouped into Presbyteries.

Presbyteries are grouped into Conferences.

The final decision-making court in the church is the General Council.

Every two or three years, Conferences select delegates to a full meeting of the General Council.

Between meetings an executive (with representation from each Conference) conducts General Council Business.

What Does Presbytery Do?

For a quick answer to this question, we turn to The Manual of the United Church. It is THE book of reference for finding out how to do things in the church.

Section 315 reads:
it shall be the duty of the Presbytery to have oversight of the Pastoral Charges within its bounds, review their records and to adopt measures for promoting the religious life of the Pastoral Charges within its bounds.

To do this our Presbytery has set up six Divisions {see below}

Who Comes To Presbytery?

Again, to The Manual! Section 305 says, in effect, that the Presbytery shall consist of (1) all those who are serving as ministers in the Pastoral Charges of the Presbytery (may be Ordained, Commissioned, Lay Pastoral Ministers, Lay Pastoral Ministers in Training, Ministry Students); (2) all those who have been appointed to Special Ministries within the Presbytery (i.e. Chaplains); (3) lay delegates selected by the Pastoral Charges (the number of delegates depends on how many people with full membership in the United Church are on the membership roll of the Pastoral Charge); (4) any members of the Order of Ministry (Ordained or Commissioned) who are retired or otherwise retained on the roll of the Presbytery; (5) at least one lay representative from the Presbyterial UCW; and (6) up to ten lay members at large appointed by the Presbytery.

The Six Divisions

Christian Development (CD)

This Division provides support through education and pastoral care. To grow, our faith needs challenge, opportunity and nurture. CD provides information to Presbytery about camps, educational center, Rundle's Mission and UCW. Christian Development oversees the Presbytery Youth Worker, and shares information about events for children, youth and adults. CD promotes Pastoral care for all people within the faith community.

Communications

This Division's Mission Statement is "be a pipeline to enable information to flow freely between Presbytery and Congregations". The goal is to eliminate barriers and to ensure that all information is shared by Presbytery and Pastoral Charges. Communications promotes The United Church Observer/In Contact, Mandate, Exchange, and other United Church publications. It also promotes Spirit Connection, the Book Room, AVEL and the Alberta and Northwest Conference Lending Library.

Church In Society

This division provides the Presbytery with information on relevant issues in our society and how the church can respond. We are not isolated from the world around us. We have an obligation, as the Church, to comment on, commend and criticize the society of which we are a part.

Ministry Personnel and Education (MP&E)

This division coordinates the Presbytery's oversight and support for the Ministry Personnel and Pastoral Charges, as well as oversight and support for students studying for the ministry. It also responds to requests for changes in Pastoral Relations. It researches and makes recommendations to the Presbytery for the establishment of Pastoral Relationships. It arranges regular and special Pastoral Charge visitations by the Presbytery.

Stewardship and Finance

This division provides the Presbytery with information and recommends action on how we can utilize all of the resources we have (human, property and financial). It provides information on the pensions on ministry personnel. It is part of the process for helping Pastoral Charges access various capital and mission funds in the United Church (primarily, Capital Assistance Loans and Mission Support Grants). It also makes recommendations around plans for new church buildings or renovations. It also has responsibilities for the Presbytery bookkeeping. "
Stewardship is everything we do after we say "we believe!".

World Outreach

"In the world, not of the world" - we are part of a Global community. We, as the church, need to support our brothers and sisters around the globe and speak out against injustice, wherever it is found. This division provides the Presbytery with information on global issues and how the Church can respond.