NEWS RELEASE

LOUISVILLE —  Eight new congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) have been given $50,000 as winners of the 2009 Sam and Helen R. Walton Awards.

Each congregation was selected for its imaginative, skillful approach to new church ministry by the Mission Development Resources Committee (MDRC) for site acquisition and capital improvement. Two of the churches are in California, two in Florida. The other four are in Kansas, New Jersey, South Carolina and Texas.

The new church developments are diverse — congregations are Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian-American, English-Swahili speaking and multi-cultural. The Walton Awards were established in 1991 as part of a $6 million gift from the late Sam and Helen Walton, founders of Walmart, through the PC(USA) Foundation.

Since 1993, there have been 92 Walton Awards totaling $3.7 million presented to exemplary new church developments from 63 presbyteries in all 16 synods.

The 2009 Walton Award winners are:

Biyaya (Texas) Community Church, Missouri City, Texas, Synod of the Sun, New Covenant Presbytery:  Chartered in May 2008, this Asian American church started with fourteen adults and one child on Easter 1999. Now 75 active members, including children, hope to buy property with an existing building that can accommodate a congregation of their size, to allow a broader variety of church and social functions.

Highlands Presbyterian Church, Paso Robles, Calif., Synod of Southern California & Hawaii, Santa Barbara Presbytery:  One thousand people attend four worship services at this three-year-old new NCD, whose ministry is primarily to the non-churched. Highlands has reached out to the vineyard worker, blue-collar, Harley-Davidson rider and cowboy-rancher communities in their region. The church will use the Walton award to finish their educational/office wing, finish city-mandated landscaping, complete their nature/bike trails and begin funding construction of their sanctuary.

Santa Maria (California) Presbyterian Church, Synod of Southern California & Hawaii, Santa Barbara Presbytery: New Covenant NCD, and First Presbyterian Church, Santa Maria, faced declining membership and internal strife after losing pastors. In 2007, they became a new multi-cultural church. New ministries like Monday Night Football half-time Bible Studies reach younger men and Teenage MOPS is a safe place for teenage mothers to bring their children. The new congregation has successfully trained English– and Spanish-speaking lay-leadership in a Presbytery program. They will use the Walton award to renovate their sanctuary and improve their education and fellowship ministry.

Iglesia Presbiteriana Monte Sinai’, Apopka, Fla., Synod of South Atlantic, Central Florida Presbytery: Eighty percent of the members of this five year-old NCD were previously un-churched. The Hispanic congregation will use the Walton award for the construction, repair and expansion of the main building on their property, to renovate another building, prepare the site for expansion, resurface and enlarge their parking lot. (Link provided is a presbytery information page.)

 Peace Presbyterian NCD, Lakewood Ranch, Fla., Synod of South Atlantic, Peace River Presbytery:  This 118-member congregation, whose desire is to make God known by growing disciples of Jesus Christ, plans to charter in 2009. The Walton award will help them purchase property and build their ministry.

Neema Community Fellowship, Overland Park, Kan., Synod of Mid-America, Heartland Presbytery:  The goal of this developing church is to serve immigrants who come to the US, especially from Africa. They plan to become a chartered Swahili and English speaking congregation and hope to purchase a church building within the next two years.

Top Stone Church, Englewood, N.J., Synod of the Northeast, Eastern Korean Presbytery: This Korean church, devoted to God through service to one another and their community, grew thirty-eight percent last year. The Walton award will help them purchase a building and expand their outreach through more ministries and service programs. (Link provided is the National Korean Presbyterian Council site.)

New Kirk Presbyterian Church, Blythewood, S.C., Synod of South Atlantic, Trinity Presbytery:  In March, this NCD that started with just twenty people broke ground on their first building to the delight of 183 adult and 90 children. The Walton award will allow them to provide more paved parking or build a welcoming and inviting space that would include a coffee bar, fireplace, and comfortable seating.

1 response to this article