West Side Story is delighted to be teaming with Uptown Metro for some exciting leadership training on Saturday, September 22, 2018.  PLEASE NOTE: We will include training for officers that will count as training required for churches in the Presbytery.

The Meeting:

• A panel discussion from pastors in the presbytery;
• Training for officers;
• Workshops on a variety of topics;
• Affinity group discussions; and
• A short WSSMG business meeting at which we will discuss opportunities for monetary grants.

Lunch and childcare will be provided.

Who should attend:

All church leaders - officers, staff, Christian educators, or anyone who identifies as a leader - are invited. Any leaders desiring enhanced annual training should be thereneeding annual training should be there.

When:

Saturday, September 22, 2018: Joint Meeting 9:00am-1:00pm; WSSMG business meeting, to follow, depart no later than 2pm

Where:

Central Presbyterian Church, 7308 York Road, Towson, MD 21204

RSVP:

WSS Ministry <wssmgbaltpres@gmail.com. Please let us know who and how many from your congregation will be attending. We are developing workshops now. If there is an area of particular interest to you and your congregation or if someone would like to lead a workshop or enable an affinity group, please respond ASAP. More details will follow. Please get the word out to congregants who would benefit so they can get it on their calendars. And of course, you are invited to attend, too!

WSSMG Solicits Grant Requests from Member Churches 

 Process for Grant Requests

Step 1: Download fillable form, save and rename. After completion, save and attach form to a new email and send to wssmgbaltpres@gmail.com. Each request must include a justification for how the funds will be used. The justification will need to show clearly how the funds will advance one or more of the objectives for which ministry groups were created. These are:

• Christian formation and leadership development;
• Congregational development;
• Missional engagement with the communities;
• Prophetic witness and action for reconciliation;
• The creation of new faith communities.

Requests for grants should be signed by the pastor or clerk of session with approval of the session, as necessary.

Step 2: Submit the request to the WSSMG convener(s) by email. Once received, the conveners will review the request with the WSSMG Steering Team. The Steering Team will be responsible for determining if the request meets one or more of the goals outlined in Step 1 and if funds are available. The Steering team is not responsible for final approvals. 

Step 3: When the Steering Team has cleared a request, they will submit it to the WSSMG at the next regularly scheduled gathering for discussion and decision on whether to approve the request. Members present at the meeting will prayerfully consider and cast their votes concerning the request. These votes will be considered the decision of the WSSMG, regardless of the number of congregations present.

Step 4: Once a congregation has received approval for a grant request, they should not wait for funds to be delivered to them. Rather, they should spend the money from their own resources and submit an invoice or other documentation of their expenses to the Presbytery with a copy to the WSSMG convener(s) for reimbursement. If the congregation requires the funds prior to performing the project due to hardship or some other reason, they will need to notify the Presbytery of their reasons and request in writing advance issuance of the funds, including pricing details. Once the congregation has spent the funds, they still will need to provide documentation with a copy to the convener(s) of what they have spent.

Step 5: The congregation receiving a grant will be expected to report the outcome of their use of the funds at a future meeting. It is both uplifting and a means of sharing ideas with other congregations when we jointly celebrate the good news of how we are doing the work of Jesus Christ with our sister congregations.

Additional Considerations:

• Although it is not absolutely required, it is certainly a sign of serious and faithful stewardship when the congregation requesting a grant uses some of their own resources in the project in the form of their own money and time. You should indicate in your request how much of your own money, if any, and time will be used.

• If there is potential for other congregations within the WSSMG or Presbytery to join in a project for which the funds will be used, a statement of how other congregations might share in the ministry or project should be included with the request.