EP’s Corner

Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson Executive Presbyter

Rev. Aisha Brooks-Johnson
Executive Presbyter

Welcome to the EP’s Corner

I bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It brings me great joy to serve as a leader among the members of this presbytery and in connection with our ecumenical siblings, community partners and institutions of higher learning.

I hope you find this corner to be a place where you might find a book that inspires, a podcast link that peaks your interest, or quote that offers encouragement and hope. I have also made available sermon links, which you can also find as a playlist on our Presbytery of Greater Atlanta YouTube Channel.

It is my prayer that all within our presbytery continue to grow closer to God, to be in unity with one another as believers, and to be a reflection of God’s love, justice, and mercy to all. Thank you for stopping by!  

With much love and deep peace,
ABJ

Our 2025 Theme for the presbytery is “Beyond the Building: Living as Grounded Disciples in the World.” As followers of Christ, we have the gift of being the church out in the world. Now, while our buildings are a gift, we have seen many people of faith facing the reality that the upkeep of our buildings has created stress among some congregations.  Caring for our buildings in an ever-changing world has led people to ask exploratory and creative questions concerning how we can use, share, and reimagine our use of space for the sake of the gospel.

Over the next year, we will walk through this theme with a focus on the stories of how the people of God journeyed with God, built with God in mind, faced the destruction of the temple, watched its rebuilding, and witnessed the invitation by Christ to reimagine life and faith in a brand-new way. Please take the time to check the books and devotional resources available as we imagine all that God can do in and through us!

ABJ #BeyondTheBuilding #Ephesian3v20

Beyond the Building Grants

  • This year the Presbytery is focusing on the gift of what it means to be the church beyond the walls of our local buildings. As part of this focus, the Presbytery and Peachtree Presbyterian Church are partnering to award grants to congregations and new worshiping communities to support changes to their property, personnel, or programming that will encourage them in making disciples and caring for those in need.

  • Congregations and new worshiping communities within the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta who can demonstrate need and share the story of how the funds can help them to think outside the box and connect to others. Applications must be approved by the session of the congregation or leadership team of the new worshiping community.

  • We have set aside $50,000 in partnership funds in order to award grants ranging in size from $2,500 to $10,000.

  • Within six months of the receipt of funds, each recipient will be asked to share a story with the wider presbytery on ways the funds opened pathways for your congregation or new worshiping community to think beyond the building. Be creative! We encourage story telling through testimony, videos, worship experiences, photography, and the arts. Our Fall Stated Meeting in November 2025 will include time for celebrating the work of our Beyond the Building Grant recipients as we begin sharing the stories from this partnership in this and other presbytery communication spaces.

  • Applications will open February 17, 2025, and will close on April 14, 2025. The review team will consider these applications together, with any additional funds made available to applications received after the deadline.

    Awardees will be named at the Spring Stated Meeting of the Presbytery on May 13. Please submit applications to grants@atlpcusa.org.

Past Presbytery Themes

2022-23 Presbytery of Greater Atlanta Theme: “You Are Vital!” A Two Year Journey with the Vital Congregations Initiative

We are beginning our two-year journey with the Vital Congregations Initiative. As a Matthew 25 Presbytery, one aspect of the three-fold Matthew 25 invitation has an emphasis on “Building Healthy Vital Congregations.” The commitment to the health of our congregations and leaders in our presbytery has been important to us for quite some time. The Vital Congregations Initiative give all of us language and opportunities for learning and growing together. Over the next two years, our presbytery will lift up each of the seven marks of healthy vital congregations as an emphasis during our stated meetings. We will also offer town hall gatherings and learning opportunities around the seven marks. We have twelve churches who have signed on to the initiative! To learn more about the VCI journey, please visit www.atlpcusa.org/vital.

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