1. What is Growing Together in Mission (GTM)?
GTM is a collaborative campaign to engage as many people as possible within our Presbytery in prayer for, involvement in, and support of efforts that bring us together in the pursuit of our Presbytery goals of church vitality, increased participation in worship, and engaging our diverse communities.

2. When does GTM begin and how long will it last?
We project a launch date of June 15. The campaign will end at the November 28 Presbytery meeting in Westlake Village, during which we will celebrate the results.

3. What specific efforts will be included?

• Support to people experiencing food insecurity in our communities (North Valley Caring Services; https://www.nvcsinc.org)
• Scholarships for new leaders seeking to serve more effectively with our Presbytery (Cyclical: http://www.cyclicalla.com/ and Bridges:  https://bridgesus.org)
• Presbyterian World Mission; https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/world- mission/; Co-workers supported by the Presbytery (Niger, Lebanon, Egypt, Indonesia, Colombia, Germany)

4. What will people in our churches and New Worshiping Communities (NWC’s) be invited to do?

• Participate: Individuals and the churches/NWC’s that opt-in will be invited to cook meals for the North Valley Caring Services’ (NVCS) outreach program, serve in food distribution, be companions to new leaders, and/or communicate with Mission Co-Workers.
• Pray: Weekly prayer updates will be distributed among the participating churches and
  NWC’s.
• Give: Individuals, churches, and NWC’s can use the Presbytery’s online donation system
  rebrand.ly/grow2gether (through the Presbyterian Foundation) or mail in their contributions. We are also providing special banks for worship spaces and homes to collect donations. The Presbytery office will not deduct any administrative fee.

5. Who will be in charge of implementing GTM?
The campaign will involve a broad group of individuals and committees:

• Juan will provide leadership for the campaign, David Derus will coordinate it and Deborah Kusin will report to the Property & Finance Committee
• Each participating congregation will have a responsible person or “Champion”.
• The NVCS Partnership Task Force (under Communication and Church Support) will
  identify someone to coordinate the efforts to combat food insecurity.
• Evangelism and Church Growth will confer with the Committee on Preparation for Ministry to identify a way of coordinating the scholarships.

6. Distribution of Funds:
The total amount received will be split in three equal parts and made available in February
2024.

I am grateful for the enthusiastic responses that GTM has received and would love if you can plan on being part of it!