Presbytery Meeting Highlights

76TH STATED MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

November 6 - 7, 2011

Sunday Evening, 7:00 p.m.

Bob Prim welcomes participants.

Moderator Reverend Joyce Rife called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with prayer. Pastors Joan Stevens (Helen Church) and Bob Prim (Nacoochee Church) welcomed everyone to the area. As part of business items, Stated Clerk Joe Berry presented certificates recognizing multiple service contributions. These include: both retiring moderator and ministry team chairs, recently ordained persons, congregations celebrating twenty-fifth and one hundred year anniversaries of being founded, and ministers celebrating thirty to fifty year anniversaries of ordination.

Evangelism & Congregational Transformation team members Gary Cecil and Deb Trimpe report on the Acts 16:5 initiative.

After these presentations, Ford G'Segner reported for the Congregational Development Ministry Team. He reported that conversations are ongoing between Presbyterian Border Ministries and presbyteries of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, which has severed relationships with the PCUSA following approval of Amendment 10A. He also reported that the Mexico Work Mission will go forward as planned in June 2012. Deb Trimpe, Julie Thompson, and Gary Cecil reported that eleven churches have committed to participate in the Acts 16:5 Initiative and the first gathering will be held Wednesday, November 30, at Central Church in Athens.

The theme for this meeting, "Healthy Congregations: A Biblical Family", was framed in a time of worship and Bible study led by Glen Kohlhagen and other members of the Congregational Health Action Team (CHAT). The scriptures utilized centered on the story of Jacob and Esau and the way their family relationships speak of the same themes that affect life in faith communities today. A major role CHAT offers is to assist church leaders in addressing these dynamics in constructive rather than destructive ways.

To promote further understanding of the Bible study and the ministry of CHAT, presbytery was invited to break into groups of four to discuss questions related to the Jacob/Esau story. Subsequently, presbytery recessed for informal fellowship until reconvening on Monday morning.

Monday Morning, 9:00 a.m.

Following a worshipful moment, during which Gary Cecil, Pastor at the Madison Church, played his guitar and led the singing (as he had also done Sunday night), the CHAT team resumed its presentation. Glen Kohlhagen engaged a follow-up conversation based on information shared from the discussion groups. Alex Stevens presented a PowerPoint on the theme of "Anxiety", which was followed by a dramatic reading including other members of the CHAT Team based on the Prodigal Son story. Debbie Van Tuyll, Chair of CHAT, summarized the theme and offered the assistance of CHAT to congregations for either constructive conflict management or Healthy Congregations training for church leaders.

Jim McGown of JustPeace Action Team speaks.

Following "Minutes for Mission" from the Nacoochee Church and the Mountain Church, the Justice and Peacemaking Action Team/JustPeace presented motions for action as a follow-up to Israel/Palestine issues presented at the May 17, 2011, stated presbytery meeting. Jim McGown, convener of the Action Team, reviewed earlier content and then presented the motions for debate. By ballot, both of the motions were defeated. To see the motions in their entirety, please click HERE (page 9).

Following action on these motions, Frank Colladay, Co-Chair of the Nominating Committee, presented nominations for Ministry Teams and Commissions. The Nominating Committee also presented nominees for Commissioners, Young Adult Advisory Delegate, and Alternate Commissioners to the 220th General Assembly (2012). Those elected as General Assembly Commissioners include: Principal Ministers - Bob Bohler (Central Church) and Alice Wood (Wiley Church); and Principal Elders - Gloria Burns (First Milledgeville) and John Gregg (Oconee Church). The Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAAD) is Kerry McGill (Dahlonega Church). Alternate Commissioners are Ministers Holly Shoaf-O'Kula (Augusta) and Jeff Reynolds (Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School), and Elders Jan Lewis (Belle Terrace Church) and John Naglich (Reid Memorial Church).

Lavonia Church's new pastor Jason Clapper with baby Charlotte

A report from the Committee on Ministry Team followed. In addition to updating presbytery regarding a number of matters, recommendations approving the Board of Pensions retirement for R. Leslie Holmes and establishing 2012 Minimum Salary Standards were approved. In addition, a DVD sharing the "For Such a Time as This Pastoral Residency Program" was shared and Rev. Jason Clapper, Ruth O'Dell, and Jean Carol Mundy from the Lavonia Church shared their excitement related to participation in this program. Laurie Clapper and baby Charlotte were also introduced.

Beecher Mathes, Chair of Leadership Development Ministry Team, enthusiastically invited churches to participate in two upcoming events for leaders: an "Officer Training Event" on Saturday, December 3, 2011, at Covenant Church of Athens and a "Winter Leadership Event and Youth Rally" on Saturday, January 28, 2012, at First Presbyterian Church of Athens.

Brock Burnett, Chair of Council, presented their report. Matters presented included:

Financial Report in which permission was granted for reducing the presbytery minimum cash reserves from $30,000 to $20,000 - if needed - to address budgetary shortfall, in light of the possibility that the 2011 budget deficit could exceed $20,000.
Approval was granted for increasing the Per Capita Presbytery Apportionment for 2012 by $.17 so as to total $5.92. For all councils, total 2012 Per Capita apportionment is: $6.63 General Assembly, $1.45 Synod of the South Atlantic, and $5.92 for Northeast Georgia Presbytery, for a total of $14.00.
Personnel Action Team reported that there were "glowing reports" from annual performance reviews of presbytery staff.
Reports were also received from the following Administrative Commissions: Reid Memorial, Greene Street, and Augusta Korean.

Written reports were noted from the following groups:

Communication/Links Network Ministry Team - Emily Cheney, Chair.
Preparation for Ministry Team - Dori Allen and Frank Colladay, Co-Chairs.
Northeast Georgia Presbytery Black Caucus - Melvin Lowry, President.
Presbyterian Women - Jean Carol Mundy, Moderator.

Helen Church's pastor Joan Stevens offered Prayers of the People.

The Resolutions Committee, composed of Rev. Teresa Franklin (Mount Hermon Church) and Elder B. J. Willard (Helen Church), expressed appreciation to individuals at the Helen and Nacoochee Churches for their service and to all who planned and helped with the meeting, including the staff at the Unicoi Lodge, as well as for the extended time of fellowship and for the beauty of the Northeast Georgia mountains in the fall. This was followed by Closing Announcements and a Worshipful Moment which included Prayers of the People and a blessing for lunch offered by Joan Stevens (Helen Church). The time was 12:25 p.m.

Next Meeting

The next stated meeting, the SEVENTY-SEVENTH, will be Tuesday, February 25, 2012, at the Covenant Presbyterian Church of Athens, Georgia. Call to Order will be at 9:30 a.m.

Thanks to Mari Turner and Ken Meeks for the photographs included in Highlights.

In This Issue

Thank you, Helen and Nacoochee Presbyterian Churches! We appreciate your gift of hospitality manifested in both your warm greeting and helpful registration leadership. These offerings directly contributed to the inviting start we experienced in our overnight meeting. More broadly, thanks to all who shared in the leadership of this event.

This meeting was a marvelous experience! What made it so? There are several roots:

The beauty of the autumn mountains.
The options - in which one could come early and relax or take a day hike.
The informality which reigned; very few neck ties were spotted but a goodly number of jeans were!
The schedule which offered an opportunity to socialize with fellow Presbyterians on a scale which traditional day meetings simply can't offer.
The meals which were infused with choice and delicious.
Also, the timing - did anyone hear a complaint that the meeting ended before lunch on Monday!?

Evaluation forms received from the meeting indicate that there continues to be strong support for having an overnight meeting, at least every other year.