Moderator Jill Kitowski (RE, La Porte) welcomed Rebecca Kirkpatrick and Josh Yoder on Friday evening, Sept. 18th, to share their stories and visuals from their past two years in Egypt.  The mission co-workers and students of Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo expressed their thanks for direct support for more than 150 years of Presbyterian ministry in Egypt, and told how specific political, social and military events in recent years affected their lives.  Josh will return to ETS Cairo in January to teach New Testament theology; Rebecca is serving as Associate Pastor for Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Presbytery of Philadelphia.

Together the Assembly celebrated the Lord's Supper, with Rebecca serving as liturgist, Josh preaching on the principle of equality, those with plenty share with those with need, based upon texts in II Corinthians 8 and Mark 5.  Sufwat Marzouk (TE, validated ministry and graduate of ETS Cairo, Synod of the Nile, now teaching Old Testament in Goshen and worshipping with Sunnyside, SB) assisted in serving communion.

Jill reconvened the assembled presbytery at 8:30 am Saturday with an Irish welcome and prayer, and led the commissioners through a voluminous docket and major decisions with humor, grace, prayers and focus.  Actions taken by the Assembly:

• Received reports of COM acting as a commission on behalf of the Presbytery in May through September, Council acting as a commission in four meetings, and Commission on Preparation for Ministry, all in preparation for Assembly; and first read of a proposed amendment to the Standing Rules.
• Approved major steps building upon the Joshua Journey work to restructure presbytery work and its staffing, specifically:
• The first step in this process is the identification of a two-person leadership team, fulfilling a designated contract for a three-year time period, subject to annual review.  Each leader will be .75 FTE.
• One of these leaders will fulfill the responsibilities of a stated clerk and provide administrative leadership.  The other will work to cast vision and enhance connection in the presbytery.
• They will work together to facilitate the presbytery's development of its new structure with the goal of implementing a structure in 18 months' time.  Both will play a connectional role in the presbytery, helping the presbytery to awaken, enliven, and enhance our worshipping communities, individually and together.  Ideally, one will be a ruling elder and the other a teaching elder.
• The visioning/connecting leader would be recruited first and then assist in the identification of the other candidate.
• The current stated clerk is willing and could play a bridging role toward this transition, if requested. 
• The Presbytery will transition to one, small physical office that is a secure storage facility to hold essential files
• The presbytery will hire one full-time administrative support person whose responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: managing the website, maintaining the database, answering a cell phone during office hours, producing "God Calls," sending out Care Alerts, accessing technical support when needed
• Our financial consultant will work remotely
• Recognizing that these are challenging transitions, we commit ourselves as a presbytery to a highly communicative style and building trust as we live into the vision God has for us.  We commit ourselves to pray for one another and the process.
• Affirmed teams to search for designated leadership positions and to plan office changes.
• Approved fiscal year 2015-16 balanced budget for Presbytery after reviewing 2014-15 results including changes in basic mission and per capita funding, status and rationale for reserve funds, projections of reduction in staffing, office space and support of Geneva Center, and approved increase of $.50 per member in per capita and reallocation of basic mission dollars to 85% to presbytery mission, 5% to Synod and 10% to Presbyterian Mission Agency.
• Presbytery's total per capita apportionment beginning January 1, 2016 will be $39.38.  Of that, $28.45 supports presbytery work, $7.12 to OGA and $3.81 to Synod.  Our presbytery pays our full membership apportionment to OGA and Synod, whether or not all congregations contribute.
• Examined Inquirer Diane Shircliff (RE, First, Lebanon) concerning her Christian faith journey and spiritual gifts in ministry, and celebrated approval of moving her to Candidacy for ministry.
• Approved a Gracious Discernment Policy to encourage conversations, continuing pastoral care, ministry assessment and reconciliation when congregations are considering a request to be dismissed to another Reformed denomination.
• Elected eighteen leaders for presbytery, including officers to be installed in November:  David Smook (TE, HR) as Assembly Moderator; Sarah Sanderson-Doughty (TE, First, Elkhart) as Vice Moderator; and Jill Kitowski (RE, La Porte) as Council Moderator.
• Approved finding that the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians is a Reformed denomination with sufficient permanence and polity to which congregations of Presbytery of Wabash Valley may be dismissed.
• Approved 2.9% increase in minimum effective salary for 2016 for full-time teaching elders to $39,340 and to $31,472 for full-time commissioned ruling elders serving as pastors of congregations.  Board of Pensions announced there is no increase in medical dues for 2016.
• Approved COM to identify a team of appropriate trained ruling elders to be commissioned at the November Assembly, specifically limited to serve communion occasionally to congregations unable to find teaching elders to serve.
• Approved recommendations concerning commissions on behalf of Assembly:
• To commission Roger Hartzler (RE, First, Crown Point) as CRE for First, Kouts on September 27th.
• To close the congregation of Granger Presbyterian Church at its request.
• To dismiss the AC working with First, Kouts with gratitude and celebration of reconciliation and ongoing ministry of the congregation.
• Were attentive to report by members of the Geneva Center Transition Team as they reviewed proposed incorporation, bylaws, business plan and covenant and responded to questions.  Action by Assembly is expected in November.

Jill led the closing prayer of joys and concerns, and adjourned at 1:20 pm with the Irish blessing, "May the road rise up to meet you..." (obliquely acknowledging her football bias that afternoon).

Next regular meeting of Assembly is at:
Wabash Presbyterian Church,
123 W. Hill St., Wabash, IN  46992,
on Tuesday, November 17, 2015