- Linda L. Long, Stated Clerk

March 28, 2017

• Affirmed appointments to four committees preparing recommendations: Tech Advisory Team, Mission Team, CRE Training Team and Leadership Development Team.
• Approved funding and commitment to train eight people named from four regions of the presbytery plus the Visioning and Connecting Leader and incoming Stated Clerk in mediation skills, to serve in pairs as mediation teams available to congregations. Mediators are facilitators who assist people negotiate new solutions for differences.
• Agreed to continue to provide one or two remote sites through two-way streaming technology for important but short meetings (such as called Assemblies) for matters needing immediate action, intending to encourage broader presbytery participation with less travel.
• Planned May Assembly (May 23rd at Geneva Center) to include 222nd General Assembly Co-Moderator Jan Edmiston to preach the Word and to talk about her perceptions of today's emerging PC(USA) as she travels around our denomination.
• Heard that the Stated Clerk Search Team will be interviewing its selected three candidates next week.
• Celebrated the per capita and mission contributions that are keeping up with expenditures for presbytery to live out its vision and mission and noted the reduction of approximately 600 members from its congregations in 2016.
• Discussed preliminary budget proposal from Stewardship Ministry Team for fiscal year 2017-18, in anticipation of a narrative, revised budget presentation at its April meeting.
• Approved recommendation to set up a professionally managed, tax-advantaged, Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) and Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) as a calendar year fringe benefit to presbytery employees working an average of 20 or more hours per week. The presbytery will initially fund each HRA at $1,500 annually and employees will also be offered optional participation in the FSA up to applicable IRS contributions limits beginning January 1, 2018. Both plans are intended to be offered to qualified employees of churches within the presbytery by January 1, 2019 (sooner if practical). All administrative costs for plan implementation and management are to be an operational expense of presbytery. 
• Approved effective annual salary increase of 2% for Visioning and Connecting Leader and for Administrative Assistant, and added $1,000 to budget to fund travel costs for Administrative Assistant who drives to congregations for various presbytery meetings.
• Approved request from Faith, Kokomo to provide loan guarantee to Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program for Kokomo's loan to upgrade its iconic church sign, and approved two year contract with Books in Order to continue Eric Herzog as presbytery's financial consultant.
• Approved selection of Worship Times to develop a new, more user-friendly website for presbytery in order to share news and resources in support of congregations and the teams doing presbytery work.
• Reviewed revised personnel policies and referred back to committee for one more review and updating, anticipating Council action in April.
• Received update from Jim Hubbard, president of board of directors of Geneva Center, Inc. on Year-One and progress toward financial independence.
• Received reports from COM and teams working with First, Crown Point and Pulaski Presbyterian Church, and approved minutes for Council's meeting in January.

A deeper dive

 

First Presbyterian Church of Crown Point has a tradition called "Sunday Night Specials", a program designed to respond to questions, concerns, and "hot topics" on congregation members' minds. Meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on occasional Sunday evenings, the Sunday evening gatherings offer members and guests the opportunity to unpack and reflect upon topics of interest gathered from the congregation. Because of the 90 minute time frame, participants have more time to discover and reflect together than on a Sunday morning.

The most recent offering is a two-week study on the origins of ISIS, led by Dr. Melanie Trexler, Assistant Professor of Theology at Valparaiso University. A distinguished scholar in religion, political science and theological studies, Dr. Trexler is engaging with interested Crown Pointers as they seek to understand more about the history and present state of ISIS in the Middle East.

This past Sunday evening, Dr. Trexler quizzed the group of thirty in attendance by asking what they thought they knew about ISIS. Anecdotes offered quickly revealed lots of concern and interest, as well as a wide range of understanding or newness to the subject of ISIS as well as basic knowledge about the Muslim faith. Offering fiction and fact about the origins of ISIS, Dr. Trexler spent the next seventy minutes walking the group through the confusing, complicated history of ISIS and political divisions and uprisings in the Middle East. An easy exchange of questions and thoughtful responses ensued. It was a rich and very interesting evening.

Sunday, April 2 will provide a continuation of the discussion. All are welcome to attend this conversation, which will take place in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Crown Point from 6-7:30 p.m.

Thank you, Crown Point, for offering such thoughtful, timely reflection as we seek to understand our world as informed people of faith.