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Welcome Located at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church 3601 Seminary Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23227 804-342-0016 Office Hours are 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday ************************************************************* |
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The Synod of the Mid-Atlantic Summary
Digest of the 231st Stated Assembly Meeting The 231st Stated Meeting of
the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic was held at the Ginter Park Presbyterian
Church in Richmond, Virginia on March 18 & 19, 2013.
The following is a summary digest of the discussions, actions and
decisions. NOMINATING
COMMITTEE The following candidates to fill
vacancies on several Synod Committees and Commissions were presented by the
Committee, or offered as nominations from the floor (all were elected by
acclamation): Committee on Representation: Eddie
Deas (Western NC), Tae E. Park (James) – Permanent Judicial Commission:
William Millsaps (James), Dong Yung Kim (AKAP) – Speer Fund Committee:
Richard Haney (James), Sung Cho (AKAP) –
Jubilee Fund Committee: Arthur Canada (Charlotte), Julius Jackson (New
Castle) , Sue McLaurin (New Hope), Bo Chang Seo (AKAP) – Nominating
Committee: James Pak (AKAP). MASSANETTA
SPRINGS ANNUAL REPORT Fred Holbrook, Executive Director of Massanetta Springs Conference Center, presented an annual report. He noted that the Living Waters campaign was making good progress, including completion of the first phase of rehabilitation to the Historic Hotel. He also noted that the Massanetta Board is exploring the wisdom and necessity of changing the corporate structure of Massanetta so that the Synod is no longer required to ratify the election of Board members, and also no longer the legal owner of Massanetta Springs. ADMINISTRATION
AND PERSONNEL Executive Search Committee
– the Administration Committee chair, Beverly Bullock, reported on plans
to move forward with the search for a new Synod Executive & Stated Clerk
to fill the half-time position authorized by Synod at its September 2012
meeting. The Synod Assembly then
authorized the Administration Committee to assemble and nominate a slate of
seven persons to serve on a search committee. The nomination and election
process is to be conducted electronically – insofar as permitted by
Robert’s Rules of Order – and completed by April 16th.
Once the Synod has elected the search committee, Jill Hudson (G.A.
Coordinator of Mid-Council Relations) will begin working with the committee
as process advisor. Review of Presbytery
Minutes
– the annual process for review of presbytery minutes in regional
groupings will begin on April 1st.
The Presbytery Clerks asked that the Administration Committee provide
a rotation system among the regional groupings, and also assess and revise
as necessary the checklist used in the review.
Staff Care -
The Administration Committee, in its function as Personnel Committee, is
making a special effort to reach out in supportive ways to the synod staff.
Future
Synod Assembly Meeting Dates The
next Stated Meeting of the Synod — the 232nd – will be held
September 16-17 at the Ginter Park Presbyterian Church in Richmond.
2014
-- March 17-18 (233rd) and September 15-16 (234th).
2015
– March 16-17 (235th) and September 14-15 (236th). Kenna Payne (James), Acting
Chairperson, reported for the Committee, The Committee conducted a general
review of synod finances, noting that a money market account of $150,000,
while not losing ground, could be more productive.
No specific recommendations for synod action were presented. Grants
& Awards Synod approved grants from the
following funds: New and Small Church Grant
Fund
Euler
Scholarship Fund
Grants of
$2,750 were approved for each of the following returning students:
Richard Bellomy, Shin Bok Cha, John Craft, Antonia Lawrence, Sani
Athisu Mao, Jaechul Pi and Patricia Reid The
following new applicants were approved for grants of $2,500 each: Sarah
Bird, Leah Elizabeth Epps, Eunjee Lee, Jason Myers and Thomas Neil Taylor W.Z. Stultz Scholarship
Fund A grant of $4,500 to Timothy Bates was
approved, contingent upon his meeting certain requirements regarding
submission of a transcript and letter of acceptance from a qualified
Presbyterian college, and a letter from his church’s Clerk of Session. Visionary Fund Presbytery of Western North Carolina -
$2,500 for renovations of existing but vacant office space to be then
useable for education, training and meeting purposes Visionary and Peacemaking
Funds Timothy Darling (New Hope) -- $5,600
total for training of clergy and laity in targeted counties to provide
pastoral care to first responders during and after crisis and disaster
situations. Half of the
grant will come from the Visionary Fund, and half from the Peacemaking Fund. Union Presbyterian
Seminary
– It was reported that the second $5,000 installment was disbursed to
Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Scholarship Fund, in continuing fulfillment
of the Synod’s $25,000 gift in observance of Union’s 200th
Anniversary Celebration in 2012. Catawba Camping
Scholarship Fund
– Katherine Jackson, committee chair, asked commissioners to take back to
their presbyteries information about the existence of this fund.
Uncertainty exists about eligibility, given the changing status of
presbytery camping programs and facilities.
The Grants & Awards Committee will address these questions and
work toward providing relevant information to presbyteries and others. Task Force on Reviewing
Grants & Awards Policies and Procedures The Task Force authorized at the last
Synod Assembly reported that they have held an initial organizational
meeting, and met again during this Assembly. They will continue addressing
their task in the coming months, paying particular attention to funding
formulas, allowing for the possible changes in the existence of synods
within the next few years. They
anticipate making a report to the September Synod Assembly.
PRESBYTERY
INITIATIVES COMMITTEE Presbyterian Women 25th
Anniversary Celebration – Approval was
given for a grant application of $2,000 from the PW of New Castle and Salem
Presbyteries to provide reusable grocery bags – as a “green” way to
celebrate this milestone. Application Form and Award
Letter
-- The committee made several editorial changes for clarity to the
application form and award letter used in its work.
Those changes will be incorporated in presentations offered by
committee members and synod commissioners to their home presbyteries. Summer Gathering Mission
Projects
– Approval was given to an initiative from New Hope and Coastal Carolina
Presbyteries to grant $6,000 for mission projects of the PW Summer
Gathering. Other
Business Transfer of a Congregation
-- The Synod voted unanimously to concur with an overture to the General
Assembly, adopted by both National Capital Presbytery and Atlantic
Korean-American Presbytery, to transfer the Hanna Presbyterian Church of
Lanham, Maryland, from National Capital to AKAP.
The Hanna church is seeking to join with the Yeram Presbyterian
Church, already a member of AKAP, under the new name of Maryland
Presbyterian Church. Massanetta Springs Gift
– In support of Massanetta’s “Living Waters” campaign, the Synod
Assembly approved a motion to contribute 10% of the proceeds from the sale
of the former office building to this campaign – a gift of $15,000. Expense Reimbursement
Policy
– It was noted that the current policy for reimbursement of travel
expenses incurred in connection with synod business prohibits the inclusion
of tips and gratuities in the reimbursement.
Discussion revealed that while this policy is a fairly recent
addition, no one present could recall just how it came about.
A motion was approved to allow the reimbursement of tips and
gratuities (up to 20%) given by those traveling on synod business. “Round Table”
Discussion
– Having completed its scheduled and necessary business well before the
projected adjournment time, and at the request of Commissioner Michael
Hickman (Peaks), the synod commissioners used these “found” moments to
share information about their presbyteries and to have a general discussion
of the current issues before and state of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
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