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1-Feb-96

96051               Presbytery and Synod News 
 
                      by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
SEATTLE--The Synod of Alaska-Northwest Corporation has established a new 
loan program to assist pastors with the purchase of homes.  Sessions may 
borrow money for new pastors' homes at the same interest rate as the 
synod's current Mission Development Certificate loans. 
     Rob Brink, associate synod executive for financial services, said, 
"Our hope is that this new program will provide a needed financial service 
to congregations.  We know that high housing costs are one of the 
significant factors in calling pastors to our area of the country, and we 
would like to be of assistance to the churches if we can." 
 
ROCK HILL, S.C.--Providence Presbytery chartered its first new congregation 
in more than 40 years in late November when Grace Presbyterian Church was 
formally organized in the Gold Hill-Tega Cay area of Lancaster County. 
     The Rev. Arthur Gatewood was installed as pastor of the church, which 
has 93 charter members. 
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--Beginning this year, Presbyterian College, South 
Carolina Christian Action Council and the Clinton (S.C.) Career and 
Counseling Center are being removed from the Synod of the South Atlantic 
budget and placed in the budgets of the synod's presbyteries.  The 
covenants with these institutions, however, will remain with the synod. 
     The shift is part of an overall plan to downsize the work of the synod 
and transfer much of its programmatic work to its presbyteries.  The 
overall plan is expected to be approved by the synod council next month. 
Synod staff and programming will be reduced sharply over the next few years 
under the plan. 
 
WILMINGTON, Del.--The Congregational Empowerment Unit of New Castle 
Presbytery is sponsoring nine workshops for church leaders Feb. 24 at 
Westminster Presbyterian Church here. 
     Workshops will address adult education, small group ministry, older 
adult ministry, membership classes, volunteerism, stewardship, youth 
ministry, incorporating newcomers and storytelling. 
 
CASPER, Wyo.--The Presbytery of Wyoming's leadership training event, "The 
Watering Whole," will be held March 9 at First Presbyterian Church here. 
     Keynote speaker is Isabel Rogers, professor of theology at the 
Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Va., and former 
moderator of the General Assembly. Workshops will address such topics as 
creative worship, Bible-oriented crafts, older adult ministries, elder 
training, deacon training, the Reformed tradition, sexual abuse in the 
church, clerk of session training and others. 
 
RICHMOND, Va.--The Synod of the Mid-Atlantic's Speer Fund Committee 
approved grants totaling $68,042 during its review process late last year. 
     Grants from the fund are made to projects that attempt to address the 
root causes of poverty by helping the poor and oppressed take 
responsibility for their own lives and by encouraging the well-to-do to 
explore whether their actions -- deliberate or inadvertent -- contribute to 
such poverty and, if so, to change these patterns. 
     The synod committee considers proposals from Presbyterian-related 
organizations within the synod but outside New Castle Presbytery, which has 
its own Speer Fund committee and review process. 
 
MORGANTON, N.C.--On Feb. 18, Western North Carolina Presbytery will present 
its second annual update of the presbytery's international partnership with 
the Presbyterian Church in Guatemala. The event will be held at Black 
Mountain Presbyterian Church. 
     The update will include reports from recent delegations to Guatemala, 
partnership plans for 1996 and information about Hispanic ministry in the 
presbytery. 
 
HARRISONBURG, Va.--Women from Shenandoah Presbytery will gather March 22-23 
at Massanetta Springs for "HerStory: Women, Faith, World," a retreat that 
will explore Christian faith from a woman's perspective. 
     Keynote speaker is Loretta Whalen, director of the Office on Global 
Education of Church World Service.  Workshops will address such topics as 
starting support groups, women in the Bible, feminine images of God, prison 
ministry for women, the historical Jesus controversy from a woman's 
perspective, storytelling and worship leadership. 
     The conference will also feature a special presentation, "Only 
Together Can We Hold Up the Sky," a report on last summer's Fourth World 
Conference on Women in Beijing by Katheryne Goodman, the presbytery's 
associate executive for program. 
 
PORTLAND, Ore.--The Rev. Robert W. Bohl, moderator of the 1995 General 
Assembly, will be keynote speaker for Cascades Presbytery's Stewardship and 
Mission Conferences, April 27-30 at Newport.  The April 27-28 session is 
designed for laypersons and April 29-30 session is for pastors. 
     Bohl will be joined on the program by another former General Assembly 
moderator -- the Rev.  Clinton M. Marsh -- and the Rev. David McCreath, 
coordinator of stewardship education in the Congregational Ministries 
Division in Louisville.  Worship will be led by the Rev. Sharon Youngs. 
 
WASHINGTON--Nearly 60 workshops will be offered at "We Can Talk ... Not as 
Strangers," a global mission and leadership training event sponsored by 
National Capital Presbytery.  The event will be held Feb. 23 at Fairlington 
Presbyterian Church and Feb. 24 at National Presbyterian Church. 
     Keynote speaker is the Rev. C. Kenneth Hall, minister of 
interpretation for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation and 
moderator of the 1988 General Assembly.  Worship will be led by the Rev. 
William Willimon, dean of the chapel and professor of Christian ministry at 
Duke University.  The event will conclude with a hymnfest led by the Rev. 
Mary Paik, director of the office of student affairs at McCormick 
Theological Seminary. 

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