wfn.org | Assembly Elects Maggs as BOP President, Perkins for Another Term

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

GA99096 
24-June-1999 
 
             Assembly Elects Maggs as BOP President,  
                  Perkins Back for Another Term 
 
 
FORT WORTH    The 211th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.) Wednesday night approved the election of two officers, paving the 
way for one new face and the return of a current one. 
     Commissioners and delegates approved Robert W. Maggs, Jr., a veteran 
banking executive and attorney as president of the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.) Board of Pensions (BOP). Meanwhile, Davis Perkins was elected to a 
second term as president and publisher of the Presbyterian Publishing 
Corporation (PPC). 
     Maggs, the new face, was elected to the post during a special meeting 
of the pension board in Long Beach, Calif., May 21. That action was 
confirmed by the Committee of Pensions, Benefits and Presbyterian 
Publishing Corporation. He reportedly will begin his work at BOP's offices 
in Philadelphia on July 6.  
     "I look forward to service with a smile...and with a prayer," Maggs 
said following his election. "I promise to do my best to take care of your 
Board of Pensions." 
     Maggs brings 27 years of experience in various aspects of banking 
management to the board. At Lincoln First Bank in Rochester, N.Y., he began 
as assistant general counsel and advanced through various positions to 
become the bank's first corporate human resources director and general 
counsel.  
          When Lincoln First and Chase Manhattan Corporation merged, Maggs 
played a large role and was responsible for several staff functions for the 
Chase Regional Bank, including public relations and communications, 
compliance and law. At Chase, Maggs was chief legal advisor to the Chase 
vice chairman of regional banking and also served as managing attorney for 
the corporate legal department.  
         Maggs, known as Rob, was raised in Elkhart, Indiana, where he was 
a member of First Presbyterian Church. He graduated from Claremont McKenna 
College in Claremont, Calif. and received his law degree from the 
University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign-Urbana.  
            He and his wife, Deborah, are the parents of two daughters, 
Sarah Maggs of Boston and Emily Orben of Setauket, Long Island, N.Y.  
     Perkins, elected to a second term, was the first president and 
publisher of PPC in 1994.  Perkins started at the church in 1989 as 
editorial director of Westminster John Knox Press following two years as 
senior editor for academic and reference books for Abingdon Press, the 
publishing house of the United Methodist Church. 
     As president and publisher of PPC he oversees business operations, 
directs publishing programs and facilitates publishing decisions. The PPC 
is the official denominational publisher of the PC(USA) and also publishes 
under the trade imprints Westminster John Knox Press and Geneva Press. The 
corporation features an extensive back list of books resources with more 
than 800 active titles sold around the world. 
     "Thank you sincerely for letting me serve (again)," Perkins told the 
General Assembly after his confirmation. "I'll leave no effort (unturned) 
to  be worthy of your confidence." 
     Perkins served as an editor with Fortress Press, the publishing agency 
for the Lutheran Church in America from 1984-1987. For three years starting 
in 1980 he was production manager with Scholars Press in Chico, Calif, and 
academic publisher. 
     Perkins also served as a copy editor for the "Nashville Tennessean" 
newspaper for two years starting in 1976. He was also synod newspaper 
editor in 1980 for the Synod of MidSouth. 
     In other action, the General Assembly: 
the issue of claims by Darnise Healy and her children pertaining to the 
late Rev. Clark Carl Riggins. Riggins committed suicide after being 
dismissed from his position with the church about 20 years ago. The 
minister's annuity fund (Presbyterian Church in the U.S.) and later its 
successor, the Board of Pensions (Presbyterian Church U.S.A.), have 
repeatedly and for nearly 20 years denied the claim of the family, 
  which is receiving survivor pension payments. The Committee on Pensions, 
 Benefits and Presbyterian Publishing Corporation originally requested that 
the Assembly disapprove the overture; 
required the Board of Pensions to remove the dues cap that benefits 
higher-paying churches and institutions.  The board currently caps dues at 
150 percent of the churchwide median salary for pastors serving churches 
currently $36,000.  Because only pastors serving churches are required to 
participate in the board's benefits plans, the board has argued that some 
financial relief is necessary to keep other highly- paid church employees, 
such as seminary administrators and professors, in the plan.  Supporters of 
the overture argued that the dues cap gives an unfair financial advantage 
to higher-paying church employers. 
 
Evan Silverstein 
 
GA99096 
24-June-1999 
 
             Assembly Elects Maggs as BOP President,  
                  Perkins Back for Another Term 
 
 
FORT WORTH    The 211th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.) Wednesday night approved the election of two officers, paving the 
way for one new face and the return of a current one. 
     Commissioners and delegates approved Robert W. Maggs, Jr., a veteran 
banking executive and attorney as president of the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.) Board of Pensions (BOP). Meanwhile, Davis Perkins was elected to a 
second term as president and publisher of the Presbyterian Publishing 
Corporation (PPC). 
     Maggs, the new face, was elected to the post during a special meeting 
of the pension board in Long Beach, Calif., May 21. That action was 
confirmed by the Committee of Pensions, Benefits and Presbyterian 
Publishing Corporation. He reportedly will begin his work at BOP's offices 
in Philadelphia on July 6.  
     "I look forward to service with a smile...and with a prayer," Maggs 
said following his election. "I promise to do my best to take care of your 
Board of Pensions." 
     Maggs brings 27 years of experience in various aspects of banking 
management to the board. At Lincoln First Bank in Rochester, N.Y., he began 
as assistant general counsel and advanced through various positions to 
become the bank's first corporate human resources director and general 
counsel.  
          When Lincoln First and Chase Manhattan Corporation merged, Maggs 
played a large role and was responsible for several staff functions for the 
Chase Regional Bank, including public relations and communications, 
compliance and law. At Chase, Maggs was chief legal advisor to the Chase 
vice chairman of regional banking and also served as managing attorney for 
the corporate legal department.  
         Maggs, known as Rob, was raised in Elkhart, Indiana, where he was 
a member of First Presbyterian Church. He graduated from Claremont McKenna 
College in Claremont, Calif. and received his law degree from the 
University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign-Urbana.  
            He and his wife, Deborah, are the parents of two daughters, 
Sarah Maggs of Boston and Emily Orben of Setauket, Long Island, N.Y.  
     Perkins, elected to a second term, was the first president and 
publisher of PPC in 1994.  Perkins started at the church in 1989 as 
editorial director of Westminster John Knox Press following two years as 
senior editor for academic and reference books for Abingdon Press, the 
publishing house of the United Methodist Church. 
     As president and publisher of PPC he oversees business operations, 
directs publishing programs and facilitates publishing decisions. The PPC 
is the official denominational publisher of the PC(USA) and also publishes 
under the trade imprints Westminster John Knox Press and Geneva Press. The 
corporation features an extensive back list of books resources with more 
than 800 active titles sold around the world. 
     "Thank you sincerely for letting me serve (again)," Perkins told the 
General Assembly after his confirmation. "I'll leave no effort (unturned) 
to  be worthy of your confidence." 
     Perkins served as an editor with Fortress Press, the publishing agency 
for the Lutheran Church in America from 1984-1987. For three years starting 
in 1980 he was production manager with Scholars Press in Chico, Calif, and 
academic publisher. 
     Perkins also served as a copy editor for the "Nashville Tennessean" 
newspaper for two years starting in 1976. He was also synod newspaper 
editor in 1980 for the Synod of MidSouth. 
     In other action, the General Assembly: 
    *    Approved an overture encouraging the Board of Pensions to resolve 
the issue of claims by Darnise Healy and her children pertaining to the 
late Rev. Clark Carl Riggins. Riggins committed suicide after being 
dismissed from his position with the church about 20 years ago. The 
minister's annuity fund (Presbyterian Church in the U.S.) and later its 
successor, the Board of Pensions (Presbyterian Church U.S.A.), have 
repeatedly and for nearly 20 years denied the claim of the family, 
  which is receiving survivor pension payments. The Committee on Pensions, 
 Benefits and Presbyterian Publishing Corporation originally requested that 
the Assembly disapprove the overture; 
     *    Rejected an overture from West Jersey Presbytery that would have 
required the Board of Pensions to remove the dues cap that benefits 
higher-paying churches and institutions.  The board currently caps dues at 
150 percent of the churchwide median salary for pastors serving churches 
currently $36,000.  Because only pastors serving churches are required to 
participate in the board's benefits plans, the board has argued that some 
financial relief is necessary to keep other highly- paid church employees, 
such as seminary administrators and professors, in the plan.  Supporters of 
the overture argued that the dues cap gives an unfair financial advantage 
to higher-paying church employers. 
 
Evan Silverstein 

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