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25-January-2000 
00031 
 
    Presbytery and Synod News 
 
    by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
BERKELEY, Calif.-Three new congregations have joined the Presbytery of San 
Francisco 
    Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana de Oakland is a growing congregation 
under the leadership of Pablo Morataya-Gomez, a commissioned lay pastor. 
The congregation was started with a grant from the General Assembly's new 
church development program.  The Hispanic congregation shares space with 
the congregation of High Street Presbyterian Church. 
    Immanuel Taiwanese Presbyterian Church holds worship services in 
English and Taiwanese with Mandarin translation available by headphones. 
With average worship attendance of 120, the congregation has already raised 
$800,000 for its own building in Fremont, Calif.  The congregation 
currently uses space provided by Centerville Presbyterian Church. 
    First Korean Prresbyterian Church of Fremont started as a Bible study 
fellowship in 1989 with three families.  The congregation now numbers 100 
members, with the Rev. John Choo as pastor. 
 
FRANKLIN, Tenn.-Five presbyteries in the Synod of Living Waters, working 
with a $90,000 grant from the synod's mission partnership funding table, 
have begun exploring how to expand their ministries to Hispanics. 
    The participating presbyteries are South Alabama, Sheppards and 
Lapsley, Middle Tennessee, North Alabama and Mississippi. 
    At a meeting in Huntsville, Ala., Jan. 6, plans were begun to hold a 
conference on Hispanic ministry in the late fall of 2000.  Further details 
will be worked out at the next meeting of the five-presbytery group, March 
8. 
 
SALT LAKE CITY-For the first time in its history, Utah Presbytery met on 
the campus of Westminster College on Jan. 15. 
    Held in the college's Gore Auditorium, the meeting was welcomed to the 
125-year-old PC(USA)- related school by Cindy Akana, campus ministry 
director.  The meeting's opening -prayer was given by Arta Heaney, 
president of Westminster's Women's Board.  Westminster students K.T. 
Rhodes, Don Farmer and Amy Gross also participated in the opening worship 
service.  Music was provided by the Westminster College Chamber Singers 
under the direction of Christopher Quinn, the college's director of music. 
(report by Deanna Clark) 
 
CAMP HILL, Pa.-The Synod of the Trinity has made a $30,000 grant  to help 
underwrite sabbatical leaves for executive presbyters and staff. 
    "The synod needs to be an effective advocate for sabbatical planning as 
an expected part of the relationship between a governing body and its 
executive," explained Jean Elliott of Philadelphia, chair of the Synod's 
Personnel Committee.  "It is anticipated that participation in a sabbatical 
leave program will provide professional, personal and spiritual renewal for 
executive staff, contribute to the development of high morale, and 
demonstrate for all the partnership among governing bodies which this Synod 
values," Elliott said. 
    The synod made the grant from its New Ventures Fund, an innovative fund 
providing grants and no-interest loans for ministries and mission programs 
of the Synod's ministry units and other entities directly related to the 
Synod. (report by Michelle Keyser) 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The Presbytery of Mid-Kentucky, following the lead of its 
Peacemaking Advisory Panel, has committed $34,000 to help clear a minefield 
in Bosnia-Herzegovina. 
    The action came in response to "A Call to Presbyterians for Immediate 
Action on Land Mines," an effort endorsed by the Presbyterian Peacemaking 
Program.  In addition to its participation in the "Adopt-A-Minefield" 
program, the presbytery designated Feb. 27, 2000 as "Land Mine Day" in its 
churches and encouraged its congregations to also participate in the 
"Adopt-A-Minefield" program. 
    The presbytery's sponsorship means that a 25,000 square meter area 
surrounding a village in Bosnia-Herzogovina will be cleared of land mines. 
The operation will take 21 de-miners seven weeks to complete. 
 
SAN ANTONIO, Texas-Mission Presbytery is sponsoring a three-day conference 
on spirituality in ministry, Feb. 28-March 1, at John Knox Ranch. 
    Keynote speaker for the conference - which will explore issues of 
spirituality in the new millennium - is the Rev. Howard Rice, former 
moderator of the General Assembly and retired chaplain and professor of 
ministry at San Francisco Theological Seminary. 
 
BATON ROUGE, La.-The Presbytery of South Louisiana rang in the new 
millennium with "Presbytery of South Louisiana Celebrates 2000!" at First 
Presbyterian Church here Jan. 22. 
    The event included worship, workshops and a keynote address by Freda 
Gardner, moderator of the General Assembly. 
    Workshops touched on such topics as music, biblical storytelling, 
mission, the new Presbyterian curriculum, Presbyterian polity, evangelism, 
managing change, sabbath-keeping and youth and children's ministry. 
 
SHAWNEE MISSION, Kan.-Loren Mead, founder of the Alban Institute and one of 
the leading authorities on congregational health and vitality, will be the 
keynote speaker for the annual meeting of the Synod of Mid-America, Feb. 
25-26 at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Overland Park, Kan. 
    The theme of the synod meeting is "Working for the Church's Future: 
Financial Implications."  Mead will speak on the topic, "Congregations and 
their Financial Future: Threat and Opportunity." 
 
APPLETON, Wis.-Winnebago Presbytery will present "The Gathering" on March 4 
at First United Presbyterian Church of DePere, Wis.  The theme for the 
leadership training event is "Learning Together, Growing in Faith." 
    Keynote speakers are the Rev. Janet Wolf of Nashville, a preacher, 
biblical scholar and justice advocate; and Elaine Ward of Austin, Texas, an 
author, teacher and preacher. 
    Twenty-three workshops will be offered on such topics as small church 
ministry, spiritual journaling, global mission, Celtic spirituality, parish 
nursing, the new Presbyterian curriculum, the World Wide Web as a ministry 
resource, mentoring, Bible study and training for clerks of session. 
 
HOUSTON- New Covenant Presbytery has scheduled four "conclaves" for junior 
highs and senior highs this winter.  Junior high conclaves will be Feb. 
25-27 and March 24-26; senior high conclaves will be March 3-5 and March 
17-19. 

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