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Note #8692 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

This story has been revised to make it clearer that this is merely a
tentative plan and that the proposed reorganization plan has not been
finalized.

05170
March 31, 2005

Montreat might become research center

Historical Society plan squelches rumor of facility's demise

by Jerry L. Van Marter

LOUISVILLE - The Montreat, NC, office of the Presbyterian Historical Society
(PHS) soon may become a center for historical research and study.

	Addressing a stubborn rumor that the Montreat office was to be
closed, the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) has approved a preliminary
PHS reorganization plan that includes the creation of the new center at the
Montreat site.

	The Center for the Study of Presbyterian and Reformed History and
Theology would be a partnership of PHS, Columbia Theological Seminary of
Decatur, GA, and the Montreat Conference Center.

	"This is far from a done deal," PHS Director Fred Heuser told COGA
during its March 30 meeting, "but the feasibility study we've commissioned on
it looks hopeful."

	The overall PHS reorganization is meant to "make each (PHS) place
unique" and to eliminate duplication of work, according to COGA member
Catherine Ulrich, who chaired the task force that developed the plan.

	The plan calls for keeping the PHS office in a historic section of
Philadelphia as the national headquarters of the PC(USA) archives and for the
expansion of storage capacity there through the purchase of state-of-the-art
shelving that should provide enough storage capacity for the next 20 to 25
years, Heuser said.

	The plan also calls for the creation of a repository for temporary
records at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville.

	The General Assembly Council (GAC) met in plenary session Wednesday
afternoon, and will extend the session on Thursday, when it will receive and
discuss reports on three major areas of its work: mission funding, governance
and the Mission Work Plan - which sets its priorities, goals and objectives
for the next two years. 

	Thursday afternoon and all day Friday, the GAC will meet in its three
division committees - Congregational Ministries, National Ministries and
Worldwide Ministries - and the Mission Support Services Committee. On
Saturday it will returns to plenary session to hear the committees' reports.

	The Council's executive committee met for most of the day Wednesday,
including a joint session with the Committee on the Office of the General
Assembly (COGA), which also is meeting in Louisville this week.

	Five years ago, mounting financial problems led COGA to begin a
comprehensive study of the structure and operations of the PHS. COGA
appointed two task forces in 2002 and 2003 to examine the governance of PHS
and then to take up location, staffing and technological issues.
 
	One result of the governance study was the creation last year of a
semi-autonomous board of directors for PHS. Task force member Katherine
Cunningham said the new board is "exactly what we envisioned when we were
working through these governance issues."

	Although many options were discussed when the task force began
looking at facilities and operations, Ulrich insisted, "We never considered
closing down the Montreat facility entirely."

	Early in the study process, the task force members "adopted an
objective of providing a center at Montreat for the nurture of the church's
history and heritage through exploration of new partnerships and funding
models," according to the report.

	The proposed center will be operated by Columbia Seminary and
supported with funds to be generated by a planned capital campaign.

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