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06611 November 21, 2006
Two program directors named as GAC mission staff comes together
Holdovers Sara Lisherness and Joe Small named to new posts
by Jerry Van Marter
LOUISVILLE * General Assembly Council (GAC) Executive Director Linda Valentine has tapped veteran Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national staffers Sara Pottschmidt Lisherness and the Rev. Joseph D. Small to serve as program directors in the newly restructured GAC offices here.
Lisherness, who has served with the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program since 1992, including the last seven years as its director, will serve as director of the Peace and Justice program area.
In addition to the peacemaking program, the area will include the GAC's social justice ministries, the Presbyterian Washington Office and the church's United Nations office in New York.
Small, who has overseen the denomination's Theology and Worship area since 1993, will direct the Theology, Worship and Education program area. The area includes the council's offices of theology, worship, Christian education and curriculum publishing.
Lisherness and Small were colleagues in the former Congregational Ministries Division. It and the other two former ministry divisions * National Ministries and Worldwide Ministries * were eliminated in the GAC's restructuring last May.
They have been replaced by six program areas operating under a single Deputy Executive Director for Mission. On Nov. 20, Valentine announced that the Rev. Thomas F. Taylor of Glendora, CA, has been named to that post. He and Valentine conducted the interviews that led to the Lisherness and Small appointments, according to a statement released today (Nov. 21).
"We both felt that Lisherness and Small were the best candidates for these positions, so we wanted to go ahead and begin assembling the team that will work with Tom to coordinate the council's mission programs," Valentine said.
"Tom has not had the opportunity to meet with candidates for the remaining [four] program director positions, so those search processes will continue," she added, "but our goal is to finalize the search process by the end of this year."
The council's new mission structure will take effect Jan. 2, 2007.
Lisherness has been involved in the PC(USA)'s peacemaking activities for more than 20 years. Prior to coming to Louisville, she was the Peacemaking Enabler for San Fernando Presbytery from 1989-1991. She has written articles for several magazines and journals as well as peacemaking curriculum for children, youth and adults.
Prior to joining the PC(USA) national staff in 1988, Small pastored congregations in Rochester, NY, Westerville, OH, and Towson, MD. He also served on the staff of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. His spouse, Valerie, works in the Office of the General Assembly staffing the General Assembly Nominating Committee and the Moderator of the General Assembly.
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