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07098 February 20, 2007
Two pastors named as GAC program directors
Leaders in Evangelism & Church Growth and Racial Ethnic & Women's Ministries to join staff in April
by Jerry Van Marter
LOUISVILLE - Pastors from California and Michigan have been tapped to head two of the General Assembly Council's (GAC) program areas as Executive Director Linda Valentine and Deputy Executive Director for Mission Tom Taylor continue to build their senior staff.
The Rev. Eric Hoey, co-pastor at Alhambra True Light Presbyterian Church in San Gabriel Presbytery, has been named director of the Evangelism and Church Growth program area and the Rev. Rhashell D. Hunter, pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Flint, MI in Lake Huron Presbytery, has been named director of the Racial Ethnic and Women's Ministries program area. Both will join the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national staff here in April.
"Hoey and Hunter bring a wonderful combination of talent to the council's leadership team," Valentine said of the appointments. "Each is energetic and experienced and will bring fresh insights to the work of the church in the General Assembly Council."
Hoey, a colleague of Taylor's when both were in San Gabriel Presbytery in the Los Angeles area, has been at the Alhambra church - the result of a 1996 merger between predominantly English-speaking and Chinese-speaking congregations - since 2002.
He was previously pastor of for six years at South Bay Presbyterian Church in Torrance, CA, as it emerged from a new church development to a chartered PC(USA) congregation.
Hoey has been actively involved in organizational development task forces in San Gabriel Presbytery and also served on the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii's redevelopment task force.
"My heart is in evangelism," Hoey said upon his appointment. "Scripture points to it, the Great Ends of the Church point to it and I want to see us do it well."
Taylor said he and Valentine "are excited about the caliber and experience that Eric is bringing to us in heading up the important areas of evangelism and church growth. He has a deep commitment to share Christ with others and see churches flourish."
Hunter has served at Community Church in Flint since 1998. She is also an adjunct professor of preaching at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. She is past moderator of the Synod of the Covenant and currently serves on the synod's Permanent Judicial Commission and on Lake Huron's Committee on Preparation for Ministry. Before her pastorate in Flint, Hunter served as associate pastor for worship, music and the arts at Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church.
Taylor described Hunter as bringing "a great combination of Christian commitment and creativity" to her new job. "She will be successful because of her deep commitment to the life of the PC(USA) coupled with her amazingly disarming sense of humor."
Hunter expressed a deep sense of call to the position. "I've been praying that god would transform the Presbyterian Church," she said, "and I have great energy around our refocusing our mission the way that the GAC has been leading us in the past year.
Hoey and Hunter will join Sara Lisherness, director of peace and justice, and the Rev. Joe Small, director of theology, worship and education, on the senior program staff under Taylor. The search is underway for two other program area directors - world mission and relief & development.
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