wfn.org | Women's Ministries Closes Regional Office to Fund NNPCW

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

7-October-1999 
99336 
 
    Women's Ministries Closes Regional Office 
    to Fund NNPCW 
 
    Vacant Position in Southern California Won't be Filled 
 
    by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With not enough new money available to fund a General 
Assembly-mandated bolstering of the National Network of Presbyterian 
College Women (NNPCW), the Women's Ministries Program Area of the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has opted to close a regional office in 
Southern California to provide the cash for the embattled college women's 
program. 
 
    The 1999 Assembly voted to increase funding for the NNPCW from $50,000 
a year to about $95,000 after a task force appointed in 1998 to investigate 
the network recommended an increase in funding to secure more stable 
staffing and rewrite the Network's resources. 
 
    Except for a brief period two years ago, NNPCW has been staffed by a 
succession of young adult interns since its inception in 1993. The Assembly 
called for a "permanent" associate. 
 
    Conservative critics had charged during the 1998 Assembly that the 
Network's programs and resources violated denominational policies and the 
church constitution in the areas of ordination, human sexuality and 
theology. A move then to eliminate NNPCW's funding failed, and the task 
force was appointed to recommend corrective measures. 
 
    The Rev. Curtis Kearns, director of the National Ministries Division - 
in which Women's Ministries and NNPCW are housed - told the General 
Assembly Council last month that $20,000 within the division's budget had 
been "reallocated" to NNPCW to supplement the $50,000 already budgeted for 
the network. The rest, he told the Council, would have to be found within 
the Women's Ministries Program Area budget. 
 
    The Rev. Barbara Dua, associate director for women's ministries, told 
the Presbyterian News Service, that closing the Women's Ministries Southern 
California office would provide "nearly all" of the remaining money needed 
to fund the NNPCW office. 
 
    But Dua didn't sound too happy. "The Southern California office 
provided a valuable ministry - to work with racial-ethnic Presbyterian 
women in the Southwest - and though the position was vacant, it's still a 
great loss to us," she said. "We thought the Assembly action called for new 
money, and we're surprised to find that is not available." 
 
    Dua said Women's Ministries was hoping to maintain a young adult intern 
on the NNPCW staff as well as the mandated permanent staff person, but that 
won't be possible. "We don't have a lot of money sitting around Women's 
Ministries," she said. "We can afford an associate, but not an intern - so 
we're really not very far ahead." 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  This note sent by Office of News Services, 
  Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
  to the World Faith News list <wfn-news@wfn.org>.
  For additional information about this news story,
  call 502-569-5493 or send e-mail to PCUSA.News@pcusa.org

  On the web:  http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/

  If you have a question about this mailing list, 
  send queries to wfn@wfn.org