wfn.org | Presbyterian Church USA daily summary from 212th General Assembley

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

6-21-00

Here's Jerry Van Marter's report:

This is Jerry Van Marter of the Presbyterian News Service with news from
the General Assembly Council meeting in Long Beach, California, for
Wednesday, June 21.

The General Assembly Council convened in its three division committees -
Congregational Ministries, National Ministries and Worldwide Ministries -
and in its Mission Support Services Committee today. The Council meets in
plenary session Thursday. No meetings are scheduled Friday and the 212th
General Assembly convenes Saturday afternoon, June 24.

On Tuesday, the Council's Executive Committee signed off on a report
affirming the work of its Women's Ministries Program Area (WMPA) but
acknowledging that the controversial agency needs to be more broadly
inclusive of the theological diversity around women's issues present in the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The strongly-worded report, which will be
taken up by the full Council Thursday, expresses the GAC's "disgust" with
"the entrenched positions of opposed groups who seek to control the church."
It calls "holding intransigent positions and failing to listen to one
another" sin. Among its findings, the report affirms the personnel and the
programs in the WMPA, says it found "strong support" for WMPA but also
"identified significant groups who are deeply troubled by activities and
programs," says the structure of WMPA is "overly complicated" and says it
could find "no single point of contact for women in the denomination." The
GAC shall, the report pledges, seek to minister to and with all women;
continue advocacy for women; develop a process to determine needs that
reflects the range of perspectives within the church; develop intentional
conversations tht include the range of views within our denomination;
develop a process to identify the needs of women who are not currently
involved; be more inclusive of theological diversity in developing and
reviewing programs; and seek to replace `win/lose' and `either/or' choices
with a `both/and' approach.

The new Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) curricula - "Covenant People," "The
Present Word" and "Bible Quest" - are selling very well despite a host of
financial and management problems that plagued the development and initial
marketing of the new materials. What Congregational Ministries Division
(CMD) director the Rev. Don Campbell said at the division committee's
meeting today is "still a rocky road" now appears passable,
new publisher Sandra Moak Sorem said. "Long term it looks very good," Sorem
said. "I feel very encouraged - I believe it's possible to produce and
distribute this curriculum to churches within the financial parameters set
by the General Assembly Council." Accrued development, marketing and
production costs are running higher than budgeted, meaning that the
projected deficit for 2000 is now $240,000. At the beginning of the year,
the projected shortfall for the year was $140,000. But at the end of May,
sales of the new curricula were running $96,000 ahead of budget for the
year. More importantly, standing orders - the key to churches' acceptance
of new materials and commitment to use them for the foreseeable future -
grew an astounding 500 percent between the end of May and mid-June, from
$106,000 to $744,000.

Mary Holmes College, a two-year historically black college in West
Point, Mississippi, continues to face dire financial straits, the National
Ministries Division Committee was told today. Of paramount importance for
the school is negotiation of a repayment schedule for $1.2 million the
school owes the U.S. Department of Education. The General Assembly Council
has offered Mary Holmes a $460,000 interest-free loan as part of a 50
cents-on-the-dollar settlement. In return, the Council is requiring a plan
for sound financial management of the college or a plan for an alternate use
of the college's property, which the denomination still owns. All of Mary
Holmes senior administrative staff has left the college in the last few
months, leaving virtually no infrastructure intact.

In a preliminary revision of its mission handbook, the Worldwide
Ministries Division Committee is proposing that patterns of mission service
be changed to include one year of mission education in U.S. churches. Under
the new plan, missionaries would serve four years in the field with a
two-month mid-term break and then conclude with one year of itineration in
the U.S., resourcing presbyteries and congregations. Missionaries currently
serve three-year terms. The new pattern would, in the words of the Rev.
Michael deArruda, coordinator for mission personnel care, "resource
presbyteries at a level that will make a difference in the life
of the church." The committee is also recommending that basic missionary
compensation be equal to the clergy median salary in 1998, which was
$37,500. While the report acknowledges "this has some inequities" compared
to salaries of other General Assembly staff and clergy, it says it would not
be possible to set higher salary levels because of current budgetary
restrictions.

This is Jerry Van Marter. Presbyterian News Service reporters Alexa
Smith, Evan Silverstein and John Filiatreau also contributed to this report.

Thank you for calling VoiceLine. For more news from the General Assembly
Council meeting in Long Beach, call VoiceLine Thursday, June 22
after 7:00 p.m.. Pacific Daylight Time.