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This story available online:

www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08928<http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2008/08928

>Presbytery and synod news

>by Jerry L. Van Marter
>Presbyterian News Service

MORGANTON, NC ― A McDowell County Superior Court jury ruled
Nov. 25 that First Presbyterian Church of Marion, NC, is
bound by the property trust clause of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) Constitution, which states that all
congregational property is held in trust for the
denomination.

The 148-member congregation, which remains in the PC(USA),
took Western North Carolina Presbytery
[www.presbyterywnc.org] to court in July 2007, seeking
title the property. The Marion Church argued that it was
congregational in respect to property and Presbyterian in
everything else. The Presbytery asserted that the church
is, like every other congregation in the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.), subject to the property trust clause in
our Constitution (Book of Order, G-8.0201) that ensures
that a congregation's resources are preserved for that
church and the whole denomination.

In a letter to all ministers and clerks of session in
Western North Carolina Presbytery, Executive Presbyter
Bobbi White wrote, "Presbytery intends to give the Marion
congregation caring pastoral support, as together they plan
for the greater witness of Christ's Church in the Marion
community, which that church has served well since 1845."

IOWA CITY, IA ― The Presbytery of East Iowa [www.peia.org]
is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its mission
partnership with the Presbytery of Ceara of the Independent
Presbyterian Church of Brazil. During that time, nearly 100
East Iowans have traveled to Brazil to participate in the
partnership.

The next group of partners will travel to Fortaleza,
Brazil, from June 11-24. While there they will experience
vibrant worship, visit established churches and hear about
plans for new churches and learn about Ceara's educational
outreach programs.

SEATTLE ― Dennis Hughes, stated clerk of Seattle Presbytery
[www.presbytery.org] and chair of the Committee on the
Office of the General Assembly, will be offer a training
event for Clerks of Session on Jan. 26 at the presbytery
office on Beacon Hill.

The workshop will cover the basics of "clerk work,"
including record keeping, annual reading of session
records, communicating with presbytery, and annual General
Assembly statistical reports.

MINNEAPOLIS ― The Rev. Chaz Ruark was installed as
executive presbyter of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities
Area [www.ptcaweb.org] at the presbytery's November
meeting. Ruark was formerly interim executive for Missouri
River Valley Presbytery.

The service at Knox Presbyterian Church, included the Rev.
Philip Brown, synod executive for the Synod of Lakes and
Prairies, and the Rev. Bob Cuthill, retired former synod
executive who served as Twin Cities Area's transitional
executive presbyter for the last nine months. Preacher for
the service was the Rev. Paul Moore, pastor of Community
Presbyterian Church in Plainview, MN.

CLEVELAND ― The Presbytery of the Western Reserve
[www.preswesrev.org] is sponsoring a 15-day travel/study
seminar in South Africa, July 6-23, 2009.

The trip is part of the presbytery's ongoing mission
partnership with the Sisonke Masliwe Indlala network. The
trip includes visits to three rural provinces, as well as
Cape Town and Kruger Park.

The Sisonke Masliwe Indlala network is a faith-based effort
to fight for land justice as a means to overcome hunger and
poverty.

EVERETT, WA ― North Puget Sound Presbytery

[www.npspresbytery.org] will conduct a training event for
elders, deacons and other officers on Feb. 7 at Mountain
View Presbyterian Church.

The training will be conducted by Executive Presbyter Corey
Schlosser-Hall and Stated Clerk Dean Strong.

ST. LOUIS ― The Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy
[www.glpby.org] has just launched a "Missions in Ac­tion"
section on its website. This new area explores the various
missions of Giddings-Love­joy. All churches are be­ing
invited to submit their mission projects.

The website includes a list of validated missions, those on
which the presby­tery offers assurance that the needs have
been certified and are deemed to be worthy causes for
congregations to pursue. Mission projects applying for
inclusion are reviewed by the presbytery's Congrega­tional
Mission Action Team.

The site also includes a "help" section geared to pastors,
youth pastors, Presbyterian Women and mission committee
chairs. Churches seeking additional participants may list
details of their planned mission trips, and in another
section can exchange comments in another sec­tion. The
frequently asked questions section offers new­comers a
place to start planning mission trips.

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