Announcements

Personnel Committee's Evaluation Report Summary for 2010

Click here to see updates on Haiti - See Salem's total contributions collected for PDA's Haiti fund.

St. James to launch a youth mentoring program with $10,000 grant from FTE. Click here for the press release.

Standard Mileage Rate for 2010

The IRS changed the standard mileage rate in 2010 to .50 per mile for business, .14 charitable, and .165 for medical and moving. Click here for more details.

March 2009

Rev. Ronald Shive of First Presbyterian Church in Burlington named committee chair by GA moderator to prepare a comprehensive study on Israel/Palenstine - Presbyterians Today, April 2009, pg. 24

March 2009

Membership named to Belhar Confession panel

Replacement also named for Civil Unions and Marriage Special Committee

by Sharon Youngs
OGA Communications Coordinator 

LOUISVILLE - The individuals who will serve on the Special Committee to Consider Amending the Confessional Documents of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to Include the Belhar Confession in The Book of Confessions have been announced.

The 218th General Assembly (2008) of the PC(USA) took action to initiate the process to consider including the Belhar Confession in the church's confessional documents by appointing a committee to study the possible addition.

This special committee, the Assembly noted, is "separate from any committee assigned to the Heidelberg Catechism," already in The Book of Confessions. That catechism is being studied by another committee of 15, which is focusing on correcting translations problems within the confessional document.

The PC(USA)'s Book of Order (G-18.0201b) provides the details of how such amendments to  the church's confessional documents are to be considered, including a description of the formation of the committee itself.

The provision states, "Amendments to the confessional documents of this church may be made only in the following manner: (1) the approval of the proposed amendment by the General Assembly and its recommendation to the presbyteries; (2) the approval in writing of two thirds of the presbyteries; and (3) the approval and enactment by the next ensuing General Assembly.

G-18.0201b further states that, prior to any such amendment being sent to presbyteries, the assembly "shall appoint a committee of elders and ministers, numbering not less than fifteen, to consider the proposal, of whom not more than two shall be from one synod. The committee shall consult with the committee or governing body ... in which the amendment originated, and report its recommendations to the next ensuring General Assembly."

The next assembly will convene in Minneapolis in June 2010.

The 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) directed the Moderators of the 216th, 217th, and 218th General Assemblies to name the committee to consider including the Belhar Confession, in consultation with the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns, the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, and the Office of Theology and Worship."

Named to the special committee are the Revs. J. C. Austin (New York City Presbytery), Jennifer Ayres (Chicago Presbytery), Katie G. Cannon (Philadelphia Presbytery), Aurelio A. Garcia (Presbiterio de San Juan), Jin. S. Kim (Twin Cities Presbytery), Mark Lomax (Greater Atlanta Presbytery), David P. Moessner (John Knox Presbytery), Paul Parsons (Heartland Presbytery), George W. Stroup, III (Cherokee Presbytery), Jerry Tankersley (Los Ranchos Presbytery), Eugene G. Turner (Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery); and elders Jane Dempsey Douglass (San Gabriel Presbytery), Leslie McClure (Middle Tennessee Presbytery), Judith Pingel (Sierra Blanca Presbytery), and Y. Dianna Wright (Salem Presbytery).

Pingel will serve as chairperson of the group.

Staffing the committee will be the Rev. Joseph D. Small, director of Theology Worship and Education (General Assembly Council) and the Rev. Fairfax F. Fair, pastor of Highland Presbyterian Church, Louisville, Ky., on behalf of the Office of the General Assembly.

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), also named a replacement to another special committee at work in response to an action by last summer's assembly: the Rev. Earl B. Arnold (Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery) will fill the vacancy left by the resignation of the Rev. Steve Hancock (Arkansas Presbytery) on the General Assembly Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage.

Presbyterian Church USA Authority and Use of Scripture

Small church pastoral sabbatical grants – 11 available from Synod
Just a quick reminder that the BoP initiative of grants for small church pastoral sabbaticals – Sabbath Sabbatical Support Grants – is about to conclude its first year of the three-year pilot program.  Our synod has been allocated up to 14 such grants for each of the three years, and to date only three applications have been received – and all approved. 

If you need more detailed information, check the Board of Pensions website (www.pensions.org) under assistance programs – or give me a call so I can help you get the ball rolling...

Janice Chick
Office Manager
Synod of the Mid-Atlantic
804-342-0016 
jchick@synatlantic.org

Mission at Massanetta

Has your youth group or adult team been looking for a mission? Mission@Massanetta is an exciting new program offered to youth (9th-12th grade) and adults who yearn for an experience on the national level. Our 128-bed camp facilities are affordable and available for most weeks during June and July 2009. Go to www.massanettasprings.org and click on "Mission@Massanetta." We would be honored to host adult groups or youth groups of any size who desire to help others while growing in Christ. Email us or give us a call to secure available weeks.

Synod of the Mid-Atlantic Presbytery Initiative Committee

The Synod of the Mid-Atlantic has introduced a brand new Initiative Committee to better serve presbytery missional and program efforts.  To request funds from the Synod through the Presbytery Initiative Committee, go to the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic website (www.synatlantic.org) and click on "Presbytery Initiatives" along the left side. 

PCUSA - New Announcements and Letters

If you would like to post an announcement, please send your request to
Bre Van Dorpe, Communications Coordinator, at bvandorpe@salempresbytery.org.

The Salem Presbytery website seeks to post information affecting its constituent churches; however, the posting of such events does not indicate that the Presbytery does or does not endorse the event.  We do not post editorial submissions from our churches though we do provide links to their websites and other appropriate websites when available.

Please be sure to include a link to our website www.salempresbytery.org on your churches web page.