LOUISVILLE — Stony Point Center (SPC) was given the green light by the General Assembly Council (GAC) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to continue on its careful path toward financial stability after conference center officials outlined a more detailed plan for its future to the council last week.
Presented before a joint meeting of the stewardship and mission support and spirituality and discipleship committees, Stony Point’s “Fiscal Viability and Mission Capacity Building” update outlined the facility’s 2008 budget, a core mission and program statement, and an updated business plan implementation schedule.
As part of the GAC meeting held here Feb. 13-15, Stony Point board chair Gary Batty said Stony Point has come back with a balanced budget and specifics about projected income.
Center Director William Pindar also announced his resignation, and Batty talked of an immediate search for a transitional director.
With projected income of $1,503,205 and projected expenses of $1,500,651, Stony Point estimates it will end the year narrowly ahead by $2,554. The center is banking some of that on lodging bookings, which in November were up 16.9 percent over the first 10 months of 2007.
“It was not an easy number to get to,” Batty said of the bottom line figure for 2008. Still, “It is a balanced budget.” Batty acknowledged that no plan has been outlined by Stony Point yet for repaying the money it was advanced by the denomination. First, he said, the center needs to get back on firm financial footing.
Leadership changes also are on tap this year for Stony Point, which sits about 30 miles north of Manhattan, as Pindar prepares to officially end his time as director on July 31. Evaluating staff, including the executive director, was one of the tasks outlined in Stony Point’s business plan, with the goal being to reduce staff costs by 10 percent.
“It is with a heart full of hope in the future and memories full of joy and accomplishment that I, at my own initiative, announce my decision to step aside as director of SPC and conclude eleven years of employment with the Center,” Pindar told the joint GAC committees.
“Stony Point Center’s legacy of mission is not at an end,” he said. “Its remarkable service is turning toward new visions along with a strong commitment to build upon and continue with its many guest groups and current partnerships.”
Batty said the transitional director could begin as early as the summer and that the job could last two to three years, although the position also could lead to a permanent spot.
Two board members have volunteered to handle operations for the conference center in the meantime. “They are willing to do it, and they are willing to do it as volunteers,” Batty said.
Outside tasks for 2008, Stony Point is considering a long-term proposal to create an intentional residential spiritual community, which would be “the focal point for a geographically dispersed, ecumenical, religious community (or Order) whose members will take a vow of vocational peace and justice work and commit to the spiritual disciplines necessary to maintain that vow over a lifetime,” according to information presented to the committees.
“The Governing Board of Stony Point envisions a gentle transition over a period of two to three years from Stony Point’s current mission as a conference center … to an “Iona on the Hudson” whose commitment to hospitality will be grounded in the practice of an ecumenical community with deep ties to the PC(USA).”
Stony Point’s roots date back to the late 1940s when the Gilmor family bequeathed the property to the denomination, which used it as a retreat for retired ministers and missionaries, and also as a training center for overseas missionaries. Its facilities include three lodges, the Victorian Gilmor Sloane mansion and the Beta House complex.
“I think Stony Point is poised to make a real shift and move in the future,” said Batty. “We have got some pieces in place now that give us a better than average change.”
The updated information was prepared following a September request by the committees, which at the time heard details of just how financially strapped the New York-based center is and of advances it has received from the PC(USA) of about $800,000.
