The staff changes are one of a number of measures approved by the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly earlier this year to address projected shortfalls in the 2009 and 2010 budgets due, in largest part, to the global economic crisis.
The three staff members who are retiring from OGA — Evelyn Hwang, Joan Richardson, and Charlotte Brooks — have a combined total of more than 100 years of service to the PC(USA).
After more than 48 years of service on the national staff of the Presbyterian Church, both in New York City and Louisville, Evelyn Hwang will be retiring as associate for preparation for ministry in the Office of Vocation. Hwang was influenced in her own vocational journey by Presbyterian missionaries in her native China. She has returned that gift by supporting the critical work of those preparing for ministry. A Presbyterian elder, Hwang helped shape the call system, spearheaded diversity initiatives, transformed preparation from a process to formation, and initiated the Healthy Ministry Conference.
Joan Richardson has nearly 36 years of service to the church. A seminary graduate, Richardson spent the majority of her years working for the PC(USA) in the area of women’s ministries in Chicago and San Francisco. She has served the last 15 years in OGA as manager of the General Assembly Committee on Representation. Prior to her work for the church, Richardson spent several years in social work in Chicago. Richardson’s desire that all women, men, and youth participate fully in the life and mission of the PC(USA) has resulted in her involvement in leader development, skills training, and spiritual nurture and development.
Charlotte Brooks is retiring after 20 years as an OGA staff member. She was the person who typed and mailed the hundreds of letters written by the stated clerk each year. She also logged in every piece of incoming mail and saw that each letter was answered by the appropriate staff person. One of the first faces visitors to OGA would see, Brooks was always eager to help others in any way she could.
After the staff changes just announced, the number of OGA staff will be 71. The Office of the General Assembly (OGA) is required to maintain a minimum of thirty percent of its budget reserves. The per capita budget includes a drawdown from the reserves above this required minimum. OGA reached the minimum when it lost nearly $1 million in the value of its reserves from the economic downturn. The staff changes and other measures are anticipated by OGA leaders to be enough to under expend the 2009 budget by $400,000, reduce the 2010 budget a necessary $800,000, and allow the OGA to maintain the required minimum in its reserves.
The three positions being eliminated are the senior administrative assistant from the Department of Communication, Development and Technology; the senior administrative assistant from Church Leader Connection (Office of Vocation), and the associate for examinations in the Office of Vocation.
The two new positions will be filled in 2010 and lodged in the Office of Vocation, which is a shared ministry with the General Assembly Council. The new positions include an associate and a program assistant for preparation for ministry and examinations.
Commenting on the new positions, Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons said, “By integrating the examination process with the preparation for ministry process, the Office of Vocation will be better positioned to support the church in preparing the leaders needed to expand Christ’s witness through the PC(USA) in years to come.”
Other cost-saving measures approved by the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly include a salary freeze for OGA staff for 2010, a reduction in ecumenical grants, a two percent across-the-board reduction in departmental expenses, reductions in the per capita portion of the General Assembly Council budget, and the elimination of the hard-copy version of the PC(USA) Directory.
