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Engaging frontline communities: Presbyterian Mission Agency Board learns about environmental racism

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STONY POINT, New York – When the committee in charge of socially responsible investing in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) visited the bayous of southern Louisiana last spring, Native American leaders who led the tour spoke of roads that used to be shown on Google Maps. Now those roads are under water. Familiar trees and landscape – part of these people’s personal history – had disappeared, the result of flooding of marshland and erosion of the coastland as oil and gas companies have dredged and damaged the wetlands. Last spring, the city of New Orleans filed a federal lawsuit against a number of the firms. And with many environmental crises, the impact hits hardest on people of color and those with little money or resources. On Sept. 26, representatives of the PC(USA)’s Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) led a cultural humility training session for the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board on environmental racism – a term used to describe the often … [Read more...]

Tagged With: fossil fuels • PMA board

Hoping for transformation at Stony Point

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STONY POINT, New York – The big issue up for consideration as the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board meets this week is a vote on the future of Stony Point Center. Essentially, it’s the question of whether the board will support an enhanced Presbyterian commitment to this conference center north of New York City, and will provide $75,000 to explore the feasibility of launching a $10.3 million fundraising campaign for major capital improvements there. The board – meeting in person at Stony Point – is expected to vote on that Thursday (Sept. 27). The board began its meeting on Sept. 26 with worship, led in part by Rick Ufford-Chase, who is co-director of Stony Point Center along with his wife, Kitty. Ufford-Chase traced the history of Stony Point, located near where the Hudson River narrows before it widens – a natural trading and meeting place for the Native Americans who lived in the region. The focus and fortunes of Stony Point have shifted over the decades, he said – it’s … [Read more...]

Tagged With: PMA board

Key vote on affirming Stony Point Center vision to come Sept. 27

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A proposal for major improvements at Stony Point Center will go to the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board for its consideration on Sept. 27 with one key adjustment: The board will be asked to “affirm the basic direction” of a vision plan for Stony Point, but not approve the entire plan formally. The board will be asked to vote approval of the baseline phase of the proposal now – with three additional phases to come later. The baseline phase includes spending $220,000 for three additional staff positions at Stony Point in 2020, and $75,000 for a feasibility study to assess how much money could likely be raised in a capital campaign. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA), told the board’s Coordinating Committee during a Sept. 19 conference call that she wants board members to “be prayerful and discerning” about this decision – and to be advocates for the vision plan if they vote to affirm it. If the board chooses not support … [Read more...]

What does financial sustainability look like for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?

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ATLANTA – What’s at the heart of achieving “financial sustainability” for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)? One possibility on the table – although nothing’s been voted on yet, it’s all still up for discussion – is the idea of restructuring the top levels of the denomination. That may not ring a lot of bells for the average Presbyterian in the pews. But a work group of the Special Committee on Per Capita Based Funding and National Church Financial Sustainability is giving serious thought to asking the 2020 General Assembly to begin going down that path. Part of their thinking is this: At least some committee members believe the PC(USA) does have enough financial resources to do the work it needs to do – in other words, there’s enough money. But they suspect the denominational structure is flawed – that it’s not set up to make sure that the funds available are actually spent on the top mission and ministry priorities of the denomination. The reason why: there’s no one … [Read more...]

Discussion continues on the future of Stony Point Center

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The question is this: will the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board support a proposal that calls for spending at least $10.3 millionon capital improvements at Stony Point Center over the next decade? Also part of the proposal: Spend $300,000 over the next three years for additional staffing for Stony Point, and another $75,000 in a capital campaign feasibility study. The answer to how much support there is for the plan likely will come to light when the board votes on the first part of the proposal at its meeting Sept. 26-28 – a meeting actually being held at Stony Point, just north of New York City. No clear answer emerged Sept. 13, during a webinar called to give board members a chance to learn more about the proposal and to ask questions. A few board members voiced enthusiasm about the proposal – for example, Kathy Maurer, who served on a board task force on Stony Point, said: “I’m really excited about the direction.” One in particular – Ken Godshall, a pastor from … [Read more...]

Tagged With: PMA board

What is the future of Stony Point Center?  Mission Agency Board to consider $10.3 million proposal

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A group within the Presbyterian Mission Agency considering the future of Stony Point Center is recommending spending at least $10.3 million on capital improvements at Stony Point over the next decade, plus $300,000 over the next three years in additional staffing and another $75,000 in a capital campaign feasibility study. The future of the Stony Point – a conference center just north of New York City – has been an enduring question for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in recent years, as Stony Point has not been financially self-sustaining and has required periodic infusions of cash from the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA), both for urgent deferred maintenance and to support operational costs. This new recommendation – which the board will consider during its Sept. 26-28 meeting at Stony Point – describes a vision in which Stony Point becomes “the conference center for PMA” and a “Christian conference center designed for transformation.” Diane Moffett, executive director and … [Read more...]

Tagged With: PMA board

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