The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) budgets look good — at least for now. Plans for the $2.4 million renovation of the first floor of the Presbyterian Center in downtown Louisville are proceeding. And COVID-19 remains a wild card — with the center currently scheduled to reopen fully to employees on Nov. 1, but the possibility that could be pushed back, as cases of the delta variant climb.  Louisville and Jefferson County in Kentucky are currently in the red zone of confirmed COVID-19 cases. A lesson the COVID-19 pandemic keeps teaching: “Don’t get too attached to a plan, because it’s going to change,” said Kathy Lueckert, president of the PC(USA), A Corporation, which is responsible for administrative services for the national church. She also did not rule out the possibility that PC(USA) employees at the national offices might be required to show proof of vaccination in order to return to work in the building. “We’re still evaluating the vaccination requirement,” Lueckert … [Read more...]

In 2018, the General Assembly reconfigured the board that governs the corporate activities of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation — basically, which oversees administrative work of the denomination. What’s happened since then: some “heavy lifting” to put a new organizational structure into place, including the creation of the Administrative Services Group in early 2019; the hiring of Kathy Lueckert as A Corporation president in June 2019; and the creation of an organizational culture focused on client services. “I think we should feel very good about the work we have done,” said A Corporation board member Cynthia Campbell, including leading the response of the national church to the COVID-19 pandemic, “which was in no one’s strategic plan.” On the first day of its Aug. 26-27 Zoom meeting, the A Corporation board spent some time looking at what it’s accomplished over those three years; at its intent to shift now from a more hands-on role to one focused increasingly … [Read more...]

Will spending $2.4 million in renovations on the Presbyterian Center in downtown Louisville, in order to hold a hybrid General Assembly with committee meetings there in 2022, cost more than having an in-person General Assembly? Where will the money to pay for it come from, and how long will it take to recover the costs? Will other Presbyterian groups gathering in Louisville in the future be required to hold their meetings at the Center? How much will they be charged? What about parking? Members of the board of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation, asked these questions and more during a May 19 Zoom session — with the vote on the $2.4 million renovation budget and facilities plan expected to come May 20 (P.102). Among the answers given: The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board is being asked to provide about $1.6 million for the project from unrestricted reserves – with the understanding that those funds would be repaid later in 2021. Kathy Lueckert, president … [Read more...]

The decision has been made: the 2022 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be a hybrid gathering, with in-person committee meetings at the denomination’s national offices in Louisville, Kentucky, and plenary sessions held virtually. Now the question is emerging: How much will it cost in renovations at the denomination’s office building to make that happen? In order to make the in-person part of the assembly possible, some significant renovations are planned for the PC(USA) building at 100 Witherspoon Street along the Ohio River in downtown Louisville. That includes creating additional larger meeting spaces big enough for committee gatherings and the construction of a production studio and gender-neutral bathrooms. Kathy Lueckert, president of the PC(USA), A Corporation – which is the corporate and administrative arm of the church – told the A Corporation board in a virtual meeting Feb. 12 that the timeline for doing that work is tight, with the hope of … [Read more...]

The Presbyterian Foundation is considering making a change in the spending formula it uses to provide mission funding to the Presbyterian Mission Agency — meaning that increases in available funding would decline in the short term, but compounding interest on a larger endowment fund should produce greater payouts over time, depending on how the financial markets perform. The board of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation – the administrative and financial services arm of the denomination – heard a report on the proposed change during the first afternoon of its virtual meeting Feb. 11-12. The A Corporation board also heard updates on denominational giving and the progress of the Coordinating Table, which is working to develop a unified budget for the PC(USA) for 2023 and 2024. Here are more details. Spending formula  The Presbyterian Foundation is responsible for managing and investing PC(USA) endowments, and currently provides funds to the Presbyterian Mission Agency … [Read more...]