Now it’s time for Bible study — to dig a little deeper into what it looks like for churches to be Matthew 25 congregations. What does that mean for Presbyterians in their own communities? The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board explored that in a Zoom meeting January 22, with the help of consultant Allen Hilton, a former professor of New Testament at Yale Divinity School and founder of House United, a movement to bridge the gaps between Christian progressives and conservatives. The passage they were investigating: the a reading in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel involving the judgment of the nations, which says Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats according to whether they fed the hungry, cared for the sick, visited the prisoners, welcomed the stranger, cared for the least. Here are some sound bites from that conversation: In churches, rather than starting by talking about what people believe, talk about belonging, said Gregory Bentley, who is co-moderator of the … [Read more...]
What’s working? What’s not? What’s needed? — Vision for the PC(USA)’s future
In a nation that’s deeply divided – rich and poor, red and blue, with fissures of race and religion and so much more – what does it mean to be a church really committed to work on the difficult issues of racism and social justice? What does it mean to declare that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a Matthew 25 church? And is the church willing to do advocacy work that’s sometimes controversial even when a segment of Presbyterians will push back and criticize that as being too political? Over much of this year, the Presbyterian Mission Agency will be investigating that through a Vision Implementation Process that will culminate, in September, with recommendations for revisions for how PMA structures itself and does its work. That’s coming at a time when “we have hope for a new administration,” Diane Moffett, PMA’s president and executive director, told the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board, meeting virtually Jan. 22. “We have hope for new vaccines that could bring an … [Read more...]
Living into the vision: PC(USA) discerns what it means to be a Matthew 25 church
So what does it mean to be a Matthew 25 church – one that lives into Jesus’ teaching from Matthew’s Gospel to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the stranger, the prisoner, those in need? How can the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) – which has launched a Matthew 25 initiative for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that focuses on dismantling structural racism, ending systemic poverty and supporting congregational vitality – live into that vision? And what needs to change in the agency’s structure and work in order to make that happen? On Jan. 22, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board will meet virtually — primarily to talk about those questions. In preparation for that, PMA’s president and executive director, Diane Moffett, outlined for the board’s Coordinating Committee in a Jan. 13 Zoom meeting the three-phase discernment process that PMA is using this year to come up with the answers. The vision implementation process began in November and is … [Read more...]
Neighbors, storms and voting: Presbyterian board concludes its meeting by looking ahead
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board on Oct. 9 approved budget documents that outline the reductions the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) will make to cope with revenue losses expected in 2021 and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While there was no public discussion of this, immediately after the meeting concluded the Presbyterian Mission Agency announced that it was reducing operations at Stony Point Center and that the remaining 10 staff members would be losing their positions, including co-directors Kitty and Rick Ufford-Chase. The board held at least two closed sessions during the course of its three-day meeting. Last summer, PMA had eliminated the jobs of 40 of the center's employees, after the pandemic essentially wiped out Stony Point's business as a retreat and conference center. The decision now to let go all or most of the remaining staff - about 10 positions - is an extraordinary turn of direction for Stony Point. Just a year ago, the board approved the … [Read more...]
“We’re in a good, uncomfortable-as-hell place” — Presbyterian Mission Agency Board receives power and privilege report
On the very first morning of the very first meeting of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board that diversity and equity consultant Marian R. Vasser attended, she was standing talking to an Asian woman, having not yet even had time to put down her bag. And a white woman stepped in between them and interrupted. Vasser is a consultant who serves as the executive director for diversity and equity at the University of Louisville and who attended four of the board’s meetings in 2019 and 2020 (two in person and two virtually) to assess power and privilege dynamics on the board. She took note of things such as who spoke most frequently and which voices were less included; who felt freedom to stand and move around the room; and how much attention people paid when the board discussed matters of race and injustice. When those subjects came up, she felt the energy in the room immediately drop and noticed changes in body language and facial expression — seeing visible signs of discomfort. … [Read more...]
Working budget to consider pandemic’s financial impact for the PC(USA)
The Presbyterian Mission Agency is attempting to avoid layoffs or curtailing programs for now as it grapples with significant COVID-19-related budget cuts for 2021 and 2022 — with revenue for the national church expected to drop by 25%, or $9.1 million by the end of this year. But the strategies the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) is using to avoid such cuts – including offering early retirement packages and drawing on funds not previously allocated – are not sustainable long term, said Diane Moffett, the agency’s president and executive director. Going forth, “we believe that vision should drive the budget reductions,” with measurable goals and a clear direction for PMA’s vision of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) being a Matthew 25 church, Moffett told the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board’s Resource Allocation and Stewardship Committee Oct. 7. “No doubt, critical decisions will need to be made” about what PMA will need to stop doing and do differently, Moffett said. … [Read more...]
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