At its meeting in Louisville March 27-29, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board will focus on anti-poverty work the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is doing, and consider a number of issues related to property. The board’s coordinating committee met by conference call Jan. 17 and gave some glimpses into what’s likely to come up. Work on poverty.  At each of its meetings, the board is focusing on one priority in its Mission Work Plan – this time, on work the denomination is doing to address poverty. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, said she wants to discuss the theological foundation for the work, based on the 25th chapter of Mark’s Gospel – “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to eat, I was a stranger and you welcomed me” – and for staff to let the board know what Presbyterians are doing to confront poverty both nationally and at the grass roots. Another question, raised … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted Sept. 29 to endorse a set of social responsibility principles that can be used to work for human rights in global supply chains. That vote makes the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) the first Christian denomination to formally endorse the Worker-Driven Social Responsibility (WSR) Principles, said Shannan Vance-Ocampo, a mid council executive who serves as chair of the board’s Outreach to the World program committee. Vance-Ocampo described it as a “historic vote” for the board. The decision to support the WSR principles (G.102 Endorsement of Worker-driven Social Responsibility Principles) is “a big deal for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.),” she said, “but most importantly, this vote is extremely important for our partners … who depend on our advocacy and our appropriate use of our power and privilege as a denomination.” The action was taken at the encouragement of leaders from the Coalition for Immokalee Workers and … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board approved a plan Sept. 28 for considering the finances of Stony Point Center – giving a Round Table led by Diane Moffett, the president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, roughly six months to consider ways to improve the bottom line of the center and integrate it into the agency’s broader mission work. That vote comes with the recognition that Stony Point is operating in the red this year – running a deficit of $174,000 through the end of August and facing roughly $3 million in capital costs. But there is excitement about the ministry of Stony Point as well – particularly the interfaith focus and its social justice work. Moffett said she thinks the center can serve as a laboratory for the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s mission emphases of addressing poverty; structural racism and white supremacy; and congregational vitality. So the board voted Sept. 28 to take two actions regarding Stony Point: … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – The question of how much money the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is willing to spend to support the Stony Point Center continues to be raised – with the leadership of the Presbyterian Mission Agency hoping to spend the next six months or so trying to get Stony Point on more solid financial ground and finding ways to integrate it with the broader work of the agency. The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board has been struggling for years with the questions of how much to financially support Stony Point – with an underlying question, in part, of whether the board should expect the center to be financially self-sufficient, or whether it should declare the ministry to be vital and deserving of the denomination’s financial support. Stony Point ran a deficit of $174,000 through the end of August, which does not include property taxes due of about $40,000, said Mike Miller, acting senior director of shared services and chief financial officer for the PC(USA), A … [Read more...]

LOUISVILLE – It’s a new season, a new chapter at the Presbyterian Mission Agency. As a series of denominational leaders brought greetings and reports during the opening plenary of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board meeting Sept. 27, the metaphors rang many and mighty. The idea was this: The Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) and its board has new leadership and a new culture – and a commitment to work in partnership with other agencies on behalf of one church. That’s a message crafted after a tumultuous season of conflict over who should control the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation board, and about the balance of power among the six PC(USA) agencies. “We are people who have been called to turn this world upside down,” said J. Herbert Nelson, the denomination’s stated clerk. “We have six agencies, but we have one ministry. … Our call is to work together.” Diane Moffett, who started work in June as PMA’s executive director and president, described her first … [Read more...]