Eastern Oregon Presbytery - Stated Clerk

Presbytery Meeting Feb 18 at Tutuilla

2012-02-06T20:28:00.001-08:00

The February Presbytery meeting will be Feb. 18, 10 AM to 4 PM at the Tutuilla Presbyterian Church.

For more information for to
http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2FzbXFxy&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFWCfm6VH-irlQTsiH9sW0v7-XZGQ

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2012-02-03T07:36:00.001-08:00

Here is an interesting commentary on the role of Presbyteries and Synods

http://landonwhitsitt.com/2012/01/24/my-hopes-for-the-mid-council-commission-report-presbypost/

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Annual Mission Emphasis meeting, February 18, Tutuilla Presbyterian Church

2012-01-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

The annual mission emphasis meeting of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon will be

Saturday, February 18
10 AM to 4 PM
Tutuilla Presbyterian Church

Ministers, Commissioned Pastors, Commissioners from Churches, Mission Advocates, and 2012 Mission Trip to Birmingham are especially invited to attend. Others, too, are encouraged to attend.

Additional information, including the complete agenda, is available Here

Meeting of Presbutery Council, Friday, Jan. 20, 9 AM by conference call

2012-01-16T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Eastern Oregon Presbytery Council will meet by telephone conference call on Friday, Jan. 20, at 9:00 AM, Pacific Time.

The call-in number, agenda, and other information is available HERE

Mileage Reimbursement Rates Remain 27¾¢ and 31¾¢ for 2012

2011-12-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

Eastern Oregon Presbytery mileage reimbursement rates for presbytery travel will remain at 27¾¢ for one traveler and 31¾¢ for more than one traveler

These rates are based on the Internal Revenue Service rates for business travel reimbursement that remains at 55½¢ for 2012. The single traveler rate is half the IRS rate and the multiple traveler rate is $0.04 more than the single traveler rate.

These rates remain unchanged from those in effective in the summer of 2011.

A current voucher, with current rates is on the presbytery reference document site.

2011-11-28T12:32:00.001-08:00

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Presbytery Welcomes Two Pastors

2011-11-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

At a special meeting on November 5 in Baker City, the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon welcomed new pastors to two churches: Baker City and Milton-Freewater.

Katy Halliburton from San Antonio in the Mission Presbytery will become the pastor to the First Presebyterian Church of Baker City. This is Katy's first call. She will start in Baker City in early January.

Rev. Terry Hackney of Milton-Freewater will be a temporary pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church, Milton-Freewater while Grace Church evaluates its mission and seeks more permanent pastoral leadership. Rev. Hackney will start in Grace Church immediately.

PC(USA) leaders recognize Reformation Day in churchwide letter

2011-10-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

“the presbyterian church is in the midst of another reformation”

Leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have written a letter to all congregations of the PC(USA) in anticipation of the observance of Reformation Day on October 31st.

In their letter, Cindy Bolbach and Landon Whitsitt, Moderator and Vice Moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010), Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, and Linda Valentine, Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council, liken the present time of the church to that of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

Mission Yearbooks are Here

2011-10-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

I will bring 2012 Mission Yearbooks to the called Presbytery meeting on Saturday in Baker City.

We have Presbytery-supplied yearbooks for each pastor, teaching elder, and church. Also for those who prw-ordered.

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Special meeting of Eastern Oregon Presbytery Nov. 5

2011-10-27T21:38:00.001-07:00

The Eastern Oregon Presbytery will have a special meeting on Saturday, November 5, at 10:30 AM at the First Presbyterian Church in Baker City.

We have the opportunity to examine Katy Halliburton in connection with a possible call to ministry at Baker City church.

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October Presbytery Meeting October 21 - 22 in Baker City

2011-10-14T21:05:00.001-07:00

The October meeting of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon will be Friday and Saturday, October 21-22 at the First Presbyterian Church of Baker City. The meeting will begin at 2:00 Friday afternoon.

Each teaching elder and Commissioned Lay Pastor should attend. Each church should send a ruling elder commissioner.

I will have just returned from the PC(USA) polity conference and hope to have information about how churches and the Presbytery can adjust to the new Form of Government.

One thing I learned at this week's meting of synod stated clerks is that the nFOG asks that we consider how the numbers of teaching elders and ruling elders eligible to participate in Presbytery be as equal as possible. Historically we have had more ruling elders than teaching elders.

Pete

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Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal

2011-09-14T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation is pleased to announce the title for the next Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God: the Presbyterian Hymnal. One edition will be published in red; another edition will be published in purple.

A new hymnal sampler will also be used in worship at General Assembly, then mailed to every Presbyterian congregation.

Orders will be taken starting in the summer of 2012, with pre-publication pricing into 2013

More

Special Presbytery Council Meeting, June 27

2011-07-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

The Presbytery Council of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon met in special telephone conference call meeting on June 27.   Minutes and the resolution adopted at the meeting are posted on the presbytery's Google Docs site and are available from the clerk.

The documents are available in MS Word or .pdf formats.

Minutes

     MS Word
     .pdf
Resolution
   MS Word
     .pdf

If you would like to be considered to be on the task force to recommend policies and procedures for the presbytery under the new Book of Order, please contact Council Moderator Todd Bensel.

Eastern Oregon Presbytery Blog now optimized for mobile devices

2011-07-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

With new tools from the blog publisher, this blog is now optimized for mobile devices. If you link to the blog from a web-enabled mobile device (i-Phone, Android, etc.) this should be easier to read. The is a link to the full-screen version at the bottom of the mobile version. Try it out here.

Contact me if you have trouble with the blog at any time.

2009-11 Book of Order adopted as transitional manual

2011-07-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

On June 27 the Presbytery Council adopted the Form of Government of the 2009-11 Book of Order as a transitional manual of operations. This transitional manual will be in place until the presbytery adopts a new manual of operations. These changes reflect the PC(USA) adoption of the less detailed Foundations of Presbyterian Polity and Form of Government effective July 10.

The version posted here reflects the book published in 2009, with amendments made in 2011.

New Loan Rates, New Muzzy Loan Limit

2011-06-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

New Loan Rates

New Muzzy Loan Limit

Effective March 1st, 2011, all Amortized and Line of Credit loan interest rates were lowered by 1/4%. The benchmark interest rate for our Amortized loan is now 6.250%, Line of Credit loans are at 6.500%. But don't forget you could also qualify for a discount of up to 3/4% based on your church's mission giving history.

New Muzzy loans have a benchmark interest rate of 5.250% but again, could be discounted as low as 4.500%, depending on your Mission Giving discount. This change will not effect current Muzzy loans, unless they are due for review at this time.

The loan limit for New Muzzy loans has also been increased as of March 1st from $125,000 to $250,000.00

Loan applications may be found under the loan section of the Synod website or for more information, please contact the Synod's Loan Coordinator at 1(800) 754-0669 ext.10...If you're a small congregation (under 125 members), New Church Development, or Racial Ethnic Ministry, looking for financing of a project, please drop the Synod's Loan Coordinator an email

Discounted Services for churches insursed by Insurance Board

2011-06-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

Those churches insured by the Insurance Board should look into these services. See the "basic background check" for $5 and the possibility of electrical inspections and property appraisals.

The other insurers of churches in the presbytery may have similar services.

SUBSIDIZED:

Background Checking – Every sophisticated organization, especially those serving children, conducts background checks of employees and volunteers. The Insurance Board provides services subsidized at 50% of our negotiated rate for current, active participants. A "basic" background check costs your church only $5. See Safe ConductTM Workbench. All churches and related entities of the United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ (Christian Church), and Presbyterian Church (USA) can take advantage of this program (non-program participants enjoy our discounted rate, but not a subsidized rate).

Electrical Inspection by TEGG – If your church is more than 30 years old, you can be sure there are defects in your electrical service that can and may result in serious shocks or fires. Invest $225 in an electrical inspection and receive $500 back in free repairs of any defects identified as "critical" or "severe." (This service may not be available in some areas.)

Property Appraisal – You have a fiduciary responsibility to assure that your insurance limits are adequate for your church. A professional appraisal is recommended for very large churches, historic churches and many built prior to 1950. They often contain craftsmanship, construction methods, stained glass and pipe organs rarely used in modern churches. Industrial Appraisal Company (IAC), a specialist in church appraisal, provides a discount to Insurance Board program participants. To receive an estimate on the cost of an appraisal, go to this link and make your request: Appraisal Service Estimate

Presbyterian Church (USA) Adopts Historic Ordination Standard

2011-05-10T21:57:00.000-07:00

The requisite number of presbyteries have approved the proposed amendment to the Book of Order replacing the 30-year old ordination standard that called out for special mention sexual fidelity for elders, deacons, and ministers to one partner, with a more general standard of suitability for service.

The amendment removes the constitutional requirement that all ministers, elders, and deacons live in “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.”

The new language is:
“Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”

Congregations, for elders and deacons, and presbyteries, for ministers, will have to judge candidates for suitability for service.

More, including frequently asked questions and worship resources.

Some thoughts worth quoting

2011-05-08T15:51:00.001-07:00

http://blog.gajunkie.com/2011/05/07/if-amendment-10-a-passes-does-the-pcusa-have-local-option.aspx

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Pentecost Offering material available

2011-04-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Your church should have received the package of material for the Pentecost offering, June 12. The package includes materiials for children and youth, resources for worship, and practical pieces.

The Pentecost Offering provides a direct way to meet the needs of children at risk, youth, and young adults. Congregations are encouraged to keep 40 percent of the Offering to support ministry with children at risk in their communities. The General Assembly’s portion (60 percent) provides leadership development opportunities for Presbyterian youth and young adults and supports children-at-risk programs at the national level. Since 1998, Presbyterians of all ages have raised over $7 million for these ministries that benefit younger members of God’s family

More information is available at www.pcusa.org/pentecost
More information in Spanish at www.pcusa.org/pentecost/spanish

Follow all the PC(USA) special offerings on facebook at Presbyterian Church (USA) Special Offerings

Calendars for 6/11 - 12/11 Available for order

2011-04-11T09:19:00.001-07:00

I will accept orders for 6/11 - 12/12 planning calendars through April 26. The price will be &10.35, delivered.

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Eastern Oregon Presbytery On Amendments to Book of Order

2011-04-09T12:12:00.001-07:00

The Eastern Oregon Presbytery voted on Saturday April 9 to approve the new Form of Government, Belhar Confession and proposed amendment 10-A.

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PC(USA) Middle Governing Body Comission Seeks Your Views

2011-03-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

The first directive of the 218^th’s mandate to the Middle Governing Body Commission is “to consult with sessions, presbyteries, synods, and the wider church on the mission and function of middle governing bodies.” The Commission is doing this through onsite visits to the 16 synods, brief presentations from middle governing body staff, focus groups which include presbyteries and online surveys. The data gathering portion of their work extends until June 1 of this year. To that end we are asking for your help.

There is a general survey for the “public” and, if you wish, you can mention this in your presbytery publications or even post a link on your website. That link is www.pcusa.org/mgbchurchwidesurvey.

The Commission wishes it could visit in each presbytery but cost and time prohibit such visits. Several focus groups are being planned that are targeted at presbyteries and at various constituencies within presbyteries. If your presbytery feels strongly that they wish to talk directly to the Commission, we can arrange for a one hour conference call with two commission members. Just let me know.

Thanks so much for your help in this task which, I believe, is a crucial one for the whole church. You can learn more about the MGB Commission on its website http://oga.pcusa.org/mgbcommission/index.htm

Presbytery meeting, February 19, 2011

2011-02-20T15:20:00.000-08:00

We had a delightful meeting in Umailla on Saturday. We heard about presbytery and church mission work. Details will follow.

We also deliberated on proposed PC(USA) Constitutional Amendments, Part 3, 10-B through 10-O. The presbytery of Eastern Oregon approves proposed amendments 10-B through 10-H, 10-J through 10-M, and 10-O. We do not approve 10-I on adding prayer as a required part of the ordination and installation service and 10-N on restoring the prohibition on prosecuting committee appeals wihen complaints are dismissed for certain errors of law or procedure.

On proposed amendment 10-I, the argument is not that we are against prayer, but that prayer as part of the service of ordination or installation should be so intergral to the service that we don't like to be told how and when to do it.

On proposed amendment 10-N, the argument is that sometimes justice requires that cases improperly dismissed should be allowed to be appealed to correct the improper dismissal.

The next meeting will be April 8 and 9 in LaGrande.

Winter Presbyery Meeting, Saturday, Feb. 19, Umatila

2011-02-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

The winter meeting of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon will be held

Saturday, February 19, 2011
10:00 AM
Umatilla Community Presbyterian Church

Details of the meeting are on the attached call to meeting with complete information is available at http://bit.ly/hfwTjR

Each minister and a pastor in the presbytery is expected to attend as are elder commissioners from each church. Also, each church should send a mission advocate to share with the presbytery the mission work of the church.

I look forward to seeing each of you in Umatilla on the 19th.

Eastern Oregon Presbytery Meeting, February 19

2011-01-31T15:16:00.000-08:00

The annual celebration of mission in the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon will be
Saturday, February 19, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Umatilla Community Presbyterian Church

We will hear about the mission ministry of churches and of the presbytery.

For more information go to http://bit.ly/hfwTjR

I hope t see you there.

Disaster Planning for Churches

2011-01-22T22:07:00.000-08:00

See the referenced PowerPoint presentation on disaster planning for churches and the role that churches will play in a disaster.

http://is.gd/sXyLP0

Presbytery Council meets by phone, January 22, 1:30 PM PST

2011-01-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

The January meeting of the Eastern Oregon Presbytery Council will be by conference phone call on Saturday, January 22, 2011, 1:30 PM PDT. All participants will be participating by phone.

To participate in the conference call, dial 866-941-8436 and enter pass code: 1047005 #.

When the stated clerk enters the conference those on the call will be connected together. The conference will start promptly at the stated time.

If you have questions about the process, contact Pete Wells at 541-379-2180 or by email.

More information

Upcoming Meetings of Council

March 12, 2011

September 10, 2011

January 21, 2012

March 10, 2012

Upcoming meetings of Presbytery

February 19, 2011, Umatilla

April 8-9, 2011, LaGrande

October 21-22, 2011, Baker City

February 18, 2012

April 20-21, 2012

October 26-27, 2012

Presbytery mileage rate $0.255 in 2011 ($0.295 for more than one in car)

2010-12-15T06:08:00.000-08:00

The IRS rate for business travel will be $0.51 in 2011.

The presbytery reimbursement rate is half the IRS rate for business travel. Therefore, the 2011 presbytery rate will be $0.255 per mile for one person in the auto and $0.295 for two or more.

If the number of presbytery miles is an odd number I will try to round to the next cent if the result would be an even number and remain as the lower number to maintain an even number.

Eastern Oregon Presbytery Meeting, Oct. 22-23, Pioneer Pres. Chruch, Burns

2010-10-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Eastern Oregon Presbytery met at the Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Burns on October 22-23. Some of the highlights:

Nominated and elected the nominees to all vacant positions for which terms expire on December 31.

Including Rev. Jean Hurst to be moderator and Rev. Steve Kliewer to be Vice Moderator

Heard reports from commissioners and staff from the 219th General Assembly of the PC(USA) held in Minneapolis in July.

Agreed that the 2010 and 2011 moderators will appoint task forces to review the referrals from General Assembly

Belhar Confession - report and action in April
New Form of Government - preliminary report in February and report and action in April
Proposed amendment to Book of Order paragraph G-0106(b) "Sandards for Ordination) (Amendment 10-A) - preliminary report in February and report and action in April
Proposed other amendments to the Book of Order (Amendments 10-B to 10-O) - report and action in February

Task forces to deal with the following study and action items will be appointed in February

Middle East Study Report
Study reports on civil unions and Christian Marriage
presbytery and model congregation sexual misconduct policie

There was no report from the commissioners to the Synod of the Pacific as their meeting was going on in Burlingame, CA, on Friday
Renewed the commissions of Commissioned Lay Pastors Todd Bensel, Skip Iscore, and Richard I, Patt.
Renewed the Stated Supply assignment of Steve Kliewer to the church in Lostine.
Heard the Elder James Kauth, of Baker City, is beginning Commissioned Lay Pastor training.
Adopted administrative and ecclesiastical budget that provides for total 2011 per capita for presbytery, synod , and General Assembly of $25 per 12/31/09 member.
Adopted mission program and its budget for 2011.

These are some of the highlights, For more information contact your pastor or church's commissioner to presbytery or me.

Presbytery meeting is Friday in Burns

2010-10-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

The presbytery meeting is coming together well. The nominating committee met filled the positions be be elected, save one that we've not been able to fill for a couple of years and one yet to be confirmed.

The Mission Yearbooks came today so I can distribute them a the meeting. That will replace a lot of mailing.

I created a mleage chart to help folks estimate driving distances and times.

For more information about the meeting see the web index to material http://bit.ly/9Vbpfe

Pew Center - How Much Do You Know about Religion

2010-10-01T07:48:00.001-07:00

And how do you compare with the average American? Here's your chance to find out.

Take our short, 15-question quiz, and see how you do in comparison with 3,412 randomly sampled adults who were asked these and other questions in the U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey. This national poll was conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life from May 19 through June 6, 2010, on landlines and cell phones, in English and Spanish.

When you finish the quiz, you will be able to compare your knowledge of religion with participants in the national telephone poll. You can see how you compare with the overall population as well as with people of various religious traditions, people who attend worship services frequently or less often, men and women, and college graduates as well as those who did not attend college.

The link to the full report is on the questionnaire site.

More

Eastern Oregon Presbytery to Meet October 22-23, Burns

2010-09-29T21:19:00.001-07:00

The Eastern Oregon Presbytery will meet Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, October 22 and 23, at the Pioneer Presbyterian Church in Burns.

More information at http://bit.ly/9Vbpfe

Next meeting of Eastern Oregon Presbytery Council - Sept. 11, by phone

2010-08-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

The September meeting of the Eastern Oregon Presbytery Council will be by conference phone call on Saturday, Saturday, September 11, 200, 2:00 PM PDT. All participants will be participating by phone.

To participate in the conference call, dial 866-941-8436 and enter pass code: 1047005 #.

When the stated clerk enters the conference those on the call will be connected together. The conference will start promptly at the stated time.

The call to the meeting and links to reference information is available at http://bit.ly/bgPbAt

All are invited to listen in on the call.

Upcoming meetings of Presbytery

2010-08-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

The next four stated meetings of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon will be

October 22-23, Burns

February 19, 2011, Umatilla

April 8-9, 2011, LaGrande

October 21-22, 2011, Baker City

At its September 11 meeting, the presbytery council will consider the schedule to consider the business referred to presbyteries from the General Assembly. That business includes proposals to adopt the Belhar Confession (requires ratification from 2/3 the presbyteries), changes in the ordination standards (G-6.0106b), adoption of the proposed new Form of Government, and other changes in the Book of Order and Rules of Discipline.
If the presbytery council proposes to consider parts of the GA referrals at different meetings, it may be helpful if churches appoint commissioners who can participate in all or most of the meetings between now and April.

The full list of meetings through 2020 is here.

More information about the items before upcoming presbytery meetings is here.

Links to presbytery reference information is here

Friday, the last day of policy business

2010-07-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

Friday morning started with an attempt toeconsider the decision of Thursday night to postpone any discussion about LGBT marriage to 2012. The proposal to reconsider garnered about 1/3 the total votes cast and was defeated.

After much discussion the assembly approved a report that the church does not approve of Caterpillar selling construction equipment to the government of Israel for use in building barriers and destroying houses in the Palestine area of Jerusalem. The committee on responsibility use of the church investments will try to talk with Caterpillar about its actions.

Earlier this year a study committee published a draft report on peace in the Middle East. Many found the report unbalanced in favor of the Palestinian people. The assembly committee modified part of the report. The assembly adopted the modified report with an 82% "yes" vote.

The Presbyterian Board of Pensions covers retirement and health insurance for ministers. It makes it programs available to non-minister employees who work more than half time if the churches and other church agencies that elect to provide coverage. This proposal to cover same sex domestic partners and same sex spouses of non-ministers. [Ministers are not permitted to have same-sex partners]. After discussion about the additional cost to the employing church or agency (estimated to be 1% of payroll cost) and whether to postpone [that P word again] until 2012, the assembly approved the proposal. For more information go to www.pc-biz.org and look up item 18-06.

The assembly spent a lot of time, both in the committee I watched and on Friday, talking about the arcane topic of Authortative Interpretative of the church's constitution. The result was no change in current policy. If you think you may care about this obscure topic, let me know and I will talk about it. Also there was discussion about repealing some amendments to the constitution about appeals in the church discipline process that we adopted a couple of years ago. The assembly sent a repeal proposal to the 173 presbyteries for ratification.

This year the Presbyterian peacemaking program is 30 years old. In addition to celebrating the history of the program, the assembly adopted several resolutions in support of those subject to war and oppression, particularly those in Afghanistan, Sudan, Columbia, Korea, Haiti, Madagascar, Honduras.

Throughout the week the assembly heard of the work of Presbyterian mission around the world and in the US. On Friday the emphasis was on the opportunities of churches and presbyteries to support the work of specific mission workers. Also, the work that Young Adult Volunteers in Mission do. Mission opportunities of many kinds are described at www.pcusa.org/mission.

The assembly was in an unexpected recess for a few minutes late in the afternoon when a group, not affiliated with the church or with groups affiliated with the church, interrupted with a protest against the delay in considering matters related to LGPT marriage. After some time those who refused to leave after repeated requests were escorted out and cited for trespass. The work of the assembly continued.

On Saturday the assembly will review the budget consequences of the week's work, celebrate the time together, worship, and go home.

General Assemly, Thursday, July 8

2010-07-09T05:41:00.001-07:00

Thursday was very full day of decision-making for the General Assembly on a wide variety of subjects including:

30^th anniversary of the Presbyterian Peacemaking program;
Create a commission to facilitate restructuring the regional bodies (synods);
Propose for ratification by half the 173 presbyteries a change in the standards of ordination of elders, deacons, and ministers;
Adopt resolutions dealing with firearms violence and the immigration law recently enacted by Arizona; and
Distribute to presbyteries two studies on marriage and civil unions, the committee report and committee minority reports of a prior special committee.

I will post a little more detail about some of these in comments below. For more detail see the PC(USA) General Assembly site at http://ga219.pcusa.org/

Photos

2010-07-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

You can see a few photos of my experience at General Assembly at my facebook album page

Change is in the air, breath deeply

2010-07-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

The title is from something my friend Bob taught me when he first started in his current position with the City.   It applies, too, to the Presbyterian Church.

On Wednesday the General Assembly held the first three of the nine business (plenary) sessions that will consider the work of the committees.

As a result of today's action, alone, the presbyteries will have two issues to consider at presbytery meetings before June.   One has to do with adding the Belhar Confession of 1986 to the book of confessions (statements of faith) of the church. The action won't be final unless it is adopted by two-thirds of the presbyteries and ratified by the 220th General Assembly in Pittsburgh in 2012. Adding a confession is a big deal. Adding a confession requires a proposal at one GA, approval at a second, approval by 2/3 the presbyteries, and ratification at a third GA.   This confession arose out of South Africa in response to Apartheid. It would be the first confession of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that originated south of the equator. There's a study guide here.

The GA also directed a task force to continue work at working with other denominations to create a new translation of the Heidelberg Confession that we adopted several years ago.

The second item that the presbyteries will have to consider is whether to ratify a New Form of Government. Some say that the new form will allow presbyteries and synods to become more innovative and creative about the way they help churches do the work that Christ leads us to do. Others say that the New Form of Government will allow the church to be adrift without direction and that the synods and presbyteries, in particular, will have to spend time and resources to write down how they are going to do business. To be effective this must be approved by a majority of the presbyteries by July 11 a year from now.

The other exciting event of the day was a very inspirational video about the way a church in Oklahoma worked with the local teen population to demonstrate the love of God and the church.   If I can find the link to the video I will post it as a comment to this post.

On an almost social note, part of the program for the San Francisco Theological Seminary luncheon on Wednesday was Talithia Phillips talking about her experience as a young woman raised in New York City working for a year in Lostine, Oregon, a very much smaller community.   We love you, Talitha and are glad that God brought you to our presbytery for a year. Talitha's blog is here.

On Thursday we take up a revised version of a very controversial report on the relations between Israel and the Palestinian people. Pray for us.

Please give me feedback

2010-07-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

I can't tell how many read this post. Please let me know that I have readers. Please post a comment or send me a note. I know that I have two readers. Do I have more?

Committess finish their work, time for a break

2010-07-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday the committees finished their work. There are many proposals being presented to the General Assembly which starts meeting at 1:30 today, Central Time (11:30 at home).   All commissioners with whom I talked are happy to be done with committee work and are ready to move to the next phase of the Assembly.

There are many proposals to be considered by the General Assembly, all of which will change the current policy or structure of the church.   Not all will be adopted. Some will be adopted after having been amended. Those that are policies, as opposed to changes in the form of government, go into effect when approved by the General Assembly. Those that require a change in the Constitution of the church go into effect July 10, 2011 only if approved by majority of the 170+ presbyteries (area-wide groups of churches and ministers) vote to approve them. If you want a change that has been approved by committee don't rejoice yet. If you don't want the change, don't panic yet.   Committee approval is only the first of two or three steps in the process.

Some of the high-profile issues coming before the plenary session will be a revised study on Middle East peace, changing the definition of marriage from that between a man and woman to be between two people, change the definition of those eligible to serve as an officer of the church to remove the specific reference to sexual standards, and the minutia of the relationship between the highest courts of the church and the General Assembly.

For the geeks, the order in which the committee reports will be considered in the following order: Church Growth, Theology Issues, Form of Government, Review of Permanent Committees, the role of middle government bodies (synods and presbyteries), ecumenical issues, qualifications for ministry, etc. I will list the rest later. We would do well to get this through this list on Wednesday afternoon or evening. Updated detailed information is at www.pc-biz.org

On another note, we are continually reminded that the theory of 6 degrees of separation changes to about 2 degrees of separation for those who participate in the wider church.   I met a friend of my pastor's today whose wife was a seminary roommate of a colleague in work in Eastern Oregon.

Pray today for the General Assembly, its commissioners, and the church.

Committees, Committees, Coimmittees

2010-07-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

As with most large legislative-type bodies, most of the work of the General Assembly is done in committees. For the General Assembly, the full assembly meets in plenary sessions on the first day of meeting and then takes three days off for committee meetings. The Sunday meetings are for the committees to learn to work together (more on that later) and for all to have some social-type time. The business meetings of the committees are on Monday and Tuesday.

There are 18 committees to which business has been assigned. No one person can know what all the committees are doing. For Presbyterian nerds, there are two ways to get quick summaries of the highlights of the General Assembly work. One is to follow on twitter or go the twitter site for presbyGA. The other is to go to the news release summary web page. One item that I'm following is the overture (proposal) of our neighbors in the Presbytery of Boise about violence against women. For detailed updates on the work of the committees or the plenary as it happens go to the business site www.pc-biz.com

After each General Assembly the Association of Stated Clerks produces a summary of the proposals that are sent to the presbyteries for ratification. For this year's booklet I'm paying close attention committee 05, the committee considering matters that affect the structure of the government of the church (polity).

The committee struggled to find a way to work together for the first session. They then found the ways to work together and proceed. When the committee adjourned for dinner at 5:50 they were working on business that was scheduled to have been completed by 3:30. After dinner they completed by 9:50 all the business that had been scheduled for Monday. I hope the committee continues to work well on Tuesday.

Women, Worship, and Wow!

2010-07-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of Women of Faith, spectacular worship, and Wow! for the fireworks display over the Mississippi River.

The day started with significant rain on my way to the Women of Faith breakfast. The National Weather Service reports 0.10 inches in the first hour this morning.   It seemed like more than that as I walked two blocks from my hotel to where I could get onto the wonderful sky walk system that kept me dry to the Hyatt hotel 5 more blocks away.

Our friend after we moved to Pendleton almost 33 years ago, Elona Street-Stewart, received a woman of faith award at a breakfast this morning.   In her acceptance speech she remembered the congregation of the Tutuilla Church which supported her when she was ordained as an elder. She also participated in the Native American call to worship at General Assembly worship. It was good to see Elona and her husband, David Stewart again.

From the Women of Faith Breakfast I went with Linda Toth to worship in the Convention Center.   The pre-worship estimates were that there would be 7,000 to 8,000 participating.   The worship was inspiring, spectacular, and emotional.   Former moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow inspired us to reach out with a church that welcomes all in ways that they can respond to. An abbreviated order of worship is at the PC(USA) web site, a .pdf document.

After sitting in on the preliminary meeting of the Committee on Polity, I walked to Nicollet Island for long lines to greet Moderator Cynthia Bolbach, to have a Minnesota picnic dinner, and watch a spectacular 15 minute fireworks display over the Mississippi River.   I walked back to the hotel, arriving as buses from Nicollet Island were bringing folks back to their hotels.

The day was filled with the inspiration of four extraordinary women of faith, worship, and the celebration of Independence Day.

General Assembly elects Moderator and Eastern Oregon Presbytery Honored

2010-07-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

     It's late here. Before I rest, I will post a couple of short notes.

     The major item of business for the first Saturday General Assembly is for the commissioners to elect a moderator to preside over the General Assembly this week and to represent the church as the church's principal spokesperson for the next 2 years.
     This year there were six candidates, five ministers and one elder. The one elder, Cynthia Bolbach from the Washington, DC area, was elected moderator on the fourth ballot and after some technical problems with the electronic voting system.
     For more information about moderator Bolbach see page 15 of the General Assembly media guide

    Also on Saturday the General Assembly Mission Council recognized presbyteries that lead the denomination in mission giving. Eastern Oregon Presbytery is honored to be recognized as one of top ten presbyteries in per capita giving for total mission support, general mission support, and special offerings. The other presbytery in Oregon, the Presbytery of the Cascades, was also recognized as a leader in mission giving. The complete list is on the General Assembly Mission Council web site

Tomorrow is devoted to worship with about 7,000 Presbyterians from around the country and the local area. Also, the committees start meeting and there is a social event with fireworks over the Mississippi River in the evening.

Out of the Believer's Heart Shall Flow Rivers of Living Water

2010-07-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

The theme of the assembly this year is "Out of the Believer's Heart Shall Flow Rivers of Living Water" (John 7:38. ) Our worship at the Stated Clerk meeting and the worship of the Assembly in the coming week will reflect that theme. To prepare for the Assembly worship, participants were asked to bring a small amount of water from their local rivers, lakes, and streams. My contribution will be water from the Umatilla River that flows through Pendleton on its way to the Columbia River and the Ocean. We in Eastern Oregon are deeply aware of the life giving power of the water in rivers as it sustains our bodies, the crops, and our spirits.

I hope this water gathered from all of our peoples will represent a coming together in unity in Jesus' name, a remembering of our common baptism, and a pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon this gathering.

Thanks to Cathy Quackenbush, the new Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Cascades for inspiring this post. You can follow her thoughts at her blog Cascades Presbytery at GA129

Thursday, July 1 - Last pre-assembly posting

2010-07-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

We've completed the assembly preview for stated clerks. The penultimate event was a service of communion. The worship during this event was wonderful and the communion was the best of the three services. The service ended with the hymn "Lord, You Come to the Lakeshore." For me it is the most touching hymn I sing. It reminds me of my father in his final years.

I took time out from the sessions to assure Hannah's parents that she was truly here and able to negotiate from the airport to her hotel. She had no trouble, but knowing that I would be there made the parents more comfortable.

One of services of the Association of Stated Clerks is to prepare, after the Assembly, a summary of business items proposed to the presbyteries for their concurrence. I volunteered to be part of a three person team following one set of items through the committee process so that we can identify the "for" and "against" arguments after the assembly. That will keep me busy Sunday afternoon and all day Monday and Tuesday. I'll be following committee 05-Polity. If anyone cares about the work of the assembly go to the business site, www.pc-biz.org or the General Assembly site, www.pcusa.org/ga219

More of our delegation arrive Friday with some more to follow on Saturday. Tomorrow is the day I pick up registration material. and have a free day before the activities start on Saturday. Hannah has a day of orientation tomorrow.

I've heard a lot of good ideas for the way we help churches. Such as the church that elects officers in November and trains them for an hour or so each week until May when they are installed. Those officers get real training into the responsibilities and opportunities for service to the church and its members.

Also several thoughts about how the presbytery can help churches with regular assistance from the presbytery.

There's so much that the presbytery and the member churches can do when the churches cooperate with each other and the broader church.

Presbyterian Church, USA, 219th General Assembly - Thursday's preview

2010-06-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

The 219th General Assembly (National gathering) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be held for a week beginning Saturday (July 3 - 10) in Minneapolis.   Seven hundred commissioners and 200 advisory delegates (round numbers) from 188 presbyteries will meet in the biannual meeting. Eastern Oregon Presbytery has two commissioners, Rev. Steve Kliewer of Lostine and Elder Judy Chesnut of Milton-Freewater, and one Young Adult Advisory Delegate, Hannah Harwerth of Pendleton. Attending as observers are Rev. Linda Toth, General Presbyter and Elder Pete Wells, Stated Clerk.

I, Pete, am at the preview conference of the stated clerks from the presbyteries and synods of the church. Part of the agenda of the preview session is introduce the business topics which may generate the most passion or news (not necessarily the same) at the session.

The meeting will convene on Saturday. The first major item of business will be the election of a moderator to lead the meeting and be the spokesperson for the denomination until the next General Assembly in 2012 in Pittsburgh, PA. That election will be Saturday evening.   There are six candidates. The commissioners will vote until one of the candidates receives a majority of the votes cast.

Like governmental legislative bodies, the preliminary work is done in committees. There are 18 committees which review the business presented by the offices of the church and the presbyteries and synods.   The commissioners and advisory delegates will work in committees Sunday through Tuesday. I hope to be able to comment on some of the work of the committees, but won't have much detail until the full assembly starts acting on the recommendations from the committees, Wednesday afternoon.

You can follow the work of the General Assembly at www.pcusa.org/ga219.

The issues to come before the General Assembly include:

Matters having to do with how the church governs itself

The Form of Government, (FOG) to make substantial changes to the organization's Constitution
The role of Synods (regional bodies) between the General Assembly (national) office and the presbyteries (local area assemblies of ministers and churches)
How we process conflicts in the church (Rules of Discipline)

Statements that help us to define our faith

Whether to adopt additional or newly translated confessions (statements of faith)

Matters having to do with the intersection of social issues and the church

The role of the church having to do with marriage and civil unions
The role of LGBQ church members in church leadership (both ministers and elders)

Matters of internatilonal concerns

Consideration of a report on the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian people.
Other concerns of peace and justice in the US and around the world.

Many of these issues are of interest to relatively small groups in the church. Others have broader interest in the Presbyterian or other churches and yet others have to do with taking positions about matters outside the church.

I hope to post updates for the next 10 days. Let me know if you have particular matters that you would like to me to address.

Note: These comments are mine, alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon.

Pray for those of us from the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon and for the General Assembly as we seek to discern the Word of God in our time and place.

General Assembly 219 approaches

2010-06-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

I leave on Tuesday for the pre-assembly meeting of the Associaton of (presbytery and synod) stated clerks. We will meet Tuesday through Thursday before the Saturday convening of the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) on Saturday, July 3. The General Assembly will continue for one week, until noon on Saturday, July 10.

With me at General Asembly from Eastern Oregon Presbytery will be Rev. Steve Kliewer, Elder Judy Chesnut, Young Adult Advisory Delegate Hannah Harwerth, and general presbyter Rev. Linda Toth.

We look forward to serving Christ and the Church at the General Assembly.

Pete Wells
Stated Clerk

Summary of May meeting of the Synod of the Pacific

2010-06-04T08:23:00.000-07:00

Executive Rob Brink reported on the many Overtures to General Assembly, particularly highlighting those which are asking for a review of the structure of Synods. He also noted that the closure of CPIP Insurance continues to have issues to be worked out. The Roseville and Fair Oaks churches have both had preliminary meetings with the Synod negotiating team, with very hopeful results so far. And the “Healthy Congregations” training, facilitated by Bob Conover, is being very well received in several of our presbyteries.

Bedford Holmes, Director of Zephyr Point, reported that things are going well in spite of the difficult economy. This delightful Conference Center on Lake Tahoe, though reasonably priced, is far below full occupancy. There are two new lodges with motel-like accommodations, as well as 40 cabins available for rent. Three goals for the future: to increase occupancy, to expand programs, and to pay down existing construction loans through a capital campaign. Come up for air at Zephyr Point!

During worship on Thursday evening, the Sacrament of Communion was celebrated and an offering of $559 was received for the Theological Education Fund.

Highlights from our presbyteries:

Presbytery of Eastern Oregon, covering 46,000 sq. miles, is excited about new mission programs! They DO a mission project at each presbytery meeting! And the Tutuilla church has 3 projects on PMX! The Pilot Rock church, earlier destroyed by fire, now has a building, chairs, sound system, baptismal font, and a keyboard! But they also still have a huge building debt due to the closure of CPIP. This Presbytery of 16 churches and 1100 people is one of the top 10 presbyteries in per capita mission giving in the PC(USA)! Congratulations!

more in .pdf format
more in MS Word format

Celebrate the clean up of the Tutuilla Church Cemetery

2010-05-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

As announced at the April presbytery meeting, the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon had a mission work party at the Tutuilla Church near Pendleton to help the church clean up the cemetery.

More than 30 prebyterians from 8 of the presbytey's 16 churches participated this morning.

Weeds have been removed form within and immediately outside the cemetery. While we were working on the cemetery, members of the Faith Center church in Pendleton were working on restoring the exterior of the steeple. We all enjoyed lunch in Lowery Hall

Pictures will follow as I receive them.

Thanks to the Session and members of the Tutuilla Church for letting us work with you on this project.

Clerks of the Synod of the Pacific

2010-05-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

The presbytery stated clerks of the Synod of the Pacific are meeting Friday and Saturday, May 7 and 8, at a hotel near the San Francisco airport. We are sharing our knowledge and prejudices about the role of clerks in the presbytery. We share how we can best serve the churches and their members. This has been an exciting opportunity to be renewed in my service.

General Assembly Commissioners Prepare

2010-05-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

The presbytery's General Assembly Commissioners and Young Adult Advisory Delegate have started their preparation for the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to be held in Minneapolis, MN, July 3 to 10.

Commissioners Elder Judith Chesnut of Grace Presbyterian Church, Milton-Freewater, and Rev. Steve Kliewer of Lostine, together with Young Adult Advisory Delegate Hannah Harwerth of Pendleton First, have been assigned to committees for the General Assembly.   The Committee Assignments are:

Elder Chesnut      Committee 9, Mission Coordination
Rev. Kliewer       Committee 11, Social Justice Issues B:
YAAD Harwerth Committee 12, Civil Union and Marriage Issues

More information about the committees and the work they are doing may be found at www.pc-biz.org now through July 10 and thereafter.

On May 2, the commissioners, YAAD, general presbyter Rev. Linda Toth, and Stated Clerk Pete Wells participated in an orientaiton session for commissioners and YAADs from the presbyteries Boise, Kendall and Eastern Oregon.   This orientation was conducted as a Internet meeting and conference call. All commissioners, YAADs and staff from the three presbyteries were able to participate.

NEW to Eastern Oregon Presbyery - Presbytery sponsored service Project

2010-04-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

Come One, Come All, - The second ever presbtery wide service project for mission.

Tutuilla Presbyterian Church, Pendleton

Saturday, May 15

8:00, or so, optiional breakfast with the women of the Tutuilla Church

9:00 to noon, help clean the historic Tutuilla Church cemetery

Noon - lunch served by the Tutuilla Church

Bring yourself, a friend, and grounds clean-up tools
Bring yourself and a friend if you don't have tools

The first ever project was at the presbytery meeting April 16 and 17 where we assembled hygiene and school kits for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.

If this works out (an maybe if it doesn't) we will plan a presbytery-sponsored work project in or outside the US.

For more information about the May 15 project go to the project page on Pacific Mission Exchange

For more information about the hygiene and school kits go the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

To have your church's volunteer or funding opportunity projects listed on Pacific Mission Exchange contact Pete Wells

Be a fan of Pacific Mission exchange on facebook

Board of Trustees, Manual of Operations, Eastern Oregon Presbytery

2010-04-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

The presbytery board of trustees operating manual is available at Google Docs. If you have comments make them to me or to Board Moderator Rev. Duane Brudevold. Between now and the October meeting of presbytery the trustees will be discussing ways that the trustees can churches and the presbytery be assured that churches have appropriate insurance. If adopted by the presbytery, any changes to the manual of operations will become expectations for churches. If you have suggestions, please post them here or contact me or Rev. Brudevold.

For now, the trustees ask that you send the memorandum of insurance from your insurance carrier to me. The status of insurance coverage reported to me and corporate status is available as a Google Docs document.

Spring meeting of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon, April 16-17, Pilot Rock

2010-04-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Presbytery of Eastern Oregon

April 16-17, 2010
2:00 PM April 16
Pilot Rock Community Church
Pilot Rock, OR

The call and other information is available at http://bit.ly/azHAws

NOTE: we request that you bring with you supplies to make School and Hygiene Kits from the Heart.

Presbytry Council to meet March 13, 11:30 AM

2010-03-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

The presbytery council will be meeting by conference telephone call on March 13. The principal item of business is to set an agenda for the April 16-17 meeting of the presbytery in Pilot Rock.

Haiti earthquake PDA response update

2010-02-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

See Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow's blog "We have now raised $4,000,000 for short and long term recovery"

"Throughout my travels as I have been attending conferences and visiting ministries, I have invited folks to send me short write-ups on their ministries and, with the understanding that, as I was able, I would post them on this blog. My hope in doing this is by no means to touch upon all ministries with a Presbyterian connection, but only to gives glimpses of the breadth and depth in which we engage in ministry around the world.
At this very moment I am sitting in the Louisville Airport after a meeting of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and General Assembly Mission Council. There was quite a bit that went on during these meetings, but one of the most important was getting an update from the Haiti Disaster Response Team and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance."
http://www.mod.reyes-chow.com/2010/02/moderator-minute-for-mission-pda-haiti-update.html

Elona Street-Stewart, formerly of Pendleton, to be honored as PC(USA) Woman of Faith

2010-02-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

Elonaa Street Stewart, the wife of former Pendleton First associate pastor and pastor at Tutuilla and Ukiah David Stewart, will be honored at the PC(USA) General Assembly Women of Faith breakfast on July 4, during the PC(USA)’s 219th General Assembly (2010) in Minneapolis.

Elder Elona Street-Stewart, synod associate for racial ethnic ministries and community empowerment in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, is actively engaged in the PC(USA) and community missions, development and support programs. For the past 30 years, she has been involved at the grass roots and national levels in social justice issues, including racism, affirmative action, women and family issues, and public policy. She is chair of the St. Paul School Board, where she has served as a member since 2001. She is the first Native American to serve on an urban school board in Minnesota.

From the Presbyterian News Service

Comittee on the General Assembly (COGA) recommends Portland for 222nd GA in 2016

2010-02-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

LOUISVILLE, February 23 — The Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) is recommending that the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) be held in Portland, Ore.

The decision will be made by the upcoming 219th General Assembly, July 3-10 in Minneapolis. The 2012 and 2014 Assemblies will be held in Pittsburgh and Detroit, respectively.

Joe Small says clergy and laity are not Presbyterian terminology

2010-02-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

“Clergy and laity are two words that should never escape the lips of Presbyterians,” the Rev. Joe Small told members of Committees on Ministry and Preparation for Ministry here, insisting that Presbyterian polity and theology emphasizes “collegial ministry.” Presbyterian News Service

February 20 mission meeting of presbytery

2010-01-31T17:33:00.000-08:00

The winter mission meeting of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon will be

10:00 AM to 4:00PM

Saturday, February 20

Mt. Vernon Community Presbyterian Church

Information about the meeting is available at http://bit.ly/6wr0DD

All presbytery members, commissioners from churches, and mission advocates from the churches in the presbytery are particularly invited. All are welcome to share the mission of the presbytery and its churches.

The calendar of future meetings is at the bottom of this blog.

Prsbyterians respond to earthquakes in Haiti

2010-01-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is responding to earthquakes in Haiti through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and its partners. Presbyterian World Mission is gathering information on the safety and status of our mission personnel and ecumenical partners in the area. For updates on the earthquake and the church’s response, please visit PDA. Initial reports indicate a large number of casualties and widespread damage especially in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

You, too, can be part of God’s answer to prayer for those affected by this disaster. Information on the situation and prayers and worship resources will soon be available. Funds from One Great Hour of Sharing are already helping with the initial response. You can give to the ongoing relief through PDA account number DR000064.

For more information go to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Upcoming meetings of Presbytery Council and Presbytery

2010-01-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

The Eastern Oregon Presbytery Council will meet by telephone conference call on Saturday, January 23.

The presbytery will meet in person in Mt. Vernon on February 20. The focus of the meeting will be to share the mission work of the presbytery churches.   Also, the nominating committee will propose nominees to committees and to be commissioners and a young adult advisory delegate to the PC(USA) general assembly in Minneapolis, July 3 to 10.

One of the tasks of the presbytery council will be to set the agenda for the February presbytery meeting.   If you have agenda suggestions please contact Pete Wells by Friday, January 8.

The documents for the January 23 Presbytery Council are posted to docs.google.com and will be posted to the presbytery web site.

Call to meeting
   Word
   .pdf
Agenda for the council meeting
    Word
    .pdf
Draft agenda for the February 20 presbytery meeting in Mt. Vernon
    Word
    .pdf
More information will be posted at this site as it becomes available.

2009-12-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas Joy Offering children’s art contest winners announced

A submission by Daniel Evans, first place winner of Christmas Joy Offering Children’s Art Contest for the 11 to 14-year-old group.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The winners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Christmas Joy Offering Children’s Art Contest have been selected. The contest, in which children up to age 14 were invited to submit art representing their own visions of the Christmas story, attracted more than 250 submissions from scores of churches across the country.

In the 2- to 6-year-old group, the winners are:

First place — Audrey Farrell, 6, of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Wichita, Kansas
Second place — Jaedyn Lehman, 6, of Pendleton (Oregon) First Presbyterian Church

2009-12-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

New IRS auto use rates

2009-12-03T19:14:00.000-08:00

Based on the following, the mileage reimbursement for the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon for 2010 will be $0.25 per mile for one person in a car and $0.29 for two or more.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2010, the standard IRS mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

50 cents per mile for business miles driven
16.5 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes
14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

The new rates for business, medical and moving purposes are slightly lower than last year’s. The mileage rates for 2010 reflect generally lower transportation costs compared to a year ago.

Laura and Keith Hudson Installed at LaGrande

2009-11-29T20:17:00.000-08:00

Rev. Keith Hudson and Rev. Laura Hudson were installed as co-pastors at the First Presbyterian Church in LaGrande, Oregon on Sunday, November 29. We look forward to a ministry that is fulfilling to the congregation, the ministers, and the community.

LaGrande Presbyterian to install ministers

2009-11-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

The First Presbyterian Church of LaGrande will install Rev. Keith Hudson and Rev. Laura Hudson to be co-pastors:

Sunday, November 29
4:00 PM
First Presbyterian Church
1308 Washington
LaGrande, OR

Presbyterian Youth Triennium, July 20-24, 2010,

2009-11-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

Every three years the Presbyterian Church (USA), Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America gather thousands of Presbyterian youth and adult youth leaders together for worship, play, music, community building, and Bible study. This is known as the Presbyterian Youth Triennium or PYT! PYT is for young people entering or completed high school (approximately age 14-19 years old by July 20, 2010). Adult Advisors must be 21 years of age by this date. A Work Crew track is available for college-aged young people who would like to apply to attend and volunteer to work behind the scene is. There is also a new Ambassador program for our more mature friends. Check it all out! We hope to see you all at Triennium 2010.

Synod of the Pacific - Summary of the October meeting

2009-11-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

A summary of the October 2009 meeting of the Synod of the Pacific is available at http://bit.ly/1wn165. See what your Synod is up to. Form more information about the Synod of the Pacific see www.synodpacific.org

Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study, 2010.

2009-11-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

The 2010 mission yearbook is here. I have sent the yearbooks ordered this summer and, as suggested by the Mission Committee, I've sent two copies of the 2010 yearbooks to each church. This is a tool to help you see the national and world wide reach of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

I have two additional yearbooks available for sale for $8.15 each.

Nominating Committee working

2009-11-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

The Presbytery nominating committee is working to find appropriate candidates to serve vacant presbytery positions in 2010 and beyond. Some of the open positions are as commissioners and young adult advisory delegates to the 219th General Assembly, July 3 to 10 in Minneapolis. Young Adult Advisory delegates must be age 17 through 23 on July 3. Also, for members of the Committee on Ministry and the Program and Mission committee. There will be other openings as well.

If you have suggestions or questions contact Dorothy Knudson or Don Horneck.

Pete Wells

Presbytery mutuileeting summary

2009-10-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

The fall stated meeting of the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon is complete. We celebrated successes and transitions.

Success: The work of the Tutuilla administrative commission is complete. The church is functioning with the session meeting regularly, pastor Jack Schut leading worship regularly, and the church is reaching out to the community.

Success: The 50th anniversary of Roger Fisk's ordination. Celebrate not only the anniversary of Roger's ordination, but also his 50 years of service to Christ and the church.

Transition: Celebrate with us work of the pastor nominating committee of the First Presbyterian Church of LaGrande. On 10/25 they will recommend that the church call Keith Hudson and Laura Hudson as co-pastors. If that call is made the presbytery will recommend their ordination in Sitka Alaska and installation as co-pastors in LaGrande.

Success: The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the ministry of the Community Presbyterian Church in Mt. Vernon.

Success: The recognition by the PC(USA) General Assembly Mission Council that the presbytery was first in per capita giving in two categories in 2008. This recognition follows similar recognition last year.

Transition: Thanks for the work of Rev. Larry Loftus, stated supply to the First Presbyterian Church since 2008. Larry has provided leadership to Lostine for several years and most recently to LaGrande.

Transitions: Thanks for the work of intern Talitha Phillips from San Francisco Theological Seminary for her work during the past year. Talitha has provided great service to the Lostine church and the presbytery.

In addition the presbytery:
Set total General Assembly, Synod, and presbytery per capita assessment for 2010 at $26.00.

Heard the report from Eastern Oregon Presbytery Women on their work and their participation in the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women in July.

Mission Yearbook of Prayer and Study (Children's too)

2009-10-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

I've been told that the orders for mission yearbooks are being filled now. We should have ours by the end of the month. The Wednesday or Thursday before the presbytery meeting would have been better as I'll be leaving Pendleton for Lostine before I get deliveries on Friday. I'll find a way to ship them to you after the meeting, although they probably won't go out until November 3 at the earliest.

The material for the presbytery meeting changes daily

2009-10-21T22:44:00.000-07:00

Even more information received today, Thursday. Because of illness, Linda Toth will not be able to lead a discussion about the national and international mission of the Presbyterian church, (USA). This will accommodate a request by Mary Lou Welby to engage in conversation about a mission statement for the presbytery.

The new new material to the Eastern Oregon Presbytery reference material site: http://bit.ly/16cPYf

Christmas Joy Offering Material Now Available

2009-10-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

Material to assist in receiving the Christmas Joy Offering is now available at http://www.pcusa.org/cjoffering/index.htm .

One of the features of this year's Christmas Joy Offering is material from Children's Art Contest winners. One of those winners (2d place in 1 to 6 year age group) is Jaedyn Lehman of the Pendleton First church. Congratulations Jaedyn!!

Art from the Chiildren's Art Contest is at http://www.pcusa.org/cjoffering/childrenart.htm

Pension Board offers Tax classes for Ministers and Churches

2009-10-14T20:33:00.001-07:00

The Pension Board offers a free Webinar for ministers and churches on how to reduce taxes for the 2009 tax year.

Tax Tips Webinar for Ministers and Churches
December 9, 2009
Noon Pacific Time

Register now. Deadline November 20

Eastern Oregon Presbytery Reference Material

2009-10-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

Eastern Oregon Presbytery Refernce Material is available on Google Docs. The list of contents is available at http://bit.ly/dR3OR

Reference Material

Standing Rules of Presbytery

Presbytery Directory

Roll of Ministers

Elders attending General Assembly

Guideline for Session Minutes

Manual for Clerks of Session

Stated Clerk's Job Description

Fall Meeting of Presbytery

2009-10-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

See revised agenda posted 10/12/09

The fall meeting of Eastern Oregon Presbytery will be:
Friday and Saturday, October 23-24, 2009
Lostine Presbyterian Church
132 Highway 82
Lostine, Oregon
541-569-2451
Meeting background material is available at http://bit.ly/16cPYf

First Preview of General Assembly 219, July 3 - 10, 2010

2009-10-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm at the fall polity conference of the PC(USA) in Minneapolis, MN. This is the site of the 219th General Assembly, July 3- 10, 2010. More information is available at the GA web page, www.pcusa.org/ga219. At the October meeting, October 23-24, the presbytery will elect on minister and one elder to be commissioners and one youth to be a delegate to the General Assembly.

The facilities are exciting. Look at the Minneapolis information on the GA219 web site. We look forward to great hospitality.

2009-09-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Regional meetings with clerks of sessions to review, with the the stated clerk of presbytery, minutes of session and congregational meetings for the past year the weekend of October 17.

These meetings will be Saturday and Sunday, October 17 and 18 in Baker City, LaGrande, and Hermiston. Confirmed are

Baker City
10:00 AM, Saturday, October 17
First Presbyterian Church
1995 Fourth Street

Hermiston
2:30 PM, Sunday, October 18
Faith Presbyterian Church
1005 SE 9th Street

LaGrande
1:30 PM, Saturday October 17
First Presbyterian Church

The Presbytery of Eastern Oregon guidelines for session and congregational minutes is at http://bit.ly/11eKMx

A manual for clerks of session is at http://bit.ly/cWYxk

2009-09-25T07:16:00.001-07:00

PC(USA) guidance to congregations on dealing with the H1N1 Swine flu. This was published in the spring of 2009. http://bit.ly/Sw68t

2009-09-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

Presbyterian Church's Synod Pacific's new site to connect donors to mission explained 9/24 10:00 PDT http://bit.ly/rDxZq register here and follow the instructions on the email you will receive

2009-09-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Presbytery Meeting October 23-24
First Presbyterian Church
Lostine, Oregon

The next presbytery meeting will be October 23 and 24 in Lostine.

Information for the meeting is being posted on Google Docs. Return to the site as new material is posted.

I look forward to seeing you in Lostine.

2009-09-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Summaries of the September 12 Presbytery Council meeting are available on Google Docs in .pdf and documents formats. See the index of council meeting material here.

2009-09-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage to the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has released its Daft of Preliminary Report.

That draft report is at
http://www.pcusa.org/oga/newsstories/final-prelim-report-civil-union-marriage-spec-cmte-091809.pdf

Responses can be sent electronically to civilunion.marriage@pcusa.org
or mailed to

Civil Union and Christian Marriage Committee
Office of the General Assembly
Room 4621
100 Witherspoon Street
Louisville, KY 40202-1396

The committee will meet in January to write its recommendations to the assembly.

Read more about the work of the committee at
http://www.pcusa.org/oga/newsstories/ga218-spec-cmtes.htm#civil

2009-09-13T07:10:00.000-07:00

Recommended insurance coverage for churches is available on Google Docs. This is text document so you may be able to download it without registering with Google.

2009-09-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Contact information for those who have expressed interest in serving the insurance needs of the Eastern Oregon Presbytery;

Dawn St. Clair
PresbyterianOne Insurace
Heffernan Insurance Brokers
PO Box 69038
Portland, OR
Business: 800.208.6912 x204
Fax: 503.226.1478
dawns@heffins.com
www.presbyterianone.org

GuideOne Insurance
Doug Bacon
950 W Ironwood Dr, Ste 6
Coeur D Alene, ID 83814-2644

(208) 664-6000‎

guideone.com

UCC Insurance Board

Insurance Board
700 Prospect Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115

(800) 437-883

www.uccib.org

PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - Match point

2009-09-10T07:20:00.001-07:00

PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - Match point

"Thank You's" received from PC(SAU GA Offices

2009-09-09T21:27:00.001-07:00

Following the description of the presbytery in the Mission Yearbook of Prayer and Study, we received "thank you" cards from:
a. The six agencies of the PC(USA) [Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, General Assembly Mission Council, Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation, Board of Pensions, and Office of the General Assembly.
b. Presbyterian Peacemaking Program Staff.

Thanks to you, for all you do.

Pacific Mission Exchange about to launch

2009-09-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

The newest project of the PC(USA) Synod of the Pacific designed to allow church members and others to support mission is the Pacific Mission Exchange www.pacificmissionexchange. Each of he 11 presbyteries of the Synod of the Pacific may enter mission projects of the presbytery or churches in the presbytery. These will be displayed to individuals and groups who wish to contribute to specific mission opportunities.

This new tool for communicating mission will be announced at an on-line press conference on Thursday, September 24 at 10:00 AM, Pacific time. For more details, see the press conference notice at bit.ly/3xnIAD. For more information contact Pete Wells, pwells@oregontrail.net or Kathy Trott, mission@pacificmissionexchange.org.

PC(USA) task force releases final draft report on new Form of Government

2009-09-07T08:23:00.000-07:00

The reconstituted task force on the new Form of Government has released the final draft of their report. The final report will be presented to the General Assembly in Minneapolis, MN, July 3 to 10, 2010.

The report is available at the task force's web site.

The final report will be available to the churches by January 1.

2009-09-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Celebrate

The Mount Vernon Community Presbyterian Church is celebrating its centennial.

Sunday, September 13
Worship at 11:00 AM
Celebration to follow

Presbyery Council meeting Sept. 12, by phone

2009-09-06T17:58:00.000-07:00

The presbytery council will meet by phone

Saturday, September 12
1:30 PM, Pacific Time
866-941-8436
The passcode is 1047005#

To read the call to meeting, agenda, or other information click here. You will be redirected to a Google Docs site. You will be able to read any of the documents. To download or print .pdf documents you will have to go to the presbytery web site or sign in with a free Google account.