Joe Small says clergy and laity are not Presbyterian terminology

“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

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

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

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.

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

New IRS auto use rates

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.