Mileage Reimbursement Rates Remain 27¾¢ and 31¾¢ for 2012

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.

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Presbytery Welcomes Two Pastors

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

“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.

More

Mission Yearbooks are Here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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