After Words
Being a highly personal view of the events of the Pittsburgh Presbytery meeting at Northmont Presbyterian Church on June 7, 2007.
Moderator David Green called the meeting to order with prayer and Stated Clerk Jay Lewis announced a quorum was present.
We went immediately to worship and Pastor to Presbytery Jim Mead preached his “Next to the Last Words.” “Jesus,” he noted, “has the last word on everything. We have made news recently and I tend to like it when we don’t make news. It is painful for churches to leave. Yet we have ample reason to believe that our theology and practice, that our Christology, are intact. We wrestle when the gospel and the culture clash and that is what Presbyterians are called to do in every age. It is our particular call in the church to wrestle with the authority of scripture against the claims of the culture.”
“When people say they want to be the New Testament church, I want to know which one. Do you really want to be part of that?” Using the chapter heads of the letters to the Corinthians he noted that the church wrestled with sexual immorality, false teaching, and the wrong use of spiritual gifts and abuse of the Lord’s Supper. “It has ever been thus. We wrestle and fight about what is painful when the gospel and culture collide because that is what we are uniquely gifted to do. We suffer for it and in doing so we share in the suffering of Jesus Christ.”
Reminding the congregation of the words of Dietrich Bonheoffer, Mead told the congregation that it is God who creates Christian Community through Jesus Christ and we have the gall to say that we don’t like the community God created, “As if we had better taste than Jesus! We are a bunch of sinners saved by the blood and grace of Christ Jesus. What I don’t get is why it is a good time to go. Evangelicals felt they were excluded but there has never been a more welcoming time for evangelicals than now. Church renewal is alive in this denomination. This is a terrific time for evangelicals to fund the programs that you like.”
“We are vying for victim hood in the denomination. We are cherishing our victim hood. Yet this denomination will be lessened without your voice. Jesus was never a victim; he willingly gave his life for us. We have to fight for truth, purity and for real justice. There is a temptation to divide into parties but I tell you not to demonize each other. Judge each other by the fruits that you bear. Refuse to follow leaders whose fruit is anger and enmity. Keep them out of power. Empower the people who like the mission of the Presbytery.” (Click here to view Jim’s full sermon.)
Rev. Mead introduced his wife, Carolyn, and acknowledged her spiritual leadership in their lives. He stated that the only reason he is leaving now is because he and Carolyn have been called to be with family after nine years away.
“But many of you know that the best way to impact communities is through churches, and the best opportunity to help churches matter for Christ is missional work by a presbytery—in calling pastors, setting vision, holding people accountable, making partnerships between congregations and more.” His voice cracking, Mead concluded, “This has been the most worthwhile ministry of my life.”
We shared communion and many people made sure they got in the line where Rev. Mead was serving.
No visitors or corresponding members were recognized. Rev. Don Ewing, pastor of Northmont, brought greetings and noted that 14% of their budget goes to mission. He drew our attention to a booklet produced by their mission committee about the ministries supported by Northmont.
We installed the Rev. Gail B. King as vice moderator for the southern district.
The Rev. Jonnie Monroe brought us more information about the 200 years of Black Presbyterianism. He spoke on the role of education, particularly the efforts of northern Presbyterians to develop secondary and college level schools to educate free and freed African Americans. He also made specific mention of the efforts of Pittsburgh Presbyterians to help found and fund such schools. Elder Johnson C. Smith gave the Biddle Boys School an endowment. The school became a college and seminary and two of our African Pastors, Dr. Monroe and the Rev. Samuel George, are graduates. More presentations will be given through this year on the contributions of African Americans to American Presbyterianism.
Rev. Pat Mason called the body’s attention to a forum taking place on June 23rd with the Rev. Dr. Robert M. Franklin, president elect of Morehouse College. It will take place at Bidwell Presbyterian Church.
At the beginning of the Council Report, Rev. Stuart Broberg gave Jim a lightening sculpture and noted that with grace and humility Jim had been a lightening rod to what is happening in Presbytery.
Rev. Carol Divens Roth noted that a celebration of Jim’s ministry will take place on June 23rd at Bethany Presbyterian Church. A monetary gift is being collected. It will be used to by a gift for Jim and to fund the James E. Mead Transformational Ministry Fund. Carol asked people to stay to the end of the meeting for a brief celebration of Jim’s ministry.
Elder Tom Bice, chair of personnel for Council, noted that a full text of the transition plan is on the Presbytery website. Council is seeking nominations for a committee to find the next Pastor to Presbytery. The Transition Study Team includes the Rev. Dana Jones, chair, Elder Emily Rosenthal, Rev. Don Ewing, Elder Kim Tillotson, Rev. Eugene Blackwell, Rev, Stuart Broberg, ex-officio and another person to be named.
Elder Sharon Stuart shared the plan for a call to blanket Pittsburgh Presbytery in prayer.
Elder Carol Hunley wore three hats. As chair of the finance committee of council, she announced that money had been budgeted for the transition expenses. She also noted that council called for a $10,000 increase in the Lazarus Fund and issued a challenge to congregations to collect a donation in a matching amount. In a moment of personal privilege, Rev. David Carver urged congregations to become involved in the Lazarus Fund so that people in need did not have to go past 15 other Presbyterian churches to get help. He also expressed frustration that it takes too much time to get the money to the people who need it.
Elder Hunley continued her report with two property matters, one allowing Pleasant Hills Church to sell a residence and real estate they had been given and for Bethel in Monroeville to sell a partial lot to an abutting landowner.
She then led the body in a review of the work of the Negotiated Settlement Group with the Beverly Heights Presbyterian church. She praised Rev. Rick Wholing and the church for their openness and good faith in the discussions. She tearfully wished Rev. Wholing and the congregation well and noted, “Christ was not just present, Christ was central to the process.” She outlined the preliminary points of agreement. These included:
Questions centered on the $250,000: whether it was a payment or a gift, how would it be paid, who will administer the funds council collects, and was past per capita included in this figure? Carol Hunley and Stuart Broberg urged everyone to remember that this was a preliminary agreement and could change before it is finalized.
Stuart Broberg reported on the vote at Memorial Park. Its request to be dismissed to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church has been given to the Negotiated Settlement Team. Senior Vice Moderator Kears Pollock will head a team for those members of Memorial Park who do not want to go to the new denomination.
An elder wanted to know what it is that we are doing wrong that people want to go. Rev. Broberg answered by noting that we should take the long view of separation. “It is about honoring Christ. At the reunion of the Old School and New School Presbyterians in 1869 the New School Assembly marched from Third Presbyterian Church down to First Presbyterian Church and they joined together. Time, the love of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit heals all wounds. We hope for reunion and reconciliation.”
The Presbytery celebrated the beginning of a new church development of Vietnamese Presbyterians. They will be meeting at Fourth Presbyterian and have a pastor coming from California who will begin Seminary in the fall.
In the report of the Stated Clerk, Rev. Jay Hollinsworth, chair of the merger commission for Mulberry and Edgewood, asked for an extension to the end of the year for the mortgage note to be paid.
Stated Clerk Jay Lewis read (word for word as ordered by the Synod) of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the complaint filed after the October Presbytery meeting. The complete text is on the Synod of the Trinity website. From the reading it sounded like the complainants won part of the decision and the Presbytery policy won part of the decision.
Senior Vice Moderator Kears Pollock took over the chair.
In his final report, the Pastor to the Presbytery noted that it is Presbytery night at the Pirates on June 29th. There are two new buttons on the Presbytery website: “What Do Presbyterians Believe?” and updates on the work with Beverly Heights and Memorial Park. The rest of his report time was the commissioning of the Camp Crestfield Staff, the Youth Triennium delegates and the Trip to Malawi participants. The Rev. Ed Bowen prayed for the people going and announced their commissioning.
In matters left from the April Meeting of Presbytery the Presbytery voted the nominating committee slate for the Committee on Preparation. Three nominations were received from the floor. There are still two places to be filled and the moderator expressed the hope that those nominated from the floor might fill those spots.
Rev. Jim Tinnemeyer presented five people to move from inquirer to candidate and all were duly passed. Tamara Yeager and Tracey Cowen passed their oral trials and will be ordained. Vice Moderator Kears Pollock lead the commissioning for Michael Gehrling from inquirer to candidate, noting that “I have known you since you were coming to church in a baby carrier and I won’t tell the presbytery about your behavior in church your first ten years.”
Elder Homer Snodgrass shared the call of Rev. Rae Hodge to be the Spiritual Care Coordinator at Odyssey Health Care. Northview Presbyterian church asked for “relief of conscience” in paying Board of Pension dues. He noted the call of Bethel, Monroeville, of Rev. Emily Koehler as temporary supply. We welcomed five women and one man to new ministries in the Presbytery. The Rev. Gail King, second woman to be ordained by Pittsburgh Presbytery, was honorably retired. James Miller, Diane Paul and John Detwiler shared insights into Gail’s ministry.
The hunger offering netted $1946.56. There were 152 ministers and 135 elders present for a total of 287 people. Seventy-five churches were represented by one elder and there were 55 visitors registered.
In celebration of Jim Mead’s ministry, Carol Divens Roth, Mae Wee and Becky Little led the remaining body in a song to the tune of Lord of the Dance. Those who remained were able to meet in the chancel and to lay hands on Jim. Dave Carver, Eugene Blackwell and Carol Hunley led in prayer.
The resolution of thanks was given by Moderator David Green, we voted to adjourn and Gail King closed us in prayer at 6:00 p.m.
Faithfully submitted,
Rev. Mary Lee Talbot, Ph.D.
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