The
Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area met for their July meeting on Tuesday, July
14 at Associated Church in Owatonna. I
enjoyed the lovely drive from the north Metro to Owatonna, relishing the beauty
of the lush land. I set up a table
before the meeting to talk to folks about Sundaes on Wednesday at Chain of
Lakes. During the summer our new
congregation worships on Wednesdays. We
enjoy a meal at 6:00 p.m. followed by worship and ice cream sundaes. Anyone who is out of town on the weekends is
very welcome to worship with us. At the
table next to me were folks from Houses of Hospitality. I enjoyed talking to them and learning more
about this important young adult ministry.
After
a rousing worship service and challenging sermon by Dr. Paula Sanders, the
Presbytery received officer reports. This
was the first opportunity for Dr. Jeff Japinga to speak to the Presbytery as
the Designated Executive Presbyter. He
shared that in the next 120 days he is going to focus on four areas. First, he intends to earn trust by getting to
know people in the Presbytery. Second,
he is going to commit himself to congregational vitality and church
leadership. He shared that the
Presbytery is only as strong as its congregations and leaders. Third, he is going to help the Presbytery
begin to envision its future and where God is calling us. Part of this is developing clear parameters
around the use of funds the Presbytery has received in gracious separation agreements. Fourth, he wants to give intentional energy
and thinking to communication.
I
found it refreshing to hear our Executive Presbyter lay out his intentions and
direction.
He
has one more week of teaching at Mc Cormick Seminary and then will be able to
give his full attention to Presbytery work.
The talk he shared for the Presbytery can be read at: http://files.ctctcdn.com/17207f49001/4b1d6934-3e3c-473a-b3db-8f1f6f4ef86e.pdf
In
his remarks Thomas Ruter (chair of the Presbytery Leadership Team) shared that
a Task Force of the Presbytery Leadership Team is developing a proposal for
parameters around the use of funds the Presbytery has received in gracious
separation agreements. I missed the first part of Tom’s presentation
as I had to take a phone call, so I’m unsure who is serving on this Task
Force. No written information was shared
about this.
During
the Stated Clerk’s report Barbara Lutter shared a detailed report on the law
suit with the Presbyterian Church in Eden Prairie. She shared that lawyers from each side are
sharing discovery requests. Thousands of
pages of records have been gathered by the Administrative Commission. The next step is depositions that hopefully will
take place before the end of the summer.
A mediator has been chosen to work through an alternative dispute
resolution. She shared that the Administrative
Commission hopes and prays for a negotiated settlement. Unfortunately the process could be lengthy
and expensive. The Administrative
Commission has set up a web page about the case that is on the Presbytery web
site. The link is: http://www.presbyterytwincities.org/EPPCAC
Luke
Roske-Metcalfe shared a very detailed report about research he helped lead
regarding Latino Ministry. The report is
worth a reading. It can be found at on
pages 23-26 of the Presbytery minutes: http://www.presbyterytwincities.org/PresbyteryMeetingInfo
In
her report Rochelle Letourneau shared that a Task Force has been formed from
the Committee on Congregational Vitality which will help with the
implementation of the new structure of the Presbytery. People serving on this Task Force were asked
to stand.
Al
Zdrazil shared that the Advocates for Integrity in Ministry as proposing a
change to the sexual misconduct policy of the Presbytery. His report can also be found in the
Presbytery minutes.
The
meeting concluded at about 6:20. The
leaders of the Associated Church treated us to a wonderful meal. I enjoyed visiting with my friends from
Community Presbyterian in Plainview and hearing how the Spirit is alive in that
congregation.
