The Moderator’s June Column

Office of the General Assembly
by Cynthia Bolbach
Moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010)

LOUISVILLE — “I’m just an elder.”

Have you heard someone say that? Have you said it yourself? Maybe in response to being asked to lead worship, or preach, or visit someone in the hospital?

“No,” you reply, “I couldn’t do that. I’m just an elder. Those are things the pastor does.”

Our Presbyterian polity doesn’t recognize the statement, “I’m just an elder.” In our polity, ruling elders and teaching elders (also known as Ministers of the Word and Sacrament) share equally in the governance and spiritual leadership of the church. Our calls to ministry encompass different functions and tasks, but we are called equally to ministry and to leadership in the church.

For too long the ministry of ruling elder has been diminished, equated with serving on a non-profit board of directors. Yes, the session does perform tasks like hiring nursery attendants and deciding whether the amount of insurance coverage is adequate. But that is not the primary task of the session or of the ruling elders who serve on it.

Ruling elders have the awesome task of measuring our community of faith’s fidelity to the Word of God. As the proposed new Form of Government puts it, “Ruling elders, together with teaching elders, exercise leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a congregation as well as the whole church, including ecumenical relationships” (G-2.0301).

There’s no “just” anywhere in that sentence.

Being a ruling elder is not easy. But we are not in this alone. Others are there to guide us as we seek to carry out our high calling.

From June 30–July 2, Presbyterians will gather in Indianapolis for the “Big Tent.” A significant component of the Big Tent will be the Elders Conference – a chance for all of us who are ruling elders to come together, share common thoughts and concerns, learn how to be better ruling elders, and, not least, to discover the “top ten things elders need to know.” Really, how can you stay away?

Visit the Big Tent website to register. I look forward to seeing with you there!

Here is it the first week of August, and it seems summer only began a week ago.  Maybe that’s because it took such a good, long time to warm up.

So here we are thinking about back to school and gearing up all the local church programs.  And so it is at the presbytery level as well.

The next several weeks include meetings of:

• the Mission Grants Allocation Committee reviewing and recommending all the projects submitted for 2010 funding;
• All Things Green, on August 13, looking at pursuing a green strategy for Winnebago Presbytery;
• the Global Partnership Task Group working on  plans for the early October visit of International Peacemaker, the Rev. Diego Higuita, from Colombia;
• the  Camp Task Group preparing for the the October 28-31 Presbytery-wide youth event;
• the Finance Committee taking a first look at presbytery budget requests for next year;
• the  Council in preparation for the September 15 Presbytery meeting in Wabeno;
• the Transitional/ Directional Task Force of Council continuing to look at the future course of the Presbytery;
• the Committees on Ministry and Preparation for Ministry continuing their work with the clergy, lay pastors, congregations, and seminarians.

Already scheduled for September:

• September 12 – Barbara Anne Keely is the featured presenter at a joint Presbytery/Northeast Association UCC Christian education event in Oshkosh designed for teachers, committee members, pastors and educators.   More information.
• September 15 – Presbytery Meeting at First Church, Wabeno.  The theme is “accessibility.”
• September 20-21 – Winnebago and Milwaukee Presbyteries are sponsoring a joint Christian Educator Retreat at Green Lake Conference Center.  More details coming soon.

WOW!  We’re busy, and none of this would happen without the wonderful folks from our 40 congregations who volunteer!  Thanks for ALL you do!

The regular meeting of Winnebago Presbytery was held on Tuesday May 12 at First Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc.

The theme of the meeting was integrating technology into the life of the congregation.  The meeting was held in the newly renovated fellowship hall which, in addition to many physical improvements, is wifi accessible.

Elder Jess Wakefield of Covenant Community Church in Schofield was recognized for completing his lay pastor training and was certified as a Trained Lay Pastor in the presbytery.

Upon return from the Women’s Lambing weekend at the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas, five of the participants shared pictures and stories of their time together.  They presented to the staff a token of their appreciation – pictured below – which now hangs in the presbytery office.

By Dave Root – First Presbyterian Church, Marshfield

The first two weeks in November, my Son in Law, Kevin Mitchell, and I made another disaster relief trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to assist Katrina victims. As a point of comparison, this was my 7 th trip to the area, the first being three weeks after the storm hit. You can see a difference now as people are trying to put their lives and living conditions back in order.

From my viewpoint, the biggest difference is being made by the faith-based volunteers that continue to provide assistance. Not least among these efforts is the Presbyterian Church( USA) which has committed to years of continuing the rebuilding process. Presbyterian Churches along the coast continue to host and house volunteers that come from everywhere. These congregations demonstrate the patience that God calls us to, in putting up with itinerants that use their facilities, sometimes not always in the way desired.Presbyterians can be very proud of the “Christ-like” atmosphere that is apparent in the region.

Kevin and I joined with a team from the Christ Memorial Presbyterian Church located in Columbia , Maryland . We numbered about 10 in all and with various skills ranging from professional builders to rank armatures. Some of the team had medical backgrounds and volunteered at the free clinic that is established in the area. The Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gulfport was our host.

The effort has changed from repairing existing homes to building new homes. We worked on two homes that were very near completion. One of these was completed to the point that we participated in a “key ceremony ” on our last Friday. This was gratifying as with other trips we didn’t get to witness a completion. The lady occupying the new home was brought to tears as she thanked us and described the hopeless situation she faced after the storm.

The Presbyterian motto for the relief effort is “out of chaos, hope”. It is comforting to know that in Christ’s name we can provide this hope. The work is far from being complete and we must continue to concentrate on being the hope for these unfortunate victims.

From the Presbyterian News Service

September 29, 2008
Peace Passing All Understanding

by Jerry L. Van Marter
Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — The threat — and reality — of violence lurks just beneath the surface calm of Antioquia, Colombia, says the Rev. Diego Higuita-Arango, a Presbyterian pastor in the mountainous agricultural village where he serves.

“Right now is an apparent calm — the violence is more psychological than physical,” Higuita told the Presbyterian News Service in a Sept. 25 interview during a break in the orientation of a dozen International Peacemakers who are preparing to itinerate in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations for the next month under the auspices of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.

“Those who perpetrated the violence are still there,” Higuita says of the protracted conflict that has pitted pro-government paramilitaries against guerilla forces with Colombian peasants and church people caught in the crossfire, “but most of them are fatigued and looking for a change. Some combatants have fled, but are still luring. International pressure has helped. Strategies have changed. The killings are more selective these days.”

In such a situation, “it’s hard to be the church,” Higuita says, noting that he is “afraid for my life all the time.” Colombia remains polarized, these days into pro- and anti-Uribe (Colombia’s president). “Both sides want to force you to choose and everyone is caught in the middle,” he says.

The challenges for the war-torn country and the church are many, Higuita says. “We must reconstruct the social web of our community after so many years of war,” he says. “Our children need education and a sense of security. There is also much diaconal service, because lots of families have lost everything. Many are displaced.”

The fabric of communities like Antioquia has been so torn apart by the decades of violence that “creating a dynamic peace” is very difficult, Higuita says. “How does the church create a community that understands the importance of faith?” he queries.

When people are assailed on all sides, he adds, “We in the Presbyterian Church of Colombia understand ourselves to be in relationship — with God, with the environment and with each other. This sense of dynamic ‘being’ includes all and our general objective as a church is to uplift the human rights of each person.”

Higuita’s itineration as an International Peacemaker will include visits to the presbyteries of Chicago, Winnebago, Hudson River and Salem. His message to the U.S. Presbyterians he will meet:
“Apart from all the bad things, God is all-powerful and will bring peace to God’s world.”