GOOD NEWS

from the

Presbytery of Great Rivers

We are called to share Christ's love by partnering in service, 

uniting in worship, and risking in ministry.

February 10, 2023

Announcements

PGR Newsletter

Our Newsletters will go out the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. The deadline for adding information is the Wednesday before.

Job Postings

First Presbyterian Church of Normal is seeking a full-time Director of Family Ministry. The Director of Family Ministry will be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining a compelling, realistic vision for the children’s and student ministries of First Presbyterian Church of Normal. The Director of Family Ministry will seek to formulate, implement, and maintain a full, diverse, attractive calendar of programming including opportunities for spiritual formation, fellowship, service, recreation, and outreach. For full job description or if you have any questions, please email mwilcox@firstpresnormal.org.

Now Hiring Music Director: Milan Presbyterian Church is looking for a Music Director to work with our congregation. Please check out the job description linked here for more information and how to apply, and please share widely!

Click the button below for job openings in the Presbyterian Church (USA) national entities.

Church Support for Family Leave Grant

A New Grant to Support Family Leave

The Visioning Team is proud to present a new grant for churches whose pastors are on paid family leave.

At the 225th General Assembly, an overture was made to provide paid family leave for all called and installed clergy. Inspired by this overture, this new grant reimburses up to $1500 of pastoral coverage costs for all clergy (installed, commissioned, or temporary supply) on paid family leave. Regardless of whether the proposed overture becomes an official change to the Book of Order, this grant will remain

available to support churches whose pastors are on leave. We hope this will make it easier for congregations to care for their pastors who are experiencing major family and life changes.

This grant will reimburse congregations for pulpit supply and Session moderation costs, plus mileage, for up to 12 weeks of family leave. Family leave in this circumstance is defined as including but not limited to leave to accommodate the birth, foster placement, or adoption of a child, to provide care to an ill or disabled family member, or to heal following a loss or tragic event. Awards will be prioritized for churches most in need, as this fund is intended to help congregations make ends meet during family leave.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. To learn more or apply, please use this attached form. Applications and questions can be sent to visioning@greatriverspby.org.

PRESBYTERY ASSEMBLY

Saturday, February 25th, 2023

First Presbyterian Church of Normal

(2000 E College Avenue Normal, IL 61761) 

& Via ZOOM

Meeting from 10 am - 3:00pm 

Site opens at 9:30 am

Zoom Practice for Beginners at 9:30 am

The childcare & meal reservation deadline is February 10th - after that meals & childcare cannot be guaranteed.

Docket and necessary documents will be posted here by February 15th.

Join us for our first regular assembly of the year! We'll come together in worship including a sermon by Rev. Matt Wilcox and music from FPC Normal. Some of the business to be addressed includes: Approving new nominations

Dismissing Administrative Commissions who have finished helping churches during difficult transitions.

Sharing updates from the Lead Presbyter Nominating Committee.

In-person attendees, please bring books, curriculum, or liturgical items you'd like to swap, or bring bags and be ready to take things home!

Please register by clicking the link below.

2023 Assembly Dates

April 29th at Westminster Springfield

August 26th at Peoria United

November 11 at Faith United, Monmouth

In-person and Virtual

Clerk's Corner

Friends, you have likely heard by now, at the beginning of January, the Hebrew Scripture book was announced for the Winter Biblical Exegesis Exam. It was announced the book chosen would be Judges. However, the specific passage was not made known and would not be made known until the exam takers were to begin their exams on January 28th. At that time, the text of Judges 19 was given as the text that exam takers would need to exegete. Content Warning. I will not speak to the facts of this passage in my clerk's corner, but if you have not read this passage, consider this statement your content/trigger warning before you do so.

Social media quickly picked up on the particulars of the text and the potential traumatization and harm that could, may, and would come to exam takers as well as exam readers by the chosen text. As you may have seen, through social media questions were being asked as to how this could have happened, whether or not there would be some form of alternative for those who would not be able to take the exam, and if the committee responsible sought to offer an apology. Many, over the last almost two weeks, have used the social media platform as a method of protesting and voicing concerns. Some information has come from the committee but not as much that has been deemed satisfactory by most. You may have also seen more information and comments as they have gone beyond social media and have now been reported through various media outlets. 

During this time, many of you have reached out to me about your own concerns, journeys, and thoughts about where to go next. I thank you for trusting me to reach out, knowing that I would continue to do my part and stay in the conversation. Our CPM has done its diligence as well.

On Wednesday, February 8th, the Association of Mid-Council Leaders, hosted their regular virtual meeting and invited Rev. Tim Cargal, the Associate Director for Ministry Leadership Development, who serves as ex officio of the PCC and Rev. Robert Lowery, the chair of the PCC (Presbyterian Cooperative Committee on Exams) to be a part of the conversation. The chair of the Bible Task Force of the PCC was not available. I attended this meeting. Here are the highlights of the questions you have been asking:

• How did Judges 19 get chosen? The process for choosing a text was explained to the 112 Mid-Council leaders who gathered. The process is extensive and takes approximately two years. The text itself goes through multiple stages of exegesis and "listening teams" within the PCC itself have opportunities to "hear" the text without responding and then later respond and ask questions. Many of the questions that are being raised are the same questions that were raised within the two-year process of this exam. In the end, the PCC believed that moving forward with this text was appropriate because it is vital for those going into ministry, those looking to be ordained, to be able to address the "texts of terror" (as they have been called by Dr. Phillis Trible). 
• The disagreement between those on the PCC and those voicing their concerns about this chosen text, is not whether or not it is important for pastors to be able to understand this text and even to be able to respond in a pastoral manner to those who might come seeking conversation around this text, it is whether or not an ordination exam was the appropriate method for a potential pastor to work through this text and if this was an appropriate text for exam readers, both teaching elders and ruling elders, to have to read exam after exam of such a difficult passage. The argument against being that the ordination exams are already a high-stress situation and they are done in seclusion. Another argument has been, if not having any choice in the matter regarding this passage would be harmful and triggering. The answer has come to be yes, as we have heard through various medias, that this has been triggering and harmful for many.
• "There was a way out of taking the exam, but at what cost?" It was announced that those who were not able to complete the exam would be able to relay this to Rev. Tim Cargal and then would automatically be signed up for the Spring Biblical Exegesis Exam at no cost to them. The critique was having to message Rev. Tim Cargal about trauma responses around an exam and the appropriateness of having to share this information with Rev. Tim Cargal to be excused from the exam in this manner. During our meeting on Wednesday, Rev. Cargal explained that the online exam system has no other way to process individuals retaking an exam automatically and without cost. Others were concerned this would delay the ordination of some individuals. Our polity does remind us that extenuating circumstances can allow for a Presbytery to offer an alternative form of examination. This does, however, need to be voted on by the Presbytery. Issues remained.
• Has the PCC come to an agreement that what they offered up as a text for the winter exam, did in fact, cause harm, even inadvertently, and have they offered an apology? The answer to this is complex. You may have read that the chair of the PCC has offered his regrets for those who have been harmed. However, the question remains, who or what, is responsible and should be offering the apology? The PCC does not meet until March. Typically, their meetings are closed because of the nature of their work. However, they are making sure to dedicate time at their March meeting to hear the concerns of many. There really may not be much more that is heard from the PCC until then. This is an unknown.
• How do we move forward? During the course of the conversation, the chair of the PCC was asked if they had consulted with trauma-informed specialists about using this text for the exam. The answer was no because there is no method put into place for the PCC to consult with outside individuals and agencies regarding such matters. While many call for an end to the ordination exams altogether, others acknowledge that there is a need for change and oversight. What will change look like? Has the PCC looked at all that has happened and will they make a plan to change future courses of action? Most of this remains an unknown at this point. I suspect there will be continued conversation both within the PCC and outside. I also suspect we will see overtures coming to the next General Assembly. 

Thank you again, for all who have reached out. I know this has been a very difficult time for many people. I pray as a denomination, we will find our path forward.

Rev. Elissa Bailey

Presbytery of Great Rivers Stated Clerk

Register now for The Art of Transitional Ministry Training, Week I & II. May 22-26, 2023 at the beautiful Mercy Center, St. Louis, MO

We live in a crazy time of transition in our churches and culture. Transitional Ministry Education is not limited to those presently engaged in or inquiring about transitional ministry. Anyone interested in learning how to walk through change alongside your church is invited to join in. PLUS, we have expanded to include a more diverse faculty and re-worked curriculum for this spring.

Mercy Center is a beautiful convent and retreat center which provides: good food for gathering, lovely grounds for unwinding, a labyrinth for spiritual centering, AND great space for meeting and learning from other motivated pastors, CREs, and all who serve the church on committees.

Basic Transitional Ministry Education consists of 60 contact hours plus a practicum. The contact hours are divided equally between two residency weeks: Week I (30 hours) and Week II (30 hours), separated by a practicum that combines reflection on, and experience in, some aspect of interim/transitional ministry.

The faculty this spring includes: Rev. Dr. Barbara Wilson, Chicago Presbytery Director of Collaboration & Community Partnerships; Rev. Dr. Eric Thomas, Pastor of Siloam Pres, Brooklyn, NY; Rev. Bruce Jones, Transitional pastor, Milwaukee, WI; Rev. Dr. Tassie Green, Bridge Pastor of Hope Pres, Wheaton, IL; Rev. Gail Doering, Southern Kansas Transitional EP; and Tony de la Rosa, Transitional Exec, Synod of Mid America.

For more information and to register go to: 

http://synodma.org/transitional-ministry-education

For questions: contact Dylan at office@synodma.org or faculty dean Tassie Green at revtassiegreen@gmail.com

From Your Finance Team

As we begin 2023 --Please remember

 Every time you submit funds to the presbytery office please use a remittance form – see below. Be sure to fill this out completely - including contact information & a breakdown of how you want your funds distributed. Be sure to use the correct PIN # -- we’ve had some churches submitting under the wrong number -- see link below to list.

If you send funds using on-line banking or another agency please feel free to scan & email the remittance form to smcgrath@greatriverspby.org. If you are unsure of what amount you still need to pay– just ask – we’re happy to double check for you.

Please take a couple minutes to use the links below to update your contact information.

This is vital to have current info when we need to reach out with a question. Back in September the annual Per Capita packets were mailed out. These were mailed to the attention of the Clerk of Session. If for some reason you didn’t receive it – just contact us & we’ll email you another copy.

These included:

•  a letter from our Treasurer -- Bill Strawbridge
•  listing of 2023 Per Capita dues owed in 2023
•  2023 remittance form
• 2023 church-wide mission pledge form – indicating your intended mission

giving for 2023 

• Visioning Grant information page

2022 annual contribution statements were distributed last week. We’ve already had a couple of churches question if we meant to say 2022 membership numbers. The 2023 per capita is based on 12/31/2021 statistics submitted. We’re always 2 years behind

If you have any questions, please reach out to us.

Thanks,

Sabrina – Bookkeeper smcgrath@greatriverspby.org

Bill -- Treasurer bnc.sbridge@gmail.com

2023 IRS Mileage Reimbursement Rate

For 2023 the IRS mileage reimbursement rates for businesses, individuals, and other organizations are as follows:

• 65.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3 cents from the midyear increase setting the rate for the second half of 2022.
• 22 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, consistent with the increased midyear rate set for the second half of 2022.
• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations; the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2022

The IRS goes on to say this increase applies to electric and hybrid-electric automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.

An annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile is used to set the standard mileage rate for business use.

Please click on the blocks below to follow the links:

Greetings from the Committee on Ministry

COM met on Thursday, February 2nd and conducted the following business: 

• held an orientation and training session at 9:00 AM 
• prayed for our congregations and for particular situations shared by members 
• revised the 2023 ministry partner listing for our congregations 
• approved changes in pastoral relationships with congregations 
• approved a plan to receive a DOC minister as a PCUSA minister, the way being clear 
• approved contracts and terms of call which had been received in the COM email by 8 AM the Thursday before the COM meeting 
• approved all subcommittee reports 
• received the final report of the Pleasant Plains, Farmingdale AC 
• set the May meeting date as 5.4 

We continue to be thankful for our congregations providing us information in a timely way and appreciate the increased usage of the new email: greatriverscom@gmail.com.  

Blessings, 

Laura Reason,

COM Moderator

Please note: Churches can & probably should send their donations through the Presbytery office – otherwise we don’t know of them for reporting purposes. Churches should include this on their remittance form. Funds sent to the Presbytery Office get forwarded to Presbyterian Mission Agency on a monthly basis. So if we get them before the end of February they’ll be sent the first couple of days of March. Funds rec’d in March will be sent a the beginning of April, etc. The remittance form is linked here.

Presbytery of Great Rivers Virtual Office

Virtual Office Assistant Crystal Goforth 309-683-6980 Email: office@greatriverspby.org

Crystal works remotely from South Carolina (Eastern Time)

Please leave her a message & she will return your call.

Bookkeeper Sabrina McGrath 309-683-6981 Email: smcgrath@greatriverspby.org

Sabrina works from Peoria IL.

Her regular schedule is Tues & Thurs between 8am-4pm (Central Time)

Bridge Presbyter John Rickard 309-683-6983 Email: jrickard@greatriverspby.org

He works remotely from Northern Illinois.

His regular schedule is Mon – Fri between 9am -5pm (Central Time)

Stated Clerk - Elissa Bailey- 309-371-2511  Email: pastorebailey@gmail.com

Starting May 1st: the Stated Clerk's Office hours will be Mon - Thurs from 7:30am - 3pm. (Central Time)