The Presbytery of New Harmony Synod of South Atlantic P.O
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THE PRESBYTERY OF NEW HARMONY SYNOD OF SOUTH ATLANTIC P.O. BOX 4025; FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA 29502 Telephone 1-877-662-8411 (toll-free); Fax (843) 665-1408 Email: [email protected] 2012 MINUTES OF PRESBYTERY Stated Meeting #73 February 25, 2012…………………………. Pgs. 1-21 Bishopville Presbyterian Church Bishopville, S. C. Special Called Meeting April 19, 2012……………………………. Pgs. 22-23 Chapel, Presbyterian Communities Florence, S. C. Stated Meeting #74 May 8, 2012……………………………….. Pgs. 24-32 Kingston Presbyterian Church Conway, S. C. Special Called Meeting August 21, 2012……………………………. Pgs. 33-40 Chapel, Presbyterian Communities Florence, S. C. Stated Meeting #75 October 9, 2012……………………………. Pgs. 41-56 Melina Presbyterian Church Gable, S. C. Special Called Meeting December 6, 2012……………………………. Pgs. 57-66 Chapel, Presbyterian Communities Florence, S. C. Manual of Presbytery …………………………………… …Appendix (A-A-26) Audit of Financial Statements ………………………………… Back section of this book THE PRESBYTERY OF NEW HARMONY Seventy-third Stated Meeting – February 25, 2012 – 9:30 A.M. Bishopville Presbyterian Church, Bishopville, South Carolina The meeting was called to order and led in prayer by Moderator Henry McFaddin, an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Sumter. The Stated Clerk determined that a quorum was present, and the Moderator opened the meeting with prayer. The following persons were enrolled for the meeting: Forty ministers were present: Paul W. Abell, Jr., Michael R. Allen, Richard S. Andrews, Scott B. Andrews, Eugen Bach, Blair Beaver, James Braswell, Daryle Bush, Judith L. Cettei, Franklin D. Colclough, Lisa Culpepper, Mark Durrett, Jody P. Foster, Rodney A. Foster, Carnell Hampton, Christopher Handley, Garland Hart, William C. Hayes, A. Kyle Henderson, Kenneth Hicks, Josie Holler, William J. Holmes, Jr., Frank Holsclaw, Ray Howe, Ernest Jackson, J. Lewis Johnson, Tom Langston, Jane McElwee-Smith, Retha Nelson, Timothy Osment, John W. Parks, David Ruth, Dan Sansbury, Preston Shealy, Samuel Sparks, O. Rhett Talbert, Emma W. Thompson, Robert Wilkes, Steve Wilkins, Gloria Williams. Sixty elder commissioners were present: Bennettsville First – Richard Rogers; Bishopville – E. Tyson Eckley; Cheraw First – Mary Jane Evans; Chesterfield – Kaye Rivers; Concord – Lee Warren; Congruity – Deloris Lesesne; Cousar Memorial – Latishe Moses; Ebenezer – Sharon McCoy; Friendship – Darren Wilson; George Waldo Long Memorial – Robert C. Johnson, Jr.; Georgetown – A. T. Quantz; Goodwill – Ruby Jean Boyd; Grandview – Betty Watson; Harmony – Freddie Nelson; Hartsville First – Mellany Isom, Meg Norwood; Hopewell – Gretchen Huggins; Jefferson – James M. Pigg; John Calvin – Steve McElveen; Kentyre – Marie Glenn; Kingston – John Dennis; Lake City – Theresa Graham; Latta – Marcia Bethea; Loris First – Bridgett Fowler; Manning – Margaret B. Cooper; Marion – Al McIntyre; McBee – Robert DeFee; McColl First – Larry Lee; McDowell – Edward M. Heins; Melina – Carolyn Walker; Midway – Daniel R. Harrington; Morton – Sheila Outlaw: Mt. Lisbon – Deborah A. Wilson; Mt. Pisgah – Dorothy Samuel; Myrtle Beach First – Connie Barnard, Michael Shelton, Milly Vaughn, Caren Whittier; New Bethel – Linda D. Hanna; New Harvest – Calvin Wilson; Ocean Drive – Deborah Hill, Lee Thompson; Parkwood – Tommy Jackson; Pawleys Island – Ragan Ormands; Rocky Creek – Marsha M. Johnson; Ruby – W. L. “Bill” Tarlton, Jr.; Salem Black River – W. A. “Billy” Dabbs; St. Pauls – Thomas Stasney; Summerton – T. I. Walker; Sumter First – Jess Begly, Dan Spencer; Sumter Second – Corine I. Bligen; Swan Lake – Shawn Brennan; Tirzah – John Raffield, IV; Trinity (Surfside) – Ray Spitz; Wedgefield – Fair Edmunds; Westminster (Alcolu) – Sheryl W. Davis; Westminster (Florence) – Ken Araujo; White Oak – Nathan Johnson; Williamsburg – Mary Stockton. Thirteen additional ex officio voting elder members present included: Administrative Council members Julie Cox (Associate Executive), Lola Faye Craig, Ellaree Hampton, Henry McFaddin, and Frances Singleton; Program Council member Kelly Sloan; Committee members Wendell Robinson and Pontheola Wilson; Certified Christian Educator Archie “Mac” McCall, Jr.; and Commissioned Lay Pastors David Bessinger, Jim Bird, Jack Humphries, and Marshall P. Ivey. Also in attendance were: Penny Arnold representing Presbyterian Communities; candidate Jane Osment; staff members: Linda Borgman, Netanyia Samuel, Jason Steen; 33 visiting elders; and 9 other visitors. Excused were six ministers: Annette Brewer, Ella Busby, Bill Byers, Tom Dendy, Barry Jenkins, Stewart Nickles; three churches: Celebration, Indiantown, St. Paul’s; and candidate Francie King. In attendance were 100 voting members and 48 other people, for a grand total of 148. WORSHIP Presbytery gathered for worship led by the outgoing Moderator, and Elder Frances Singleton, an elder from the Second Presbyterian Church of Sumter was introduced as the Moderator for 2012. The Rev. Dr. Gloria Jones Williams, pastor of the Second Church, preached the sermon on “Traditions, Patches, Wineskins, and New Wine” based on Luke 5:33-39. The host pastor and the retiring Moderator led in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Elders of the Presbytery who entered the Church Triumphant during the year 2011 were remembered. Following is the list of those who deceased and the names of the churches which they served: Catherine M. Rogers – Bennettsville First, Russell Tatum – Bennettsville First, Gloria Elias Ward – Bennettsville First; Virginia MacDonald – Carolina, Richard Plummer – Carolina; Henry Dewitte Chapman – Cheraw First, David Lee Strickland – Cheraw First; Edna Fincher – Concord, Grady Fincher – Concord, Mary Reid Newton – Concord, Willie Mae Pack – Concord; Walter Colclough – Cousar Memorial; James H. Jackson – Ebenezer; Robert Louis Ray, Sr. – Florence First; Dan Daniel – Lake City, Harry Rogers – Lake City, Russell Turner – Lake City; Randall Ernest Weitzel – Manning; Wilton Eskridge – Marion, Alberta Brown McNill – Marion; John S. McLeod –McBee; Thomas Allen Duke – Midway; James J. Howle – Morton; Minnie Juanita Gregg – Mt. Lisbon; Archie Dargan, Jr. – Myrtle Beach First, Marion Myers – Myrtle Beach First, Norma Thompson – Myrtle Beach First; Beulah Butler – New Bethel; Hal Hoff – Ocean Drive, Fred Stanley – Ocean 1 Drive; Julius B. Short – Patrick; Margaret Huntley – Ruby; Joseph C. Kirven – Sumter First, William L. Harritt, Jr. – Sumter First, B. Paul McCrackan – Sumter First; Henry Wells, Sr. – Westminster (Alcolu); Willie Dvorsak – Westminster (Florence); Elanora Winn Foxworth – Williamsburg. This list was gathered from information provided as part of annual statistical reporting as of January 31, 2012. The following memorial was presented by John W. Dennis, Jr.: REVEREND DONALD R. STIENS Reverend Donald R. Stiens… husband, father, grandfather, friend, pastor… a man whose life offers proof to us all of the influence of God. After all, how can a man go from a degree in Criminology at Florida State University to eventually being honored with the title of Pastor Emeritus? Maybe we also might be awed by the influence of a good wife because Don often gave Sandy the credit (or blame) for his later life career choice. Let us remember that Don was not a young man when the Lord called him. At age 40, he was an airline executive, flying back and forth to Europe, managing pilots and planes, living the good life… steak and wine in Paris, lobster in New York. But, as many of us in this room today can attest, God sometimes has other plans, and His patience with Don was wearing thin, so He put Sandy to the task. Don enrolled at Columbia Theological Seminary. The large house with a pool in the backyard was exchanged for a small apartment, and the airline income ended as tuition payments started. By 1986, Don had received his degree and his ordination, and he began his career in the service of our Lord. The First Presbyterian Church of St. Mary’s, Georgia, was Don’s first charge. We at Kingston Presbyterian Church called Don in 1994, and this began Don’s longest and final pastorate. Meeting Don for the first time was like meeting a long lost friend. Perhaps this was because of the way he greeted you, giving a sense that he already knew you. You were immediately his friend, and you were forever his friend. His soothing voice gave you comfort, and his handshake gave you strength. Just speaking to him was a joy and you could see the love of Christ in his eyes. I don’t believe I ever spoke to Don that we didn’t laugh about something… he enjoyed being happy. Don was made for preaching. I already mentioned his wonderful, deep, projecting voice, and when you couple this with his large statue, his presence and his love of God’s word, well, you couldn’t help but listen as he expounded upon God’s will for our lives. Don was made for preaching and he loved doing it. Don was involved. I will not begin to try to give you an exhaustive list of the club s, organizations, ministries, advisory councils, and groups that Don was involved with, but I tell you that when he passed from this life, the entire community mourned. There were as many Baptists and Methodists at his memorial service as Presbyterians. In the weeks that followed people would see me at a Sertoma Club meeting or a ballgame, and they would mention how much they were going to miss Don. Don was involved with our community because he loved people. Don was a family man. We throw this phrase around too often, “family man,” but Don was the epitome of it. Don loved his wife Sandy and it showed in everything he did. He lived his love for her, and no one who knew him ever had ay doubt about his relationship with her. He loved his children and grandchildren, and it seemed to many of us that every time he left Conway, he was heading to see them. To hear him speak about them, you were led to believe that Don had the only perfect grandchildren in the world. But that was okay because the way he treated and thought about his immediate family was the same way he treated and thought about his people at Kingston. Don was a family man, and we were all his family. Don retired in August of 2010, and many of us sincerely believed that he knew he was not well.