July 2021 Omnibus
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July, 2021 Volume XLVII, No. 7 Presbytery of the Cascades Presbytery Meeting Reflections By Paul Belz-Templeman What a meeting! Thank you to all who participated. I was inspired by the wor- ship, heartened by the debate and grateful for the good humor and patience of all! This attempts to capture some useful information brought up during the meeting that you might not have had time to write down or wanted to learn more about. Let me know if I missed anything. I’ve been living on tea and grapefruit since Thursday (and some cookies that the amazing Steve Parker, Communication Coordinator shared with me during the meeting). Strategic Planning Team VIDEO (Editor’s addition… presbyters were presented by a report which included this proposed mission statement: The mission of the Presbytery of the Cascades is to inspire, facili- tate, and nurture collaborative ministries that embody the love and grace of God in Jesus Christ in fresh and faithful ways. Members of the team shared their experience being on the team. The following video is a beautiful example of what they shared at the meeting. The presbyters were then given time in small groups to discuss the questions lifted up in the report. Each small group kept notes that were turned over to the team.) Watch Morgan Schmidt from the Strategic Planning Team unpack what collaboration can mean for this presbytery : Click here. (It’s a large file, I had to download it to play it, so glad I did!) Board of Pensions Inside This Issue We welcomed our new Board of Pensions Church Consultant Ask the Clerk 2 the Reverend Christine Long. [email protected] 215-587-7264 Notes from the Road to Emmaus 3 Presbytery Minimum Compensation set for 2022 Mt. Scott Park 4 The Presbytery Minimum Compensation for 2022 is $51,827 Chapel by the Sea & Walport 5 which is a 3.9% increase over the 2021 minimum. This full-time equiv- Orenco & First Newberg 6 alent applies to all Pastors, Commissioned Ruling Elders in Pastoral Viewpoints 7 Service and Certified Christian Educators. The Commission on Minis- try recommends that all Pastors, Commissioned Ruling Elders and Cer- TechTips 9 tified Christian Educators receive a 3.9% Cost of Living increase. Transitions / Save the Date 10 Matthew 25 Initiative Triennium 11 We saw a small piece of the good work that First, Vancouver Voices 12 is doing as part of the Matthew 25 Initiative in this video. For more First, Phoenix 13 info on Matthew 25 Initiative contact the Brewer and Reverend Tom Menucha 14 Berry, [email protected] Resource Page 15 Continue on page 8 1 Omnibus Omnibus is published twelve times a year by the Presbytery of the Cas- cades for distribution to churches and individuals. Omnibus welcomes news and views of all the churches of Presbytery and all its readers. Send all communica- tions to Kathleen Waugh, Omnibus editor, P.O. Box 1145, Phoenix, OR 97535-1145, tel. 541-772-4874, email We give thanks for the bless- [email protected]. ings this country has provided; Omnibus retains permission to modi- AND fy submissions for clarity and space We continue to pray for the day limitations. The Presbytery those blessings reach equally to “Communications and Technology Team” (CATT) is the editorial board. everyone who lives within its boundaries. Ask the Clerk By Paul Belz-Templeman, Stated Clerk Q: Can active church members under the age of 18 vote on con- tractual or other corporate matters at congregational meetings? Can they serve on session? A: In brief, yes, at least for PCUSA congregations in Washington and Oregon. These questions require an understanding of both presbyteri- an principles and civil law. According to the Book of Order, an active member is a person who has been baptized, made a profession of faith in Christ and has voluntarily submitted to church government. All ac- tive members are entitled to vote if present at congregational meetings and may be elected to or- dered ministry as an elder or deacon (G-1.0402; 1.0501). So there is nothing in our polity that prevents those under the age of 18 from voting or from serving on session. However, a distinction can be made between ecclesiastical matters and corporate matters. In some states, minors cannot vote on corporate matters. Since a minor lacks the ability to enter into (most) contracts, in some states, minors cannot vote on things like approving the sale of property or approving a contract with a pastor or other employee. However, in Oregon and Wash- ington, the law is different and does allow minors to vote as part of an organization so long as they have the capacity to understand what it is that they are participating in. There is not a set/ defined age defining that capacity so congregations have some latitude here. To sum up, minors may vote, may participate on committees, and may serve on session according to church and state law. Return to Index 2 Notes from the Road to Emmaus By Rev. Brian Heron, Presbyter for Vision and Mission I have a quote that I have kept in my office for nearly three decades now. Most days it doesn’t even register on my radar as I quickly get to emails, answer calls, and run through my daily to do list. But, every so often I find myself in a situation where I go back to this helpful quote. It is attributed to the great German philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He writes, “Until one is committed, there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back, from all acts of initiative and creation. The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision. Whatever you can do or dream you can—begin it! Boldness has genius, power and magic to it.” Providence, I believe, was Goethe’s word for God and was his way of saying, “We live in a world with spiritual realities. We aren’t responsible for making things happen. We are only responsible for tak- ing the first bold decisive step.” Isn’t this the way of faith? We do not have to have our entire lifelong Christian path figured out. We don’t need to know and predict the future. We only need to take that first initial step of saying, “I commit my life to Christ. From this day forward I follow Jesus.” I write this to you as the presbytery is engaged in a strategic planning process of committing to amended mission and vision statements and putting in place the financial strategies and infrastructure to live into those statements. On the one hand, this is a monumental task. We are examining the long-term trends of our presby- tery around membership and mission pledging. We are listening for God’s nudging in a rapidly changing cultural context. We are trying to read the tea leaves of the future and see what they are telling us about our commitments now. It can feel like a dizzying responsibility. But I think this quote by Goethe reminds us of something important: We don’t have to have it all figured out. We don’t have to have a spreadsheet that lines out all the pros and cons of every possible de- cision. We don’t have to have an airtight plan that could withstand every “But, have you considered this?” type of question. All we have to have is the confidence that we are going in the right direction. All we need is the will to commit our heart, body, mind and soul to the path before us. If Goethe is right, the moment we commit, God will also unleash the forces of divine light, spiritual resources and Providen- tial energy. I like it when philosophers talk about Jesus without mentioning his name. Take that first bold step. Let God do the rest. Brian Return to Index 3 Mt. Scott Park Begins to Walk a New Direction By Pat Berger, Northeast Region Reporter For some, it seems as if 2021 has been kind of a quiet year. It is hard to imagine that anyone at Mt. Scott Park, Portland would feel that way! On the first of January, Sue Van Stelle started there as their pastor. In March, they had an ordination service for Pastor Sue, who is now officially their Designated Pas- tor for the next two years. And then on Easter Sunday, they all came back to worship in-person, appropriately distanced and masked, windows-open! A bit of Pastor Sue's story first: she began taking classes at George Fox Evangelical Seminary (now Portland Seminary) in 2005, with a goal of becoming a Certified Christian Educator. She has worked in children's ministry at Oak Hills, Milwaukie, First, Portland and at Rise, Tigard. In those positions, she was encouraged to lead adult education classes and to preach ("If you can talk to children, you can talk to adults."). During this process, Sue revised her goal to getting an MDiv instead of becom- ing a CCE. Sadly, in October, 2019, Pastor Sue's husband died. However, she continued moving forward. She took and passed her ordination exams, in March of 2020, graduated from Portland Seminary in June, and began talking with Mt. Scott Park in October. ("I sent my PIF to them and they liked me!") She feels very fortunate to be there. The rest, as we might say, is (recent) history! Pastor Sue calls Mt. Scott Park a "very welcoming place." People from all walks of life feel com- fortable worshiping and participating there.