Synod of the Pacific Hosts Booth

at 2008 General Assembly

A HUGE Thank You to all those of you who dedicated your time in the Synod's Booth and Hospitality Suite. We had a wonderful time sharing the exciting news about this Synod with new friends from all over the PC(USA).

As you can see, our "connectional" give-aways were a great hit with all who attended. I would love to know just how far those little puzzle peices traveled once they left San Jose. 

To view the latest news and photos from the 218th General Assembly click here.

Investment and Loan Services' Rates

as of 06/09/2008

Have you heard the News...

You can now request draws from your Investment and/or Loan accounts through ACH transfers. This low cost option insures your money is in your account the very next day.  Check out how this service compares:

Check with your bank on how to deposit funds into your synod account though ACH or Wires.

Please contact our Investment or Loan Coordinators for more information.

To All the Saints:

Educator Certification Courses in the Pacific Northwest! 

The courses will be held at Menucha Retreat and Conference Center,

located just minutes from Portland, Oregon

Next Educator Certification Course;

also a Commissioned Lay Pastor Training Course:

Reformed Theology

August 25-29, 2008

Designed primarily for Christian educators, the courses equip educators to offer the best gifts possible for their educational ministries, whether full time, part time, or volunteers in this calling.  Beyond the fact that they prepare participants for taking the Certification exam, they can also be for anyone interested in learning about current educational practices and recent resources for all areas of ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA). This summer's course will also satisfy requirements for Commissioned Lay Pastor Training.

Connect with other local and regional educators and commissioned lay pastors for support, to exchange ideas, and to grow together in our life of service to the church: mark your calendars and attend!  For more information, please point your browser to www.menucha.org or you may call Menucha at 503-695-2243.  We are located in the National Scenic Columbia River Gorge, just minutes from Portland , Oregon.  Stay tuned for further Certification courses dates coming soon! 

A New Kind of Partnership

There was an air of anticipation as the representatives from each of the Synod of the Pacific’s eleven presbyteries, gathered with the Synod’s representatives for the annual Mission Partnership Budget Consultation. This was the first consultation where the new model for dividing up the partnership dollars would be used.

The new Partnership Funding Model, developed by the members of the Long Range Mission Partnership Task Force, encourages mission at three different levels, mission within individual presbyteries, joint presbytery projects, as well as collaborative synod-wide projects. 

Representatives who had attended past consultations were hopeful, but somewhat skeptical, that this new model would make a significant difference in the overall outcome of the consultation.  “Boy was I surprised”, one veteran representative admitted. “This new model makes our funding much more transparent.  We can interpret where our giving goes and how it comes back to our presbytery.  No more false negotiations or turf wars.  We treated each other with respect and had a feeling of partnership. For me, the best part was having funds to do things across boundaries, to be real partners in something.”

So how does this new model work? Let’s start with the Basic Mission Support.

As mission giving is given from an individual to a church, the church in turn sends it, with the rest of its mission giving, to a receiving site. Once at the receiving site, the giving is disbursed according to its intent, G.A. mission, presbytery mission or extra commitment giving.  95% of Presbytery Basic Mission Giving is returned to the Presbytery for mission in the form of their “Revenue Share”.

Next, let’s talk about the Mission Partnership Pool.  The Mission Partnership Pool is made up of three different revenue sources, net revenue from the Synod Services, Synod G.A. Mission Partnership Fund Grant, and the remaining 5% of the Presbytery Basic Mission Support.   The total budgeted amount for this pool for 2009 is over $1,000.000.

90% of the Partnership Pool is then divided equally between the eleven presbyteries within this Synod. 10% was voted to be put into the Opportunity Fund in 2009. The Opportunity Fund is the element in this model which provides funds for the partners to dream together.

So in the end, each presbytery’s Partnership Grant consists of their Revenue Share, 1/11 of the Mission Partnership Pool, possibilities through the Opportunity Fund, but most importantly a new sense of partnership.

To the members of the Long Range Mission Partnership Task Force we offer much gratitude and thanks for all of your diligent hard work.

First Presbyterian Church, Burlingame, CA

First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame has two positions available for hire:

Director of Contemporary Music

Available Immediately

First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame (www.burlpres.org) is looking for an engaging, dynamic, Christ-centered individual gifted with the passion and skills for an exciting part time Director of Contemporary Music (DCM).  This leader will work with a ministry team of lay ministers and musicians to lead, develop and enhance the contemporary (9:30am) worship service of FPCB.

The DCM will lead an established worship group called Simply Spirit for a blended service on Sundays and occasional special events, services and concerts during the year.  This leader will work with the Worship team and Pastors to support the messages, develop and utilize multimedia elements in worship and help to develop other lay-minister musicians.  The DCM will work with the youth leaders to incorporate young people into worship as is appropriate.

If you are a competent musician and preparing and planning for worship services, providing a caring and Christ-centered ministry team and growing the Kingdom through contemporary music appeals to you, we have the opportunity for you!

Visit us on our web page for the complete job description (www.burlpres.org > Staff > Open Jobs) or send a resume to Mark Fagerstrom, Executive Administrator, at MFagerstrom@burlpres.org or by calling 650-342-0875 x236.

 Director of High School Ministries

First Presbyterian Church of Burlingame (www.burlpres.org) is looking for an engaging, dynamic, Christ-centered individual gifted with the passion and skills for full time ministry with high school students.  This leader will work with a ministry team of Pastors and dedicated lay leaders to set goals and achieve results in drawing teens into the life of the Church and a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ.   

This full-time, benefited position will provide the perfect candidate the opportunity to build on an existing, established ministry by applying their unique talents and abilities in planning, program development, and engaging and welcoming students of diverse backgrounds and personalities.

The selected candidate will find great resources, a positive and dedicated staff, committed parents, and engaged adult leaders which, when combined with great ideas, careful planning and clear communication, will contribute to the growth of the Kingdom through the life of our Church. 

Requirements

- 4 year college degree, a deep Christian faith, preferably protestant

-Experience working with high school youth (2 year minimum preferred), volunteer work experience; creative, takes initiative, high energy

-Public speaking experience, leadership experience, program administration skills such as working within a budget

-Ability to build one-on-one relationships and work with teams of people

-Optional: Musical or other talents.

FPCB is committed to supporting a long-term relationship with the right candidate.  A full job description may be viewed at www.burlpres.org > Staff > Open Jobs. 

For more information send questions or resumes to Mark Fagerstrom, Executive Administrator, at MFagerstrom@burlpres.org or by calling 650-342-0875 x236.

Looking Long Range at Mission Partnership

In the spring of each year it has been the practice in the Synod of the Pacific, to sponsor a meeting of representatives from each of the Presbyteries to talk about mission within the region and decide how to allocate Mission Partnership monies to fund it. Frustration has been expressed over the years by the participants about this process. The general feeling is that the mission funding consultation meeting does not foster partnership among the presbyteries but in many cases, promotes mistrust and competition.

Desiring that adaptive changes be made in the mission funding process that actually would create more of a partnership, the Synod Mission Partnership Committee set up the Long Range Mission Partnership Task Force in early 2006. The purpose of this task force was to examine partnership as a whole within the Synod of the Pacific, including the development of a new model for the mission funding process. The Mission Partnership Committee asked each Presbytery to appoint a representative to serve on the task force.

The task force has met three times since its formation. The discernment process that we are following includes these steps: Gathering, Sharing Information, Formulating, Weighing Options, Coming to Agreement.

During our time together, we have prayed with each other and for each other often.

We have learned many things about partnership. We have learned that partnership includes above all things, TRUST in one another. It also includes shared commitment, shared decision making, common goals, and recognition of each partner’s gifts for ministry.

We have shared misconceptions that we have about each other’s presbyteries.  We have shared difficult feelings we may have about one another.

We have each told the stories of our presbyteries. We have shared those points of joy and hope as well as concerns for the future which we each bring to the table.

We have learned that it is impossible to compare the Presbyteries within our synod, because each is unique in its make-up and approach to mission. However it is possible to honor and celebrate the gifts for ministry that each one contributes.

As we have met together, we have seen our openness, mutual understanding, and trust growing. We have also begun to envision more equitable ways that we might share mission funds. We have talked about how to share mission, so that each presbytery feels a sense of ownership in each other’s endeavors. We have begun to conceive of concrete ways in which we can all be more authentically the Body of Christ.

The task force is now perfecting and weighing options that have begun to emerge for us. We will be meeting again in March 2007, hoping to complete our recommendations. We hope that our original moderator, Bob Justman’s prayer is being answered. His prayer was that we would be able to define how we, in God’s love depend on one another and how our partnership can truly make us all stronger.

Cathy Quackenbush

Chair of the Long Range Mission Partnership Task Force

February, 2007