Please share this information with all those interested in the work and opportunities happening in the Albany Presbytery. You may use the following URL to embed directly into your communications: https://albanypresbytery.org/reflections-sept-30-presbytery-meeting/
The 314th Stated Meeting of the Albany Presbytery was held on September 30, 2017 at the United Presbyterian Church of Amsterdam. Below are a few snippets/reflections offered from some of the shared business. Official minutes will be offered at the next Presbytery meeting.
Major agenda items from the September 30th meeting listed below include the following reports. See below for more details.
- Meeting Overview – Cara Molyneaux, Moderator, Albany Presbytery
- Overview of Tod Bolsinger Event: “Canoeing the Mountains”
- Committee on Ministers and Congregations Report
- Committee on Representation and Nominations
- Overview of 2018 Budget
- Mission Partner Video – Cornerstone Campus Minsitry
- Motion brought to Presbytery from the Immigration Coalition
Cara Molyneaux, Moderator, Albany Presbytery
Meeting Overview
“Albany Presbytery met on Saturday, September 30 at the United Presbyterian Church in Amsterdam. The speaker for this Educational meeting of Presbytery was Tod Bolsinger, who is the author of Canoeing the Mountains. Rev. Bolsinger led the group through an understanding of the challenges faced by Lewis and Clark during the expedition of the Corps of Discovery. You can see a fuller description of Tod Bolsinger’s presentation in the blog post of October 3rd. The business meeting that followed included the first reading of the 2018 Budget and the approval of the 2018 Terms of Call.”
Tim Coombs, Associate for Congregations, Albany Presbytery
Overview of Tod Bolsinger Event: “Canoeing the Mountains”
Please read this article: Tod Bolsinger Addresses Presbytery in First Educational Meeting by Tim Coombs
Committee on Ministers and Congregations Report
Presbytery ACTED to recommend to congregations a 3.5% COLA increase in total effective salary (not including benefits and professional expenses) for existing calls in 2018 and to increase the minimum total effective salary (not including benefits and professional expenses) in Albany Presbytery by 3.5% in 2018. (The minutes will trace how the original published COMACrecommendation was modified, first by COMAC to eliminate increases in benefits and professional expenses, and then by amendment by the Presbytery to increase the 2% recommended COLA to 3.5%.)
COMAC recommended and Presbytery ACTED to increase the minimum required honorarium for pulpit supply from $140 to $150, plus expenses, and the minimum honorarium for moderating meetings from $70 to $75, plus expenses, effective January 1, 2018. (I have added the effective start date to give churches time to plan their budgets for 2018 accordingly and so they don’t need to immediately implement this change with possible negative impacts on their 2017 budgets.)
Jerry McKinney, Committee on Representation and Nominations
“The Committee on Representation & Nominations (CRN) was please to nominate Tom Gregg to serve as a member of the Budget & Finance Committee. Tom has also agreed to serve as chair. The Committee is looking for folks interested in serving as a Commissioner to the General Assembly in 2018. Interested persons should contact the CRN Chair at jerrymckinney1958@gmail.com. The Committee wished to thank all of those persons who are serving on Presbytery committees.”
Tom Gregg, Committee on Budget and Finance
“We want to thank the body for the concerns and questions raised at the Presbytery Meeting. The Committee on Budget and Finance will be meeting again and will take these suggestions into our work for the second reading which is currently scheduled for the November 15th Presbytery Meeting. At this time in the life of our Presbytery, the largest challenge we have is trying to budget for the unknown. If you would like to provide input or have further questions, please feel free to reach out to me at: revthomasgregg@yahoo.com or my cell phone number: 518-368-7578.”
Church Mission Committee
Mission Partner Video – Cornerstone Campus Ministry and the University at Albany
Motion brought to Presbytery from the Immigration Coalition
“At the Presbytery meeting on September 30, a motion for Albany Presbytery to become a member of the New York Immigration Coalition was approved! Thanks to the many folks who helped shepherd this process, including Elizabeth Meehan, Laurie Bargstedt and Gusti Newquist.”
Thank you all for your service. Official minutes will be offered at the next Presbytery meeting. See you at Presbyterian-New England Congregational Church, Wednesday, November 15, 2017 beginning at 4:00 p.m.
