The Session of Westminster Presbyterian Church (WPC) convened for a stated meeting at 5:00 p.m. on 21 August 2005 in room 105 of the WPC Mission Center. The Moderator, H.Holderness, was present and called the meeting to order and it was opened with a reading in unison of the WPC Mission Statement and a devotional and a prayer by G.Green.
Associate Pastor B.Berghaus was present. Associate Pastor P.Ransford was absent and excused.
Elders F.Anton, B.Chesnut, B.Derr, D.Elvers, N.Gaddis, G.Green, C.Haynes, D.Lanier, B.Nicoll, M.T.Peters, M.Pickard and D.Wellemeyer were present.
WPC staff members B.Fletcher and N.Rozak were present.
Clerk of Session D.Derr was present.
The Moderator declared a quorum present.
Deacons-Elect Sharon Barnes, Walt Beckwith, Holly Borden, Bruce Capehart, Lynn Chesnut, John Lockhead and Dorene Palermo to be interviewed and examined upon their training for ordination and for installation as applicable also were present.
EXAMINATION AND RECEPTION OF NEW DEACONS TO BE ORDAINED AND INSTALLED
The Moderator divided those Elders currently serving on the Session and staff into three groups with an Elder designated as the moderator of each group (B.Chesnut, G.Green and M.Pickard) and assigned two or three of the newly trained Deacons-Elect to each of these groups. Each group retired to a designated area where the Deacons-Elect were interviewed and examined for a prescribed time period. Following the examinations everyone returned to the meeting room. The moderators for each of the interviewing and examining teams reported the results of the interviews and examinations of the Deacons-Elect.
Motion: A motion sustaining the call and election of these Deacons-Elect, all of whom were found to have satisfactorily completed the training as applicable and to be acceptable for ordination and installation as applicable, to serve in the office of Deacon to which they had been called was made, seconded and approved.
MINUTES:
The minutes of the called meeting of the Session on 26 June 2005 and the stated meeting of the Session on 17 July 2005 were read, approved, and adopted as distributed with the following correction for the stated meeting of the Session on 26 June 2005: on page 4 under “Staff Reports:” B.Fletcher” in the second line after” group” insert “leader”.
COMMUNICATIONS:
G-6.0106b (Amendment B) of the Book of Order Overture to Presbytery
The Clerk shared a letter from Pastor J. Mark Davidson and Clerk of Session Annette R. Perot of The Church of Reconciliation in Chapel Hill inviting WPC to join it in submitting an overture to the October 2005 meeting of New Hope Presbytery to address Amendment B. The Moderator and F.Anton and M.T.Peters will study this invitation and report any recommendations they have for the Session to consider as an appropriate response.
OLD BUSINESS
August 23, 2005 Urban Ministries of Durham Session Shelter Meal
C.Haynes has planned and organized preparation of the food and drinks to serve the Urban Ministries of Durham Shelter meal on August 23, 2005.
The Moderator distributed an updated 2005-2006 Committee Structure list including Elders and Deacons for review and comment. Elder responsibilities for 2005-2006 currently are as follows:
Session:
Clerk: Dailey Derr
Assistant Clerks: Alex Denson, Doug Elvers
Worship: Doug Elvers, Chair; Norm Gaddis, June Jones
Christian Ed: Mary Todd Peters, Chair
Youth: Susan Landis, Chair
Seminarians: Caroline Haynes, Chair
Inquirers: Bonnie Derr, Chair
Nominating Doug Elvers, Chair; Alex Denson
Ways & Means: Doug Wellemeyer, Chair; John Graham, Norm Gaddis
Property Mgmt. Norm Gaddis
Planning: Brian Nicoll
Diaconate:
Fellowship: (Caroline Haynes)
Local Missions: (Alex Denson)
Global Missions: (Frances Anton)
Congregational Care: (Frances Anton)
Assimilation: (Bonnie Derr)
WPC Assessment/Congregational Strategic Plan
B.Nicoll, Chair of the WPC Assessment/Congregational Strategic Plan Committee, distributed a revised Westminster Presbyterian Church: Congregational Questionnaire 2005 (V.5.2) and a proposed Assessment Schedule and requested that the Session approve them and a pilot study of fifteen participants to be conducted on August 28, 2005 to test and refine the questionnaire, and a congregational lunch to launch the assessment on September 25, 2005.
Motion: A motion approving Westminster Presbyterian Church: Congregational Questionnaire 2005 (V.5.2) and a proposed Assessment Schedule, a pilot study of fifteen participants to be conducted on August 28, 2005 to test and refine the questionnaire, and a congregational lunch to launch the assessment on September 25, 2005 was made, seconded and approved.
Presbytery Meeting
WPC Commissioner Nancy Rozak reported on the July 19, 2005 Presbytery Meeting at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina. Covenant was a very gracious host. The Presbytery Budget for 2006 was discussed and Marion Draffin was approved as a candidate for ministry.
COMMISSION REPORTS:
Fellowship: (C.Haynes) No report.
Inquirers: (C.Haynes/B.Derr) A sign-up sheet for the Inquirer’s Class scheduled to begin on September 11, 2005 was passed out for Elders to commit to Sundays throughout the class they would attend.
Education/Kindergarten: (M.T.Peters) The next CE Committee meeting is on August 23, 2005. Efforts are underway to upgrade the playground. Roger Nishioka, Associate Professor of Christian Education at Columbia Theological Seminary, is the keynote speaker for Growing Together in Smithfield, North Carolina on September 17 2005. He will be addressing the future of Christian Education. The faculty for all the courses are very good. B.Berghaus and N.Rozak are session leaders at Growing Together.
Seminarians: (G.Green) Marian Draffin passed three ordination exams and has already completed her Polity course.
Global Missions: (F.Anton) Met last Wednesday, Deacon Morris Griffin joined the Committee, which is being transferred to the Diaconate.
Sanctuary Guild: (M.Pickard) No report.
Worship: (B.Chesnut) Communion will be celebrated on Sunday, September 4, 2005 with Elder responsibilities as follows: N.Gaddis for (8:30) and (11:00). The Committee met in late July and is drafting guidelines for guest preachers.
Youth Liaison: (B.Nicoll) The Youth Kick-Off picnic is happening during this Session meeting at the Beischer Farm.
Assimilation: (B.Derr) Coordinating transition with Elena Cleary. The Diaconate will assign the Chair for this Committee at their retreat on September 24, 2005.
Ways and Means: (D.Wellemeyer) The minutes of the Ways and Means Committee meeting on July 13, 2005 and Financial Statements for July, 2005 were distributed via the Session Packet mailing and key points in them were summarized. Dana Lang is beginning to put the Stewardship Committee together.
Diaconate: (B.Berghaus) No report.
OTHER MATTERS:
Diaconate Vacancies
The Moderator reported that Bobby Yurkutat is moving with his family to Winston-Salem to accept another position, and Sam D. Bryan has asked not to be ordained at this time. B.Derr advised that, based on an earlier communication from the Moderator, the nominating committee was meeting to deal with these vacancies and a plan would be forthcoming.
Congregational Meeting:
Motion: A motion that Congregational Meetings for the purpose of nominating members as Deacons to fill vacancies on the Diaconate and for receiving nominations from the floor, be held on Sunday, September 11, 2005 and for further nominations from the floor and electing new Deacons be held on Sunday, September 18, 2005 was made, seconded and approved.
STAFF REPORTS:
B.Fletcher: Missed the last Ways & Means Committee meeting because of automobile problems. She is President-Elect of the Mid-Atlantic Administrative Personnel Association. It is a two-year term for non-ordained staff. Gail Johnson will serve as the Historian. Next year the Mid-Atlantic APA Conference will be held in Wilmington, N.C., and H.Holderness has been invited to speak.
B.Berghaus: She and three other women (“4 Women and a Truck”) moved her daughter to New Orleans to start graduate school at Tulane University.
N.Rozak: Plans for “bombastic Sunday” (b-b-que and the play) are ready to roll.
H.Holderness: The staff will be on retreat the first part of next week. The Assessment Committee has done a very good job.
CONCERNS AND CELEBRATIONS
Concerns for the medical conditions of B.Berghaus’mother in Hospice, Reva Davis (mother of Peggy Edmondson and Betty Powell), Bess Bowdich, Fred Schneider, Kevin Scott, John Shuler, Neal Watson, Faye Shaffer’s mother, Kirsten Overholt’s brother Dennis, who has a melanoma, and James Hawkins, the son of Rev. Jimmy Hawkins, recovering from meningitis, were expressed.
Joy over the birth of Bill Lamb, IV, and the Lombard’s new daughter, Olivia, was celebrated.
Celebration of their lives and sympathy for the loss of Jean Marshall (the mother of Ed & Susie Park’s daughter-in-law) who died last week and of Hal Muncaster who died August 11 were expressed.
The Session's current business, having been completed, the Moderator declared the meeting adjourned and it was closed with an adjourning prayer by B.Derr at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Dailey J. Derr Haywood D. Holderness, Jr.
Clerk of Session Moderator
S082105 Stated