PresbyNews OnLine September-October 2015

PresbyNews OnLine
September-October 2015
Bob Battenfield, Editor
[email protected]
Published following meetings of San Diego Presbytery
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September Presbytery Meeting Report
Photo Feature: Clansmen from the Isle of
Coronado
Executive Presbyter Search Committee Selected
Jack Shelver Nominated to be Next Moderator;
Elizabeth Manahan as Vice-Moderator
Commissioners Nominated for 2016 General
Assembly
Graham Memorial, Korean United Considering
Leaving, Notify Presbytery
UYC’s Nate Landis Preaches: “Taste and See”
Visitor from Louisville Bears Good, Bad News
Rev. Daniel So of Anchor Church NCD leads
communion at September Presbytery Meeting.
Photo by Ed Piper
White House Names Reality Changers a
"Bright Spot in Hispanic Education
Baja Missions Seeks Funds to Build a New Church in Real de Rosarito
Special Report
First Presbyterian Church of San Diego Hosts National Gathering
of The Fellowship Community: Following Jesus Right Where We Are
by Paul Detterman
Presbytery 2016 Meeting Schedule
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September Presbytery Meeting Report
Hosted by Mount Soledad Presbyterian Church and Pastor John
Moser, the September 15 Meeting of Presbytery was notable for its
sense of spirit and communion, and for the absence of controversy.
Mt. Soledad Pastor John Moser/ Ed Piper Photo
In fact, at the conclusion of the gathering which began at 5 pm and was
closing at nearly 9 pm, Chip Hardwick, director of Theology, Formation
and Evangelism for the Presbyterian Mission Agency who was visiting
with us, was led to comment that this was one of the latest and most
harmonios Presbyery meeting he had ever attended. Must be something
in the sun, sand and water that makes us rejoice.
Photo Feature:
Clansmen from the Isle of Coronado
Rev. David McElrath, senior pastor at Graham Memorial
in Coronado, led a trio of Scotish kilt-clad lads to the
September Meeting of Presbytery. They quickly
captured the attention of Stated Clerk Linda Therien.
From left, Graham’s new Associate Pastor-elect John
Joseph (who is an Egyptian-American), McElrath,
Therien, and Graham Ruling Elder Ralph West.
McElrath has worn his kilts to Presbytery before, but
this is the first time he has brought along other brave
souls. Photo by Bob Battenfield
Executive Presbyter Search Committee Selected
Let the search begin! One key piece of business at the September Meeting of Presbytery was the
approval of the Executive Presbyter Search Committee. Rev. Dr. Clark Cowden resigned earlier this
summer after serving as EP for seven years to accept pastorates at two United Methodist Churches in
his hometown, Terre Haute, Indiana. Back home in Indiana. Sounds like a song.
Executive Presbyter Search Committee
Rev. Jerry Andrews, PhD, Chair
San Diego First
Rev. John Moser (representing Human Resources) Mt. Soledad
Rev. Dr. Jan Farley
Village, Rancho Santa Fe
Rev. Nathan Byrd
Christ United, San Diego
Elder Paul Diller
Point Loma Community
Elder Frances Lin
Rancho Bernardo Community
Elder Lola Jordeth
Solana Beach
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Jack Shelver Nominated to be Next Moderator; Elizabeth Manahan as Vice-Moderator
Jack is back. Elder Jack Shelver, a member of Faith Presbyterian, who was Presbytery Moderator
21 years ago in 1995, continues to demonstrate his willingness to serve the church and the
presbytery. Vice-Moderator during 2015, Shelver was nominated to serve as Moderator in 2016.
Nominated to be Vice-Moderator next year is Rev. Elizabeth Wilson Manahan of Oceanside First.
They will be installed at the November 21 meeting of the Presbytery and installed at the stated
meeting in February 2016.
Commissioners Nominated for 2016 General Assembly
The Presbytery Nominating Committee presented a slate of two pastors and
two elders to serve as San Diego Presbytery’s commissioners to the 2016
General Assembly of the PCUSA, which will be held June 18-25 in Portland,
Oregon.
Nominated as commissioners:
Rev. Nathan Byrd
Rev. Elizabeth Wilson Manahan
Elder Cheryl Kosits
Elder Francis Lin
Christ United, San Diego
Oceanside First
San Diego First
Rancho Bernardo Community
Nominated as Young Adult Advisory Delegate
Jocelyn Fischer
El Cajon First
Nominations remain open until declared closed and voted at the November meeting.
COM Report Covers CRE, Associate Pastors and Retirement of Rev. Bruce Humphrey
Commission on Ministry’s report touched on nearly a full range of church work. Glenna Spindelman
was approved to serve as a Commissioned Ruling Elder at Grace Vista. Rev. Eliecer Barrantes
Alvarado was affirmed as an Associate Pastor for Grace Vista. John Joseph was examined for
ordination and affirmed to be Designated Associate Pastor at Graham Memorial. And Rev. Dr. Bruce
Humphrey was recognized for his long service to the church at his Honorable Retirement from Senior
Pastor at Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church.
Graham Memorial, Korean United Considering Leaving, Notify Presbytery
Stated Clerk Linda Therien reported that her office has received notice from the Graham Memorial
Presbyterian Church session that they met on June 3, 2015 and voted 12/2/0 to begin the “Covenants
and Gracious Dismissal” process of the Presbytery. In addition, she reported that her office has
received notice from the Korean United Presbyterian Church of San Diego that their session has met
and voted to re-examine their membership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
UYC’s Nate Landis Preaches: “Taste and See”
Teenagers need both physical and spiritual food, asserts Rev. Nate Landis, PhD, president and
founder of Urban Youth Collaborative (UYC), which is a validated ministry of the Presbytery. With all
praise to our triune God, Landis has successfully established a program that links churches to
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schools. UYC has become a network of 45 local churches that operate
motivational Bible clubs for 3,000 students every week at 83 campuses
in San Diego County. UYC’s purpose is to connect churches with
schools to make transformation possible in the lives of students and the
church community, he said.
Ordained as a minister and evangelist by San Diego Presbytery, Landis
preached the worship service sermon,”Taste and See.” He related his
experience of feeding McDonald’s hamburgers and fries to 144
highschool football players at a UCLA summer camp to the Psalmist’s
invitation to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” The experience of
providing physical food to the players gave him the idea for his unique
Nate Landis
ministry.
Working together to achieve shared goals and promote the well-being of young people, UYC’s vision
is to link all 280 public middle and high schools in San Diego County with a local church partner by
2020.
For more information, call 619-549-4953 or email [email protected]
Visitor from Louisville Bears Good, Bad News
Chip Hardwick, director of Theology, Formation and Evangelism for the Presbyterian Mission
Agency, brought some good news and some bad news from Louisville. Net member loss is running 32% from 2001-2014; a net loss over that period of 788,300 members. In the same period, the
number of churches leaving the denomination is 1,312, or -13%. Over the past three years, however,
under the 1001 New Churches program, the denomination has recognized 286 new church
developments (NCDs) ongoing. Only about 40 start-ups have closed. The goal of the program is to
plant 1,001 new worshiping communities in ten years.
Other News
White House Names Reality Changers a “Bright Spot in Hispanic Education”
The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics named
Reality Changers, a non-profit headquartered in the San Diego
neighborhood of City Heights, a "Bright Spot in Hispanic Education."
In recognition of its 25th anniversary, the White House Initiative on
Educational Excellence for Hispanics will highlight the progress Latinos are
making in education during National Hispanic Heritage Month (September
15 - October 15).
"For a non-profit that started with just four students and $300, this honor is
significant," explains Christopher Yanov, Reality Changers' founder and
president. "The organization will be celebrating its
15th Anniversary in 2016 and Reality Changers students will have earned
over $100,000,000 in scholarships from all sources."
Reality Changers began in 2001 to address college access and graduation for disadvantaged Hispanic
youth by supporting an educational pipeline that will propel them onto successful lives. The organization
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provides college readiness and youth development programs for 8th-11th graders, assistance and
guidance in the college applications process for 12th graders, and college success support and career
services for program graduates.
Since Reality Changers' inception, these programs have helped 97% of participants become first
generation college students and have helped 86% of such participants persist in college. Additionally,
Reality Changers has helped 26 students earn the Gates Millennium Scholarship.
For more information, go to www.realitychangers.org
Baja Presbyterian Missions Seeks Funds
to Build a New Church in Real de Rosarito
Supported by funds raised by Baja Presbyterian Missions, the Mexican Northwest Border Presbytery’s
vision for its hilltop lot in the community of Real de Rosarito is a two-story structure facing west to the
Pacific Ocean. In this first phase, a multipurpose room with kitchen and restrooms will be built.
Classrooms/offices and the pastor’s manse will be built above. In the second phase, the sanctuary will
fill the ground floor, with offices above for the Northwest Border Presbytery.
Real de Rosarito has been the site of Pueblos Hermanos’
Health Clinic, Salud y Vida, under the direction of Nurse
Martha Gonzales Rojas, for the past three years.
Pastor Davis Pardo leads Sunday Worship services and
weekly Bible studies from the Salud y Vida trailer on the
lot. He lives in the planned, 750-home community with
his wife Luz and their son.
Weekend Work parties and week-long Caravans from
Southern California, Arizona and beyond will be important
parts of this long-term project. The architect/contractor
will design and build the bare slabs and walls, stubbing out utilities. Volunteer bi-national work teams
will install electrical and plumbing, windows and doors, and paint or stucco.
To schedule a work team or a visit to the site, please contact Bob Battenfield, at 619-465-8305,
or [email protected]
Special Report
First Presbyterian Church of San Diego Hosts National Gathering
of The Fellowship Community: Following Jesus Right Where We Are
Posted by by Arwen McGilvra in Paul Detterman
by Paul Detterman, National Director
Two weeks ago I looked across the aging sanctuary of what was once the second largest church in
our denomination. Now it has an expressway in the front yard and a significantly smaller congregation
spread across 31 zip codes. But the story of First Presbyterian Church San Diego has nothing to do
with its building or location—it’s what’s happening there that’s amazing.
Worship is vibrant with a wide variety of music and the arts. A far-reaching ministry to their homeless
neighbors includes Sunday dinner for 300 people each week. And, included among the 100 plus
volunteers who welcomed us to our National Gathering were scores of people who are now clean,
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sober, and experiencing the transforming power of the gospel because FPC has made the choice to
lead not leave—following Jesus right where they are.
With me in that sanctuary were several hundred other pastors, elders, and church leaders, many of
whom have been asking if there was anyone else “like them” left in the PC(USA). Is there still a place
for thoughtful, evangelical witness and compassionate, missional affirmation of our Reformed
Tradition? Is there still room for people who unflinchingly honor, proclaim, and follow Jesus Christ?
The Fellowship Community (TFC) is made up of the people who are answering “Yes!” to those
questions.
The Fellowship Community is very real, and so is the need for this Community. TFC brings people
together so that no one will feel “homeless” in his or her own church; and so that no church needs to
feel “homeless” in the PC(USA). We can face, speak into and love the people in the changing culture
around us when we are grounded in faithful community. Being part of TFC makes pastors stronger
and churches stronger.
The National Gathering was a chance for TFC to take our first long look in the mirror—we’ve learned
a lot in our first year, sometimes the hard way, but what we saw was exciting: people from many
cultures, races, and contexts; young leaders; seasoned leaders; men and women who are hearing
and answering God’s call to keep growing in Christ’s likeness, living by God’s Word, and joining in
God’s mission in the world… (more)
For more of Determan’s article, go to www.fellowship.community/following-jesus-right-where-we-are
Background: The Fellowship Community is the next chapter in a rich history of mission and ministry
among Presbyterians. In 1989, the Covenant Fellowship of Presbyterians and Presbyterians United
for Biblical Concerns merged to form Presbyterians for Renewal (PFR)—a broad based advocacy and
ministry organization.
In 2011, a movement began that would come to be known as the Fellowship of Presbyterians—
reclaiming a covenanted biblical community within the PC(USA) where unity is derived from a clearly
articulated theology, where the common mission is making disciples of Jesus Christ, and where a new
generations of leaders could be nurtured to speak the gospel into a rapidly-changing world.
In 2014, these two organizations blended the best of their ministries together to form The Fellowship
Community.
First Pres San Diego’s Pastor Jerry Andrews is a member of the Fellowship’s Presiding Board and
the Theology Task Force.
Presbytery 2016 Meeting Schedule
Saturday, February 20, 2016, 9 am @ Faith Presbyterian Church
Tuesday, May 17 at 4 pm
Tuesday, September 20 at 4 pm
Tuesday, November 15 at 4 pm
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