Rev. Paula Steinbacher and Vice Moderator Wanda Beauman represent

Global insights inspire local action

by Sue Washburn | Presbyterian News Service

Wanda Beauman (left) and Sharon Gibbons (right) share an interest in advocating for women who have experienced domestic violence. (Photo by Sue Washburn)

NEW YORK — The participants at the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations come from all over the world and their interests are as varied as their geography. Bulletin boards boast a wide variety of event invitations. From advocating for LGBTQI rights to exploring feminism and Korean TV to genital mutilation in Africa, chances are if the issue affects women, it’s being addressed by a UN agency or by one of the many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that sponsor lectures and discussions.

Per Capita is...

PER CAPITA is “the tie that binds” — annual support that unites the
entire church in the ongoing and essential work that guides the Office of the General Assembly, the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and benefits every congregation and every mid council ministry. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Office of the General Assembly encourages the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to be a people of hope ~

Seeking together the mind of Christ;
Working for justice and mercy in the world; and
Participating in God’s continual reformation of the church.

Per Capita Is....Stewardship 04/02/18 from Office of the General Assembly on Vimeo.

Per Capita is...Connectional 04/05/18 from Office of the General Assembly on Vimeo.

Rev. David Wright Installed as Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church

Welcome to our newest minister in Denver Presbytery, Rev. David Wright was installed as the minister at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Sunday, April 15th.

Help Defend the Ministerial Housing Allowance

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is fighting to have the ministerial housing allowance removed from the tax code and declared unconstitutional. A federal judge has already ruled in their favor. It’s time to stand up and protect our churches—and ministers like you who rely on the housing allowance.

In October 2017, U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb from the Western District of Wisconsin declared the ministerial housing allowance unconstitutional. Judge Crabb’s decision is on hold and has been appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. And that’s where you come in.

We have an opportunity to remind the court of the importance and constitutionality of this time-honored tradition by filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the case. But we need to do so now. The more pastors, like you, who are willing to sign their names and stand up to this attack from anti-religion activists, the more influential this brief will be. Every signature makes a difference.

If this ruling is not overturned, it will affect hundreds of thousands of pastors and churches around the U.S. that rely on this vital tax exemption. Some pastors, in areas where housing costs are already prohibitive, may have to take a second job, send their spouse to work, or leave the ministry altogether. We must help the court recognize the overwhelming number of ministers and families across the U.S. who will be impacted by its decision.

You can help make your voice heard and support the ministerial housing allowance by signing the brief.

The Board Bulletin — Spring 2018

On, Tuesday, April 10, 2018 our regional representative from the Board of Pensions met with a small group of members from Plains and Peaks and Denver Presbyteries to hear about some changes to the Board of Pensions benefits and offerings.  Here are some highlights:

• Experience Apportionment Granted

  • for retirees and eligible survivors

  • for active and terminated vested members

• 2019 Benefits Plan To Offer Additional Healthcare and Income Security Options

  • high deductible health plan and health savings account

  • flexible spending accounts

  • enhanced quality of care and preventative pre

• 'Pathways to Renewal' To Support Smaller Churches and Innovative Ministries

• Minister Educational Debt Assistance Program Expanded
   

Presbyterian Mission Agency Recognizes PZDP

One body in Christ

Mission Around the World March 22, 2018

Zimbabwe and Denver Presbyteries build each other up through partnership

by Douglas Tilton | Mission Crossroads Magazine

The Rev. Tinashe Chemvumi, moderator of the Presbytery of Zimbabwe, and the Rev. Tom Sheffield, former pastor for Denver Presbytery, celebrated Communion together in Harare, in August 2017. (Photo by Janet Guyer)

ZIMBABWE — Is mission a one-way street? Not to people in Denver Presbytery or the Presbytery of Zimbabwe of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa (UPCSA). These two presbyteries have been faithful witnesses to the unity of the body of Christ for more than a decade, despite the nearly 10,000 miles between them.

(Photo by Janet Guyer)

This partnership grew out of the commitment of a Denver couple’s desire to assist a school in Zimbabwe. Gradually, local churches began to support those efforts. Denver Presbytery helped to facilitate a discussion to determine how this relationship could honor the gifts of people in both places.

In 2005 the two presbyteries signed a memorandum of understanding, recognizing that “It was God, not us, who called us into partnership. It is a partnership that is grounded in love and respect for one another. We are able to extend God’s love to one another because God first loved us.”

The Rev. Lydia Neshangwe, clerk of the Presbytery of Zimbabwe and convener of its Ecumenical Relations Committee, said the presbyteries’ joint Partnership Committee finds particular value in relationships, diversity and equality. “The result is a relational mutuality that is manifested in our various engagements,” she said.

Julia Henderson (center, with glasses), a member of 2017 Denver delegation, meets with members of a UPCSA congregation in Zimbabwe. (Photo by Rob Habiger)

Over the years the partnership has provided opportunities for Presbyterians in Zimbabwe and Denver to get to know one another. Delegates travel back and forth regularly, strengthening relationships by exploring what they have in common and how they can support each other through dialogue, prayer and programs. The relationship has enabled Denver clergy to spend a month in Zimbabwe to assist with congregational care, preaching, teaching and other projects, while Zimbabwe pastors have used their long sabbatical in Denver for rejuvenation, study and exchange of experiences and ideas. A mentor program pairs retired pastors from Denver Presbytery with theology students and new pastors in the Presbytery of Zimbabwe, allowing them to pray for each other and share questions, ideas, concerns and goals.

“Serving as a short-term volunteer alongside a pastor in Zimbabwe has enriched my life beyond measure and allowed me to extend my ministry into retirement,” said the Rev. Parker Smith, coordinator of the mentor program for Denver.

Figuring out how to walk together has had its share of challenges. “It has meant some difficult conversations, setting aside assumptions and listening carefully, navigating through different cultural lenses, staying at the table and a commitment to genuine partnership,” wrote the Rev. Janet Schlenker, Denver Presbytery’s former stated clerk.

Yet their faithfulness has yielded remarkable dividends. “It’s fascinating to witness how deep and wide our partnership has taken root in the life of our presbytery,” said Ruth McCollum Huff, co-chair of the Partnership Committee. “The efforts between Denver and Zimbabwe Presbyteries to create a central fund of sustainable business initiatives for the benefit of the Presbytery of Zimbabwe’s pastors and congregations is making headway now, only after the decade-plus relationship and trust-building that we’ve been working on together.”

Rose Musonzah, the former Ecumenical Relations Committee convener, added, “We’ve learned that … there are people who have hidden talents that have been exposed by this partnership. Our partners have actually picked [up] some of the talents that are within us.”

“Like a typical family relationship, we have our challenges as well as successes,” Neshangwe said. “But because we are one family, we support each other through it all.”

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Douglas Tilton is Presbyterian World Mission’s regional liaison for Southern Africa and Madagascar.

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STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIPS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Support the work of regional liaison Douglas Tilton:
pcusa.org/donate/E200416

This article will be included in the Summer 2018 issue of Mission Crossroads magazine, which is printed and mailed free to subscribers’ homes three times a year by Presbyterian World Mission.

Click here for link to PMA article.