The Presbytery of Des Moines met Tuesday at Park Ave Presbyterian Church in South Des Moines. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon time of worship, moving to the dinner tables for a more intimate sharing of communion and then to enjoy a superb Italian dinner.
As for the business, most of it was quick and interesting. We heard reports from our mission projects - in El Salvador, in Egypt, in Des Moines, and with the Sudanese community in Des Moines.
We learned that the Presbyterian Pension Fund is 100% funded and secure; we shared each others joys and troubles; and we commissioned a new Lay Pastor to serve on the staff at Heartland Presbyterian Church.
The time consuming and substantial matter was the issue of not having money to fund the Presbytery budget through the end of the year. The shortfall is expected to be just under $60,000 for this budget year, and similar in ensuing years.
The quick-fix, knee-jerk, right-now action the Presbytery took was to ask the churches for additional and immediate financial support. Also, the Presbytery officials were instructed to bring to Presbytery at the August meeting a more detailed response containing specific recommendations.
The next meeting will be hosted by the Brooklyn and Malcolm congregations.
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