Packet for Stated Meeting • June 23, 2015

Elmwood United Presbyterian Church 135 Elmwood Avenue, East Orange, NJ 07018

Reverend Maria Crompton and Reverend Hodari Williams, Associate Pastors Together Transforming Lives, Congregations, Communities, and World.

CONSENT AGENDA FROM THE STATED CLERK:

1.That the Minutes of the Stated Meeting held on April 28, 2015 be approved. (Printed copies of the Minutes are available at the registration table and upon request from the Presbytery Center.

ITEMS OF INFORMATION 2.Newark Presbytery Stated Meeting Schedule for 2015 Saturday, January 31, 2015 – Roseville United Tuesday, April 28, 2015 - Presbyterian Church Upper Montclair Tuesday, June 23, 2015 - Elmwood United, East Orange Tuesday, September 29, 2015- First & Trinity South Orange Saturday, November 21, 2015 - Prospect Church, Maplewood The Presbytery is seeking meeting sites for 2016 meetings. If you can host this meeting please contact the Stated Clerk. 3. REPORT OF STATED CLERK A. Board of Pensions Eastern Region Benefit Consultation, April 29 and 30 in Philadelphia.

B. Committee of Counsel for the Synod of the Northeast hearing before the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission April 30-May 1, 2015 in Indianapolis, IN. C. Pursuant to Standing Rule 3.13 recommend for approval the 2016 Stated Meeting dates; Saturday, January 30, 2016, Tuesday, April 26, 2016, Saturday, June 25, 2016, Tuesday, September 27, 2016 and Saturday, November 19, 2016.

D. The IC investigating “Minister 2013 -E” recommend that no formal charges be filed. The IC has been dismissed with our thanks.

Correspondence 1. I received a letter from the Session of Grace Church Montclair “The failure of

Newark Presbytery to abide by the requirements of the Book of Order in a number of areas over the past two years has led to Grace Church expending a considerable amount of funds that could have been avoided. Therefore we will make no further contributions to Newark Presbytery until we have been able to restore the balance.”

4. The Mission and Ministry Team approved the following schedule: Peacemaking Affirmations September 29 Presbytery - Discussion & Vote

5. COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY REPORT

A. Concur with the request of Teaching Elder Thomas Malek-Jones a Member at large that he be granted permission to labor outside bounds in Los Ranchos Presbytery. B. The Rev. Barbara Shaw Jenkins a Member at large is appointed to moderate the congregational meeting of June 28, 2015 at Fewsmith Memorial Church.

C. Approve the Ministry Information Form of First Presbyterian Church of Verona.

6. FINANCE TEAM (Reports begin on next page)

Newark PresbyteryBalance SheetAs of MAY 31, 2015

ASSETS: Amount  ($)

Cash  and  Bank  balance 19,223Por=olio  investment-­‐market  value 4,031,317Church  loan  Receivable   342,950Closed  church  expenses  receivable   464,040(see  aIached  statement)Pre-­‐paid  expenses/insurance 3,862Interest  receivable  from  church  loan/Investments 16,226Mortgage  note  receivable-­‐790  Valley  Street,Orange 85,000Property  and  Equipment 458,408Less:accumulated  depreciaXon (229,071)

Total 5,191,955

LIABILITIES  &  FUND  BALANCE: Amount  ($)

Accounts  payable  &  other  current  liablity 14,196Exchange  payable-­‐GA  and  Synod  Mission  support 1,603

Fund  balance:Amount  ($) Amount  ($)

Unrestricted:a.  For  specific  purposes/CommiIees  reserve 20,192b.  Other  Unrestricted 4,166,593 4,186,785Temporarily  restricted 230,657(see  aIached  statement)Permanently  restricted 758,714

Total 5,191,955

Report  approved    by  the  Finance  Team  for  internal  use  only.

Loan and Temp. restricted funds

Presbytery of Newark

A List of church loan Receivable as of May 31, 2015

Name of Church Amount Quarter/month loan granted

Status

1 Belleville Fewsmith 19,133 July-Oct 2011 current

2 South Orange First Trinity 20,065 July-Oct 2011 current

3 Elmwood United 240,000 May 2012 default

4 First Hispanic 49,650 April 2013 current

5 Elizabeth-Weeq 9,790 November 2013 current

6 Livingston 4,312 January 2014 current

Total 342,950

B List of Closed Church Expenses Receivable as of May 31, 2015

420 Main St 403,198 October 2010 closed church

36 Kearny Avenue 50,645 June 2013 closed church

761 Clinton Avenue 10,197 February 2015 closed church

Total 464,040

C Temporarily restricted funds as of May 31, 2015

Details Amount Amount Sources1 Church/Synod designated fund:

A. Peacemaking 3,215 CongregationsB.Hunger Program 1,402 SynodC. Multi-media academy 4,499 SynodD.Synod-Innovative advocacy 73,596 SynodE.Pastor Retooling-NJPPG Grant 10,812 NJPPGF. New Beginnings 614 Synod/CongregationsG.Inquirers/Candidates 977 CongregationsH. Kids Summer Youth-For Elmwood church

16,578 SynodI. Global Mission 300 CongregationsJ. Hunger/Super Bowl 2,643 CongregationsK. Big Tent 333 CongregationsL. Living waters 133 CongregationsM. Big Tent event 4,000 Pastor-retooling-reallocatedsub-total 119,102

2 OTHERS:844 Sanford Ave- from estate of Deusinger

16,349 Estate of Deusigner

First Irvington- pastor severance payment

1,755 First Irvington Church844 Sanford Avenue- income/exp

account(1,737) Sanford church

836 Sanford Avenue-Manse 30,888 Sanford-Manse soldsale of knox church-down payment 64,300 36 Kearny ave-sold

Total Temp Restricted funds 230,657

Newark PresbyteryStatement of Activities for year

Ended MAY 31, 2015 2015 2015 2015 2014Budget Actual Budget Variance Actual

YTD YTD YTDINCOME:Per Capita (Net Amount Retained) (Received $29,658-paid $17,141) 51,000 12,517 21,250 (8,733) 30,002

Presbytery Mission (from churches) (1) 50,000 13,354 20,833 (7,479) 38,729

Presbytery Mission (from earnings) (2) 48,000 20,000 20,000 0 48,000

Special Gifts/other Income 23,000 270 9,583 (9,313) 22,698Earnings, investment (3) 286,499 119,375 119,375 0 272,373Interest,Eldridge,Hooper,PILP(4) 23,495 5,803 9,790 (3,987) 23,029Interest Church loans (5) 16,387 2,811 6,828 (4,017) 15,422174 S,valley rd,west orange sale 0 0 0 0 79,210Designted grant-NJPPG-Memorial west 0 0 5,000TOTAL INCOME 498,381 174,130 207,659 (33,529) 534,463

ExpensesCommittees:Mission & Ministry Team 98,000 29,804 40,833 11,029 90,547Board of Trustees 33,000 2,048 13,750 11,702 38,318Reserve for BOT (7,000) 0 (2,917) (2,917) (15,000)Committee on Ministry 20,000 9,309 8,333 (976) 20,809Committee on Prep for Ministry 15,000 72 6,250 6,178 10,474Committee on Representation 650 0 271 271 0Sub-Total 159,650 41,233 66,521 25,288 145,148

Human Resources TeamStaff 258,750 107,813 107,813 (1) 253,676Staff Benefits 122,531 45,080 51,055 5,975 125,785

Sub-Total 381,281 152,893 158,867 5,974 379,461

Operations:Presbytery mettings & installations 7,000 1,906 2,917 1,011 6,716Ecclesiastical matters 45,000 13,184 18,750 5,566 37,114Administrative Commissions 5,000 332 2,083 1,751Administrative Costs 55,000 25,098 22,917 (2,181) 61,146Equipment cost 3,500 0 1,458 1,458 3,139Discretionary Fund- for GP 500 0 208 208 500Pastoral Care 1,000 115 417 302 325Working Group/Consultant 0 0 0 0 8,000Working Group/Consultant travel 0 0 0 0 1,952420 Main (building) NA NA NA NA 34,794Grant for First HispanicDesignted grant-NJPPG-Memorial west 0 0 5,000Grant for Church on Green 0 0 121,100Grant for Caldwell,First 35,558 (35,558) 89,442 Minister Member-Severance pay 0 0 75,000PTC/CTC Loan write off 0 0 5,000Sub-Total 117,000 76,193 48,750 (27,443) 449,228

TOTAL EXPENSES 657,931 270,319 274,138 3,819 973,837

Operating (Deficit)/Surplus (6) (159,550) (96,189) (66,479) (29,710) (439,374)

MAINTENANCE RESERVE POSITION AS OF MAY 31, 2015

BOT and Committees Balance 1/1/2015

Added to 2015

Used in 2015

Balance 05/31/15

Board of Trustees 7,619 0 0 7,619

TOTAL 7,619 0 0 7,619

INVESTMEMT & LOAN UPDATE: Market Value Market Value Market Value Market Value

12/31/2012 12/31/2013 12/31/2014 5/31/2015

FIDELITY INVESTMENTS:

Fidelity conservative income bond fund 10,261 5,698 5,709 5,717

Fidelity Cash Reserve Fund 5,396 0 0 0

Fidelity Ginnie Mae Fund 4,066 3,978 4,227 4,267

Calvert Social Investment Bond Fund 7,803 7,649 8,164 8,252

Fidelity Portfolio Advisory Services 4,059,656 3,802,552 3,435,832 3,325,966

OTHER INVESTMENTS:

Presbyterian Investment Loan Program 75,000 75,000 75,000 75,000

PNC Money Market Account/Checking Account 6,263 60,089 35,479 19,223

OTHER RESTRICTED INVESTMENTS:New Covenant- Wyoming Fund* 71,459 82,179 88,522 89,993PCUSA- Sarah K Eldridge Fund * 501,031 533,652 520,079 522,122*figures as of 03/31/2015

Total Investment 4,740,935 4,570,797 4,173,012 4,050,540Church Loan/Closed church expenses receivable 676,958 943,888 831,645 806,990

Total Investments and Loan 5,417,893 5,514,685 5,004,657 4,857,530

Note: For YTD 05/31/2015, principal amount received from church loan $136,573

Notes to statement of Activities for period ended 05/31/2015

1. Mission pledges is based on last year actual and 2015 pledge2. Presbytery mission(from earnings) $48,000 represents 1.17% of the average of Aug 31 and Sept.

30,2014 unrestricted investment valuation $4,092,8383. Earnings (investment) $286,499 represents 7.00% of average of Aug 30 and Sept 30, 2014 unrestricted investment valuation $4,092,838. 4. Interest (Eldridge,Hooper,PILP) $23,495, represents estimated interest income from investment valuation $617,451 as of September 30, 2014.5. Interest on church loan $16,387 represents estimated 2015 interest income from church loan bearing interest, value of which is estimated at $435,777.6. The deficit of $159,550 represents 3.10% of total investment and loan valuation of September 30, 2014 $5,162,630

END OF CONSENT AGENDA

7. VISION ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD Report to Newark Presbytery – June 23, 2015

The Vision Accountability Board, created by the Newark Presbytery restructuring approved in March with its nine members elected at the April Council meeting, has begun to implement a new structure for ministry and a new way of doing ministry and answering God’s call to us in this time and place.

Together we are energized by this work and by the commitment of our current committees.

• The VAB has met nearly weekly since the beginning of May and will continue to meet weekly / regularly to lead Newark Presbytery forward.

• Members of the VAB have also met directly or by phone with our current ministry teams and/or their moderators to develop the shared partnership that is a critical goal in this transition period. Their work continues and it will inform, where appropriate, our work going forward.

As we seek to discern God’s will and live out our faith in Jesus Christ together, our goal is through collaboration and servant leadership to lead us in:

• Developing a new Vision – We have spent multiple sessions working toward a vision for Newark Presbytery that focuses on our congregations while seeking to envision a future that involves creative, dynamic ministry at the congregational and presbytery levels.

• Staffing Model – Our goal is to determine a working staffing model for our Presbytery’s size and needs, incorporating the recommendations of the implementation plan. We have sought input from multiple sources and are working on the job description of the Transitional DPM.

• Recruiting goals – It will be crucial to work with nominating on the governance side and with the future Transitional Director of Presbytery Ministries to match the gifts and talents of our fellow presbyters with the governance and ministry work of the Presbytery.

• Setting up our administrative structure – Our goal is to guide the adoption or creation of ministry-affirming policies and procedures and use them to inform our new standing rules and bylaws.

While we have an excellent road map, there are many moving parts that will come become clearer as we continue to work through the summer and fall. We appreciate your support and your prayers.

Vision Accountability Board – Laura Phillips, Rick Boyer, Victoria Andrade, Jin Oh Bae, Elaine Connolly, Erika Cowan, Sam Currie, Laurin McArthur, Hodari Williams

8. REPORT OF GENERAL PRESBYTER (Report begins on the next page)

Congregational Resources Available kevin@newarkpresbytery.org GP Report 06/23/2015 • � of �1 2

Rev. Dr. Kevin Yoho, Report of the General Presbyter God's power creates communities of possibilities. Anything can happen! Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen!” (Mark 9:23, The Message).

Wow. Moses and Elijah appearing and talking with the transfigured Jesus must have been amazing! That mountain-top experience recorded in Mark 9 might have remained the disciples' only take-away, if it weren't for following Jesus down the mountain. More amazing possibilities lay ahead.

When they reached the main road into town, a desperate father painfully complained that the disciples couldn’t heal his boy who suffered from symptoms of epilepsy. They had good intentions and tried. They just couldn't connect to the power needed. Jesus did.

The disciples cornered Jesus and asked why they couldn’t heal the boy. Only through the power of prayer, Jesus said. God's power creates possibilities.

Possibilities can transform lives anywhere. Founded in 2010, The Possible Project (TPP) is a youth entrepreneurship center in Cambridge, Massachusetts that teaches high school students to launch and run their own businesses. The founders, Mark and Becky Levin, said the mission of TPP is that every student would use their skills to move through a high-level career path and improve their communities while remaining committed to the principle that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!" TPP invites young people into a new future of possibilities.

Perhaps like yours, many Presbyterian congregations are experiencing transformation, too. We have an opportunity at this presbytery meeting to explore a new book with its co-author Rita Boyer, Prospect Presbyterian Church's Certified Christian educator (and wife of our presbytery moderator, Rev. Rick Boyer). The book is titled, Bringing Good News: 40 Stories of Congregations and the Ministries that Transformed Them.

One story is about Second United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. Their fresh look at the

possibilities for a park across the street prompted them to clean it up. Adding "inexpensive picnic table and an assortment of toys appropriate for toddlers," soon attracted parents that empowered an entire community to collaborate. Second Church didn't just believe anything was possible, they became the possibility that a community park could once again bless the community's children.

Does your church believe that anything is possible? Pastors and church leadership in very diverse ministry contexts consistently tell me they want to make a difference in their community. Many do. But every church has great intentions like the disciples did. Perhaps you recall mountain-top like experiences of long ago, but coming "down" has left you facing unexpected obstacles and challenges. There is a pre-requisite for life-changing transformation. By authentically connecting to God's Spirit of possibilities, prayerful engagement with our community results in our becoming possibilities ourselves.

There are many ways to foster deep community connections. For example, one-third of our churches are participating in New Beginnings that is rooted in prayerful engagement, a kind of incubation process, not unlike The Possibility

GP Proclamation (Leadership with special task groups, commissions, regional, national gatherings, teams, and events. Not listed are contributions on conference calls for Presbyterian Mission Agency, OGA, etc..) 04.29-30 Philadelphia: Board of Pensions Regional

benefits Consultation.

05.05 Montclair: Trinity, PC session meeting.

06.03 Bloomfield: COM special meeting.

06.11 Bloomfield: VAB meeting.

Congregational Resources Available kevin@newarkpresbytery.org GP Report 06/23/2015 • � of �2 2

Project in Boston, but for the spirit. (You may want to participate in New Beginnings when it is next offered.)

Another way to foster deep community connections occurs when church leaders take intentional walks before, during, or after worship. The purpose is not to advertise programs or solicit support, but to actively engage and pay attention to what God is doing around them. "Walk with me" is a phrase that should be heard more often in our churches as leaders find ways to interact and learn outside the building.

While physically walking around a community is very effective, digitally walking around the community is useful, too. The Committee on Ministry provides free MissionInsite demographic tools that can reintroduce your session or team to your community, stirring the possibilities of transformation and blessing. (Sign up today for a free MissionInsite account by clicking here.) Become more deeply connected to the possibilities in your neighborhood.

However, some of us still seem pre-disposed to think that the community owes us something, such as showing up at our church events, while we struggle to make real connections. To the community at large, like in Pittsburgh, or in Boston, or when Jesus' team made their way down the mountain, our community wants to see God's love and transformational leadership in action. You can show God's love the community wants and deserves to experience! And the presbytery is prepared to resource that engagement. Just ask!

You are an amazing gift to the community! Our communities expect more from our churches. Your church represents a unique possibility. You are also the possibility that neighbors will connect to God's spirit of compassion, peace, and justice.

Creating Communities of Possibilities

Here's a way to frame new engaging mission behaviors. Join with your team and in a spirit of prayer, complete two fill-in-the-blank sentences.

1. This week, my church is the possibility that:

(Fill in an outcome your community could experience through your congregation's unique ministry.)

2. This week, I am the possibility that:

(Fill in an outcome your community could experience through your unique ministry).

Now, put God's love and transformational leadership into action!

God's new future of possibilities is emerging for Newark Presbytery as we embrace our new mission and structure. Let's pay attention to Jesus when he said, "There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

I believe anything can happen in your community, too. I look forward to resourcing your unique ministry challenges and opportunities. Thank you for your partnership. You are not alone. Together, we can do more.

God's power creates communities of possibilities!

All the best in Christ,

Rev. Dr. Kevin Yoho General Presbyter

(Community Possibility Resources can be yours by attending BigTent 2015, July 30-Aug 1 at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. More info can be found don our NP Website.

9. HUMAN RESOURCE TEAM

1.  As approved by Newark Presbytery through its HRT Guidelines:     a.  Summer hours for the Presbytery Center:  From July 1 through August 31, the Center will be open 9:00am-4:00pm, Monday through Thursday.     b.  The Center will be closed to observe the Labor Day Holiday on Monday, September, 7th.

2.  HRT/VAB transition status report.    10. REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

For Presbytery Information:

“A congregation shall not lease its real property used for purpose of worship, or lease for more than five years any of its other real property, without the written permission of the presbytery transmitted through the session of the congregation.”

11. PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN (Report begins on the next page)

TO THE STATED MEETING OF THE PRESBYTERY OF NEWARK TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015

The Winter Gatheringg/Leadership Training sponsored by Presbyterian Women in the Newark Presbytery (PWNP) took place on Saturday, February 21, 2015 at First Presbyterian Church of Irvington. Registration began at 8:30 a.m., and the program lasted from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The theme of the Gathering was “Claiming a New Vision Together” and the keynote speaker was the Reverend Terri Cisse Ofori, Chaplain, Presbyterian Women in the Synod of the Northeast (PWSNE). Reverend Ofori delivered a powerful message which resonated with everyone. Using Hebrews 12:1-9 as her point of reference, she challenged us to examine ourselves thoroughly and ensure that we were spiritually prepared to make the changes we so desired. Unless we allowed God to transform us, and, consequently, discarded old mindsets that were not aligned with His purpose, we would not be equipped to make meaningful changes in our society. Utilizing the metaphor of “packing for airline travel”, Reverend Ofori gave us a graphic illustration of just how crucial it was for us to get rid of “excess baggage”, and focus on the important things in life, notably our calling.

In terms of leadership training, Reverend Valencia Norman, Pastor of First Presbyterian & Trinity Church of South Orange, spoke about “Conflict Resolution” and Alpha Brown, Coordinator of Justice and Peace Concerns, PWSNE, addressed the issue of “Network Communicator Training”.

PWNP also hosted the Spring Gathering which convened on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at Bethel Presbyterian Church, East Orange, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Gathering theme was “Alone We Can Do Some Things, with Christ We Can Do Many Things”. We were pleased to have as our speaker a dynamic young woman, Danielle N. Williams, who is an ordained deacon at Bethel Presbyterian Church and serves as guest preacher, when the need arises. Her compelling message urged us to remember that, even in the midst of the darkest circumstances in our lives, God is there and He is working on our behalf.

Besides hosting the Winter and Spring Gatherings, PWNP will attend the upcoming Churchwide Triennial Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Minneapolis from June 17 through June 21, 2015. On October 10, 2015 PWNP will celebrate our Fall Gathering. Details of these events will be featured in subsequent reports.

Lorraine Cuffie, Moderator Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Newark

12. Mission and Ministry Team

FIVE PEACEMAKING AFFIRMATIONS FOR PRESBYTERY DELIBERATION

As part of the process of peace discernment begun by the General Assembly in 2010, then following 9 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 221st General Assembly (2014) approved five affirmations for discussion, debate, and voting in the presbyteries. These affirmations were derived from work by 65 presbytery and congregational study groups and two consultations, one with seminary ethicists and one with Presbyterian college and university faculty, campus ministers and chaplains, and students.

This brief document contains the key action of the General Assembly and summarizes the background rationales for each of the five affirmations. The goal is to make this process as inviting as possible for presbytery discussion and voting. For those interested, the full set of study material is posted online: https://www.pc-biz.org/PC-Biz.WebApp_deploy/%28S%28xjl1wbkkr5lfzvuydpivwjq3%29%29/IOBView.aspx?m=ro&id=4795 and is also available from the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. Presbyteries may wish to schedule information sessions on the affirmations before they vote, or may simply distribute this resource and announce the voting in advance.

Here is the action of the Assembly:  "Process of Discernment for Presbyteries: As the next stage in a six-year process of discernment, the 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) directs the Stated Clerk to send to each presbytery, electronically and in print, the following five affirmations and supporting rationale with the request that they discuss and take an advisory vote on each affirmation and send the results of those votes, along with a summary of the floor discussion, back to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy by July 1, 2015, to help guide the preparation of a report on peacemaking directions for the 222nd General Assembly (2016).

     "The affirmations for churchwide discussion and advisory vote:

     "1.     We affirm that peacemaking is essential to our faith in God’s reconciling work in Jesus Christ, whose love and justice challenge hatred and conflict, and whose call gives our church a mission to present alternatives to violence, fear, and misused power.

     "2.     We confess our complicity in the world’s violence even as we pray for the Spirit’s courage to “unmask idolatries,” to speak truth about war and oppression, and to stand with those who suffer, and to respond to acts and threats of violence with ministries of justice, healing, and reconciliation.

     "3.     We reclaim the power and authority of Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Reconciler, who proclaims God’s reign, who inspires the prophetic church, forgiving, healing, and undoing violence, and who overcomes evil through the cross and resurrection.

     "4.     We seek to understand the nonviolent revolutions and armed struggles of our time by drawing on the traditions of Christian pacifism, just war, just peacemaking and active nonviolence,

and by cultivating moral imagination through prayer, study, and engagement with friends and enemies. Even as we actively engage in a peace discernment process, we affirm our responsibility of continuing the long tradition of support by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for our sisters and brothers who serve in the U.S. military, veterans, and their families.

     "5.     As disciples of Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves earnestly to seek and promote loving, nonviolent responses to conflict in our daily lives, in our communities, and in our world, and to risk calling our nation back from the practices of empire to the highest ideals of our heritage, and to practice boldly the things that make for peace."

THEOLOGICAL BASIS: The title of the full General Assembly report is “Risking Peace in a Violent World.” It invokes language from both the Brief Statement of Faith, acknowledging not only a “broken and fearful world,” but a violent one, and the Confession of 1967’s prophetic phrase, “This search [for peace] requires that the nations pursue fresh and responsible relations across every line of conflict, even at the risk to national security, to reduce areas of strife and to broaden international understanding” (Book of Confessions, 9.45). Each of the five rationale sections includes Biblical, theological, ethical, and historical analysis.

“Peace discernment” is the name given to a 6-yr. process of updating the peacemaking vision of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The process was initiated by seven presbytery overtures on the 30th anniversary of Peacemaking: The Believers’ Calling (1980). A Steering Team was charged with a twofold mandate to “seek clarity as to God’s call to the church regarding nonviolence as our fundamental response to the challenges of violence, terror, and war,” and to examine “ministries of peacemaking and justice-seeking that honor the Gospel, the history of the church, and the movement of the Holy Spirit…” to develop recommendations for new policy and action (Minutes, 2010, p. 69). The study document, Encountering the Gospel of Peace Anew contained questions for members and groups to explore not simply the effectiveness of the church’s peacemaking work and its threefold offering, but the basic nature and scope of the Gospel’s mandate for peacemaking. (http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/peacemaking/peace-discernment/ ) STATUS OF THE AFFIRMATIONS AND POSSIBLE MODIFICATIONS: The affirmations clearly build on each other, but presbyteries can decide whether to consider the five as a set or vote on them individually to assess the degree to which they may, or may not, represent that presbytery’s views. The five proposed affirmations honor the range of viewpoints within the church while testing new directions; they are not statements of policy but propositions for serious debate. We respectfully ask presbyteries to make time on their busy dockets to consider the affirmations. Our Presbyterian process values differences of opinion as efforts to speak the truth in love under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Voting is part of the work of the body to build consensus over time, and Presbyterians do not usually see unanimity or total agreement as necessary for decision. We both take corporate stands, believing that the church as a body should not be silent, and at the same time we affirm that “God alone is Lord of the conscience,” making space for dissent. It is for those reasons we would like to see the

vote tallies, but it is up to each presbytery to determine how to report, and some may wish to approve their own affirmations or amend the ones presented here. If a presbytery develops one or more affirmations of its own, we would appreciate a brief statement of rationale to explain the position or amendment. The wording of this summary background piece draws freely on the language of the full report and all sources quoted are documented in its footnotes. Leaders of presbytery discussions are urged to be familiar with the cases made in each section.

1. Summary of Rationale for First Affirmation: This affirmation would support the understanding in Peacemaking: The Believers’ Calling that working for peace is not only an individual matter (such as conscientious objection) but a call of the whole Christian community, including those opposed to all war and violence and those who use categories of the “Just War” or justifiable war tradition. Former chief of chaplains, Kermit Johnson, in opposing nuclear warfare, writes, “Like pacifism, it [Just War] is rooted in the commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ It is a presumption against violence, ‘the presumption in favor of peace and against war.” Thus faithful Presbyterians may differ on whether there can be justified force, whether war is inevitable, and what the range from policing to maintain social peace to organized military campaigns may be. The point is: it is our responsibility to deal with these questions. Further, it is not enough to repeat old answers, but it is important to know what they have been. For example, strong majorities of the PCUSA presbyteries in 1936 and 1938 voted to remove Just War language from the Westminster Confession, though not attaining the supermajority necessary for constitutional change. This voting process recalls those votes prior to the adoption of The Book of Confessions. The full rationale section itself summarizes alternatives to violence and war in General Assembly social witness policy, particularly since WWII, and notes the support of more than 50% of PCUSA congregations for The Commitment to Peacemaking and the Peacemaking Offering at some point since 1980.

2. Summary of Rationale for Second Affirmation:This affirmation asks us to be “honest patriots,” owning our responsibility for the horrific consequences of the Afghan and Iraq wars, while recognizing the ways that structural and cultural violence permeate our society and those of others. The emphasis here is on honestly counting the costs of what we have done, and in the spirit of the Brief Statement of Faith, to consider whether we have succumbed to idolatries in our efforts for security and justice. The final clause of this affirmation, which speaks of how to respond to violence, was added by the General Assembly and is given support in the background to affirmations four and five. The word, “complicity,” has both conscious and unconscious dimensions, and recognizes how embedded we all are in social structures that include unjust relationships. Prophetic self-criticism and repentance are basic parts of Christian life. This affirmation applies those principles not only to the large scale and deliberate violence of war, but to the roots of war. Members of presbyteries may want to look at the definitions of violence and of “structural violence,” or forms of oppression that can prompt violence or self-destructiveness. As a church in the United States, how do we stand before not only the peoples of the countries which have suffered so much more than we, but before the Lord of history? Does this affirmation help us so stand?

3. Summary of Rationale for Third Affirmation:This affirmation focuses on Jesus Christ in relation to war and violence and proposes a new emphasis for Reformed Christians, without denying our traditional linkage of the New Testament witness with Old (and some New) Testament justifications of force. This affirmation says it is essential to look at how the words and example of Jesus cohere with the rest of the “Gospel of Peace,” and suggests more attention to the earliest centuries of the church when Christians had no public power and largely chose nonviolence. Stating clearly that our faith is not based on scholarly reconstructions of Jesus’ life—of which there are many—nonetheless the preponderance of scholarship supporting a nonviolent interpretation of Jesus ministry bears attention. This affirmation does not answer the specific question of how much peace or nonviolence were the goal or method of Jesus’ ministry, and does not try to fit Jesus into a programmatic script. Yet it would urge the church not to get too far away from his example, lest we be coopted too easily into war for reasons of state or economic interest.

4. Summary of Rationale for Fourth Affirmation:This affirmation proposes that our church’s social and ethical teaching give more attention to the nonviolent techniques of social change that have been more productive than violence in a surprising number of cases. That list would include the fall of the Berlin wall and other nonviolent transitions in Eastern Europe, the nonviolent revolution in the Philippines, the painstaking achievement of peace in Northern Ireland, the dramatic transformation of South Africa, and the initial successes of the Arab Awakening. In these cases many non pacifists by chose nonviolent tactics for their effectiveness in mobilizing people. Clearly there have also been incredibly savage wars and instigated religious/ ethnic tensions, with some countries funding forces in other countries as “proxies” for their interests. These point to the weakness of international diplomatic structures and difficulties of protecting minorities within countries, many of which have become refugees. The General Assembly added a sentence that could apply to all five affirmations, expressing concern for those in the military and veterans, and also added the category of “Christian pacifism” as well as nonviolence as a force for social change. The import of this affirmation is to diversify further the alternatives to force available for the church.

5. Summary of Rationale for Fifth Affirmation:As amended by the General Assembly, this affirmation emphasizes that nonviolent methods should be chosen first in our personal and corporate efforts to resolve or transform conflict, and that on the national level our country should pursue international relations based less on military superiority and unilateral force. The background rationale here looks at the differences between national interests and principles (such as respect for universal human rights); it challenges the practices of “empire” on practical and even “realist” grounds, emphasizing the soft power of ideals and example, particularly in facing new kinds of global crisis (such as environmental disaster). The rationale also provides a range of “things that make for peace:” truth and reconciliation commissions, interfaith cooperation, accompaniment and nonviolent intervention, increased teaching of peacemaking. Three illustrative examples are given in conclusion: the Reformed village of LeChambon sheltering Jews during WWII, a personal witness that prevented a mass

shooting, and an international agreement to remove chemical weapons from Syria in 2013. This affirmation, then, would seek alternatives to military violence at every level.