Friday Business By Susan Tanner Eric Hancox, Covenant of Grace, read James 4:10 for the morning session devotion. Humil-


ity is the way our Lord Jesus Christ lived his life. It is the way we should live and teach our peo- ple to live. Hancox discussed humility in position, possessions, other people and your plans. Chris Smart, Hope Presbyterian, reminded us, “We prune plants for growth. We must


make changes in order to grow.” Mark Miller, Clover ARP Church, read Proverbs 30:25 about how strong and smart ants are. In regards to the retirement deficit, Miller said, “We are going back to the same people who give to our retirement asking them to help even more. The real- ity is that we need to take our own hit.” Even with the condensed schedule, the concern to finish all of the reports was among the


court. The motion was made for the officers of court to make a plan over lunch of how to handle the rest of the business. Once the motion passed, it was tossed down from the balcony and caught by the Reading Clerk. Rob Roy McGregor, Jr read from 2 Corinthians to begin the afternoon session. “Preparing


is getting ready to go home. Home is where you want to go, the fellowship with whom you identify and where your heart is. You complete the family,” McGregor said. We need to con- tinue to take the message to all other cultures. “We need to seek the Kingdom of God and do what is right,” McGregor said in closing. Index 11, Special Committee on Denominational Ministry Fund Spending took their first


year to obtain and interpret all of the data. They found that 73% of our churches have less than 100 members. 20 out of our 260 churches make up 61% of giving to DMF. The committee’s mo- tion was approved for the Moderator to appoint a Restructuring committee of six members to examine our present structure and formulate a plan for denomination restructuring. The committee encourages the denomination to “strive toward faithfulness together to impact the world around us.” Delegates discussed limitations and the scope of what they are looking for and if they are allowed to seek outside professionals. The motion was made to continue the hiring freeze. The vote created a call for division


which was a new challenge for this Synod meeting due to the presbyteries on zoom, in the Family Life Center and the sanctuary, but the motion passed. Index 32a Board of Stewardships Allocations for 2021 was approved. The allocations give


an overall 10% decrease to agencies with some taking a larger reduction of 25%. To make up some time, reports 20 Interchurch, 34 Bonclarken, 35 World Witness, 36 Chris-


tian Education were taken together. The Moderator’s Committees had looked over the reports and didn’t have other recommendations to add. Continue to pray for Bonclarken due to the restrictions from Covid-19. Index 25 Committee on Worship will have a video available for ministers, sessions, and


music staff to be aware of copyright laws. The recommendation to provide “Suggested Sing- ing and Worship Guidelines” was dropped saying most church sessions can make a plan that works for them. Committee on Campus Ministry thanked Paul Patrick for his 17 years of service. He is


filling in currently until a Campus Minister can be found. Ramsey Conner has been hired as Erskine Campus Mnistry Intern for 2020-2021 to minister to Erskine female freshmen and female students at large. The next item discussed were Memorials which can be found on page 26. During the Executive Board report, the Director of Central Services and staff were thanked


for their diligence in investigating the retirement plan and other issues. Roger Wiles com- mented on the return of the PPP saying, “It was returned without being used, God’s people are faithful.” The Board of Stewardship joins with the Special Committee on DMF Spending in its rec- ommendation for denominational restructuring. The Board of Stewardship thanks Chip Smith for his 28 years of faithful service as the Treasurer of the General Synod. The 216th meeting was called for adjournment by the oldest member of Court, Retired


Minister Dr. Rob Roy McGregor, Jr, the Moderator’s dad. He prayed for renewed vision and fresh strength. The meeting closed with the singing of the psalm Christian Unity accompa- nied by Moderator McGregor on the organ.?


November/December 2020 27


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