FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH of DAYTON

STATED MEETING12 JANUARY 2016

PRESBYTERY OF NEW BRUNSWICK

MILFORD, NEW JERSEY

The stated meeting of the Presbytery of New Brunswick was held on 12 January 2016 at First Presbyterian Church of Dayton, 362 Georges Road, Dayton, New Jersey 08810.

ROLL

To be supplied for the permanent minutes.

GATHERING BUSINESS

The presbytery was called to order with prayer at 6:46 pm by moderator Hallgren.

The docket was presented.

DOCKET

5:45 Dinner

6:25 Orientation for first-time commissionersRev. David Hallgren

6:45 Presbytery Called to OrderRev. David Hallgren

Introductions and seating of corresponding members

Approval of Docket

Consent Agenda

6:55Transition Task Force Action ItemRev. David Hallgren

Motion: The Transition Task Forces moves that in the event of transition in membership within the Task Force or Administrative Commission during the remaining transitional period, the Nominating Committee nominate new members for election, striving for balanced representation.

7:05 Report of the Nominating CommitteeRev. Dawn Adamy, Rev. Molly Dykstra

7:15 Worship

8:15 Stated Clerk Report

8:20 Transition Task Force Report

8:40 Committee on Preparation for Ministry

Motion: The Committee on Preparation for Ministry moves that Jasmine Smart (Ewing), an enrolled inquirer be advanced to candidacy.

9:00 Committee on Mission & Social Witness

Motion: That the Presbytery of New Brunswick concur with the Presbytery of San Francisco's overture going before the 2016 General Assembly in regards to divestment from fossil fuel companies.

9:30 Adjournment

The docket was approved as presented.

CONSENT AGENDA

Committee on Preparation for Ministry:

REPORTS:

1. Brandon Watson was enrolled as an inquirer.

On 4 January 2016 the Committee on Preparation for Ministry enrolled Brandon Watson, a member of Nassau Presbyterian Church, as an inquirer into the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament.

2. Mark Smith was removed from the roll of candidates.

On 7 December 2015 the Committee on Preparation for Ministry Mark Smith from the roll of candidates for ordination as a teaching elder to the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament. Mr Smith is a member of Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church.

Report of the Stated Clerk

REPORTS:

1. The following sessions have had their minutes reviewed and approved without exceptions: Alexandria First Presbyterian Church, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, Frenchtown Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church of Hamilton Square, Hopewell Presbyterian Church,First Presbyterian Church of Lambertville, Larison’s Corner Presbyterian Church, Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville,Mt Airy Presbyterian Church, Nassau Presbyterian Church, Iglesia Nueva Vida, Pennington Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church of Plainsboro, Slackwood Presbyterian Church, Stockton Presbyterian Church, Taiwanese American Fellowship Presbyterian Church, West Trenton Presbyterian Church, Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church.

The following sessions have had their minutes reviewed and approved with exceptions as noted: First Presbyterian Church of Ewing, Flemington Presbyterian Church, Titusville Presbyterian Church.

2. The closing date for clerks of session to make entries in the online system for the Annual Statistical Reporting is Thursday, 18 February 2016. If there are any difficulties, please report them to either the stated clerk or the administrative assistant in the presbytery office.

REPORTS from ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSIONS:

1. Ordination of Brian McCollum

The commission established by the Presbytery of New Brunswick to ordain Brian McCollum to a validated ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary met at the Chapel of the seminary on 12 December 2015 at 2:00 pm. The following commission members were present:

Catherine Ahmad, ruling elder, Pennington Presbbyterian Church

Janice Ammon, teaching elder, Princeton Theological Seminary

Sherry Garrahan, ruling elder, First Presbyterian Church of Hamilton Square

David Hallgren, teaching elder, Pennington Presbyterian Church

Muriel Burrows, teaching elder, Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church

John White, teaching elder, Princeton Theological Seminary

A quorum of the commission was present. Based upon presbytery standing rules the commission elected David Hallgren as moderator and Catherine Ahmad as clerk of this commission. The commission took action to enroll as corresponding member Victor Aloyo, teaching elder, Presbytery of Elizabeth.

The congregation was called to worship and Juan Gutherie preached the sermon on the topic of “In Search of Tomorrow” based upon a text from Joshua 1:1-9.

The commission moderator stated the proceeding of the presbytery in preparation to the ordination and asked the constitutional questions of the candidate. Ruling elders Jennie Stewart and Anne Stewart asked the constitutional questions of the congregation. These being answered in the affirmative, the candidate knelt and with prayer led by Deborah Davis and the laying on of hands, the commission ordained Brian McCollum to the ordered ministry of a Teaching Elder. The members of the commission, the Presbytery, and the congregation came forward to offer the newly ordained teaching elder a cordial reception and affectionate regard.

Victor Aloyo delivered the charge to Brian McCollum and John White delivered the charge to the congregation. An offering was taken for the presbytery’s Candidate Scholarship Fund.

At the conclusion of the service the newly ordained teaching elder made a brief statement and pronounced the benediction. After the service officers and members of the church came forward and gave him an appropriate expression of cordial reception and affectionate regard.

Prior to the start of the worship service the commission approved their minutes, and were adjourned with the prayer and benediction that closed the service.

Submitted by David Hallgren, moderator of this commission, and Catherine Ahmad, clerk of this commission.

1. Ordination of Aaron Twitchell

The commission established by the Presbytery of New Brunswick to ordain Aaron Twitchell to a validated ministry at the Pennington School met at Nassau Presbyterian Church on 22 November 2015 at 3:30 pm. The following commission members were present:

David Davis, teaching elder, Nassau Presbyterian Church

David Hallgren, teaching elder, Pennington Presbyterian Church

David Wall, ruling elder, Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church

Carol Wehrheim, ruling elder, Nassau presbyterian Church

Lorelei Zupp, ruling elder, First Presbyterian Church of Hamilton Square

A quorum of the commission was present. The commission took action to enroll as ecumenical corresponding member the reverend David Merz of the Methodist Church. Based upon presbytery standing rules the commission elected David Hallgren as moderator and Carol Wehrheim as clerk of this commission.

The congregation was called to worship and David Merz preached the sermon on the topic of “Here I am Lord” based upon a text from John 1:43-51.

The commission moderator stated the proceeding of the presbytery in preparation to the ordination and asked the constitutional questions of the candidate. These being answered in the affirmative, the candidate knelt and with prayer led by David Hallgren and the laying on of hands, the commission ordained Aaron Twitchell to the ordered ministry of a Teaching Elder. The members of the commission, the Presbytery, and the congregation came forward to offer the newly ordained teaching elder a cordial reception and affectionate regard.

Dave Davis delivered the charge to Aaron Twitchell. An offering was taken for the presbytery’s Candidate Scholarship Fund.

Prior to the start of the worship service the commission approved their minutes, and were adjourned with the prayer and benediction that closed the service.

Submitted by David Hallgren, moderator of this commission, and Carol Wehrheim, clerk of this commission.

1. Ordination of Erin Raffety

The commission established by the Presbytery of New Brunswick to ordain Erin Raffety as associate pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church met at Grace Presbyterian Church on 1 November 2015 at 3:00 pm. The following commission members were present:

Kate Godinez, ruling elder, Grace Presbyterian Church

David Hallgren, teaching elder, Pennington Presbyterian Church

David Luck, ruling elder, Kingston Presbyterian Church

Matt Rhodes, teaching elder, Princeton Healthcare System

Beth Scibienski, teaching elder, Grace Presbyterian Church

A quorum of the commission was present. Based upon presbytery standing rules the commission elected David Hallgren as moderator and David Luck as clerk of this commission. The commission took action to invite and enroll as corresponding members:

Victor Aolyo, teaching elder, Elizabeth Presbytery

Jessie Doerrer-Lowery, teaching elder, National Capitol Presbytery

Julie Raffety, teaching elder, Blackhawk Presbytery

The congregation was called to worship and Victor Aloyo preached the sermon on the topic of “Against All Odds” based upon a text from 2 Corinthians 4:7-12.

The commission moderator stated the proceeding of the presbytery in preparation to the ordination and asked the constitutional questions of the candidate. These being answered in the affirmative, the candidate knelt and with prayer led by David Hallgren and the laying on of hands, the commission ordained Erin Raffety to the ordered ministry of a Teaching Elder. The members of the commission, the Presbytery, and the congregation came forward to offer the newly ordained teaching elder a cordial reception and affectionate regard.

Beth Scibienski delivered the charge to Erin Raffety. An offering was taken for the presbytery’s Candidate Scholarship Fund. At the conclusion of the service the newly ordained teaching elder made a brief statement and pronounced the benediction. After the service officers and members of the church came forward and gave her an appropriate expression of cordial reception and affectionate regard.

Prior to the start of the worship service the commission approved their minutes, and were adjourned with the prayer and benediction that closed the service.

Submitted by David Hallgren, moderator of this commission, and David Luck, clerk of this commission.

1. Ordination of Kristie Webb Finley

The commission established by the Presbytery of New Brunswick to ordain Kristie Webb Finlay as pastor of Plainsboro Abundant Life met at the Plainsboro Presbyterian Church on 12 July 2015 at 5:30 pm. The following commission members were present:

Andrew Barton, teaching elder, Hamilton Square Presbyterian Church

Bill Davis, ruling elder, Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church

Eva Farrell, ruling elder, Plainsboro Presbyterian Church

David Hallgren, teaching elder, Pennington Presbyterian Church

Anita Milne, teaching elder, Plainsboro Presbyterian Church

Jan Willem Van der Werff, teaching elder, Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church

Pam Wakefield, ruling elder, Nassau Presbyterian Church

A quorum of the commission was present. Based upon presbytery standing rules the commission elected David Hallgren as moderator and Andrew Barton as clerk of this commission. The Commission took action to enroll Darrell Guder, teaching elder, Cherokee Presbytery as a corresponding member.

The congregation was called to worship and Darrell Guder preached the sermon on the topic of “God’s Letters to the World” based upon a text from 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:3.

The commission moderator stated the proceeding of the presbytery in preparation to the ordination and asked the constitutional questions of the candidate. These being answered in the affirmative, the candidate knelt and with prayer led by David Hallgren and the laying on of hands, the commission ordained Kristie Webb Finley to the ordered ministry of a Teaching Elder. The members of the commission, the Presbytery, and the congregation came forward to offer the newly ordained teaching elder a cordial reception and affectionate regard.

Jan Willem Van der Werff and Anita Milne delivered the charge to Kristie Webn Finley. An offering was taken for the presbytery’s Candidate Scholarship Fund.

At the conclusion of the service the newly ordained teaching elder made a brief statement and pronounced the benediction. After the service officers and members of the church came forward and gave her an appropriate expression of cordial reception and affectionate regard.

Prior to the start of the worship service the commission approved their minutes, and were adjourned with the prayer and benediction that closed the service.

Submitted by David Hallgren, moderator of this commission, and Andrew Barton, clerk of this commission.

The Consent Agenda was approved as presented.

REPORT of the TRANSITION TASK FORCE

The Transition Task Force reported and made the following motion:

Motion: The Transition Task Force moves that, in the event of transition in membership within the Transition Task Force or the Administrative Commission during the remaining transitional period, the Nominating Committee shall nominate new members for election, striving for balanced representation.

Rationale:

On 11 November 2014 the Presbytery of New Brunswick voted unanimously in favor of the following:

A Task Force consisting of no less than 5 individuals to be chosen by the Leadership Transition Team. The Task Force is to be convened by the presbytery moderator, and supported by the executive director.

The Presbytery Council shall transition into an Administrative Commission, consisting of no more than four members chosen from the current team, with representational balance. ... The Administrative Commission is to be chaired by the former moderator. It may co-opt individuals on an ad hoc basis for particular tasks.

The Leadership Transition Team was granted the authority to appoint members of the Task Force because the presbytery Nominating Committee had ceased to adequately function. The Leadership Transition Team was dissolved by the presbytery at its 9 June 2015 meeting. Since the motions passed in November of 2014 lacked specificity regarding either appointment or nomination to either the Task Force or the Administrative Commission in the event of membership transition, questions regarding the authority over the selection of membership have emerged.

The presbytery now has a fully functioning Nominating Committee which has been faithfully carrying out the work of discerning who amongst our membership is called to lead within our structure. The Task Force, having met with representatives of the Nominating Committee — in close consultation with either the Task Force or the Administrative Commission to determine needs, nominate new members for election to both groups — in accordance with our polity.

The motion carried without opposition.

REPORT of the NOMINATING COMMITTEE

The reverends Dawn Adamy and Molly Dykstra reported for the Nominating Committee. They presented the following slate:

The Nominating Committee Co-chairs met with the Transition Task Force on December 17, 2015 to make recommendations concerning the presbytery's leadership needs and to seek clarification on how the Nominating Committee can best work with the Transition Task Force and Administrative Committee to meet the Presbytery of New Brunswick's goals during the transition. It was determined that:

a) The minimum number of members of standing committees shall be:

5 Nominating Committee

4 Personnel

4 Committee on Representation

6 Permanent Judicial Commission

18 Committee on Preparation Meeting

18 Committee on Ministry

b) While the Nominating Committee shall work toward Book of Order 50/50 Ruling Elder/Teaching Elder goals, prioritization of regional and racial/ethnic representation shall take precedence over 50/50, until such a time that a 50/50 Ruling Elder/Teaching Elder makeup can best further presbytery's mission and ministry.

The Nominating Committee nominates the following individuals to the offices designated. Names in italics are those being elected to new terms; all others listed are currently serving the terms indicated. If there are any discrepancies, please contact Ilene Black:

Moderator, January 2016-January 2017

Wendi Werner (Teaching Elder, Dayton)

Vice-Moderator, January 2016-January 2017

Jim Huang (Teaching Elder, Taiwanese American Fellowship/New Brunswick)

Transition Task Force January 2016-January 2017

Beth Scibienski (Teaching Elder, Grace, Kendall Park) -slot vacated by

Patrick Johnson

David Hallgren (Teaching Elder, Pennington)-slot vacated by John Williams

Miriam Diephouse-McMillan (Teaching Elder, Trenton Psych.)

James Reeder (Ruling Elder, Lawrence Road/Lawrence)

Janet S. Dickerson Stephens (Ruling Elder, Witherspoon/Princeton)

Administrative Committee/Trustees January 2016-January 2017

Lorelei Zupp (Ruling Elder, Hamilton Square)

Brad Clifton (Ruling Elder, Kingston)

Linda Gilmore (Ruling Elder, Nassau/Princeton)

Peggy Redman (Ruling Elder, Dutch Neck/West Windsor)

Nina Reeder (Teaching Elder, Lawrence Road/Lawrence)

Ann Schoonover (Teaching Elder, Nassau/Princeton)

Committee on Ministry (Goal: 3 classes of 6 each=18)

Class of 2018

Linda Bullock (Teaching Elder, Milford) 1st

Gordon Mikoski (Teaching Elder, Princeton Theological Seminary) 1st

Lukata Mjumbe (Teaching Elder, Urban Mission Cabinet Inc./Trenton) 1st

John White (Teaching Elder, Princeton Theological Seminary) 1st

David Luck (Ruling Elder, Kingston Presbyterian Church) 2nd

Vacancy

Class of 2017

Sharyl Dixon (Teaching Elder, Kingston) 1st

Mike Capron (Teaching Elder, Hopewell) 1st

Jan Willem Van der Werff (Teaching Elder, Dutch Neck) 2nd

Vacancy

Class of 2016

Mike Atzert (Teaching Elder, Kirkpatrick) 1st

Tom Hauck (Ruling Elder, Somerset) 1st

Nancy Schluter (Teaching Elder, Honorably Retired) 1st

Jan Everett (Ruling Elder, Lawrenceville) 2nd

Cherry Oakley (Ruling Elder, Westminster/Trenton) 2nd

John Potter (Teaching Elder, Honorably Retired) 2nd

Beth Tanner (Teaching Elder, New Brunswick Theological Seminary) 2nd

Committee on Preparation for Ministry (Goal: 3 classes of 6 each=18)

Class of 2018

Kristie Finley (Teaching Elder, Abundant Grace/

West Windsor-Plainsboro) 1st

Peter Gregory (Teaching Elder, Lambertville) 1st

David Miller (Teaching Elder, Princeton Theological Seminary) 2nd

Katharine Sakenfeld (Teaching Elder, Honorably Retired) 2nd