REPORT OF THE GENERAL PRESBYTER, REV. HILARY N. SHUFORD, 
TO THE OCTOBER 22, 2016 STATED MEETING OF PRESBYTERY
Your per capita payments help me to do my work and help the work of the whole staff: Linda Turner, Recording Clerk and Administrative Assistant; Anita Green, Bookkeeper and Office Manager; me your General Presbyter; and our Stated Clerk Travis Adams.
I have enjoyed leaning into the clarity of my sense of call to this faith community...I think of Cher's comment to her mom in Moonstruck, "I love him awful". Full of awe, I love Northeast Georgia to pieces!
It is all about relationships; and over the last month and a half I've sat down, pen & paper in hand, to listen to many of the future leaders of this presbytery telling them of my hope to build up NEGAPBY and expressing my willingness to help change this middle governing council with an eye to the future and to partner in shouldering the burden that comes with the responsibility of facilitating such change. I want to cast, in general terms, a vision of 5 years into the future that was shared with me through these conversations and will use their words:
In 5 years NEGAPBY will...be/have
-in the midst of a Holy Spirit led transformation in the context of a big shift culturally and in the denomination, especially at presbytery level
-shared sense of identity of purpose and call...outward-focused
-sense of mission and outreach to world
-big tent of PCUSA Reformed witness of reign of God, including social justice and mission...caring for others with whom we disagree
-focus on our calls in validating ministries as genuine and authentic witness to Christ Jesus
-focus on pastoral leadership and developing relationships
-place for pastors to worship, find sanctuary, speak in big ways, preaching, praying, sharing of stories and selves with wider vision
-it's all about relationship building: taking time, developing and deepening relationships among clergy members (remember that this is where pastors have their membership)
-clergy groups ("Joel's idea") for mutual support meeting monthly and truly getting to know each other! & creating a sense of teamwork! gaining a broader perspective. Praying for each other & pulpit exchange. Growing in self-care. Becoming vulnerable to each other (acknowledging pain and brokenness)
-modeling how to be in community: learning from each other with sense of safety and risk taking (no fear of failure)
-less committees; simpler (more streamlined structure)...more ad hoc, more spontaneous
And with respect for our congregations
-grassroots connectional organic community among diversity of our congregations
-new and alternative worshiping communities (NCD's & 1001's)
-new workings (efforts) in our local settings in partnership with ecumenical and interfaith partners and others in Athens, Augusta, Gainesville, Milledgeville...these efforts constitute evangelism through mission to marginalized, unchurched, "unwilling & uninterested" in traditional church
-an expansive and expanding mission and outreach in our congregations, being authentic and relevant to real needs in the world, which is just outside our doors
-focus on seeing challenges as opportunities: building, creating new things
-focus on connecting congregations, building up community, bonding together forming common sense of mission (not top-down, but bottom up)
-helping churches in networking and finding new creative avenues
-focus opportunities for connectional partnering and supporting congregations together in mission, young adult volunteers, youth ministry, VBS, child advocacy: practicing ministry outside walls of churches
-helping assessment and support of common needs and resources
-encouraging larger churches intentional responsibility to nurture and partner with smaller membership churches
-varying mechanisms (pairing up/clustering) for partnering churches
-finding hope
-sharing our stories
Characteristics of NEGAPBY in 5 years
-open dialogue and transparent (no hidden stuff)
-building relationships trusting even as disagree
-fostering spiritual growth
-mentoring (everyone has a Paul & a Timothy) pastor-partners
-higher comfort level
-more authentic (true self, not our roles) of who we are and who God is calling us to be
-able to handle conflict (can't avoid it) in more healthy manner
-positiveness and letting negativity go
-flexible in formats for communication
-growing in faith and hope and love
Needed
-better training for committee leaders
-once a year big committees come together
-more resources for clergy self-care on website
-rewrite manual of operations, include vision casting, put it on website
-NOM/COM/CPM members adopting 2-3 congregations for 1 year visiting, meeting with sessions
Announcements
- Forming colleague groups (3 already underway), I've been given permission to make invitations
- January 28, 2017, Saturday, training and orientation of all committees
- Officer Development Event, Saturday, Feb 4, 2017, with Dr. Mark Douglas
- February 13-17, 2017 (Monday to Friday) at Oconee Presbyterian Church (OPC) Richard Blackburn, Executive Director, Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, conflict management training. Contact Anita York: have 24 folks & can take 15-20 more
- March 17-19, 2017 and 3 people to tell about Rock Eagle youth retreat
WORSHIP SERVICE AT THE OCTOBER 22, 2016 STATED MEETING OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA PRESBYTERY
