219th General Assembly - Day 1

We have arrived at in Minneapolis, Minn., for the 2010 national meeting of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The theme for this year's 219th General Assembly is “rivers of living water” (John 7:38).

Four commissioners and one young adult advisory delegate will use this gathering as an opportunity to discern the issues and challenges facing our congregations both in Iowa and around the world.

Presbytery of Des Moines commissioners attending are: Elder Becky Diebold (Ottumwa, First), Elder Maurice Dyer (Indianola, Trinity United), Rev. Tiare Mathison (Newton, First), Rev. Dennis Morey (Oskaloosa, First), and Naomi Maxa (Lenox, United). Overture sponsors are: Rev. Stu Ritter and Elder Ted Coppock (DM Westminster). Staff include: General Presbyter and Stated Clerk Rev. Phil Barrett, Director of Communications Kim Coulter (DM Westminster), Office Manager Betty Dyer (Indianola, Trinity United) and Sudanese Ministries Resource Person the Rev. Goanar Chol.

Other volunteers are: the honorably retired Reverend Elizabeth Knott; Intern Cindy Lou Ray (Knox United); Candidate Patti Spencer Burdette (DM, Fort Des Moines) in photo on left; the Rev. Ross Blount (Allerton, United); the Rev. Rick Carus, Julie Cloud, and Sandy Wagner (Ankeny); and Paul Walther and Lila Jean Jensen, (Audubon, First).

Today's GA meeting agenda contained basic parlamentary orientation and our own intern Cindy Ray, moderator of the GA Committee on Representation was present to ask commissioners and delegates specific demographics. It gave everyone a chance to test the voting system and see results live.

In the evening attendees heard presentations from all six candidates for the 219th GA Moderator. The new moderator, replacing the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, is Elder Cynthia Bolbach who received 51% of the vote (seen in the photo on the right with our own Phil Barrett). She is a lawyer and a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Arlington, Va. and has been serving in church leadership for many years. She currently is executive vice president and corporate secretary at the employee-owned publishing firm, BNA, Inc.

After covering the press conference for the new moderator, I was able to write my first story for the Presbyterian News Service and then went to bed around 2 a.m. All in all, a good day listening to God's voice amoungst our fellow Presbyterians!

Kim Coulter, director of communications
Presbytery of Des Moines

Presbytery Commissioners Prepare for General Assembly

The Des Moines Presbytery Commissioners and their assignments include:

• Elder Becky Diebold (Ottumwa, First) #09 Mission Coordination Committee
• Elder Maurice Dyer (Indianola, Trinity United) #12 Civil Union and Marriage Issues Committee
• Rev. Tiare Mathison (Newton, First) #10 Social Justice Issues A: The Promotion of Social Righteousness Committee
• Rev. Dennis Morey (Oskaloosa, First) #11 Social Justice Issues B: the Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World Committee
• Young Adult Advisory Delegate Naomi Maxa (Lenox, United) #14 Middle East Peacemaking Issues Committee assignment.

Overture sponsors include: Rev. Stu Ritter (DM Westminster) and Elder Ted Coppock (DM Westminster) they will be following these overtures:

• 06-15 Overture #065 On Amending G-6.0106(b) of the Book of Order
  From the Presbytery of Des Moines. Concurrence: Presbytery of East Iowa.
• 12-08 Overture #066 On Adopting an Authoritative Interpretation of W-4.9000 to Uphold Session and Pastoral Discretion in Their Responsibility and Accountability for Worship
  From the Presbytery of Des Moines. Concurrence: Presbytery of East Iowa.

General Presbyter and Stated Clerk Rev. Phil Barrett will be helping coordinate the Office of Moderator for the new 219th GA Moderator once elected on Saturday, July 3. Director of Communications Kim Coulter (DM Westminster) will be reporting for various luncheons and the #10 Social Justice Issues A; The Promotion of Social Righteousness Committee activities. Office Manager Betty Dyer (Indianola, Trinity United) will be offering support for the Twin Cities Area Presbytery office in Minneapolis.

The 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) takes place at the Minneapolis Convention Center July 3-10 and there are many ways to take part and to help. The Committee on Local Arrangements is looking for opening worship choir members, ushers, communion servers, prayer partners, airport/hotel welcome crews, registration host, information booth, tour assistant, exhibit hall monitors and more. Check out the list at www.cola2010.com/. Those who want to find official GA information, such as committee moderators and vice moderators, committee membership and overtures to the Assembly, can find it at “General Assembly.”

If you are volunteering, please let the Des Moines Presbytery Office know at 515-276-4991 or pbycommunication@presbyteryofdesmoines.org.

CROSS Ministries Food Pantry to have Open House This Week

On Thursday, June 3, 5-7 p.m. CROSS Ministries will have an Open House at DMARC's new Food Pantry location at Cottage Grove Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1050 24th St., Des Moines. Then a Grand Opening of their new Food Pantry will be held Saturday, June 5, 8-Noon.

The new food pantry is an outreach to working people who need to access emergency food outside of standard working hours. The new pantry will be open Wednesday evenings from 4 p.m.–7 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon. CROSS Ministries will continue to provide rent, mortgage, and utility assistance during standard business hours from Tuesday through Friday. Clients seeking food assistance through DMARC will still be directed to the closest Pantry within their geographic boundaries. However, if they are unable to go to that pantry because it conflicts with their work schedule, they will be directed to the CROSS Ministries/Cottage Grove Food Pantry. The pantry will be open to anyone living in the Greater Des Moines area. Routine intake procedures will restrict individuals from receiving food from more than one DMARC Pantry during a 30 day time period.

The new pantry, located at Cottage Grove Presbyterian Church, will operate with a volunteer staff, which means they need many dedicated folks to help. DMARC is providing the food. Other pantry site needs include:

• Several moveable room dividers
• Childproof gate to block stairway
• 2 new large ceiling fans
• Window air conditioner
• Carpeting or floor covering
• Curtains or mini-blinds for the windows
• Heavy duty 2 wheeled cart for carrying boxes of food
• Volunteers to prepare the pantry space
• Volunteers to work in the pantry

Please share these needs with your congregation, civic groups, etc. To volunteer in the CROSS Ministries/Cottage Grove Food Pantry contact Joyce Hoffman at 515-225-9868. For questions or donations contact: Dr. Roberta Victor, Executive Director of CROSS Ministries, 1050 24th St., Des Moines, 50311 or 515-279-8877.

For more information about the DMARC Emergency Food Pantry, which services 10 neighborhood pantry sites, contact Elisabeth Ballstadt, DMARC Food Pantry Director, 515-277-6969.