Presbytery is on the Move…Literally

            We’re moving! We’re moving! We’re moving!

For a change, I am not waxing eloquent. Nor am I writing with a Red Bull infused literary flourish, (as a colleague teasingly described my style recently). I mean that, literally, the presbytery offices are moving from one physical location to a different physical location.

“Where are you moving?” you ask. Good question, and I kind of have an answer. But I’ll get to that in a moment.

It has been a while since I have discussed our presbytery’s Season of Discernment. To remind you, O Gentle and Faithful Reader, the presbytery’s Leadership Team and Resources Committee have been in conversation with a budget task force that has been asking questions about how to craft a sustainable budget from year to year to year. And, specifically, the task force was to give input to the Combined Finance team and Combined Personnel team of the two presbyteries as together they negotiate an extension of the shared staffing plan.

Presbytery’s budget task force has given input during the first half of this year, and now, during the second half of this year, the two combined teams will discuss with one another the details of the shared staffing plan and its extension, to be presented at our combined presbyteries meeting of January, 2017. While the details are yet to be finalized, the broad outline for the Presbytery of Grand Canyon looks like this:

·         A commitment to continuing the shared staffing plan,

·         A desire to keep per capita the same,

·         A plan to bifurcate the budget into separate categories: a mission budget and a connecting budget (administration and operations),

·         A plan to fund the mission budget through church gifts and by establishing a mission endowment from which we will draw 4% per year, with 100% of mission gifts going toward mission,

·         A plan to fund the connecting budget through per capita and by establishing a connecting endowment from which we will draw 4% per year,

·         A plan to take the sale of the Verde Valley church and put the proceeds into an account designated for New Worshipping Communities, with a term-limited, sunset clause after which time we will reevaluate the designation,

·         A willingness to discuss modifications to staff expenses related to continuing education and participation at General Assembly – (we think we can squeeze some cost savings while continuing effective service),

·         A commitment to relocate into office space hosted by a local church, which will save us $7,000 annually.
“What church?” you ask, “and when will this happen?” Thank you for asking: Memorial
Presbyterian Church in Phoenix will be our new home. As for specifics, I am sworn to hold my tongue, as Carolyn McBurney is negotiating with the postal service, internet providers and the phone company all such details. Anything I write today is as likely as not to be incorrect. What I can say is that the move will happen in about seven to ten weeks and that Carolyn will blanket your inbox and your church’s mail box with all the specifics you need or want.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Rev. Cynthia Jennison, CRE Marta Lopez, and Session of Memorial for their gracious offer to host the presbytery offices. The finances of the deal are that, for “rent,” they are asking us to split their utility expenses. The Memorial Session believes that, as a connectional church, we seek to resource one another as best we can, and this was an opportunity for them to serve their brothers and sisters within the presbytery. What a great spirit!

Thankful for generosity,

Brad Munroe