A letter from our Executive Presbyter, Hilary Shuford

Dear Saints in Mission Presbytery,

As I travel to the Synod of the Sun Assembly, I want to share with you my overwhelming sense of the graciousness flowing throughout our meeting last Friday and Saturday in Victoria, Texas. We shared laughs, hugs, fears and singing; we prayed, heard the Word proclaimed and struggled through difficult feelings by navigating together our discerned path, decently and in order. We celebrated the wonderful work and leadership of our outgoing Moderator, Rob Mueller, and our retiring Stated Clerk, Miles White. Thank you both!

Mission Presbytery will have a new "face" next year Sandy Pinaire, our new Moderator, Karen Stocks, our new Stated Clerk, and Dick Kreutzer (Vice Moderator) will join some new faces on General Council: Judy Skaggs (Chair of Council), James Lee (CDE), Bette Burris (CPM), Carla Matthews (COM), Bob Dymond (YCC), Vi Lee (ECN), Dave Diercksen (MOJC), and Clarice Amann (NOM) along with the Region representatives Peter Haas (Austin), Liz Anzaldua (CC), Nancy Willet (Hill Country), Jimmy Downing (RGV), Saundra Davis (S.A.), and John Brantley (Victoria) with Eldon Sheffer (SFOC) and Allen Mosiman (Personnel). I am humbled to serve you, Mission Presbytery, with this group of elected leaders.

I encourage you all patiently to live into and put your energies toward our proposed vision of building healthy congregations and trusting relationships, partnering with one another in what we do better together, and sending disciples in witness and service. If we focus on this missional identity to become more of who God is calling us to be in Mission Presbytery, we will move away from fear and from judging each other on issues we disagree about. I recall hearing the words "move forward" several times during our meeting. I hope this becomes a call for us.

The General Council will meet on Saturday November 12, 2011. Please contact your Regional Representative with your questions, comments, concerns and suggested changes to the proposed revisions to Mission Presbytery’s by-laws which reflect the way we have been operating since last fall.
We are next scheduled to be together at our Winter Retreat on Compassionate Evangelism at Mo Ranch, February 19-21, 2012 brought to us by ECN and CD&E. If we don’t see you then, you will be missed! We look forward to hosting Cynthia Bolbach, the Moderator of the 219th the Moderator of the 219th General Assembly, at our Stated Meeting, March 2-3, 2012 at Northminster PC, San Antonio.

We stand together; divided, we fall. I pray for God’s peace to be with you


Blessings,
Hilary Shuford