Joe's Journal
June 6, 2008

It’s been an amazing week in the life of First Presbyterian Church, highlighted by our Session meeting Tuesday night. Our church is blessed by a Session undeterred by challenging decisions and unafraid of honest debate. Your elders hung in there for 2.5 hours, investing much time and energy in leading our church. Our Coordinating Council met for two hours before Session, so those folks put in double time.  Had these meetings simply been a series of reports, or meaningless debates and decisions about mundane matters, I would have gone crazy, but the night was far from that. It was an historic night for this great church.

(cont.) Among a number of decisions made, here are the highlights:
-  We endorsed a daughter of our congregation to begin the journey toward ordination to Ministry of Word and Sacrament. What a blessing it was to hear Meghan Brown’s call story and sense the Spirit’s work in her life—work that started through your church’s ministry.
-  We endorsed Regina Hunt to begin her journey toward becoming a Commissioned Lay Pastor.  What a gift she will be to our denomination!
-  We approved a CIF to begin the search for a new Associate Pastor. This is HUGE!
-  We approved funding requests that enable us to move forward on the building project, our marketing efforts, exploration of supportive housing initiatives and alternative worship, construction of a new church in Juarez, and funding for full time staff at El Divino Salvador. 
-  We provided a vehicle to fund continued work on the RISC objectives for the next three years by allocating 10% of net Blakely Gas Revenues. This will invest approximately $500,000 above and beyond what we already do in our operating budget over the next three years in the mission and ministry in our church, our community and to the ends of the earth. 
-  We took an important step forward in implementing our church’s sustainable financial model as we considered the best way to manage the long term assets entrusted to our care for the work of ministry, and how the Foundation can be used to accomplish these goals.

Tuesday night was a ringing affirmation that God has great things in store for the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.  Thank you for faithfully playing your part in this unfolding drama.  

In Christ,
Joe