“I believe the church extends far beyond the congregation or building,” said the Rev. Mary Sellers Shaw. “I am called to build community both inside and outside the church.”
A majority of pastors of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations feel financially secure, but those who are paid less are less satisfied, results of a 2013 survey of PC(USA) pastors showed.
With a market value of $9.6 billion, the Board of Pensions’ Balanced Investment Portfolio returned 10.3 percent during the first eight months of 2019, more than 4 percent over the long-term investment return assumption of 3, 10 and 20 years.
Last summer, the Rev. Dr. José Irizarry took a mission trip to Puerto Rico with 10 teenagers from his church. They knew he’d been a university professor and administrator, and on a break from repairing houses, they circled him, wanting how-tos on college life. Irizarry describes the trip as “part work, part worship and part listening.”
A complete revamping of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s two main websites as they merge into one site, at http://www.pcusa.org, will take about two years and will come about only with significant input from the Presbyterians who use them.
“I believe the church extends far beyond the congregation or building,” said the Rev. Mary Sellers Shaw. “I am called to build community both inside and outside the church.”
Dick Liberty wanted to teach voice at the college level. He was working on a master’s degree in vocal performance at Temple University, but he needed a job to pay tuition. An employment agency tested him, found that he had an aptitude for math, and sent him to accounts receivable at the Board of Pensions.
How do ministers fulfill their call? Who are they? What did they learn in seminary? What didn’t they learn in seminary? How are they impacted by changes in society and their communities? Moreover, how do changes in the life of the church and in society as a whole affect the emotional and physical well-being of a minister?
These are important questions. Right now, the church is unable to answer them, but that is about to change.
No one who knows the Rev. Brian Gaeta-Symonds was surprised when, in early 2019, he and his spouse, Gilbert, adopted the three boys they’d fostered since 2016.
