Transitions | A Letter from Our Assembly Moderator
October 12, 2020
Dear Denver Presbytery Members,
On behalf of your Presbytery Council, I am informing you that last week we voted to not renew or extend our Presbytery’s contract with Rev. Dana Hughes as our Transitional Presbytery Pastor. Therefore, this contract will conclude as of October 31, 2020. Council determined that the evolution of Rev. Hughes ministry and vision had grown incongruent with the overall needs of our Presbytery. The Presbytery Council lacked confidence in her plan to conclude the visioning and transitional efforts in a unified and timely manner. We have released her from all contractual duties and are providing her with three months of severance compensation.
We are grateful for Rev. Hughes’ two years with us and the ministry she provided to our staff, pastors, and congregations. She provided us with leadership through our staff transitions, global pandemic, and civil distress while structuring our transitional and visioning activities. Rev. Hughes served Denver Presbytery beginning at the end of October 2018 with an initial 12-month contract which was renewed for a second 12-months in 2019. She will continue to be a member of Denver Presbytery in good standing.
The Presbytery Council also voted this past week to seek an outside consultant to walk alongside us as we complete the outstanding efforts to define a vision for our future, evaluate our staffing and organizational structure, and provide recommendations for our future vitality. We believe such a consultant will effectively guide our efforts and help us design an effective Ministry Information Profile to propel our Presbytery into a thriving future.
During this interim period, our Stated Clerk, Rev. Olivia Hudson Smith, will serve as the Interim Head of Staff. Rev. Joel Adams, who serves as our Presbytery Associate for Congregations, will continue picking up more of the pastoral duties for our Presbytery. Our newest staff member, Rev. Fernando Rodríguez will continue to work closely with our New Worshipping Communities and other Mission and Ministry duties. Until the end of my term as Moderator in January 2021, I will continue to moderate our Assemblies and the Presbytery Council. Beth Carlisle, Chuck Sparks, and Sue Pilcher will continue in their roles and responsibilities as well. Our Presbytery Pastoral Care Team will continue to provide pastoral care for pastors across the Presbytery.
At our October 27th Assembly, we will continue to communicate with you regarding the roles each group within the Presbytery will take to assist in this transition, as well as our goals and objectives. The Council met multiple times over the past week and will continue to do so to ensure that we address concerns in a timely fashion that arise from you and all members of this Presbytery. We ask for your prayers for wisdom and discernment as we make decisions in the days and weeks ahead.
We know that we have a talented staff and gifted members in our workgroups and committees who we can rely upon to continue our shared ministry. Your Presbytery Council is confident that these adjustments will provide our Denver Presbytery, congregations, and Teaching and Ruling Elders with the best way forward for a successful transition.
With Grace and Peace,
Rev. Justin Spurlock
Assembly Moderator
PAID FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE
Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash
As Presbyterians we value families and we know the importance of good social policy that supports families when extra care is needed to nurture a new child or attend to the needs of a family member who is ill.
The Paid Family and Medical Leave Ballot Measure (Proposition 118) on the upcoming Colorado November ballot would establish an insurance program for Colorado workers allowing them up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for an ill family member or to bond with a new child.
Currently 80% of Colorado workers must choose between caring for a family member or loosing income.
The Relations & Communications Workgroup, through Council, is encouraging friends and members of Denver Presbytery to give thoughtful consideration to this information when you mark your ballots in November. How can we, as Christians, support families by creating a state program in which workers can both take time to care for family members and continue supporting their family economically. LEARN MORE→
Council Endorses Support of Ballot Initiative for Paid Family and Medical Leave
As Presbyterians we have affirmed the importance of supporting families. We can put this value into action in Colorado’s November Election. The Paid Family and Medical Leave Ballot Measure would establish an insurance program for Colorado workers allowing them up to 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. Please take advantage of learning more about this ballot measure and consider voting for this measure when you vote your ballot.
An excellent opportunity to learn more about this measure will be at Together Colorado’s Civic Engagement forum (a Zoom event) on Thursday, September 10 (6-8 pm). There will both a presentation about the ballot measure and time for discussion and questions.
Information is also available on the Colorado Families First website.
News from Neema African Presbyterian Fellowship
By: Rev. Joel Adams, Temporary Associate Presbyter for Church Development with Denver Presbytery
Someone asked me recently, “what do you love about your new job with Denver Presbytery?” My response was easy, “oh seeing God at work in our new worshiping communities and congregations.” I am encouraged by the many ways I have seen the Spirit at work both in the work of new communities, seeding and growing and in our established congregations. This leads me to another part of my job I love. I get to share with you how I see this happening. So to start it off, I want to share with you some good news about Neema African Presbyterian Fellowship!
Early in 2015, the Reverend Jemimah Ngatia, the first female African ordained in the PCUSA, with a strong faith and hope in God, started her community with seven people! In coordination with Rev. Joe Mares, then the pastor of First Aurora. They began a small gathering, hoping to reach the African and immigrant population arriving and growing in Aurora and Denver. A year later, as this community grew they applied for a Seed Grant with the 1001 New Worshiping Communities initiative with the PCUSA. They rejoiced when awarded this grant, which was then matched by Denver Presbytery!
If you know Jemimah, then it is no surprise she put that grant to work immediately and began to wonder with God what would be next. In the coming years, the Spirit continued to bring African refugees and immigrants into this community. Jemimah laughs when she tells you she “[I] can smell Africans arriving before they land!” and “I can tell people are African by the way they walk!” Jemimah makes connections with folks in all sorts of ways and her heart for African immigrants and refugees is strong. She loves to meet women in the grocery store and easily introduces herself! Thanks to Jemimah’s leadership, the Spirit has grown this church into a vibrant, powerful new worshiping community!
So when the community applied for the next grant with 1001 New Worship Communities, they were awarded $25,000 to support and encourage this wonderful ministry! Denver Presbytery, through the Cultivation & Innovation Workgroup of Council, has matched this grant. Additionally, Cultivation & Innovation is applying to the Hays Bequest for an additional $25,000 to support this community and its leadership. The Hays Bequest was received from the Trust of Jane Hayes, a former member of Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church for the purpose of starting new churches and communities like Neema.
The New Worshiping Community Lead Team which is a team within Cultivation and Innovation Workgroup, recently met with Jemimah. The community continues to grow. Jemimah has done a fabulous job of equipping and empowering leaders to share in the ministry of the church both in worship and outreach. The community recently elected a leadership team which will carry out the ministries of the church and is the precursor of their session! Eduard, is a pastor who fled the Congo to Rwanda and came to the United States to give his ten children an opportunity for education and a new life. Eduard is a vital part of this shepherding ministry and as he continues to learn English will apply to the Dubuque Seminary Christian Lay Pastor/Ruling Elder program. In the meantime, the Chairman Josphat has already begun his online studies in preparation to be commissioned as a Lay Pastor. This means that Jemimah is actively developing leaders to carry this ministry into the future.
The Neema Fellowship continues to find ways to reach out to the African community, through sports, music and building relationships. They have a budding and strong youth group who is now in the process of purchasing instruments to start a youth worship band. When you go to worship with Neema, you will find a Spirit filled, vibrant worship service, with great preaching. Gabriel their treasurer is a teacher, and translates French and Swahili and other dialects with ease for all to be included in the service. As always, Josphat and his wife prepare a feast fit for kings of wonderful African food for all to gather around the table.
This pandemic has not slowed this community down for a second. They have continued to work with their 1001 coach Rev. Bobby Musengwa. They quickly learned Zoom and have taken this as an opportunity to train their leaders in being Presbyterian, in stewardship and evangelism. The women and men meet separately on Zoom for prayer and worship. The youth meet on Zoom and of course they gratefully worship every Sunday afternoon. Just this past Sunday, they experimented with an outdoor worship service held in a local park. I am so grateful to tell their story, and to have this amazing, faithful community as part of our life and mission as Denver Presbytery!
Want to learn more about Neem, Denver Presbytery New Worshiping Communities, you can reach Joel at joel@denpres.org.
ZIMBABWE KIDZ MISSION PARTNERSHIP
A need for clean water at Presbyterian schools and churches is the reason this partnership was formed. In 2012 St. James, Green Mountain, and First Presbyterian Church Littleton joined together to raise funds for the drilling of water wells. St. Paul joined the partnership in 2019.
Communities around the schools and churches have access to this clean water. The health benefit is tremendous as water borne diseases are greatly reduced. Gardens provide a better diet and also hands on learning of agriculture for students. With the clean water source, churches can have a preschool.
We estimate that 10,000 people now have access to clean water, and more will benefit as additional wells are drilled.
For more information about ZimKidz, please contact Sharon Lynch at dslynch@hotmail.com.
Finally....after 28 years as Stated Supply pastor, Rev. Dr. Steve Poos-Benson is officially a called pastor!
FINALLY… at our Special Called Assembly on Tuesday afternoon, the Committee on Ministry presented a motion to approve Rev. Dr. Steve Poos-Benson to move from temporary supply pastor to called, head of staff at Columbine United Church. It was approved by an unanimous decision! Read Steve’s story below. Send Steve an email and congratulate him.
Twenty-eight years - it’s a long time to wait to become a Sr. Pastor. Actually, my journey to become the pastor of Columbine United Church began thirty-six years ago. The moment I stepped into the congregation when I was a snot nosed green behind the ears fresh out of seminary twenty-five year old I heard a divine call that said, “Here, here is where I want you to serve.” Over the years there have been other opportunities but each time the message was very clear, “No, I want you to stay at Columbine.” So, I did.
The hiccup came after year seven when Ken Biel the Sr. Pastor retired. The congregation did a two-year search and interviewed three finalists for the position, all who declined the offer. The Presbytery Executive, Hank Blunk, asked me if I’d be willing to take the position. I asked how this would be possible since the Book of Order expressly stated that Associates cannot become Sr. Pastors in the same congregation. Hank said, “We’re going to make you the Stated Supply.” I didn’t care about the title; it simply confirmed my call to stay at Columbine.
The years rolled by and I joked that I was going to be the longest running Stated Supply in the history of the denomination. I reasoned that in many ways we’re all temporary and this was a living reminder that someday I too would move on to something else, even if that was retirement. People have often asked me how long I would serve at Columbine. I simply replied, “Until God, the congregation, and the Presbytery decided otherwise.”
It’s been an interesting journey. We’ve had many experiences as a congregation – programs, mission, and building expansions. The congregation was thrown into the national spotlight as it played a crucial role in the Columbine shootings. Through it all there was God’s abiding presence and call.
I someday longed to have my title changed. The door opened when the Book of Order was amended. Our Presbytery began working with pastors in temporary positions to move them to called and installed positions. I wondered if it would someday apply to me. Thanks to the Committee on Ministry and the members of the Council and congregation of CUC we walked the necessary steps together. Then last week you voted to make the dream a reality.
It might seem odd that after thirty-six years and just a few years from retirement I’d want to change things now. Why not just become the longest standing temporary pastor? It’s simple. It’s because of my call. I wanted to be able to stand before God and say, “Here I am, still, use me.”
Thank you for making it all possible. It has been worth the wait.