2021 Vision Update | February 22, 2021 | Ruling Elder Peter Hulac

Psalms and music were both important parts of my growing up. I appreciate early memories of my parents praying before meals, my father’s including psalms in bedtime conversations, and also my mother’s love of music, which she shared with all of us. Over the years, spurred on by the joy of singing hymns and anthems, my heart’s love of psalms and music have merged into something which is continually life-changing. In mysterious ways, the musical notes and phrases have operated on those wonderful Biblical texts, driving them deeper into my soul. The wedding of music with psalms has been further coupled, of course, during my almost fifty-years of marriage to my church musician spouse Barbara. In recent months I have especially valued those psalms as they must have been sung in the years during and after the Babylonian Exile. The words “I will lift up my eyes” now resonate deeply in me with the creative art of Felix Mendelssohn, Zoltan Kodaly, John Rutter, and others. We can be certain that the composers of the future will be stirred to imagine further works of art, enriching these ancient words with new genius.

I am Peter Hulac, a ruling elder at Montview and, for this year, moderator of Denver Presbytery and Council. I am delighted to bring you a progress report about how your presbytery is working through our current transitions. In recent weeks you have heard from other leaders about our work. They have written about our consultant, Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall, and about the progress we are making with his leadership. You can read about the “chapters” of our transition by clicking here. The Vision Creation Team is currently working to create and generate the vision which will guide us through our next steps.

It is presumptuous, of course, to equate our current situation to the experiences of the generations-long Captivity in Babylon. These current presbytery transitions, as significant as they are, are far less wrenching than the ones of 25 centuries ago in the Holy Land. A pastor friend has noted another difference: that during these days we are exiled to our homes, not away from them. On the other hand, the Church of today and our entire culture are experiencing so many concurrent challenges. We also share many of the laments, yearnings and hopes which our ancestors in faith experienced all those centuries ago. You might appreciate reading Ezra, chapters 1 and 3, for a historical account of their return to Jerusalem. Then turn to some psalms, which bless us with more poetic gifts. At one point, as in Psalm 80, God’s people prayed that God would restore life to the way it was before the exile. God’s people must have sung different psalms, though, as they returned to Jerusalem, saw the destruction, and realized that life would never be restored to “just the way it used to be.” Many of those psalms are among the “Psalms of Ascent,” pleading that God will lead the people in a much different kind of way. (See especially Psalms 121, 122, 124, 125, and 130.)

Over recent months our own yearnings and hopes have evolved in similar ways. Early in the pandemic we anticipated a time when “it” would be all over, when the habits of life would be restored to their previous ways. As the months have passed, though, we have come to recognize that the next chapters in our lives and in our life together will be different from life before the coronavirus. Knowing that to be so, we appeal for your prayers, and we also yearn and hope for your own individual wisdom. We ask you to write to us about your own wise discernment about where God is leading us, and your own hopes for our future life together as the Presbytery of Denver. CLICK HERE to share your hopes and dreams→

We are grateful for the challenges and joys we share in this time of change, and we thank God for the witness and the words of our ancestors in faith, the ones who have traveled this journey before us. Just as they sang psalms as they climbed their way up to Jerusalem, we look forward with joy and hope to the day when we, like them, will gather, worship, and sing together in new ways.

Psalm 122
I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’
Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.
To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.’
For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.
-Amen.

In the service we share,

Ruling Elder Peter Hulac
Presbytery Moderator
Denver Presbytery Council

Shared Funding Ministry Grants Now Available! APPLY NOW!

Denver Presbytery Shared Funding Ministry Workgroup is proud to offer grants to our congregations in need!

Shared Funding Ministry is a two year pilot program intended to assist churches with small items on a one-time basis. New or upgraded technology, computers, cost of reopening buildings after COVID are just a few possible items. The intent is for the congregation to provide part of the cost and a grant from presbytery to provide the remainder.

Meet our Vision Construction Team

On January 19, 2021, the following individuals were appointed by Council to serve as the Vision Construction Team for the Presbytery of Denver:

RATIONALE
We were tasked with assembling a team slate which reflected the Presbytery of Denver as a whole, but within guidelines of prior participation in the visioning process and diversity in many categories. We believe that we have captured broad representation of gender, ordination status, geographical/congregational context, racial/ethnic identity, age, and tenure of experience in the work of the Presbytery of Denver. We also believe these nominees embody the qualities we set out to find as described in the position description for the Vision Construction Team.

With the many different issues and interests in the Presbytery, we have tried to pull together people who give voice to these and who listen well. Most have participated in supporting the Presbytery’s Matthew 25 Initiative and all understand the significance of this visioning work and its importance to the Presbytery, to our congregations and to the larger church.

We have prayed for each nominee and for the team as a whole, and we believe these individuals to be right for us at this time and in this Presbytery. We are pleased that each has said “yes” to the call to this work.

We thank Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall and Rev. Olivia Hudson Smith for their wisdom and support in our deliberations.

Respectfully submitted,

Vision Construction Nominating Task Force
Rev. Evan Amo
Ruling Elder Anne Bond
Rev. Kim Graber
Ruling Elder Keith Moore

2021 Vision Update January 21, 2021 from Ruling Elder Michael McLane

On our home wall next to the coat closet is a frame with the following text; “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The verse is Jeremiah 29:11 and “plans” occurs three times in that short verse. It’s a reminder for me each time I leave the house that God is a benevolent planner. While God was directing this message to the whiny prophet Jeremiah, I believe that God has no less of a plan for the rest of us.

Our Presbytery has plans that we attempt to discern with God’s help. So, who am I to bring you an update on our plans? I’m Michael McLane, a Ruling Elder from Trinity in Arvada, and 2021 is my 4th year serving on Council. I Co-Chair the Relations & Communications Workgroup and previously served on Committee on Ministry and was a Commissioner to General Assembly for Denver Presbytery. I’ve been an appointed Commissioner from Trinity for many years after adopting this Presbyterian denomination. My wife and I moved to Denver in 2005 after growing up in the Reformed Church of America and serving as an Elder, Deacon, and Lay Worship Leader. Serving in the church has been a significant focus in my life. Obviously, God had that plan for me, despite my whining.

In my career, I spent a lot of time planning and I can tell you from my experience that plans are needed to accomplish all but the simplest of efforts. But plans need to adapt when unexpected forces erode the assumptions that are foundational to that plan. We had a plan, and then 2020 changed our “normal.” So, our plan has changed. Rev. Justin Spurlock, our 2020 moderator, outlined that transition two weeks ago in his update message to you.

Justin presented the new plan for a Vision Nominating Team and outlined their role to nominate members for a Vision Construction Team. That nominating plan has already produced the anticipated fruit and is about to conclude with the introduction of the Vision Construction Team members to Presbytery. And here is something you don’t hear every day; that nomination team, while being keenly focused on representation dynamics of gender, geography, etc., as well as the need to work with haste, had fun!

The nominated Vision Construction Team consists of Rev. Paula Steinbacher, Rev. Lemuel Velasco, Elder Daphne Rice Allen, Rev. Chris Spotts, Rev. John Yu, Rev. Russ Kane, Elder Kendal Mullins, and Elder Rob Habiger. Elders + pastors, city + rural churches, female + male, older + younger, all accepted the invitation and all are ready to craft the vision and strategy for our road ahead, and create a job description for our next Presbytery Leader. Council appointed each of the above to the Vision Construction Team at a special called meeting on Tuesday, January 19th and is looking forward to introducing them to you at our Stated Assembly on the evening of Tuesday, January 26th. You’ll want to be there to share in this initial opportunity to think about and consider our future together.

There is more to our plan than appointing teams to undertake focused task(s). Council approved a series of efforts and actions that outlined in a timeline that you can review here. The plan isn’t cast in stone and we will continue to tweak and revise it as circumstances and opportunities become apparent. It is divided into six chapters: Onboarding, Speed of Trust, Curate and Generate, Tangibilitate, Traction, and Installation. While the chapter titles may not give you an immediate understanding of the plan, it is a short, two page read that you can review at your leisure.

 I invite you to review the first two chapters, Onboarding, and Speed of Trust. We have already completed Chapter 1, Onboarding. That was primarily focused on engaging with our consultant, Corey Schlosser-Hall, Council, and staff in defining the activities and timeline for the plan.

Chapter 2 titled Speed of Trust is where we are currently engaged. I found that title a bit odd at first since I find trust to be something that grows out of repeated experience with someone or something. However, in reading through the chapters details, I find that it really is addressing that same repeated experience needed for me to build trust. That plan includes this update as well as the previous update you received from Justin. It means you’ll continue to receive updates from other Council members. It means that we’ll meet, COVID safely, to present what we know and listen to your questions and concerns. It means that we are being purposeful in making the process and plan an open book. It means that we want you to join with us on this journey, our journey.

Change is hard. Not knowing what is happening is frustrating. We’ll do what we can to help alleviate the frustration of not knowing. And if you can resonate with God’s message to Jeremiah, maybe you can find solace in the difficulty of this change. God does have a plan for Denver Presbytery.

Grace to you,

Ruling Elder Michael McLane
Denver Presbytery Council

Well Chosen Words

Well Chosen Words, a guide to understanding and using inclusive language, developed by the Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries/PW ministry area in consultation with the Advocacy Committee on Women’s Concerns, cites Galatians 3:27-28 in which Paul asserts, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ ...for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Inclusive language allows all God’s children to be one in Christ Jesus.

The guide encourages language choices that proclaim the fullness of God, outlining traditional depictions as well as newer images to describe God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. LEARN MORE→

2021 Vision Update | January 6, 2021 | Rev. Justin Spurlock

2021- we made it! Like all of you, our Presbytery reacted, adapted, transitioned, and morphed in many ways due to the pandemic and disruptions of 2020. Like you, we made all kinds of changes to the way we operated, worked, and lived - some that we had put off for a long time, some that we are glad we made, and plenty that were forced upon us by the circumstances and situations of 2020.

On my calendar, Tuesdays are the day that I carve out "Presbytery Work" time on my schedule to focus on the business of serving as your Moderator over the last year. As I sat looking at my calendar this morning, I reflected on all that has transpired during 2020 for our Presbytery, as well as, on all that is in the works right now for 2021. Although tired, I feel upbeat and energized by our work ahead.

The Presbytery Council and our workgroups and committees have been working in high gear over the last several months. That is a Presbyterian way of saying, "Many, many, many, many meetings!." In November, we contracted with Corey Schlosser-Hall, Executive Presbyter of Northwest Coast Presbytery to work with us to complete our transition process. He hit the ground sprinting, even through the holidays. Corey has engaged the members of Council individually and Council as a whole several times, the Presbytery staff, and the previous Vision Team (as a whole and many individual conversations with members from that team).

The Presbytery Council, working with Corey, created a Vision Nominating Team in December comprised of Evan Amo, Anne Bond, Kim Graber, and Keith Moore to nominate individuals to serve on a new 7-8 person Vision Construction Team. They have been working with Corey over the last few weeks to select and recommend to Council for approval, members for the Visions Construction Team.

What is a Vision Construction Team? This is the team that will complete our visioning work for the Presbytery, craft a vision and strategy for the road ahead, and create a job description for the next Presbytery Leader (whether Presbytery Pastor or Executive Presbyter or some other title). At least half of the 7-8 person team will come from the previous Vision Team that worked with Rev. Dana Hughes for approximately 18 months. The Vision Construction Nominating Team will present these names to the Presbytery Council for their approval, hopefully by January 20th, so that we can inform you of those Vision Construction Team members at our January 26th Assembly.

To help you understand all that has happened in the last few months and where we hope to go in the months ahead, Council, in conjunction with Corey, will be holding two webinars (prior to January 26) that address the questions – “Where are we now & where are we headed?” This will be an opportunity for you to get updated on the status and details of the transition, steps that have taken place since November 1, provide a January 26 Assembly preview, and outline the next steps in our process. It’s also an opportunity for us to respond to questions, concerns, and your hopes as a Presbytery. The dates for these two webinars will be communicated early next week.

I finish my term as your Moderator very hope-filled for our future as a Presbytery. We have a talented Council who have spent many, many hours with one another. We have an incredible staff who are putting in extra effort, energy, and time in this transition. I am grateful for the leadership that our Stated Clerk, Rev. Olivia Hudson-Smith is providing as Temporary Head of Staff. And Corey Schlosser-Hall is already effectively helping us move into the future. Finally, we have two fantastic leaders in our Moderator-elect Peter Hulac and Vice-Moderator-elect Paula Steinbacher. I have enjoyed getting to know them over this past year and am looking forward to their leadership of this Presbytery.

As I sat down in my office this morning, I recognized that this "Presbytery Work" spot on my calendar literally ends on January 26 - our January Assembly Meeting. February doesn't have that penciled into my calendar. In many ways, I am grateful that I got to serve as Moderator in such an unconventional, disruptive year. Although it was daunting, and, at times, exhausting, I would not have wanted to moderate in any sort of conventional way. Thanks for allowing me to serve as your moderator!

With Grace and Peace,

Rev. Justin Spurlock
Denver Presbytery Moderator 2020