I spent the entire day today in the Mission Support Services committee. Business ranged from mundane to controversial.
Two topics took a considerable amount of time. First, there was the ongoing dilemma about how best to relate to the Historically Racial and Ethnic Colleges. These schools are Cook College and Theological School (Tempe, AZ), Johnson C. Smith College (Charlotte, NC), Sheldon Jackson College (Sitka, AK), Stillman College (Tuscaloosa, AL), Menaul School Albuquerque, NM), Knoxville College (Tennessee) and Presbyterian Pan-American School (Kingsville, TX.) The denomination does not own these schools, but we have a long history with the Presbyterian Church and predecessor denominations. Some of these institutions are not accredited and barely viable. The denomination contributes funds through the Christmas Joy offering, but there is some question about whether this is the best use of funds, especially in a time of tightening budgets.
The second issue is a proposal to convert Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) into a separate corporation. Since PDA is under the denominational umbrella, it is prevented from participating in certain types of relief and receiving certain funds. However, there are some questions about whether PDA is of sufficient size to warrant operation as a stand-alone operation.
We will debate the Governance Report and the Mission Work Plan report tomorrow morning. I expect a vote on one or both of these reports by noon. If you want to check out the ongoing business, be sure to check:
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