Update on Monte Vista Grove Homes’ Renovation:

Update on Monte Vista Grove Homes’ Renovation:

Monte Vista Grove Homes, a retirement center in Pasadena, primarily for Presbyterian pastors and their spouses, has certainly been impacted by the Covid 19 virus pandemic since early 2020, but it has used this COVID time as a learning experience for the future of its residents. Plans went into motion at the beginning of this year to renovate the Dining Room and the Commons’ Fireplace Room   to meet the future needs of its residents requiring a more open floor plan. Additional areas of floor tile containing asbestos were found immediately. Therefore, a much larger portion of the building would need to be included in the renovation.

As the prolonged isolation broke, the residents were able to begin meeting again for their mid- day meal in Marwick Hall which has been set up for mealtime instead of large meetings. What a boon to the spirits of residents as they have been able to socialize again! Various classes and social groups began meeting again, as well. I am sure we all are now aware of the negative impact of extended isolation by now. It has been so inspiring to see how the faith of these wonderful residents has fortified them against the rigors of the isolation they went through and how they supported each other and looked out for each other then and now.

COVID-19 has prompted many changes over these last couple of years, and now the changes are still coming, but they are wonderful changes. MVGH has been hit, like everybody else, by difficulties in the supply chain and delays in permit application processing. The new Dining Hall and Commons area was originally planned to open sometime in October 2022. We are finally looking at a tentative opening date of January 11, 2023. We are presently still bound by Los Angeles and Pasadena Health Department rules and regulations in only allowing residents to eat in the dining area, but we are certainly hoping that things will change by January to allow visitors to join us in our new Dining Room and Commons area.

Time will tell on that one. But this is marvelous news! The residents are very excited as they wait with bated breath for this to happen. Included in this renovation is an outside patio dining area which did not previously exist.

Covid prompted the desire to give open-air eating areas with patio heaters for the winter months to allow for distance eating – something we had never thought about before.

I have included some pictures of the work in progress to give you an idea of the future. Pictures include looking at the patio renovation going on right now, as well as some of the inner dining room areas. The serving area includes new health protection for both residents and servers. The actual chairs and tables are due to arrive sometime this week – sorry no pictures on that.

Other renovations will continue areas of the property in an effort to extend outside socialization. That will begin after the Dining Room has been completed and is open for business. The Dining Room is a priority as the loss of most of that Common space has really had an impact. This means a return to business as usual, but a NEW business as usual, as so many things will never go back to just the way it was, but possibly a new and better way.

Diane M. Frasher, Chaplain

 

Stated Clerk’s Corner September 2020

Stated Clerk’s Corner September 2020

The Stated Clerk’s duties have certainly been impacted by Covid-19 like so many others. I have been postponing Review of Minute Books and Registers until October hoping that things might have changed enough for Clerks of Session to gather together and review each other’s books. Well, that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon. So, taking my cue from the Stated Clerk of the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii who has cancelled the Review of Presbytery Minutes until 2021, I am doing the same. There will be no Review of Minute Books and Registers this year. That means we will be looking at two years’ Minutes in 2021: 2019 and 2020. The Synod will be doing the same.

Unfortunately, our presbytery and our congregations are holding official meetings “out of order” according to our by-laws as no one could have ever predicted Covid-19 and included an option of holding regular stated meetings electronically as Robert’s Rules forbids it. Of course, this would apply to congregations that have chosen Robert’s Rules as their parliamentary procedure option in their By-Laws. Most, possibly all, of our congregations function according to Robert’s Rules. We are all approving motions in this manner after voting to do so at the beginning of meetings with the caveat that all those motions will need to be ratified when we can finally meet in person again. At that time we will also vote on including meetings of this nature under a very specific set of circumstances in the future. Hopefully, we will never need to do this again. We all look forward to the day we can all be functioning legally again.

I am aware that so many things are different this year. The clerks may not have access to their church offices as they have had in the past years. That means they may not be able to be working with their official Minute Book and Register. I have advised clerks to be working with their individual monthly sets of minutes and filling in the Review Form along the way with the month a requirement was fulfilled. They can get back to the official books with page numbers in the future when they are available. That way they will not be so far behind when we can actually open up our church offices as before.

I am presently working on a Zoom training module for new Clerks of Session. This module will be part of the 2021 Winterfest event and will be available after the Winterfest event in a library of electronic resources. I have already posted several resources for Clerks of Session on the presbytery website under the “Clerk’s Corner” and plan on adding additional items in order to provide a good amount of resources that can be accessed at any time by clerks. This can certainly be thought of as a positive result of Covid-19 for it means that as new Clerks of Session come into the office, there will be immediate assistance available. It does not mean that I will not meet individually with a new clerk. I am aware that one of the great advantages of doing individual clerk training is that the training can be tailored to their specific situation. I will continue to make efforts to help individually, as well.

The Executive Presbyter and I will not be flying off to the Mid Council Leaders’ Meeting this fall

as it will be held virtually due to Covid-19. That meeting is scheduled for one day, November 5th, this year. I will certainly miss the comradery that occurs at mealtimes and evening events. The theme for the meeting is, “Wholeness in Times of Crisis.” I look forward to being able to share whatever information I glean this year with the presbytery.

Here are the dates for the Presbytery Meetings for the 2021 year:
January 26th – Tuesday, 7-9 PM
March 20th – Saturday, 9am-12noon
June 19th – Saturday, 9am-12noon
September 18th – Saturday, 9am-12noon
November 16th – Tuesday, 7-9pm

(We are planning for in-person meetings at this time until we see what Covid-19 holds for the future year-2021. We will adapt as needed.)

Winterfest – The Plenary and Worship Celebration will be held on line on February 6th

We are now looking for locations for those various presbytery meetings. If you would like to volunteer your church as a possible location of one of these presbytery meetings, please contact the stated clerk and/or the executive presbyter. We would love to discuss that idea with your church leadership.

Blessings,

Diane M. Frasher
Stated Clerk

 

 

Stated Clerk’s Corner September 2019

Stated Clerk’s Corner September 2019

First on my items of the day is to remind everyone that the second and last Review of Minute Books and Registers for the year is coming up on October 5, 2019 at Calvary Presbyterian Church, South Pasadena beginning at 10:00 am that morning and expected to end by noon. I try not to take up too much of everyone’s Saturday and give people a chance to sleep in a little as well. A great many of the churches of this presbytery are expected that day as only a few came to the spring review. I am looking forward to seeing so many of my clerk and pastor friends on that day. Please contact me at my email (statedclerk@sangabpres.org) if you plan to attend.

As the fall gets into full swing, the Executive Presbyter and I look forward to the annual Mid Council Leaders’ Meeting and our respective organizations’ meetings which are held every October somewhere in the United States. This year we will meet in Baltimore, Maryland between October 17 and October 21. We meet in Baltimore because next year’s General Assembly will be held there. We will have the privilege of getting a basic knowledge of the logistics of the Conference Center as well as accommodations for next year. We will attend meetings that will inform us of upcoming foci of the meeting, as well. Workshops are available to each of us that are geared to our various position needs. I have requested a workshop that will discuss the proposed changes to the Book of Discipline, something I really need to understand. I have requested another one that will discuss the difficulties of maintaining records in an age with such climate change, as well as changes in technology. I am truly looking forward to this workshop. I am hoping that the denomination will be coming up with some plans to meet the challenges we are all facing in that area. There is another one specifically geared toward Digital Pastor Files that is of interest to me. Another workshop dealing with the drafting and updating of Sexual Misconduct Prevention Policies to incorporate Child, Youth, and Vulnerable Adult Safety is available again this year. I have made my requests, we will see what I get on my schedule in October. The Executive Pastor will have requested workshops geared to her needs for the presbytery. We’ll see what she gets when we arrive. This is always a busy and long few days and we come back tired but also full of new ideas and information to share with members of this presbytery. We do look forward to sharing when we return.

There will be a notification in the September Presbytery Packet of the dates that have been chosen for Presbytery Meetings for the 2020 year. But, in the event some of you may not see that packet, here are the dates:

January 14th – Tuesday, 7-9 PM

 

 March 28th – Saturday, 9am-12noon

 May 30th – Saturday, 9am-12noon

September 26th – Saturday, 9am-12noon

November 17th – Tuesday, 7-9pm

(We have the privilege of having the Co-Moderator, Cindy Kohlmann with us at our May 30th Meeting. We are excited about that!)

We are now looking for locations for those various meetings. If you would like to volunteer your church as a possible location of one of these presbytery meetings, please contact the stated clerk and/or the executive presbyter. We would love to discuss that idea with your church leadership.

Lastly, I continue to work on an individual basis with new clerks in the presbytery this year. If you’re a new clerk who would like individual training or are a pastor of a new clerk, please contact me and we can set up a time and place for an education meeting to help get a new clerk acclimated. I have done several of these meetings and they have proved very successful for the new clerks. I look forward to meeting with anyone who needs some help.

Blessings,
Diane M. Frasher
Stated Clerk

Monday Morning Update

Monday Morning Update

This past Saturday, November 10th was the last presbytery meeting of the 2018 year. We were welcomed into the Sanctuary of First Thai Presbyterian Church, Covina, to the sight of a beautifully fall decorated sanctuary that was a delight to the eyes. There were fall wreaths spaced intermittently along the side and back walls and a massive expression of fall foliage in the front of the sanctuary. I was suddenly drawn into a place of Thanksgiving in my heart and mind, and I am quite sure that was intended by the environment. Many of the members of First Thai were present to welcome us as the two portions of the worship service included the participation of the Praise Dancers of the church – a group of young people who led us joyfully in the second portion of the worship service. And, thank you to Rev. Jennifer Ackerman for planning another inspiring worship service. Pastor Peter Tan-Gatue led us in the Lord’s Supper this day. We received an offering for Inland Valley Hope Partners during the worship service, as well. If anyone would like to participate in this offering and was not present, you are welcome to send your check in to the presbytery office. And there was a feast of Thai food for lunch after the meeting. What a blessing was our day in Covina. Thank you to Pastor Tan-Gatue and his volunteers that took care of the meeting and meal so beautifully.

The business of the day was fairly limited:

  • We received an update from Administration and Finance on the sale and rentals of some of the presbytery’s property. Things seem to moving right along now.
  • A highlight of the meeting was a presentation by Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson on their ministry for the last many years in Peru and how Living Waters for the World created a wonderful bridge for their ministry there. Thirty two systems have been installed while they have worked with them. Our team to Peru has worked hand in hand with them all these years and could not have made the installations the presbytery has been involved in without Sara and Rusty. They are retiring back to the United States and have been replaced by a young couple ready to step into their shoes. We can only benefit from having them present in our area. What a blessing they will be to us.
  • Carl von Bibra of the Personnel Committee informed the body of the partial retirement of Twila French, the presbytery’s Administrator/ Associate Stated Clerk/Bookkeeper. A deep sigh was heard throughout the gathering as Twila is such an important part of the efficiency of the presbytery. This partial retirement will take place in the middle of 2019 as she will continue to work part-time as the presbytery’s bookkeeper. Now, it will actually take one and a half people to do the work that Twila has been doing as the presbytery will be hiring a full-time person to take over the other responsibilities she has cared for over the years. One can tell she has definitely been over-working.
  • The Presbytery Executive Commission’s report included the presentation of the 2019 Budget highlights. The budget was approved, as well as the per-member apportionment of $69 for the 2019 year.  An Administrative Commission, requested by the congregation of Grace Presbyterian Church, was formalized at this meeting, as well.
  • We received a very interesting presentation by Navy Chaplain Lt. Daniel Menza. He has left information with us to distribute if anyone is interested in considering a call to Navy Chaplaincy. Please contact the presbytery office if this interests you.
  • We approved the new slate of Committee/Commission members for the 2019 year. I cannot call them universally the Class of 2021 as there were additional classes included. And we elected our new Vice Moderator, Rev. Karen Sapio, pastor of Claremont Presbyterian Church. She will be installed at the January presbytery meeting. This will mean that Fried Wilson will have completed his three year commitment. Rev. Becca Bateman will become the Moderator of the PEC and Rev. Roberto Ramirez will become the Moderator of the Presbytery. We all look forward to the New Year’s leadership. And we thank all those that have completed their terms of service. We have appreciated the sharing of their gifts with the presbytery.
  • We received into membership, TE Eun-hyey Lok, transferring from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities. She is the Director of Outreach and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist at the Asian American Christian Counseling Service in Alhambra. She led the body in a meaningful Lectio-Divina during part of the worship service. I can tell we are blessed to have her become a member of this presbytery.
  • We also approved the temporary half-time pastoral leader for Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Claremont. He will be going through a plan of preparation for authorized ministry in the PC(USA) as he comes to us from the Church of the Nazarene.
  • The presbytery concurred with two congregations in the dismissal of their pastors:
    • Pasadena Presbyterian Church – Rev. Walter Contreras
    • Arcadia Presbyterian Church – Rev. James Connor
    • In addition, the Minimum Salary and benefits package for 2019 was approved:
      • Salary and Housing           $55,840
      • Professional Expenses       $ 2,645
      • Study Leave                          $ 985

This does represent a 3.9% increase in the CPI-U in our geographic area.

I am sure that I have not remembered everything that occurred Saturday. As those that were present read this, I hope that they will forgive me if I have not focused on something they felt was important on the day.

As we enter the Holiday Season, may I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and a Blessed Advent and Christmas Season!

Diane M. Frasher
Stated Clerk

Statistical Reporting

Statistical Reporting

Statistical Reporting

The Statistical Reporting Season for the winter of 2017/2018 has come to an end. I am sure all the Clerks of Session are sighing with relief! This period of time requires a lot of work on the part of the Clerk of Session. I am very thankful that we have such wonderful clerks in this presbytery. They do this tedious work year after year without a grumble. This year we had a 72% congregational participation rate versus last year’s 77% participation rate. We dropped a little in participation, but not too much. Hopefully, next year we will exceed last year’s 77% participation rate. Thank you to all the dedicated Clerks of Session for their work this year. The congregations that made sure they got statistical information into GA were:

Alhambra True Light Presbyterian, Alhambra
First Presbyterian, Altadena
Village Presbyterian, Arcadia
Emmanuel Hispanic Presbyterian, Claremont
Claremont Presbyterian, Claremont
First Thai Presbyterian, Covina
Northminster Presbyterian, Diamond Bar
Divine Light Presbyterian, El Monte
Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian, Hacienda Heights
Iglesia De La Communidad, Highland Park
Puente de Esperanza Presbyterian Church, La Puente
St. Andrews Presbyterian, La Puente
La Verne Heights Presbyterian, La Verne
Glendale Korean Presbyterian, Los Angeles
Grace Presbyterian, Los Angeles
Occidental Presbyterian, Los Angeles
Good Shepherd Taiwanese Presbyterian, Monterey Park
First Taiwanese Presbyterian, Pasadena
New Hope Presbyterian, Pasadena
Westminster Presbyterian, Pasadena
Knox Presbyterian, Pasadena
Trinity Presbyterian, Pasadena
First Presbyterian, Pomona
San Marino Community, San Marino
Calvary Presbyterian, South Pasadena
Grace Taiwanese Presbyterian, Temple City
Westminster Presbyterian, Temple City
Community Presbyterian, West Covina

 

Looking statistically at the presbytery, as a whole, our membership dropped from 7026 to 6558. We had 128 total gains and 596 total losses during the year, which equates to a loss of 468 members. We believe this number is not quite accurate, as some of the congregations who did not participate have been healthy and growing. This is one reason we would love to get to a higher rate of congregational participation. We would love to have our figures be more accurate, so we really can see what is happening in the presbytery. Several of these non-participatory congregations have not reported for years, making their statistics way under-reported. We are also aware that we have had some closures of congregations this past year which accounts for some of the loss.

San Gabriel Presbytery is very diverse ethnically. The summary of the GA statistical report gives us the breakdown according to those congregations who have participated. The breakdown of Ruling Elders according to GA categories within the presbytery looks like this: ELDERS – 54 Asian, 3 Black, 2 African American, 1 African, 22 Hispanic, 111 White. We know that we have Middle Eastern elders, but no entries were made in that category. DEACONS – 118 Asian, 1 Black,2 African American, 1 African, 19 Hispanic, 72 White, and 1 Other. Here again, we know that we have Middle Eastern Deacons, but no entries were made in that category. We may actually be more diverse than is recorded in GA Statistical Reporting. But, the diversity in leadership within this presbytery, as recorded, is exciting to see!

Announcement

The Spring Review of Minute Books will be held at Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church, Hacienda Heights on May 5, 2018 at 10:00 AM. The Review Form has been updated to contain the newly added item: Safety Policy for Youth in addition to one we previously had for Children. This is a new item, but we need to be working on this safety policy as it is a new GA requirement. And we most certainly want to keep our children and youth safe while they are on our campuses or on a field trip of some sort. The two policies should look a little different as it takes different approaches to care for the two different age brackets. Please think independently on each. Click HERE to download the Review Form.

I look forward to seeing many of the clerks and pastors at the Spring Review of Minute Books and Registers. Remember, if you haven’t had your books reviewed for a couple of years, we would expect to see those years too. Now, a caveat to that statement: If you are behind in your Minute Books and Registers for some years, but have this year’s up-to-date, please come and bring what you have. It is better to get started reviewing than to continuing remaining behind. We want to help you start catching up.

The Fall Review of Minute Books is still planned for October 2018 at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Pasadena. We will publish the date as soon as we have it.