To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Elizabeth Presbytery: Grace and peace to you! I thank my God in all my remembrances of you, thankful for your partnership in the gospel. I am sure that God, who began a good work in you, will bring it to completion.

            I have paraphrased the opening of Paul’s letter to the Church in Philippi because he reminds us that 20 centuries later God is ever at work in us and the church--God moving us towards a completion for which God is responsible through promises made in our baptisms and in Scripture. The year before us permits us to yearn for, to lay claim to, God doing wonderful things in our midst that God’s work be complete. How’s it starting?

            Here is some encouraging news for you at the beginning of this year, which I trust you will pass on to your congregation and its leaders (perhaps as a Minute for Mission):

Ø      Our newest New Church Development, Millennium Presbyterian Community, has a new home in the former Hillside Presbyterian Church which turned over the keys January 1^st to enable them to grow their congregation and ministry.

Ø      Elizabeth Quintero has welcomed the offer to expand her presbytery position and hours to help recover some of the administrative support Pedro Rivera provided for various units and ministries of the presbytery. She started doing this January 5^th.

Ø      The Presbytery Council and Strategic Planning Team have crafted the first draft of a simple presbytery-wide vision statement with four ministry initiatives January 7^th. Congregations will soon have the opportunity to review it, edit it, and add commentary. It will be adopted by June and show fiscal implications by January 2005.

Ø      A joint meeting of the Evangelism and Church Development Unit, the Congregational Strategy and Resources Unit, and the Committee on Ministry met January 7^th to discuss better coordination of ministries with, and resources for, our congregations.

Ø      The Committee on Ministry agreed January 8^th to financially assist an event supporting clergy and their families Saturday, March 13^th, lead by the Rev. Dr. Sharon Mook.

Ø      Bob Pitman, Knox Fellowship’s director, met with Presbytery Council January 13^th to outline his plan to visit every pastor in May or June to plan the presbytery-wide congregational equipping workshop for evangelism Saturday, October 23^rd.

Ø      The Church Transformation Team met January 14^th and, with CSRU approval, would like to offer a presbytery-wide event in Church Transformation in late April or early May, after which church clergy-lay teams can covenant to work together to bring transformation into the life and ministry of their congregations over the next year.

Ø      The largest ever national Presbyterian Church Redevelopment/Transformation Conference is being held in Charlotte, NC this month with 800+ attendees; our largest ever contingent of 26 will have taken a bus to be there when presbytery meets Jan. 24.

Ø      Today you will learn the good news from our Presbytery Treasurer about the bottom line of your 2003 gifts for Presbytery mission. THANK YOU! Ten congregations and some individuals assisted Bethel Church in Plainfield with gifts totaling about $10,000.

Ø      Today we are trying something new with beginning this year emphasizing the mission undertaken by congregations, the presbytery, and our national church in a mission fair.

I hope today inspires and challenges you and our congregations to trust that the presbytery really does want God to complete good work begun in us and for the world. Your stewardship toward that end will be blessed and a blessing to you and others.                                                                                                                The Rev. Robert Foltz-Morrison