Category Archives: Assembly

Presbyterian Disaster Relief Project: 10,000 Hygiene Kits in 5 Years!

Calling for Hygiene kits at our March 5th Assembly:

When a flood, wildfire, or hurricane devastates a community, people scramble to deal with the chaos and to recover.   They need practical help – fast.

Our congregations can make a difference by contributing items for hygiene kits.  The Presbytery of Ohio Valley and Mid Kentucky Presbytery started packing disaster relief kits in 2016.  Together with Western KY Presbytery we can reach our 2020 goal of 2,000 hygiene kits.   Then, we’ll celebrate an impressive milestone: 10,000 hygiene kits in five years!

Each hygiene kit in a one-gallon zip lock bag includes:

  • 1 hand towel – not microfiber
  • 1 washcloth – not microfiber
  • 1 wide tooth comb
  • 1 nail clipper
  • 1 bar of soap – unscented, bath size in wrapper
  • 1 toothbrush – in original package (Toothpaste is not requested.)
  • 10 Band-Aids

Please bring hygiene supplies to our next presbytery assembly on Thursday, March 5 at the Mitchell Presbyterian Church. Volunteers will deliver our hygiene kits and supplies to Fairlawn Presbyterian Church in Columbus.  Fairlawn will take them to Louisville for packing and shipping.

Contact the Rev. Elizabeth Kirkpatrick at Fairlawn (812) 372-3882, erkirkpatrick@att.net for information.

Thank you for caring for God’s people in need!

Results of the Vote on the Proposed Amendments at the March Assembly

The following are the results of the vote taken at the March 2, 2019 Assembly meeting of the Presbytery of Ohio Valley on the Proposed Amendments from the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

No.Amendment TitleYesNoResult
18-AElection of Ruling Elders and Deacons
On Amending G-2.0401		583Pass
18-B.1Renunciaton of Jurisdiction
On Amending G-2.0509		3031Fail
18-B.2Renunciation of Jurisdiction
On Amending D-10.0401d		529Pass
18-COfficers
On Amending G-3.0104		2833Fail
18-DMembership of Presbytery
On Amending G-3.0306		610Pass
18-EPastor, Counselor, and Advisor
On Amending G-3.0307		601Pass
18-FWelcoming to the Table
On Amending W-4.0202		582Pass
18-GDisciplinary Offense
On Amending D-2.0203b		536Pass
18-H.1Time Limit
On Amending D-10.0401b		592Pass
18-H.2Time Limit
On Amending D-10.0401c(1)		591Pass

The full description of each of the proposed amendments may be found here.

POV Assembly: June 15th at Mitchell

The next Assembly will take place at 10:00 am (ET) on Thursday, 6/15/2017 at the Mitchell Presbyterian Church.

Registration will begin at 9:00 am (ET).

The packet, driving directions, and the minutes from the March 25, 2017 meeting will be available for download from the assembly web page after 4:00pm on June 8th.

Online registration for the Assembly is available now. Please let us know if you will be in attendance!

What Happened at Assembly on March 25, 2017

What Happened at Assembly on March 25th?

The Presbytery enjoyed the hospitality of the Mitchell Presbyterian Church, Mitchell, Indiana

Installation of Vice Moderator and Stated Clerk

The Moderator installed David Crittenden as Stated Clerk and Barbara Ferguson as Vice-Moderator of the Presbytery of Ohio Valley.

Examination of Je Myoung Lee

After preaching for the Presbytery Je Myoung Lee, a candidate under care of the Presbytery of Chicago, was examined by the Presbytery and approved for ordination to the ministry of Teaching Elder.  Je has been called to served the congregations of the Mitchell Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church, Bedford, as pastor of the Lawrence County Parish.

Proposed Amendments from the 222nd General Assembly

The Commissioners approved all sixteen amendments to the Book of Order proposed by the 222nd General Assembly. (Ballot tallies are shown below.)

Congregational Mission and Vitality Committee Grants Approved by Presbytery Council

The Council report noted two grants from the Monroe City Funds one in the amount of $3,400 to the Scipio Presbyterian Church for an outdoor worship, spirituality and fellowship area and the other in the amount of $4,000 to the Community Presbyterian Church in Charlestown, Indiana, for funding for a Bundle of Joy Basket Program as part of the congregation’s D.I.A.P.E.R. ministry.

No.Amendment TitleYesNoBlank
16-AChild & Youth Protection Policy
On Amending G-3.0106 		603
16-BParity in Committees
On Amending G-3.0109		549
16-C1Ministers of the Word and Sacrament
On Amending F-3.0202		594
16-C2Ministers of the Word and Sacrament
On Amending G-2.0102		5931
16-C3Ministers of the Word and Sacrament
On Amending G-2.0301		5931
16-C4Ministers of the Word and Sacrament
On Amending G-2.05 and G-2.0501		5931
16-C5Ministers of the Word and Sacrament
On Amending G-2.0701		5931
16-C6Ministers of the Word and Sacrament and Commissioned Pastors
On Amending G-3.0307		5571
16-C7Minister of the Word and Sacrament and
Commissioned Pastor
On Amending the Directory for Worship and
the Rules of Discipline 		5571
16-C8Minister of the Word and Sacrament
On Amending W-4.4001a.		5931
16-D1Relationship to the PC(USA) of a Person Who Has
Renounced Jurisdiction of the Church
On Amending G-2.0509		50121
16-D2Relationship to the PC(USA) of a Person Who Has
Renounced Jurisdiction of the Church
On Amending D-10.0401		49122
16-ECertified Service Requirements
On Amending G-2.1101		612
16-FThe Ministry of Members
On Amending G-1.0304		594
16-GAccess to the Lord’s Table
On Amending W-2.4011a. and b.		558
16-HDirectory for Worship
On Replacing the Current Directory for Worship		50112

POV Assembly: March 25, 2017

The next Assembly will take place at 10:00 am (ET) on Saturday, 3/25/2017 at the Mitchell Presbyterian Church.

Registration will begin at 9:00 am (ET).

At this Assembly, we will be voting on the proposed amendments to the Book of Order that were approved by the 222nd General Assembly. The amendments are available via download at the following link: Proposed Amendments to the Constitution.

As this is the only method by which the amendments have been made available, we strongly recommend that you print the document beforehand and bring it with you to the meeting. The wireless network at Mitchell will not be able to handle everyone trying to access the document at once, and we will only be printing a limited amount of copies to bring.

The packet, driving directions, and the minutes from the December 2016 meeting will be available for download from the assembly web page after 4:00pm on March 16th.

Online registration for the Assembly is available now. Please let us know if you will be in attendance!

June 4th Assembly News

Joining God’s Good Work in Our Communities: The Presbytery of Ohio Valley assembles to celebrate what we’re doing already and explore what we might yet do. 

God is up to something! All around the world, and right around the corner, God is up to something. And the good news is that we are a part of it!  The congregations of the Presbytery of Ohio Valley make a difference as we bear witness, in word and in deed, to God’s sovereign activity in the world.

The Congregational Mission and Vitality Committee and the Evangelism and Congregational Witness Committee invite you to a different kind of Presbytery Assembly. Regular business will be kept to a bare minimum, as our primary business of the day will be to celebrate what we’re already doing in our communities and to explore what we might yet do.  Consider bringing an additional member or two from your congregation for this special day.

We Will:

  • Gather for worship and proclamation, hearing a few new stories of congregations who are joining God’s good work.
  • Engage with one another (using “World Café” conversations) to generate new ideas.
  • Be led in song by the gospel band “Living By Faith” (in which our moderator Zack Ellison plays). And those who play an instrument are welcome to bring it and join in a pick-up band for the closing worship.
  • Feast on fellowship with one another, as well as grilled cookout fare (hamburgers and hot dogs with vegetarian and gluten-free options available).
  • Receive a small gift to help us make a joyful noise.

The Assembly will take place at 10:00am (9:00am Central) on Saturday, 6/4/2016 at the Mitchell Presbyterian Church, with registration starting an hour earlier.

The packet, driving directions, and the minutes from the April meeting will be available for download from the assembly web page after 4:00pm on May 26th.

Online Pre-registration for the Assembly is available now.

What Happened at Assembly April 7, 2016

POV enjoyed the hospitality of First Presbyterian in Jeffersonville.  The windows in the sanctuary have been refurbished in a major project that has been completed since the last time that the Presbytery met there.

Ruling Elder Zack Ellision moderated his first meeting.

The Transitional Executive from the Synod of Lincoln Trails was present.  Sara Dingman brought the sermon to our worship.  Sara also made comments during the meeting to outline the work and contributions of the Synod to our common life.  Specifically she discussed:

  • The synod is encouraging exploration of Bi-Vocational Ministry.
  • The synod is intensely in discussions about per-capita and mission giving.
  • The synod is intensively encouraging care for pastors with peer groupings and other           interventions.
  • Transitional skills (applicable to all persons) is to be taught locally in the synod.

A Vote was held on concurrence with an Overture to GA.  Overtures start on a presbytery level.  They move to the General Assembly where they are approved, rejected, edited, changed or answered in some way.  Every overture must have referral from more than one presbytery to be considered by GA.  If the changes involve change to the constitution, they must go back to the presbyteries.

The overture we acted upon did not involve constitutional change.  It was to support ministry of GA efforts related to HIV/Aids persons.

The Presbytery Foundation’s ministry was presented by Lisa Longo.  The Foundation’s national office is located in our presbytery in New Albany. Lisa outlined for us several important supports for mission and stewardship that are available to our congregations.

The POV Academy Committee reported through Trudy Vanderbeck.  The Academy has broadened its mission to focus on leadership training for all people in the Presbytery.  There is little demand by Elders for training to be Commissioned Ruling Elders. However, the need for training and education is still a need.

Report of the Lilly Grant   Charlie Pye brought us an update on Lily Grant issues.  Charlie reported for the Lily Excellence in Ministry Program.  Both loans and grants are available through the program.  Charlie reported his own work and helps.  He also emphasized the “no interest” loans for debt resolution.

Larry Jackman
Stated Clerk