MINUTES Moravian Church in America, Southern Province Special Synod 2009 New Philadelphia Moravian Church Winston- Salem, North Carolina Opening Session Friday Evening September 11, 2009 7:00 p.m. The opening session of the 2009 Special Synod of the Southern Province began at 7:56 p.m. in the sanctuary of New Philadelphia Moravian Church. The session followed a service of Holy Communion planned by several members of the clergy serving under their first call. Tony Hayworth, Ramona Spencer, and Cedric Rodney officiated. Wayne Burkette, President of the Provincial Elders Conference, welcomed delegates on behalf of the Provincial Elders and in the name of the Chief Elder. Brother Burkette called the synod to a moment of silence remembering the life of Phillip Pfeifer, a candidate for the ordained ministry and student at Wake Forest Divinity School. Brother Pfeifer unexpectedly entered the immediate joy of the Savior on the evening of September 9. Brother Burkette then introduced the following Synod officers appointed by the Provincial Elders: Jim Yarbrough, Chair; Martha Gribble, Vice-Chair; Joe Moore, Chair of the Committee on Government/Committee of the Whole; John D. Rights, Secretary; Matthew Allen, Assistant Secretary; and Keith Kapp, Parliamentarian. He concluded his remarks by sharing words from the third chapter of Paul s letter to the Colossians (3:12-15). The Chair then called the Special Synod to order. Brother Yarbrough called for Wayne Burkette to give the Report on Credentials. Brother Burkette noted that all congregations had either met the requirements for representation or had been granted relief from financial obligations by the Provincial Financial Board. All delegates were seated with a voice and a vote. Brother Burkette moved on behalf of the Provincial Elders Conference that Alfonso Gaydon be seated as a delegate appointed by the Joint Board of the St. Philips Congregation. The motion was seconded and carried. The Secretary called the roll of Synod. Special Synod 2009 1
Wayne Burkette moved the adoption of the Standing Rules for this special synod. The motion was seconded. Ted Leinbach moved to amend the rules with the following addition 7. Any vote on provincial structure will be by written ballot. The amendment was seconded and carried. The amended motion carried. Wayne Burkette moved the adoption of the Proposed Agenda. The motion was seconded and carried. The Chair called on Powell Winstead for a report from the Task Force on Provincial Administration. Brother Winstead introduced the other members of the task force: Cindy Arrington, Sandy Baldwin, Betsy Bombick, Gil Frank, Bill McElveen, Neil Routh, Graham Rights, Wayne Shugart, and Steve Wilson. He then presented Resolution #1, from the Task Force on Provincial Administration, Provincial Structure Reorganization. Copies of the proposed resolution (with appendix) had been distributed to all delegates upon entrance to the sanctuary. Following the reading of the resolution, he presented Resolution #2 from the Task Force on Provincial Administration, Recommended Change to the MCSP Constitution. He then introduced Betsy Bombick. Sister Bombick gave a summary of the extensive educational process that was used to introduce the proposed reorganization to the membership of the Province. Graham Rights moved the adoption of Resolution #1. The motion was seconded, and the Chair referred the proposed resolution to the Committee on Government. Brother Yarbrough stated that the entire synod would function as the Committee on Government, a Committee of the Whole. The Chair appointed Don Winters, Ruth Burcaw and Becky Cook to serve as the Committee of Three responsible for reviewing the Special Synod Minutes. Brother Yarbrough then announced that three written copies of resolution amendments of more than five words would require three written copies, and that resolution amendments of more than 25 words would need to be provided for all delegates. Graham Rights moved the adoption of Resolution #2. The motion was seconded, and the Chair referred the proposed resolution to the Committee on Government/Committee of the Whole. Brother Yarbrough called on Sam Gray to lead the synod in prayer before adjourning. Bishop Gray prayerfully offered that we restructure our hearts as we seek to follow the will of the Savior into the coming days. The session adjourned at 8:46 p.m. Special Synod 2009 2
Session 2 Special Synod Moravian Church in America, Southern Province September 12, 2009 8:30 a.m. Synod gathered at 8:30 a.m. in the New Philadelphia fellowship hall for worship which included a celebration of the unique ministries being done by our fifty-three congregations. Photographs supplied by each congregation were projected as a backdrop to a litany of celebration that highlighted the work of the congregations. This worship was led by several pastors serving in their first call. The second plenary session of the 2006 Synod was called to order at 9:14 a.m. by the Chair, Jim Yarbrough. Brother Yarbrough transferred the authority of the floor to Joe Moore, Chair of the Committee on Government/Committee of the Whole, for the purpose of discussing the two resolutions moved at the previous session. Following procedural instructions by Brother Moore, the committee addressed the report, Resolution #2, Recommended Change to the MCSP Constitution. Art Sorenson moved that the Committee on Government adopt the report and forward the report to the Special Synod. The motion was seconded and carried. The committee then addressed Resolution #1, Provincial Structure Reorganization. Sam Gray moved that the resolution be amended to remove the s from the word purposes in the sixth whereas. The motion was seconded and carried. Wally Yarbrough moved that the resolution be amended to include a seventh resolved, Resolved that the neither Sunnyside Ministry nor Laurel Ridge Camp and Conference Center shall be separated from, or incorporated independent of, the Southern Province without a vote of Synod to do so. The motion was seconded and carried by a standing vote. Graham Rights moved that the word ex-officio be deleted in section 9.2 of the Rules and Regulations (appendix #1). The motion was seconded and carried. Tripp May moved that the committee adopt the report, Resolution #1, as amended, and forward the report to the synod. The motion was seconded and passed. Brother Moore adjourned the Committee on Government. Special Synod 2009 3
After a brief recess, Brother Yarbrough called the synod to order at 10:42 a.m. Joe Moore presented and moved the adoption of Resolution #1, Provincial Structure Reorganization, as amended by the Committee on Government. The motion was seconded. John Jackman moved to reinsert the word ex-officio in section 9.2 of the Rules and Regulations (appendix #1). The motion was seconded and carried. Supporting the recommendation of the Chair, the synod accepted the editorial change requested by John Jackman to remove the hyphen from the word interprovincial in section f of the sixth resolved. Ted Leinbach moved to amend section 10.2 of the Rules and Regulations (appendix #1) by inserting the words one of which shall be an ordained pastor serving a congregation of the Southern Province after the words two (2) at-large appointments by the Provincial Elders Conference. The motion was seconded and carried. Following the call for the question on Resolution #1, Brother Yarbrough called for a period of silence before a written ballot was cast. Joe Moore moved the adoption of Resolution #2, Recommended Change to the MCSP Constitution. The motion was seconded. Greg Styres moved to suspend the rules in order to allow for a voice vote on the motion. The motion to suspend the rules was seconded and carried. The motion to adopt Resolution #2 carried. [INSERT #1] Brother Yarbrough received a report from the Head Teller, Mike Sloan, and announced that the motion to adopt Resolution #1, Provincial Structure Reorganization carried by a vote of 172 in favor of the motion, 35 opposed to the motion, and 1 abstention. [INSERT #2] As the adoption of resolution #1 made it necessary for the Special Synod to elect members to an Implementation Steering Committee, the chair recognized Wayne Burkette to give the report of the Nominating Committee. The Provincial Elders Conference served as the Nominating Committee. Brother Burkette announced that the Provincial Elders had appointed Sandy Baldwin and Neil Routh to the committee from the Task Force for Provincial Administration, and Donna Hurt and Lane Sapp from the Provincial Elders Conference. He presented the following slate of nominees for the remaining five positions: Carol Foltz, David Merritt, John D. Rights, Chris Thore, Mike Hurd, David Johnson, Gary Kniskern, Brenda Peoples, Tamra Thomas, and Joyce Vance. Brother Yarbrough opened the floor to additional nominations, and Willie Israel placed the name of Judith Justice in nomination. The nomination was seconded. Joe Moore moved that the nominations be closed. The Special Synod 2009 4
motion was seconded and carried. Ballot #1 for the election of members to the Implementation Steering Committee was cast. Patty Garner moved the adoption of Resolution #3, Recognition of the Invaluable Service of the Board of Christian Education and the Board of Evangelism and Home Mission. The motion was seconded. The synod accepted the editorial change requested by Sister Garner to change the word Common to Cooperative in the second resolved. The motion carried, and the synod rose to its feet with a heartfelt ovation affirming the ministries of the two boards. [INSERT #3] Brother Yarbrough recognized Wayne Burkette, who in turn recognized the following Advisory Delegates: James Hicks and Jill Westbrook from the Northern Province in America, Chris Thomford, President of Moravian College and Theological Seminary, Deanna Hollenbach, Executive Director of the Interprovincial Board of Communication, and Frank Crouch, Dean of Moravian Theological Seminary. He then expressed a deep appreciation to the ushers and tellers coordinated by Mike Slone, to Jane Shore for her assistance, to Bob Hunter for coordinating housing, to the Hope Congregation for making its Mission House available to delegates from Florida, to the Fries Memorial and Friedland Congregations and Robert Alphin for assistance in transportation, to the New Philadelphia Congregation for its exceptional hosting of the synod including the preparation of the previous evening s meal, and to Lynn Kale and Becky Honeycutt of the Provincial Office Staff for their invaluable administrative assistance to the synod. Brother Yarbrough then expressed appreciation to Brother Burkette for his leadership in the preparation of the Special Synod. This appreciation was amplified as the synod once again stood for an ovation. Art Sorenson moved to suspend the rules in order to allow the election of the nominees receiving the most votes on the second ballot of the election to the Implementation Steering Committee. The motion was seconded and carried. Brother Yarbrough reported the results from Ballot #1, announcing the election by majority vote of Gary Kniskern (Grace) and John D. Rights (Konnoak Hills) to the Implementation Steering Committee. cast. Ballot #2 for membership on the Implementation Steering Committee was The synod worshipped following the casting of the ballot. The worship experience was planned and led once again by clergy persons serving in their first call, with Ramona Spencer offering a brief meditation on hope. Following worship, Brother Yarbrough reported the results of Ballot #2, announcing the election of Mike Hurd (Leaksville), Tamara Thomas (Home), and Joyce Vance (Peace) to the Implementation Steering Committee. Special Synod 2009 5
With faith in the grace, strength, and guiding presence of the Chief Elder, the 2009 Special Synod was adjourned by Brother Yarbrough at 1:14 p.m. Respectfully submitted, John D. Rights, Secretary Matthew Allen, Assistant Secretary Reviewed By: Ruth Cole Burcaw Becky Cook Don Winters Special Synod 2009 6