THE PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY Rev. John L. Frye, Jr., Chair January 29, 2011 FIRST SECTION

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1 D-1 THE PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY Rev. John L. Frye, Jr., Chair January 29, 2011 FIRST SECTION RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY, AN ADMINISTRATIVE COMMISSION, OR A TASK FORCE THAT REQUIRE ACTION BY PRESBYTERY: I. RECOMMEND TO PRESBYTERY FOR EXAMINATION AND ORDINATION/INSTALLATION: A. JEFFREY R. COFFEY From: Candidate, Presbytery of Western North Carolina As: Pastor, Marion First Presbyterian Church Effective: January 23, 2011 as Student Pastor (Ordination February 27, 2011) (See COM Attachment 1 for Bio Credo.) II. III. IV. RECOMMEND FOR COMMISSIONING BY THE PRESBYTERY AS LAY PASTOR: A. JAMES E. MILLSAPS From: Commissioned Lay Pastor Graduate As: Commissioned Lay Pastor, Oakwood Presbyterian Church Effective: January 29, 2011 (The commission is to include permission to celebrate the Lord s Supper, Baptisms, weddings and moderate the Session) (See COM Attachment 2 for Bio Credo) RECOMMEND FOR RE-COMMISSIONING AS LAY PASTOR: A. JOHN STANLEY To: Robinson Memorial Presbyterian Church The re-commissioning is to include permission to celebrate the Sacraments, moderate the Session and officiate at weddings. Effective: January 29, 2011 B. JOHN STANLEY To: Gastonia First Presbyterian Church The re-commissioning is to include permission to celebrate the Sacraments and officiate at weddings. Effective: January 29, 2011 RECOMMEND TO PRESBYTERY THE VALIDATION OF MINISTRY FOR: A. Beverly Brock, as Director of The Community Kitchen in Canton, through January 29, B. Edwin R. Brenegar, III, as Consultant/Speaker, Community of Leadership, LLC, through January 29, C. Joey T. Byrd, as Chaplain, U.S. Army, through January 29, 2012.

2 D-2 D. Matthew Schlageter, as Chaplain for Mission/St. Joseph Hospital, through January 29, E. Cynthia Strickler, as Director of Dunamis Fellowship, Intl. with Presbyterian Reformed Ministries, Intl., through January 29, SECOND SECTION The Book of Order provides that the Committee on Ministry may be given authority by the Presbytery to find in order calls issued by churches, to approve and present calls for service of ministers, to approve the examination of ministers transferring from other Presbyteries, required by G and G g, to dissolve the pastoral relationship in cases where the congregation and pastor concur, to dismiss ministers to other Presbyteries, and to approve administrative commissions to ordain/install with the provision that such actions be reported at the next stated meeting of the Presbytery. (G h) This permission was granted to our Committee on Ministry; therefore, the following actions are to be simply admitted to the record. I. APPROVED THE EXAMINATION AND TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP TO THE PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: A. D. CAMERON MURCHINSON, JR. From: St. Augustine Presbytery As: Member-at-Large Effective: November 9, 2010 (See COM Attachment 3 for Bio Credo.) B. BEVERLY D. BROCK From: Ohio Valley Presbytery As: Director, The Community Kitchen, Canton, NC Effective: December 14, 2010 (See COM Attachment 4 for Bio Credo.) C. RAYMOND FANCHER From: Presbytery of Wabash Valley As: Interim Pastor, Southminster Presbyterian Church Effective: December 14, 2010 (See COM Attachment 5 for Bio Credo.) II. APPROVED PASTORAL RELATIONSHIP AND TERMS OF CALL: A. JEFFREY R. COFFEY Salary $23,677 Utility Allowance 5,400 Manse Equiv. 8,723 Social Security 2,892 Professional Dev. 1,075 Auto Allowance 3,085 Total $44,852 Pension/Insurance Yes Four Weeks Vacation Yes Two Weeks Study Leave Yes

3 D-3 III. IV. APPROVED INTERIM PASTOR RELATIONSHIPS: A. Raymond J. Fancher and Southminster Presbyterian Church Effective: January 20, January 19, 2012 B. John Lindsay and Waynesville First Presbyterian Church C. Wirt Skinner and Columbus Presbyterian Church Extended: January 2, January 1, 2012 APPROVED STATED SUPPLY RELATIONSHIPS: A. Laura Long and Clinchfield Presbyterian Church Extended: November 1, October 31, 2011 B. Jack Presseau and Saluda Presbyterian Church Effective: November 14, August 29, 2011 C. Wyatt Aiken and Bridgewater Presbyterian Church Effective: November 7, November 6, 2011 D. Susan Denne and Montreat Presbyterian Church Extended: January 1, January 31, 2011 E. David Lytle and Ironton Presbyterian Church Extended: January 1, June 30, 2011 F. Bill Whiteside and Green Mountain Presbyterian Church Extended: September 9, September 8, 2011 G. Terry Cline and Pine Street Presbyterian Church Extended: July 1, June 30, 2011 H. George Hutchins and Brittains Cove Presbyterian Church I. Keith Freeman and Pineola Presbyterian Church J. Curtis Crowther and Buladean Presbyterian Church Extended: October 6, October 5, 2011 K. Harry Petersen and Siloam Presbyterian Church L. John David Stewart and Paint Gap Presbyterian Church M. Howard Doerle and Glen Alpine Presbyterian Church N. Gary Van Brocklin and Iglesia Presbiteriana Emanuel Effective: January 9, June 12, 2011 V. APPROVED CONTINUATION OF COMMISSIONED LAY PASTOR RELATIONSHIP: A. Pete Peterson and Jack s Creek Presbyterian Church Extended: October 24, October 23, 2011 B. Pete Peterson and Micaville Presbyterian Church Extended: November 1, October 31, 2011 C. Dick Hood and John Knox Presbyterian Church D. Linda Abel and Hayesville Presbyterian Church

4 D-4 VI. VII. VIII. IX. APPROVED AS MODERATORS: A. Kathy Campbell and Burnsville First Presbyterian Church B. Jack Presseau and Saluda Presbyterian Church C. Wyatt Aiken and Bridgewater Presbyterian Church D. Raymond Fancher and Southminster Presbyterian Church E. Patricia McClurg and Montreat Presbyterian Church APPROVED DISSOLUTION OF PASTORAL RELATIONSHIPS: A. Troy Braswell and Long Creek Presbyterian Church Effective: December 31, 2010 B. Jerry Bron and Southminster Presbyterian Church Effective: December 31, 2010 APPROVED THE TRANSFER OF MEMBERSHIP FOR: A. Troy Braswell To: Presbytery of Scioto Valley As: Pastor, Circleville Presbyterian Church, Circleville, Ohio Effective: January 2, 2011 APPROVED THE REQUEST FOR HONORABLE RETIREMENT: A. Dan M. Thornton Effective: January 1, 2011 B. Jerry Bron Effective: December 31, 2010 C. V. Otis Wilson Effective: January 1, 2011 X. APPROVED PERMISSION TO LABOR WITHIN THE BOUNDS OF THE PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA: A. Jack Presseau From: Trinity Presbytery As: Stated Supply, Saluda Presbyterian Church Effective: November 14, 2010 XI. APPROVED ORDINATION/INSTALLATION COMMISSIONS: A. Approve the Administrative Commission for Ordination/Installation of Robert Tuttle as Vice-President of the Center for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, Montreat Conference Center, at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church on Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. Name Responsibility on Commission Minister/Elder Bobbi White Moderator/Preside Minister Carol Steele Propound Constitutional Questions Minister Samuel Baraki Propound Questions to Congregation Elder Pete Peery Charge the Minister Minister Arline Taylor Lead in Worship Elder Evelyn Coleman Lead in Worship Minister

5 D-5 Guests Chris Tuttle Preach the Sermon Minister Jan Swetenburg Charge the Congregation Elder B. Approve the Administrative Commission for Installation of David Grachek as Pastor of the Sylva First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 3:30 p.m. Name Responsibility on Commission Minister/Elder Bobbi White Moderator/Preside and Propound Minister Constitutional Questions Sam Hale Preach the Sermon Minister Bobbi White Charge the Minister Minister Sam Hale Charge the Congregation Minister Terry Hanna Lead in Worship Minister Lynda McNeely Lead in Worship Elder Bruce Henderson Lead in Worship Elder Guest Judy McManus Propound Questions to Congregation Elder C. Approve the Administrative Commission for Ordination/Installation of Jeffrey R. Coffey as Pastor of the Marion First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. Name Responsibility on Commission Minister/Elder Carol Clark Moderator/Preside Minister J. D. Waldrop Propound the Constitutional Questions Elder Bill Sweetser Preach the Sermon Minister David Geouge Propound Questions to Congregation Elder Sylvia Sellers Charge the Minister Elder Robert Ayers Charge the Congregation Elder Bobbi White Lead in Worship Minister Guests Joe Lampron Lead in Worship Elder Tom Currie Lead in Worship Minister Richard Boyce Lead in Worship Minister Robert Garrison Lead in Worship Elder D. Approve the Administrative Commission for Installation of Heather Wood as Associate Pastor of the Hickory First Presbyterian Church on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. Name Responsibility on Commission Min/Eld Bobbi White Moderator/Preside Minister Ann Aichinger Propound the Constitutional Questions Minister Deborah McEachran Preach the Sermon Minister Dan McEachran Propound Questions to Congregation Elder Adam Bowling Charge the Minister Minister Christy Taylor Charge the Congregation Elder

6 COM ATTACHMENT 1 Statement of Faith I believe in the triune God, the one and only all-powerful, holy sovereign creator and sustainer of everything. God has many attributes - more than we can imagine. But the greatest of them is love. Love is at the core of God s own being. The greatest expression of God s love is in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is and always was fully God of the same divine substance. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God became incarnate. Jesus - fully God and fully human, lived on the earth and ministered to outcasts and sinners. In time, Jesus was crucified. He died on the cross, atoning for all the sins of all humanity. After three days, he rose from the dead, defeating sin and death. In Jesus Christ, we are reconciled completely to God. We can do nothing to earn this. Salvation is a gift from a wonderful, loving God. I also believe that God is fully revealed to us in the person of the Holy Spirit, also eternally with and of the same substance as God. It is the Spirit that lives within the heart of every believer, constantly reminding us of who we belong to and empowering us in our lives of faith. I believe the Bible is God s inspired and fully sufficient Word. Written in different contexts, scripture reveals to all human beings the story of God and God s way in the world. It is in scripture both Old and New Testaments - that we come to know and understand that God has always called and claimed human beings. We have always rebelled, but God has always provided a way out. The entire Bible, inspired by the Holy Spirit reveals God to human beings and instructs us how to live. For believers, the Bible is truly the rule of faith and life. I am a Presbyterian because we have the best theology and polity. Presbyterians are thinkers we constantly examine what we believe in order to be more faithful. The phrase, faith seeking understanding articulates Reformed thinking and I really appreciate that. Every Sunday, we gather around the Word to worship God. Every time we observe the sacraments baptism and the Lord s Supper, we are reminded of what God has done in Jesus Christ. The Word of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit is what makes the sacraments so powerful. The Lord s Supper reminds us of God s amazing love in Jesus Christ and baptism reminds us of God s claim on our lives. The Christian life is not to be lived alone we are called into community. That community is the church. We gather on Sunday to worship God and from that worship, we proceed into the world to proclaim the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We live in tension not just within our denomination, but between our sinful selves and our holy Lord. We strive to be perfect, but we can t be. Every one of us is a sinner and must constantly go to God and confess sin. It is in this daily struggle with sin that I am fully aware of what my life is truly about that I belong to God. And God constantly makes me (and every believer) aware that I am a loved, cherished child of God. My calling as a minister of the Word and sacrament is the same as my calling as a child of God I must tell the story of God s amazing love and grace in Jesus Christ. Jeff Coffey

7 COM ATTACHMENT 1 Biography I discovered America on Columbus Day, October 12, I am the oldest of four children born to Ron and Bonnie Coffey. I have two brothers and one sister. I have been married for 28 years to Patricia Coffey, the most fabulous spouse on the planet. We have two children, Ashley, 26 and Andrew, 24. I have wonderful relationships with all these fine people. I worked for AT&T for 30 years, retiring in Life is good. It was not by chance that most of my youth was spent in different Baptist churches the last one being an independent, fundamentalist Baptist church. At the age of 19, I found myself as the music director at one of these churches. But I was never at peace. God was portrayed there as a judgmental God of wrath. The Christian life was an empty performance, a show of selfrighteousness lived only to avoid that wrath. To be short, I quit. I did not attend any church for 12 or 13 years. During that time, I worked for the phone company for two years, then took military leave and joined the Air Force. In the Air Force, I finished my Bachelor s degree, then met and married my wonderful wife, Pat. I was discharged from the Air Force, returned to the phone company and we settled in Lincoln County. In the next couple of years, we had two children. We bought a small house and planned to raise our children there. It sounds great, doesn t it? But our lives were not complete. Something kept gnawing at us there was a void in our family life. It was not by chance that Pat and the children began attending Unity Presbyterian Church in Denver. There, the children were nurtured by that faith community. Pat was able to form friendships that last to this day. I was the lone holdout. It was only when two elders from that church came to visit me telling me that the Unity choir needed a tenor that I even considered going back to church. I reluctantly went to choir practice one November evening. I thought to myself: at least I can sing choral music again. But the life of that congregation was much more than choral music. At Unity, I quickly became a part of a church family that was connected with each other and the larger community. I observed what the church should really be a group of believers that live through God s grace in Jesus Christ. When Unity called Carol Clark to be our pastor, she immediately began including the laity in worship planning and leadership. I was asked to be a liturgist. I was 40 years old and had never spoken in public. From the beginning, I loved writing liturgy and leading worship. I also worked at Unity in many capacities including serving as an Elder. But this was not enough. I had a story to tell. I wanted everyone to know about the amazing grace of God that God is not a wrathful, avenging God, but one that is full of mercy and grace. I had always planned to retire from AT&T after 30 years. I would be 49 years old and retired. (That sounds great, doesn t it!) Again, it was not by chance that Union Seminary opened up in Charlotte EXACTLY 6 years before I could retire. I enrolled at Union in the fall of 2003 and finished the classroom work 3 months before I retired in March of I completed the Chaplaincy Program at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte that summer, followed by Supervised Ministry at the First Presbyterian Church in Spruce Pine, N.C. In Spruce Pine, I worked for Bill Sweetser, who teaches Church History at Union. Under Bill s guidance, I have learned the nuts and bolts of being a Pastor. I suppose my biography could be titled, God Has a Plan. There is no single defining moment in my life of faith. God always had a plan every event in life prepares us for the next. You see, I belong to God we all do. Our faithful God has acted for every one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. That is the story in all of scripture and that is the story I have to tell. Jeff Coffey

8 COM ATTACHMENT 2 Statement of Faith CLP James E. Millsaps In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). I believe that God the Father created the heavens and the earth by his word. God created all things on earth, including man and woman. I believe that mankind was created in the image of God and given rule over all the earth. God is the only true and living God, and there is no other God besides him (Ex. 20: 2-3). There is only one God but three persons God the father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that the Bible is God s word written by men, but directed and inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. God sent His Son, Jesus, into this world. All things were made by him, and without him there was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. He was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. I believe that because of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, sin was passed open to all men, but God sent his son Jesus the Christ, that through him the world might be saved. What is sin? Sin is any deliberate action, attitude, or thought that goes against God. Sin includes all things you shouldn't have done but did (sins of commission) and also things you should've done, but didn't (sins of omission). "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"(Romans 3:23) Jesus lived a sinless life, and chose to die as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people. Jesus said that we must be born of water and spirit. The water represents baptism, washing our sins away. At the Lords Supper, Jesus took bread, and wine, as a symbol of one offering his life to God. When we participate in communion we are made partakers of his body and blood. We are reminded of Christ s crucifixion and death. In participating in the sacraments this reminds us of God s grace and that we are forgiven of our sins. He was bodily resurrected from the dead and appeared to many people. Through Jesus we have the gift of eternal life; we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For by grace are we saved through faith and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus is the only way to bridge the gap of sin between God and people. Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God now, and eternal life with God in heaven. Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). I believe that the Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit is received in full when someone gets right with God through Jesus, so all true Christians have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power that Christians have that enables them to live a Christ-like life as God leads them. The Holy Spirit is our pledge (or down-payment ) of eternal life. The Holy Spirit is our counselor, he is our guide, and he is our comforter, (John 14:16-18). To be obedient and to be good stewards we must believe that our salvation depends on accepting Christ as both Savior and Lord of your life.

9 COM ATTACHMENT 2 CLP James E. Millsaps My Faith Journey As a child I grew up in the church in Taylorsville N.C. and got baptized when I was eight years old and also started singing in the choir, My father was a minister, and his father was too. Through the years I continued to go to church singing in the choir and going different places through out the world singing and lifting up the name of Jesus the Christ. After high school I went in the Army from 1977 to 1981, spending most of my time in Germany. After I got out of the army, I came back home got a job and starting singing in the church choir again. Several years after that, I got married to my wife in Lenoir N.C and became a member at Dulatown Presbyterian Church. I joined the choir there and began to go to prayer service on Wednesday nights. One Wednesday night there was a special lady at church and she spoke that night, she said that she was a prophet, and she told me that the Lord, was calling me to preach, I didn t believe her. I had been taught not to believe in that kind of stuff such as prophecy. I am a truck driver and I had to go to work later that night. Going down the road in my truck I was listening to a Christian radio station. The radio announcer was talking about something and one of the things he said was you know prophecy still exist. and when he said that, something ran through me and I felt like he was talking to me. From that time on I began to study and prepare myself in the word of God, for whenever the Lord would have me to preach. As the months went by, I began to make store deliveries in a different area. On this delivery I would go by a cemetery, about 50 yards off the side of the road at 2 a.m. in the morning; This cemetery had a statue of Jesus on a platform standing about 10 feet high on it and a light shining on it so that you could see it real good when you pass by it at night. I would pass by it every week going to my next stop. Every week as I passed by it I would wave my hand and say hey Jesus, One week as I passed by the cemetery, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in my Spirit and said to me, next week when you come by here I want you to stop and pray. Now the closer it came for me to go by this cemetery the more the devil tried to put fear in my heart. Now as the time had come for me to go by this cemetery I remember saying to myself me in a cemetery at 2 a.m. in the morning. I had just made a delivery to a store close to the cemetery and the devil tried again to put fear in my heart. I began to pray, and I prayed (Psalms 23). After I prayed I felt that the fear had left, so down the road I proceeded. I came up to the place, pulled over on the side of the road, got out of the truck, and walked up to the statue. The statue had its arms stretched out so I stretched my arms out and began to pray. After I finish praying I opened my eyes, looked up at the statue, and a feeling came upon me that I had never felt before. I began to run in place for a while praising the Lord. I finely got calmed down and said goodbye to the statue and got in my truck, I noticed something was different about me, my eyes felt like they were as big as silver dollars. I remember praying and asking God to make me a fisherman of men. Because of my obedience to God, I believe that this is when God anointed me to preach the gospel of Jesus the Christ; I believe that everything that has happened in my life up to this very moment has prepared me for this time.

10 COM ATTACHMENT 3 Statement of Faith D. Cameron Murchison, Jr. Instructed by the Book of Order s discussion of the confessions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., I hold a faith that is Catholic, Protestant, and Reformed. I affirm the Catholic faith of the Christian community in its trust in the one, triune God who is internally creative, self-giving, and community building. 1 Because God is this way within the divine life, the triune God relates outwardly in the same creative, self-giving and community building fashion. Central to this outward action of the triune God is the incarnation of the divine reality in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. 2 As such, Jesus is the fulfillment of all the ways in the same triune God has been present in the call of Abraham and Sarah; 3 in the deliverance from bondage led by Moses; in the fashioning of a people and nation under the leadership of judges and kings; in the summons to justice and equity in the cries of the prophets; and in the strange, powerful presence of the powerless in the story of salvation. 4 In the incarnate presence of the triune God in Jesus, the purpose of God to reconcile humanity and the whole creation to Godself was accomplished It happened in his life and ministry, his crucifixion and death, and in his resurrection on the third day. 5 In this very particular story, we behold the God who is self-giving, community building, and (re)creative. Consequently, I also affirm the faith of the Protestant church with its emphasis on grace alone, 6 faith alone, 7 and scripture alone. 8 All this creative and restorative work of God derives from the freedom God exercises to be gracious. God s embrace of us is freely given and can only be gratefully received. God s favor cannot be earned and graciously does not need to be (grace alone). The action of God is apprehended in a simple, trusting faith that the stories of this liberating and reconciling God pose and propose the truth about our world and ourselves (faith alone). This work of God is presented to us in the texts of scripture, in stories both well known and strange, which saturate our imagination with images of the one true God (scripture alone). Thus led by scripture to an awareness of what Christians are called to believe and do, I affirm the faith of the Reformed church. In particular I affirm its emphases on: the sovereignty of God enfolded in creative power, sustaining presence, and encompassing love 9 ; the persistence of humanity s sinful preoccupation with excessive self-concern; 10 and the redemptive determination of God in Christ to choose us, accepting us in our sinfulness (justification) but also renewing us (sanctification) for the vocation of caring for each member of the human family and for the creation itself. 11 I also affirm Reformed convictions regarding preaching and the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord s Supper primary means whereby God evokes faith in us, incorporates us into the Christian family, and sustains us for transforming mission in the world. 12 The consequences of affirming a faith that is fully Catholic, Protestant, and Reformed is a faith filled with hope. It is filled with the hope that each of us may cheerfully entrust our personal destinies to a generous God. It is also filled with the hope that all of us may entrust all things, visible and invisible, to the One who is Maker, Redeemer, and Friend. D. Cameron Murchison, Jr. October 19, BOC, 1.1-3, BOC, BOC, BOC, BOC, , BOC, BOC, BOC, , BOC, BOC, BOC, BOC , 10.4

11 COM ATTACHMENT 3 Brief Biography D. Cameron Murchison, Jr. Born into a Presbyterian family I have always found my life in the church. Nurtured by First Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, Louisiana and the youth ministries of the presbytery, I early sensed a call to ministry and became a candidate by the time of my first year of college. After two years and Louisiana State University (where football was a big deal), I transferred to Southwestern at Memphis/Rhodes College (where football was a small deal). Following graduation I enrolled at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia/Union Presbyterian Seminary, graduating in I then went to Yale University and studied for a Ph.D. degree that was awarded in Returning to Richmond in June of 1971, I served as assistant pastor at First Presbyterian Church until called to be pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church in early In the fall of 1977, I accepted the call to Union Theological Seminary in Virginia/Union Presbyterian Seminary to serve as director of continuing education and assistant professor of theology. In 1983 my position changed to professor of pastoral theology. In 1988 I was called to serve as pastor of Blacksburg Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, VA. I continued in that call until 1996 when I accepted the call to Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA to serve as professor of ministry. In 2001 I added the role of dean of faculty/executive vice-president to my responsibilities at Columbia. After three, three-year terms in the latter role, I have embarked on a yearlong sabbatical in academic year , at the conclusion of which I expect to retire. I have been married to Joan Herbert Murchison since 1965, and we have two adult children, Brian Cameron (soon to be a resident of Buffalo, NY) and Anna Louise (a resident of North Miami, FL).

12 COM ATTACHMENT 4 Statement of Faith Rev. Beverly Brock My name is Beverly Brock, and I am an ordained pastor of the PC (USA). More importantly I am a child of God and this is my statement of faith. I believe in God, the creator of heaven and earth, all that has been, is and will be. I believe in Jesus, our Savior, the son of God, who was born to the Virgin Mary, who lived to teach us His ways and died to show us His eternal salvation. He was unjustly persecuted and executed but his response was mercy. On the third day after his death, Jesus was raised from the dead, to prove God s power over death and to communicate the promise of eternal life. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, came to dwell among the people. The Holy Spirit continues to be active among us today. I believe in the Holy Scriptures and its teachings. I believe we were created in the image of God, not to be puppets for God but to be His beloved. God blessed us with free will, so that we may make decisions on what path to follow. God also gave us the gift of grace. Knowing that there is nothing we can do to earn our way into His presence, He has compassion upon us and blesses us with the love of a Supreme Parent. Though I am a child of God, I am not alone in this journey. Besides the presence of God with me, I journey with others, both believers and non-believers. We are given the greatest commandment to love God with our whole beings and to also love one another. I believe we show our love to God through our worship, through study of scriptures and through prayers. We also show our love for God by showing love and compassion to others. Jesus gave us the example of compassion and love throughout His life with both believers (the blind Bartimeus) and non-believers (the woman at the well). I believe the church is one way that God is present within the world and within our communities. The church should be a symbol of hope in a time of despair and a place of healing for the spiritually sick. We all need Christ in our lives, sometimes in ways we never imagine. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and we must rely upon God s wisdom to see us through every aspect of our lives. I believe our faith does not guarantee us a life of perfection but guarantees us a savior in a life of imperfection. I believe the scriptures of both Old and New Testaments show us human fallibilities in the presence of and in relationship to God s perfection. I do not believe that we are called to judge one another in these imperfections but to hold one another up in keeping the faith and striving toward the prize. God is our judge and our redeemer. We are His struggling, striving children who celebrate Him in both our sorrows as well as our joys.

13 COM ATTTACHMENT 4 My Faith Journey Rev. Beverly Brock My faith journey began before I can remember. I began attending church with my family at a very young age, and I was baptized when I was four-years-old. I grew up attending a United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C. At one time I was attending pre-school there, as well as Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and worship. So in reality, I was probably at the church six days out of every week. I continued to attend church throughout junior high and high school. I was president of the youth group and taught Sunday School. As many young people do, I stopped attending church while in college and in my early adulthood. I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1987 with a degree in journalism. As a newspaper reporter and photographer I lived and worked in towns throughout North Carolina. In each town I attended different churches and worship services, including Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal and Holiness churches. I experienced and learned about these different Christian traditions but I also had friends who were atheists and even one Wiccan. I finally ended up at First Presbyterian Church of Monroe, N.C. I attended there for five years and volunteered with various groups within the church. I always felt committed to my faith, even in times of doubt or confusion. There are three significant spiritual events that have happened in my life. 1) In 1992, the newspaper I worked for was facing financial problems. I worried about my future until a still, small voice spoke to me saying, Beverly, everything s going to be alright. I was awash with inner peace. The next day I went to work and was promptly laid off. That year I had three different jobs, four different homes, my grandmother died and then my father died. I never want to experience a year like that again but through it all I knew everything would be alright. 2) In 1997, I was sitting in church before worship and I told a friend of mine I felt like God wanted me to do something but I wasn t sure what it was. About 15 minutes later the pastor told the congregation if anyone here has ever felt called to ministry you might as well heed it because God won t let you go. Soon after I was enrolled at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. 3) And while serving as pastor at Canton Presbyterian Church, I thought to myself that our end of the county could use a soup kitchen. I thought this for three years before it dawned on me well then, why aren t you doing something about it? I soon found out that God had placed that same thought on several other people. We came together and formed The Community Kitchen, which began serving meals in December Through all my experiences I believe God has been shaping me and challenging me into the faithful follower I ve become. I m far from where I m headed, and I don t know the exact secular destination, but I know God is with me every step of the way.

14 COM ATTACHMENT 5 Faith Statement Raymond Fancher You, O God, are Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer One God in three persons: the beginning, the ever-present reality, and the culmination of both our daily lives as well as our ultimate existence. You are over all things, present in the midst of all life, yet not confined to any. You are in the beating of our own hearts, and our longing for wholeness. You are glimpsed most fully in the life and ministry of Jesus the Christ, Your son, our Lord, who put on our humanity, yet without sin. ONE GOD TRIUNE SOVEREIGN INCARNATION We often break Your heart when: SIN our hearts turn inward and we worship our own creations. We become estranged from You and others You have created when: We make the good in ourselves synonymous with Your will; we fail to recognize the stranger as brother or sister; we crush the life spirit from others who are Your children. We smother the diversity and life-giving nature of Your creation to satisfy our individual wants and desires, and, therefore, rob unborn generations of their legacy; We seek to limit the mystery of Your wisdom, the abundance of Your love, and the magnitude of Your grace for all the world. GRACE Yet even then in Your love You create and re-create worlds, nations, and people. So, we acknowledge with gratitude Your creation of us again and again BAPTISM in our birth and our baptism, from our doubt to our confession, in the womb of our beginning, and even our graves leading to a new future. RESURRECTION We are challenged to see and acknowledge Your Presence in places and people we sometimes believe You have abandoned. Through the power of Your Spirit we are most aware of Your Presence when You free us from our prideful isolation and call us into Your community where we are transformed through: Your gift of hope for Your gathered people; CHURCH The living Word as good news proclaimed, embodied; The breaking of bread, the pouring of wine as new life is shared; The font where Christ names and claims us as children. In the gift of your son, our Lord, Jesus, we receive forgiveness of sin. He is the fulfillment of your heart s desire, the conclusion of our own creation. In him death died, and eternal life is given. WORSHIP SACRAMENTS JESUS AS LORD FORGIVENESS By your Spirit set loose into the world HOLY SPIRIT You continue to call your church to fulfill your mission to the world: MISSION To proclaim good news to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, give freedom to those imprisoned, open the eyes of the blind, and set at liberty those who are oppressed. Amen.

15 COM ATTACHMENT 5 The Reverend Raymond (Ray) J. Fancher Biography Prepared for Committee on Examinations and COM Presbytery of Western North Carolina December 13 14, 2010 Born in rural East Texas near the Louisiana border, my accent is a sure sign of my deep roots in the piney woods. As the youngest of four children, I received from my Mom a prevailing trust and gratitude; her maiden name was Easter! My Father gave me the gift of respect for mystery, sacredness of the land, and care and protection of all the other creatures from God s generosity. From my earliest memory my family and I were always in worship and active in the life and ministry of the church. Land-rich, but cash-poor mandated the labor of all in the family. Before my teenage years and especially after my father s disability and my other siblings had left home I worked as an adult which robbed me of many adolescent experiences. During high school my formal call to ministry came through the invitation of my pastor. While he had never finished high school, he was one of the most educated persons I had ever met; he had successfully completed a year of Hebrew and was in his second year of Greek when we first met! With his guidance I began to teach and preach at age sixteen in small rural congregations of the fundamentalist Church of Christ. I continued this rich learning experience (for myself; I pray daily for those who endured it!) until after I received my B.A. in Religion from Abilene Christian University. Early in my college experience of these formative years I knew I was, theologically, far outside this fundamentalist understanding. My sense of call was both tested and deepened by these experiences. Due to my commitment to pastoral ministry even then, I enrolled at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary from which I received my Master of Divinity in Regretfully, my seminary years were filled with more turmoil than focus. A wise mentor said to me after seminary, It is painfully difficult to go through adolescence while in seminary! I was unlearning much while simultaneously learning whole new worlds. I went through a marital divorce, an ecclesiastical transformation, and a life-shift of giant proportions. Through the care and guidance of a pair of APTS faculty, I learned anew and experienced personally God s amazing gift of new life out of my brokenness. I then received ordination as minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and served congregations in Texas and Iowa. In 1988 I was called as Associate Regional Minister for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Greater Kansas City with primary portfolio as Executive Director for Tall Oaks Conference Center. I led the development and expansion of this ecumenical retreat / conference center for ten years. When I resigned from that position in 1998 we chose, due to my wife s work, to remain in the Kansas City area. I began working independently as a corporate consultant and trainer. Though valuable and enjoyable, I realized my heart was still in the church. In 2002 I participated in a week-long conference at Ghost Ranch, Santa Fe focusing on call and vocation. Through that experience my call to ministry was renewed and I successfully completed two weeks of Interim Pastor Education provided by the Presbyterian Synods of Mid- America and Lincoln Trails. The following year I completed the Interim Education specifically designed for presbytery executives. In 2005 I also accepted the invitation to participate in the enriching executive assessment at Union Theological Seminary, Richmond. Since 2002 I have faithfully served as interim / transitional leader initially as pastor (Sunrise Presbyterian, Salina, KS; First Presbyterian, Lawrence, KS; Ankeny Presbyterian, Ankeny, IA) and most recently as General Presbyter in the Presbytery of Wabash Valley. When I was invited to serve at Sunrise Presbyterian Church, I fell in love all over again. It was as if I had come home! I asked permission from the Presbytery of Northern Kansas to complete the Presbyterian ordination exams and successfully completed all five. On November 14, 2006 the Presbytery of Des Moines recognized and affirmed my call and I was received as Minister of Word and Sacrament. In my more than three years of service in Wabash Valley, I have come to an even deeper appreciation for our Reformed tradition and the Presbyterian Church (USA) specifically. My wife, Sheryl, who is an ordained elder in the PC (USA), and I have been married thirty years. We have two grown children. Our daughter, Lynn, lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband and their ten-year old daughter, Elizabeth Libby Yo Qi Harper who is adopted from China. Our son, James, just recently moved to Spartanburg, SC and lives with his wife and their 6-year old twins, Maxim and Ella who are adopted from Russia.