Annual Reading of Church Session Minutes
Lehigh Presbytery is entrusted with the responsibility to annually review the Minutes of Session for each of our 29 congregations. Each congregation must have its Session Minutes reviewed annually.
This year’s reading will be held in-person at four regional gatherings in small groups.
- Group 1 – will meet on Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. – location to be determined
- Group 2 – will meet on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. – location to be determined
- Group 3 – will meet on Saturday, May 22, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. – location to be determined
- Group 4 – will meet on Saturday, June 5, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. – location to be determined
Links to the list of Groups and Clerks pairings:
- Group 1 – Clerks of Session Contact Info
- Group 2 – Clerks of Session Contact Info
- Group 3 – Clerks of Session Contact Info
- Group 4 – Clerks of Session Contact Info
Please contact your partner to see how they wish to receive a copy of your church’s 2020 minutes: electronically or printed.
Using the checklist, review your minutes indicating your response to each question, and the pages on which ear items can be found. Session Minute Review Form 2020
Submit your minutes and checklist to your partner. PLEASE DO NOT SEND THEM TO THE PRESBYTERY OFFICE.
- If your regional group meets on May 22, submit minutes and checklist to your partner no later than May 7.
- If your regional group meets on June 5, submit your minutes and checklist to your partner no later than May 21.
Partners review the checklist received, noting especially on page 2 of the checklist any exceptions (items missing from the minutes you’re evaluating), as well as any comments you would make both appreciation and/or concern.
On the day of the regional gathering, bring with you:
- Your copy of your partner’s minutes, and the checklist you reviewed.
- The original last page of YOUR church’s 2020 session minutes, so that I can stamp and sign them, indicating that they have been reviewed.
Copies of the following documents are requested for the Presbytery church files:
- Property deed (s)
- 2020 Annual Report
- Most Recent Directory
- Current By Laws and Standing Rules
- Current Sexual Misconduct Policy (G-3.0106)
- Current Child & Youth Protection Policy approved by your Session
Thank you for your attention to this process and for ALL you do as both a clerk of session for your congregation and in service to the presbytery.
If you should have questions, please contact Rev. Mike Drake, Stated Clerk of Lehigh Presbytery (484-894-4088 or ).
Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS)
Preserve vital church records for free at the Presbyterian Historical Society. You can order digital copies of the records at a PC(USA) discount. If you join their church membership program, you would receive even further digitalization savings.
PHS is here to serve your congregation. From preserving your history, to accessing historical records, to learning more about the heritage of American Presbyterianism, there is a lot to explore at www.history.pcusa.org!
Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
http://www.history.pcusa.org
Lehigh Presbytery Mission Grants for Churches
Mission Grants may be applied for by churches and members of Lehigh Presbytery. Eligible Mission projects should fall into the following categories:
- New Church Development – projects that reflect commitment to inclusiveness and diversity and/or include opportunities for partnerships with existing churches and/or the presbytery; outreach to unchurched communities will be considered.
- Education – opportunities for spiritual growth and theological understandings for groups, all ages, will be considered.
- Mission related travel – travel expenses for groups interested in peacemaking, evangelism, work camps, community revitalization, or addressing poverty will be considered.
- Seed money for new projects – projects that promote peacemaking, environmental stewardship and greening, poverty relief, community revitalization, and other local issues will be considered.
Please submit application 3 months before anticipated expenditure.
In general, the Presbytery will not grant requests for funding for personal expenses, capital projects, or equipment.
For more information, please see the grant application form.
Lehigh Presbytery Mission Grant Application
ON LINE GIVING PROGRAM THROUGH THE PRESBYTERIAN FOUNDATION
Your church can easily accept secure online donations through the Presbyterian Foundation’s online giving system.
- Add a donation form to your website to accept gifts by electronic funds transfer, debit or credit card.
- Simple, safe and secure.
- No setup or maintenance fees.
Many Americans find that the only check they write is their offering to the church. Those in younger generations may not even use a checkbook–preferring to handle all of their contributions and bills electronically. When your church passes the offering plate on Sunday morning — are you limiting your offering to pocket change from those who feel obligated to put something in, but would give more with an online account option?
Online Options to Simplify Giving
Through the Foundation’s Online Giving Program, your church can now accept secure online donations. You can add the donation form to your website to accept gifts by debit or credit card, and electronic funds transfer. Your members can even set up recurring gifts, adding predictability and regularity to your offering receipts.
No need to negotiate with credit card vendors, merchant services, banks or any other company. The Presbyterian Foundation will take care of processing all online gifts, validating and reconciling transactions for you. Online fund management tools allow you to :
- Monitor donations and funds balances
- Receive disbursements from money raised monthly
- Thank donors and tell about the impact of their donations
- Produce giving reports
For more information click here.
Below are links to the program guide, application and basic sales sheet along with a sample pew card. If you sign up with our online giving program, your church will receive a starter set of 100 pew cars as well. Once you complete the application, you can submit it along with a voided check via email, USPS or fax. it takes 5-7 business days once received from our home office for your site to be live.
If it would be helpful to schedule a zoom meeting with your finance committee and/or session to answer questions and provide a demonstration of what donors see, Rev. Ellie Johns-Kelley (Ministry Relations Officer) would be happy to do so. Simply let her know and she will schedule a time. There was a webinar on on-line giving that you can view at https://recording.join.me/yr2y78cGfUWuaVdVTblosQ. There is also a powerpoint presentation from this webinar below.
Online Giving through the Presbyterian Foundation
10928.PFD-Online Giving Program Guide.F
Online Giving Application 7.19 Form F
10910.PFD Online Giving Sales Sheet – Rebrand.F (002)
Rev. Ellie Johns-Kelley
Ministry Relations Officer
Presbyterian Foundation
855-251-8212
esources
- Board of Pensions
- Board of Pensions Forms
- Board of Pensions 2021 benefits update
- Board of Pensions Ministers Choice 2021
- Board of Pensions – New Benefits for 2021- Minister Choice
- Board of Pensions benefits – informational documents
- Board of Pensions – Understanding Effective Salary
- Book of Order 2019-2021
- Book of Order 2019-2021 – Korean
- Book of Order 2019-2021 – Spanish
- Book of Confessions 2016
- Book of Confessions – Korean
- Book of Confessions – Spanish
- General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Sample Policies
Samples you may edit to fit your church:
Annually Updated Items
- Honorariums for Moderating & Pulpit Supply
- Pulpit Supply Contact List
- Standard IRS Mileage Rate
- 2021 Minimum Terms of Call
- Per Capita – 2021
- 2021 Stated Assemblies of Lehigh Presbytery
Forms
- Clerk of Session Form 2020
- Church Per Capita & Mission Remittance Form
- 2021 Mission Support PLEDGE FORM
- Lehigh Presbytery Mission Grant Application
- Interim Pastor Contract Template
- Temporary Supply Contract Template
- Pulpit Supply Contract Template
- Pastoral Call Form – 2021 – for new calls
- Terms of Call Form 2021 – Fillable– reported annually
- Session Minute Review Form
- Statistical Reports – information and latest report on Lehigh Presbytery
Important Announcements
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Annual Report to the PA Department of State
Churches should submit an Annual Corporation Report to the PA Department of State to help reserve your corporate name and doing so will exempt you from the Decennial Filing in 2021.
You can verify that your church is correctly registered with the state by going to the PA Department of State site – and doing an entity search – https://www.corporations.pa.gov/Search/corpsearch
By doing this you will know the correct corporate name to use when filing the report. You may view the online fillable form by clicking the link below….
We encourage every church to do this annually. It’s FREE!
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Important Federal Court Ruling on Failure to Report Child Abuse
Published in Church Law & Tax Report, January/February 2016, pg. 12, Senior Editor Richard R. Hammar, Christianity Today, publisher.
A federal court in Pennsylvania ruled that a local church and denominational agency could be sued on the basis of the legal principle of negligence per se by a victim of child abuse as a result of their failure to report. ….. This means that a mandatory child abuse reporter’s failure to comply with a state child abuse reporting law’s requirement to report a known or reasonably suspected incident of child abuse would render that person automatically liable for monetary damages without a need for the victim to prove actual negligence. [Doe v. Liberatore, 478 F.Supp.2d 742 (M.D. pa 2007)
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Act 153
There have been significant changes to the Pennsylvania State Child Abuse Law. Click here to view the changes and how to comply.
There has been a change in who is identified as a Mandated Reporter. According to the law, “An individual, paid or unpaid, who, on a regular basis of the individual’s role as an integral part of a regularly scheduled program, activity or service, accepts responsibility for a child…” This means any individual, who meets the above definition, which includes clergy, staff and volunteers is a Mandatory Reporter.
As a result, a church must:
- Require all clergy and other employees, who accept responsibility for a child, to take three (3) hours of Department of Human Services approved training no later than June 30, 2015
- For new employees, who will bear responsibility for children, this training must be taken within 90 days of hire or the beginning of volunteer service
- All employees over the age of 14 and adult volunteers (who are responsible for children) must complete background checks. All must complete the PA STATE POLICE CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD. All must complete the PA STATE POLICE CHILD ABUSE HISTORY CLEARANCE. All employees and any volunteer who has lived in PA for fewer than the last ten continuous years must complete the FEDERAL CRIMINAL HISTORY BACKGROUND CHECK (with submission of fingerprints)
- Volunteers are currently not required to undergo Mandated Reporter training, but it is recommended.
Board of Pensions – 2021 Traditional Benefits Package
The Board of Pensions traditional benefits package is 37% of effective salary (Medical 27%; Pension 8.5%; Death and Disability 1%, and Temporary Disability .05%). If the effective salary is lower than the Medical participation minimum of $44,000., then the medical portion would be based on the Board of Pensions minimum effective salary.
The Pension (8.5%) and Death and Disability (1%) are based on the persons actual effective salary.
Board of Pensions – Understanding Effective Salary
2021 Board of Pensions benefits update
Board of Pensions – New Benefits for 2021- Minister Choice
Board of Pensions Ministers Choice