Sunday school, ,Maysville, KY, Aberdeen, Ohio,

Mailing address: PO Box 490, Maysville, KY, 41056.

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“The Tie That Binds”

The Role of Per Capita in the Presbyterian Church (USA)

By Pastor Jim Dougans

The official definition of per capita is quite long. In a nutshell, "per capita is a set amount of money per member that congregations pay

to the larger Presbyterian Church (USA)." You can think of per capita as a Presbyterian Community Fund, whereby Presbyterians

share in the expenses of our system of government. Since every Presbyterian benefits, every Presbyterian should share in the cost.

You might call it the "tie that binds."

This year per capita has been set at $38.44 per member. Of this amount, $25.51 goes to Transylvania Presbytery, $3.95 to the Synod of Living Waters, and $8.95 to the General Assembly.

Per capita provides for the cost of bringing together:

Commissioners and advisory delegates to the General Assembly.
Church leaders from presbyteries and synods for training events.
Necessary tools to develop and administer ordination exams to seminarians preparing to become pastors.

Per capita also funds:

The Presbyterian Historical Society, assuring our witness to the gospel today,

will be preserved for future generations. Approximately 60% of the Society's

budget is funded through per capita.

The production in multiple languages and distribution of the Book of Order,

the Book of Confessions, and other General Assembly publications.

A Presbyterian presence at ecumenical groups and gatherings in this country

and worldwide.

At the beginning of each year, Church Secretary Gwen Tuel places an announcement in the bulletin about per capita. While you can pay per capita anytime during the year, it may slip your mind if you wait. When writing out your check, write "per capita" on the memo line. Thank You! In 2020 First Presbyterian will pay a total per capita of $4,228.

The Presbytery of Transylvania covers eastern Kentucky and includes over seventy churches. In 2020 all these churches will pay $252,512 in per capita. Of this amount, $167,575 will go to Transylvania Presbytery, accounting for 40% of the Presbytery's income. This money is used to pay the expenses of Presbytery Commissions and Ministries, the meetings of Presbytery, and the salaries of Presbytery staff.

The Synod of Living Waters is one of seventeen synods in the denomination. It covers four states (Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi) and includes twelve presbyteries. The Synod seeks to help congregations and ministries thrive in worship and mission. The Living Waters for the World organization was born and nurtured in this Synod.

The General Assembly, located in Louisville, is the highest council of our denomination. Churches in Transylvania Presbytery will contribute $84,937 to the income of the General Assembly. General Assembly staff, among other things, coordinate meetings of mid-council leaders, handle ecclesial matters of Korean-American churches, and deploy resources to presbyteries and synods. For more information about General Assembly programs funded by per capita, see the bulletin insert in the February 9 worship bulletin.

Blessings,

Pastor Jim

From Outreach Director Erik Wesley

“Season’s Meetings”

To whatever degree that December is best summarized by the phrase “Season’s Greetings”, then January at First Presbyterian is surely best captured by the phrase “Season’s Meetings.” Luckily for us, most of our meetings involve copious amonts

of great company and food, as well as serve the purpose of effectively moving us forward.

Starting with the Annual Congregational Meeting on the 26th, where our goals and plan for the coming year were shared and prayed over (along with a delicious selection of soups), we welcomed the session class of 2022 right away on Monday the 27th. We are all looking forward to serving with Kate Gausmann, Marti Insko and Dave Harnish.

We are likewise happy to announce that the outreach department will be ramping up our offerings for 2020. Effective immediately, there will be a Philosophy class offered at 12:00 p.m. on Mondays. Additionally, we are planning more activities for our adult members, beginning with a trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum on Saturday, February 22nd. Stay tuned and God bless!

In the Image of Love

While using play therapy with young cancer patients, social worker Amy Jandrisevits found that kids identify best with dolls that resemble them — yet doll diversity was rare.

As described in Gather magazine, she launched a line called “A Doll Like Me”

that customizes dolls not only to “a child’s ethnicity, gender, hair color and interests,but also their physical characteristics such as clefts, birthmarks, scars and limb differences.” She adds, “It is more than just a doll to a child; it is a representation of the child who owns it.” So far, Jandrisevits has made 300+ dolls for kids worldwide — a project she considers to be a ministry.

Dolls representing vast human differences are a profound reminder that God infused the world with variety and pronounced it good. Just as each custom-made doll is made in the image of the child who will adopt and love it, we’re made in the image of God, who claims us as his beloved children forever.