April 29, 2020

To: Presbytery Ministers of Word and Sacrament and Clerks of Session:

As I write this, I know that many of us are struggling with sickness and loss, separations, and a feeling of imbalance.  Talk of a presbytery meeting seems in a way a distraction from the pressing concerns you are responding to.  Nevertheless, after cancelling the March meeting, the Leadership Council has decided that we should go forward with a truncated Presbytery meeting via Zoom to accomplish critical business.  We plan a limited agenda, and there will be no Open Space.  Business to be brought forward will include election of our Moderator and Vice-Moderator, election of a Stated Clerk Search Committee, and the commissioning of our General Assembly commissioners.  There will be a short worship service.

Many of us have become familiar with smaller Zoom meetings—this meeting will be a large one.  Therefore, we strongly recommend that your sessions appoint people to be commissioners who are able to participate via a computer, tablet, or smartphone.  The meeting and agenda will be posted as usual, and you will be able to register as usual.  We will provide you additional information about using the technology as we get closer to the meeting.

In a March 31 letter from the Leadership Council to the Presbytery, the Leadership Council extended until the end of April its recommendation that congregations worship remotely.  The Leadership Council has decided to again extend this guidance until further notice.  All Presbytery committees, commissions, teams, task groups, and ministry units will also continue to meet remotely. If you have not already, you may want to check the numerous resources for congregations, including resources concerning electronic meetings, on the Presbytery’s COVID-19 webpage at https://thepresbytery.org/about/covid-19/.

Prayers and blessings to you and the National Capital Presbytery congregations,

Sara M. Coe, Stated Clerk
National Capital Presbytery
240-514-5352
scoe@thepresbytery.org