The Pacific Southwest District Board of Directors and Praesidium held regular meetings in September and November at the District offices. Highlights from these meetings include:
Devotions and prayer including meditations on 1 Chronicles 4 and 2 Corinthians 11:28-29.
“Owner Dialog”, where a District constituent is a guest of the meeting, providing perspective on various aspects of the District and engaging in conversation with the Board. Jon Niederbrach, PSD COO and Rev. Dominic Rivkin, PSD Mission Executive provided comments and impressions on their time so far with the District.
Based on recommendation from the Constitution Committee, the Board approved constitutions for the following congregations:
Canoga Park Lutheran Church, Canoga Park, CA
Christ’s Greenfield Lutheran Church, Gilbert, AZ
Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, Tucson, AZ (New Congregation)
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, San Diego, CA (new to PSD)
Iglesias Lutheran Bethel, Orange, CA (new to PSD)
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Oceanside, CA
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Riverside, CA
Peace Lutheran Church, Flagstaff, AZ
Seum Lutheran Church, Los Angeles, CA
Our Savior, Arcadia, CA
Community, Escondido, CA
Reports from District staff were distributed and reviewed. Through October, congregational giving is down 4.3% over the previous year and 7.9% compared to budget. Giving statements were most recently sent to congregations in July, and will be sent again in the first quarter of 2020.
Based on audit recommendations, the Board moved to classify various monies as Board Designated Funds.
A balanced 2020 operational budget with forecasted income and expenses of $2.7 million was presented and approved. Budgets for board-designated items ($488,000), conferences with PSD-ownership or participation ($425,500), and grants ($223,000) were also presented and approved.
The Board moved to receive several gifts, including gifts designated for lay ministry training.
The Board of Directors extended a Divine Call to Rev. Dominic Rivkin to be the PSD Mission Executive. Rev. Rivkin has accepted the call. A public installation service will be held on Sunday, February 23, 2020 at Hope Memorial Lutheran – Los Angeles, CA.
President Gibson discussed potential new lay ministry training options.
President Gibson provided an overview of 2020-2021 Vision Outcomes covering all PSD church and school ministries. Existing and new efforts fall into four categories: 1) Worker Care; 2) Regional Approach to Ministry: 3) Plant, Revitalize, “Retain-Remodel-Replant”; and 4) Financial Development.
Items and outcomes from the 2019 Synodical Convention related to the Pacific Southwest District were discussed.
Demolition of the UCLA University Lutheran Chapel has been completed and the property sale process is in progress.
Plans for holding an All Worker Conference to be held November 22-24, 2020 were discussed, combining multiple events into one District-wide conference.
Locations and venues for the 2021 Pacific Southwest District convention were being explored.
Upon recommendation by the PSD youth committee, the Board moved to redesignate the Walther League Fund from congregational grant to Youth and Family Ministry Leadership Institute for training youth, lay leaders and church workers.
