It was upon the communion table where, through God’s Spirit, ordinary means are transformed for extraordinary ends, that on November 20, Hudson River Presbytery transferred the title of the former Stony Point Church and all its property to the newly-created Sweetwater Cultural Center “to promote the education, health and welfare of indigenous or native peoples and to preserve their cultures and ceremonial practices locally, regionally, and around the Western Hemisphere.”
From November 10-14, an ecumenical group of mainline denominational camp and retreat associations held the Outdoor Ministries Connection Great Gathering at Lake Junaluska, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The gathering was the first of its kind.
The Office of Christian Formation in the Presbyterian Mission Agency partnered recently with the Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association (PCCCA) to bring Spanish-speaking camping leaders from the mainland to Campamento El Gaucio in Puerto Rico.
For two days, the five-member contingent worked with and learned from staff and board members at El Gaucio, discussing issues like prices, fund development, staffing structures and marketing.
The Stony Point Center will get at least the initial portion of the cash infusion it needs to become the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s (PMA) laboratory for becoming a Matthew 25 church.
Two members of a special committee appointed to explore the financial sustainability and per capita funding of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) met via video conference with the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board Thursday, asking board members and staff questions ranging from agency cooperation to Friday’s significant board vote on the future of the Stony Point Center, the site for the board meeting.
If the handful of Presbyterian Mission Agency Board members who participated in a conference call Friday on the Stony Point Center Vision Plan have reservations about the plan’s recommendations, they didn’t voice them.
A proposed Vision Plan for Stony Point Center, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-affiliated center for hospitality and community-building along the Hudson River north of New York City, recommends investing in significant renovations, including the installation of private bathrooms in three lodges and construction of a facility called Cairncroft to replace the center’s current Evergreen building and provide modern meeting space, dining and administrative functions.
It’s been a month since Holmes Camp & Retreat Center in Holmes, N.Y., made history. Now the camp’s executive director, the Rev. Bryan Breault, is hearing lovely things from the parents of campers from across the country.
After two days of plenary sessions, workshops, and worship, Nancy Pienta of Valatie, New York found herself painting in the spacious, sunlight-drenched main hall of Stony Point Center’s Art Space.
