The Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett celebrates the work of the PMA Board and the Matthew 25 movement

‘It is about leaving the world in a better place because of the transforming work of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit,’ says the outgoing president and executive director

by Beth Waltemath | Presbyterian News Service

The Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett

“Since this is the last and final report that I will give to you,” said the Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett at the opening of the final meeting of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board on Tuesday. Moffett referenced the dissolution of her position as president and executive director and the board of the Presbyterian Mission Agency before taking “a moment to go down memory lane” and “to engage some of the work that God has accomplished through us and through the power of the Spirit at work in us as we have done this work.”

“The journey began in 2018 when the PMA Board invited me to serve as your president and executive director, and you recommended my candidacy through the 224th General Assembly, and they approved and recommended the installation,” said Moffett. Moffett remembered that she “was given a Mission Work Plan with three primary foci, and that’s what we’ve been talking about in Matthew 25 — building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty.” Soon after, Moffett and the board set out to “determine what the biblical, theological and ecclesial basis could serve as a foundation for the three foci.”

In that retreat, the board also discerned what Moffett called the why statement. As she displayed that original why, the entire board read it along with her, their many voices intoning and intertwining in a litany of faith: “We believe that causes us to serve boldly and compassionately, so that faith comes alive and the world wakes up to new possibilities.”

“That’s what we did, and I hope that will continue to lead us, because there are new possibilities emerging even in this liminal space and in this time where we are unifying,” said Moffett, before covering major milestones of each year between 2018 and 2024.

Moffett particularly lifted up the evolution of the Matthew 25 movement from its inception through a resolution of the General Assembly in 2016 to the articulation of its foci in 2018 and the development of a web presence, logos, brochures and resources to assist congregations and mid councils as they join the call to be a Matthew 25 ministry in their own context. From 2019-2024, the number of Matthew 25 congregations grew from 251 to 1,244 with similar large growth also reflected among presbyteries, synods and PC(USA) groups.

Moffett recalled how the board went through a time of reflecting, re-envisioning and re-building. In response to a VIP report in 2021, part of this work focused on recommendations to address the centralized structure, the need for professional skill development, the creation of more relational supervision and the approach and compensation for mission co-workers within the agency. Moffett also addressed the need for grant centralization and mentioned that over her time as president, an estimated $77 million in grants had been distributed. She noted the rollout of diversity, equity and inclusion training for all staff.

“The Center for Repair of Historical Harms was just a concept at that time,” said Moffett of 2021 before highlighting some of that center’s work of reparations in Juneau, Alaska.

“We thought we really needed that and an Office of Innovation to institutionalize the concept of once Reformed, always reforming,” said Moffett, who later talked about the ways the agency assisted leaders across the church as they responded to the new demands of ministry during the Covid pandemic and the recent programs to help congregations re-envision their property use. During her tenure, “over 255 new worshiping communities have been created,” said Moffett, noting the high percentage of adult baptisms and new Presbyterians involved in new worshiping communities.

“In other words, the Holy Spirit is moving, and people are being touched, and I want us to remember that this is what the work is all about,” she said.

“Thank you all for all the support and for listening to this long history,” said Moffett as she closed her presentation. “I did this because I wanted all of you, no matter where you are with us in the journey, to appreciate the work that has been done and to give God glory for what God has done,” said Moffett.

“This church will not forget. It will look back and it will remember a time when this church gathered around with the mission focus to do the work that Jesus calls us to do,” said Moffett, who described how that mission is summed up in the text of Matthew 25. “But of course, whatever text you take,” said Moffett, “it is about leaving the world in a better place because of the transforming work of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.”

The board heard other reports, including timely ones from the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, who oversees the Office of Public Witness, about the historical roots of Christian political engagement.

The Rev. Jody Noble (Contributed photo)

The Rev. Jody Noble, pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Ohio, also addressed the board of the intersection of caring for the least of these and speaking in the public square. In the midst of a national media frenzy, Noble and her congregation have stood up in support of their Haitian neighbors. After negative remarks made by presidential and vice-presidential candidates, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, that garnered national attention, Noble reported a rise in threats of violence to schools, libraries and government buildings that supported Haitian immigrants and a rise in Ku Klux Klan, Proud Boys and Blood Tribe canvasing across the community of Springfield. Noble gathered an ecumenical network of pastors and churches to respond and held a press conference to offer their side of the story to be a voice for peace. “It is still a time of deep tension here,” said Noble. “God has done an incredible job in, through and around us,” said Noble, who noted that “it is a daily effort to continue to ‘provide peace.’” Noble noted that since the publicity surrounding the influx of large communities of immigrants in Springfield, she has been in contact with other Presbyterian pastors who are also finding their communities affected by similar dynamics, such as Charleroi, Pennsylvania. “It’s not just a Springfield story. It is a community story in many different places,” said Noble before the board broke into small groups to process her report and the witness that PC(USA) pastors have in their embodiment of the Matthew 25 foci.

Noble thanked the board for taking the time to listen. “I looked at your agenda and said, ‘Holy Cow!’ You get a lot accomplished in a day and a half,” said Noble. “The opportunity to speak to you is a blessing.”

After small groups and debriefing led by board co-chair, the Rev. Michelle Hwang and the Rev. Dr. Matt Bussell, ruling elder, commissioned pastor and board member Kenneth Whitehurst, closed the meeting with a devotion and offered a benediction to his colleagues.

“The board members and staff, past and present, who have been part of this community have gone out into the world to bless others with Matthew 25 rippling outwards, stirring the souls and the mind of the church. The good works, the acts of compassion and kindness, the love for justice is the legacy of this board,” said Whitehurst: “It lives on through each of us, every person we have touched.”