Presbytery Gathering Recap

September 22, 2026

Last Tuesday, The Presbytery of Donegal met for our September 2026 Gathering at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in York, PA. As always, our time together included worship, learning, fellowship, and business. Here are some of the highlights.

WORSHIP

Rev. Mwat Asedeh and Rev. Suzanne Personette led us in prayer and praise, and Randy Yoder provided music to help us lift our hearts and voices in song.

Rev. Dr. Erin Cox-Holmes preached a sermon titled, "Exploring the Wilderness," drawing on Mark 1:12-13 and six paintings by Stanley Spencer: The Hen, The Scorpion, Driven By the Spirit into the Wilderness, Consider the Lilies, The Foxes Have Holes, and Departing Into a Mountain to Pray.

Rev. Bob Bronkema led us in a liturgy of Renewal of the Baptismal Covenant.

See the worship bulletin HERE.

View Stanley Spencer's art HERE.

This sermon was originally intended for the snowed-out February Presbytery Gathering, right on the cusp of Lent, when we follow Jesus into the Wilderness. But the Wilderness is with us always, and we always are in the Wilderness. So it is the word for us today, in September, just as much.

When Jesus is baptized, the Spirit plunges him down. Gregory of Nyssa said that when Jesus is baptized in the Jordan, he descends so far that he wrestled with Leviathan and rose up victorious over death. The Spirit plunges Jesus to the depths of existence. Then the Spirit raises Jesus up, heaves Jesus up, drives him into the Wilderness. The Spirit labors with Jesus in the birthing canal of the waters and pushes him out, with the force of a woman in labor, birthing Jesus into Wilderness.

I always thought the Wilderness was a place of deprivation. Until I met the art of Stanley Spencer. He was wounded in World War I, and he lived as a shell of a man, until he began to paint Jesus in the Wilderness. Spencer left us windows that help us see the Wilderness as the place where Jesus is with the wild beasts, where the angels ministered to him.

The gift of this season in the Wilderness gave Jesus all that he needed for his ministry: the hen and her chicks, the foxes in holes, the lilies of the field, and the holding of the scorpion – evil, the sting of death.

The Wilderness will blossom and rejoice.

The Wilderness is the place teeming with Joy.

I was at a committee meeting, where the leader began the prayer with a deep sigh: O Lord, give us joy. Not organization. Not an effective agenda. Not supporting documents. JOY.

In A Swiftly Tilting Planet, the second book in Madeline L’Engle's Wrinkle in Time series, the world is falling apart. As it always is. As it is right now. As it will be tomorrow. As it is every time we look at the news, or listen to those around us. Charles Wallace, the wise child, finds an abandoned dog and names her Ananda.

“Ananda,” Mrs. Murry said thoughtfully. “That rings some kind of bell.”

“It’s Sanskrit,” Charles Wallace said.

Meg asked, “Does it mean anything?”

“That joy in existence without which the universe will fall apart and collapse.”

C.S. Lewis was a dedicated academic who was unpursuaded by the learned logic of his peers, who were committed Christians and thought Lewis should be converted, too. One day, as he was doing the dishes, there was a presence hovering behind him. Pressing in on him. Leaving him no room to breathe. Finally he turned around and snarled, What do you WANT? The presence said, I want to give you Joy. And because of that joy, we have Aslan and Narnia. (And other learned theological tomes. But Aslan and Narnia!)

The Spirit drives every one of us into Wilderness. Where Jesus is waiting to give us all that we need: joy.

And so we sing.

“Down to the River to Pray” became famous in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? as sung by Allison Krauss. The earliest known version of the song, titled "The Good Old Way," was published in Slave Songs of the United States in 1867. It was a freedom song, often sung, “down IN the river to pray,” to give directions for the underground railroad.

We sing. And we sing with Joy.

— Excerpts from sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Erin Cox-Holmes

LEARNING

Our learning community time was focused on world missions and supporting the global church.

We heard from Cindy Corell, a Global Ecumenical Liaison with the PC(USA), and Dr. James Taneti, Assistant Professor of World Christianity and Director of the Syngman Rhee Global Mission Center at Union Presbyterian Seminary.

Cindy and James shared information about current PC(USA) mission efforts and future plans, and they helped us consider further initiatives toward supporting the global church.

Their presentation was recorded, and it's available in two parts:

FELLOWSHIP

After a morning filled with worship and learning, we shared fellowship around the table while enjoying a delicious barbeque lunch and an incredible homemade dessert buffet. Thanks to all the volunteers and staff from Eastminster Presbyterian Church for their excellent hospitality!

We welcomed two new members of Donegal Presbytery: Rev. Water Kondratowski, who was recently ordained as the Organizing Pastor of the Our Table New Worshipping Community, and Rev. Leslie Mott, who is serving as the Interim Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of York.

You can read Walter's Statement of Faith and Faith Journey Biography HERE.

Leslie's Statement of Faith and Faith Journey Biography can be found HERE.

Pictured Left: Walter Kondratowski. Pictured Right: Leslie Mott.

We also recognized the Ministers of Word and Sacrament who are celebrating milestone ordination anniversaries this year. We were especially blessed to be joined by Rev. Dr. Robert Young as we honored the 70th anniversary of his ordination!

See the full list of 2026 ordination anniversaries HERE.

BUSINESS

With our hearts, minds, and stomachs filled, we embarked on the business that’s important to our life together as a Presbytery.

We elected Rev. Ann Hatfield to serve as the Chair of the Examination Commission. Ann is filling the position left vacant when the former Chair, Ruling Elder Ken Hickman, joined the Church Triumphant.

We elected Ruling Elder Elizabeth Carrabine and Rev. Karen Bachman to the Administration Committee, to fill two unexpired terms.

We approved the Minimum Terms of Call for 2027.
Read about the new requirements and recommendations HERE.

We adopted an updated Pulpit Supply Policy, clarifying guidelines for pulpit supply preachers and congregations.
Read the updated policy HERE.

The 2027 Presbytery Budget was presented for the Second Read, and the budget was approved.
View the 2027 budget HERE.
Explore additional materials from the budget presentation HERE.

We heard a report on the 227th General Assembly, which was held over the summer in Milwaukee, from Teaching Elder Commissioners Rev. Dr. Betty Angelini and Rev. Matt Randolph.
Read written reflections from some of our GA Commissioners HERE.

Our Board of Pensions Consultant, Rev. Dr. Emily Chudy, shared the latest updates from the Board of Pensions. Emily is always happy to answer questions from ministers or congregations, and you can find her contact information HERE.
See an overview of the BoP updates HERE.

We received reports about the ongoing work of our Presbytery committees, commissions, and groups.
Review all the reports HERE.

We heard announcements about upcoming Presbytery events:

The next Curious Conversation is coming up on Sunday, October 18 at Wrightsville Presbyterian Church. An orientation for those new to the Curious Conversation method will be offered at 2:00 PM, and the conversation will begin at 2:30.

Learn about this model for having healthy dialogue about contentious issues and register to attend HERE.

Download a shareable flyer HERE.

The Racial Justice Task Group is hosting a museum visit to the Stevens & Smith Center for History and Democracy, followed by lunch and discussion, on Saturday, November 14.