Together through transition: Presbytery of Philadelphia visits Board of Pensions offices
Back row from left: Rev. Carla Jones Brown, Rev. Brenton E. Thompson, Rev. Kevin L. Porter
Front row from left: Rev. Dr. Eustacia Moffett Marshall, Krysten Carter Holloway, Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace
A season of transition is underway at The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). So, when the Presbytery of Philadelphia offered to extend a blessing on the agency, its new President and CEO, Krysten Carter Holloway, accepted this special offering with gratitude.
“This gracious offering from the Philadelphia Presbytery gave us an opportunity to acknowledge the changes we are navigating at the Board,” Holloway said. “Today is a recognition of the … work we all do together. Specifically, in the Presbyterian Church, commissioning is something the Church does to recognize God’s calling, to pray for those who serve, and to send them forward with the support and blessing of the faith community.”
The Reverend Ruth Faith Santana-Grace, Executive Presbyter, and other presbytery representatives arrived at the Board of Pensions offices in Center City Philadelphia on Sept. 24 to lead the ceremony, attended by agency staff and leadership. In addition to Santana-Grace, prayer and words of support were offered by the Reverend Kevin L. Porter, presbytery Stated Clerk; the Reverend Dr. Eustacia Moffett Marshall of New River Presbyterian Church; and the Reverend Brenton E. Thompson, the presbytery’s Director of Congregational Resourcing & Communication.
The ministers acknowledged the anxiety that accompanies a leadership change, assuring the gathered employees that they are not alone; the Church is walking alongside them. The visitors summoned support for Holloway, whose leadership continues three centuries of caring for Presbyterians — “a sacred responsibility,” one said.
“I am deeply grateful for the prayers, encouragement, and support of family, friends, colleagues, and our church community,” said Holloway, who has called for strengthening the agency’s relationships at all levels of the Church.
As the ceremony neared the end, Holloway addressed the Board of Pensions staff seated before her and reminded them to extend compassion to each other, as they do for members. “Every day, we ask our members to trust us with some of the most important decisions or milestones in their lives. There are days that each of us need that same level of care,” she said.
To illustrate that extension of care, each employee received a keepsake cup as a symbol of replenishment. Holloway urged them to take their cup and “pour encouragement, pour kindness, pour excellence, pour patience, accountability, knowledge. But most of all,” she said, “pour grace — make space for somebody else when they need to be refilled.”
Holloway reminded employees that the work of the Board of Pensions is a ministry that includes every one of them. “This blessing,” she said, “encompasses the work we will do together to carry out our mission and serve the Church.”
