This is an reedited version of my statement on the floor of Pittsburgh Presbytery when we were invited to comment on the new mission plan. Since we are going to be here for GA I feel it is incumbent on us to say something about the continuing disparity in compensation and opportunity for women in the PCUSA
My seminary ethics professors insisted the end does not justify the means. Several years ago in a cost cutting move my presbytery, Pittsburgh, left a number of clerical staff members go. They just happened to be women who happened to be black women. I waited for someone else to point out that we had a "means to an end problem." I said nothing and this has bugged me for years. My presbytery, Pittsburgh, just voted on progressing with its newest cost cutting mission plan. We may no longer be thought of as being racist because we will not save money this time solely by firing women of color we will instead be adding a group of ethnically diverse WOMEN to the ranks of the unemployed. I don't know why Pittsburgh presbytery has it in for women.
In a mea culpa because the Presbytery staff includes a large number of women it hadn’t occurred to me that none of them work in the top two positions and are subject to downsizing. Our executive, styled pastor to presbytery, (larger churches being his specialty) and his assistant (medium sized churches) were not considered expendable. Our other associate executive is a woman working part time (small sized churches) whose position will end as the new mission plan unfolds. Are you all experiencing anything similar in your presbyteries?