For the past two years, the Lackawanna and Lehigh Presbyteries have been meeting together and exploring the possibility of a merger. Both presbyteries have voted to continue in the merger process. We are currently developing a plan of merger and hope to vote on this plan at our May 3, 2025 meeting. An important step in the merger has been to give a name to this new presbytery. We received 54 suggestions for a new name for the merged Presbytery. Members of the Lackawanna and Lehigh Presbyteries met on November 9 at the Chestnut Retreat Center in Saylorsburg.
The Leadership Vision Team (Lackawanna) and the Administrative Board (Lehigh) brought to the Assembly for a vote—Mountain Laurel and Dove. Mountain Laurel was chosen for the new name. The Assembly also voted to approve the mission statement as: Mindful that Mountain Laurel Presbytery is all of us, we are committed to growing our congregations, nurturing the ministry opportunities and needs of our communities. Leaning into our connectional Presbyterian heritage, and for the sake of the Gospel, we boldly risk our comfort to partner with each other in ministry, outreach, and faith. All are asked to pray for our new Mountain Laurel Presbytery as we strive to Be Better, Together.
The Merger Team discovered that the reason the mountain laurel is the state flower of Pennsylvania is because in 1933, Governor Gifford Pinchot made the choice because it is a flower found across the entire commonwealth. While mindful of not suggesting a name that would exclude our sisters and brothers in Waverly, New York, we were relieved to learn that mountain laurel are also prevalent in upstate New York.
