(RNS) — We feel our smallness when we consider the universe, unutterably vast, dark and scattered. Whole swaths of space are empty, while elsewhere galaxies drift through the void for eons of time before colliding with each other. Some stars go nova and incinerate the planets orbiting them, expending themselves in an explosion so powerful that our naked eyes can see it millions of light-years away. Cosmic dust coalesces and new stars are born, while black holes swallow light itself. Here on our tiny terrestrial orb, circling a minor sun in a low-rent neighbourhood on the edge of the Milky Way, our telescopes watch as the cosmos accelerates away from us, growing ever colder and more distant. We are but a speck. I imagine that for you, too, this last week has been an especially dark one, rightsizing us once again in the face of such tragedy. The massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand. The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines flight. And I don’t know if this is happening in your life, … [Read more...]
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Outlook Reporting 9 hours ago
Moving Forward Implementation Commission focuses on key issues facing the PC(USA)
LOUISVILLE – The Moving Forward Implementation Commission continues to interact with key issues facing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – including the question of whether a per capita financing system based on membership is feasible for a denomination that’s continuously growing smaller. The 2018 General Assembly created a Special Committee on Per-Capita Based Funding and National Church Financial Sustainability, which met by conference call March 19 to begin its work and will meet in person in Fort Worth, Texas, in May – responding to concerns raised at the assembly about the impact… continue reading... -
Outpost Blog 17 hours ago
Nothing personal, BUT …
In middle school, I vividly recall when the phrase “nothing personal” became popular. All of a sudden, we all started saying it. And pretty quickly, it became the disclaimer or introduction to, “I’m about to say something really mean,” disguised in the short phrase “Nothing personal, but …” “Nothing personal, but you really need to put on deodorant after gym class.” “Nothing personal, but that sweater is ugly.” “Nothing personal, but that color just doesn’t look good on you.” Sadly, middle school mean girls used the phrase to somehow soften… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 1 day ago
Moving Forward Implementation Commission tackles pressing issues, broader questions
LOUISVILLE – The Moving Forward Implementation Commission is considering making an interim report to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on the progress it’s making – possibly at Big Tent in August. Marco Grimaldo, who is co-moderator with Larryetta Ellis of the commission and a ruling elder from Washington, D.C., said the commission is thinking of exploring ways to communicate to the church “this is what moving forward means to us.” Larryetta Ellis, a pastor from West Virginia, serves as co-moderator with Marco Grimaldo of the commission. (All photos by Leslie Scanlon)… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized89 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews65 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews59 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
Appointments to General Assembly Special Commissions, Committees, Task Forces, and Task Groups Continue March 19, 2019 Presbyterian News Service2 comments (OGA) The special committees reviewing the current per-capita based system of funding and reviewing national church financial sustainability have been combined into one, fifteen-member special committee by Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and Cindy Kohlmann, Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018). The combined special committee allows the opportunity to facilitate efficiency and leverage the information needed by both groups while still providing necessary members and expertise for each discrete function.
The Special Committee on Per-Capita Based Funding and National Church Financial Sustainability ...
Stony Point as laboratory? Presbyterian Mission Agency Board discusses center’s future September 28, 2018 Outlook Reporting1 comment LOUISVILLE – The question of how much money the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is willing to spend to support the Stony Point Center continues to be raised – with the leadership of the Presbyterian Mission Agency hoping to spend the next six months or so trying to get Stony Point on more solid financial ground and finding ways to integrate it with the broader work of the agency.
The Presbyterian Mission Agency Board has been struggling for years with the questions of how much to financially support Stony Point – with an underlying questio...
New committee will evaluate per capita and financial sustainability March 20, 2019 Outlook Reporting1 comment
How well does the per capita system of funding serve the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)?
Is a per-member apportionment a viable approach for a denomination that’s continuing to lose members (down 43 percent over the past two decades)?
If per capita reserves are depleted by 2020, as is expected to happen, what are the implications of that for the Office of the General Assembly?
And what’s the financial sustainability of the denomination overall?
Those are among the questi...
Lent is a season of stubborn hope (commentary)
A home for all
Here is the sad fact: Every time I step into a church, I never expect to be fully welcomed. As a nonbinary Christian who is attracted to people of all genders, I have been involved in conversations about gender, sexuality and inclusion my entire life. Ever since I can remember, congregations and denominations have been debating what they believe about parts of my identity. One of the results of these conversations is that churches, across the spectrum, are more upfront about what they believe. Church websites have moved from vague mentions of sexuality to state explicitly what they do or don’t believe to be sin. Some churches have adopted “open and affirming” statements or affiliated with denominational organizations that work for full inclusion of people of all genders and sexualities. All of this work is important and gives those of us looking for a congregation a base from which to discern whether or not a particular church would be a place where we could find a home. The … [Read more...]
Righteousness through faith (May 5, 2019)
UNIFORM LESSON FOR May 5, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Romans 3:21-31 One of the strengths of the Uniform Lesson series is that it skips around a lot. But one of the weaknesses of the Uniform Lesson series is that it skips around a lot. And here is a case in point: We are dropped down into Romans three chapters in. Paul is making a sustained argument that is related to the spread of the gospel, but which includes far more. Romans 3:21-24 — The righteousness of God Most preaching and teaching in the church seems to focus on the matter of human righteousness. How can sinful human beings become a little less so (with the help of the Holy Spirit)? But Paul’s concern is far bigger than this. How can the righteousness of God be disclosed (given the brokenness of all human beings)? There’s no need to spread any good news unless it’s really good news — not just for some, but for all. Right off the bat, Paul declares that this righteousness of God has now been disclosed … [Read more...]
The Great Commission (April 28, 2019)
UNIFORM LESSON FOR April 28, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Matthew 28:16-20 As the two women were sent away from the tomb last week, so the 11 disciples are sent down from the mountain this week. Ministry at its heart is sending, and this last overture in Matthew is perhaps the greatest sending of them all. Matthew 28:16-17 — On the mountaintop For centuries, this concluding passage in Matthew has served as the church’s rallying cry. It ends this first Gospel in the canon with a bang and may be one reason this Gospel was placed first in the sequence. It takes me back to early Sunday school days as we marched out of class to the tune of “Onward Christian Soldiers,” a hymn you can criticize for its martial language, but not its mobilizing effect. However, even here on the mountaintop, there are signals that this gathering is still very much like our gatherings today. First, there are only 11 disciples present. There seems to always be someone missing — at least … [Read more...]
Moving Forward Implementation Commission focuses on key issues facing the PC(USA)
LOUISVILLE – The Moving Forward Implementation Commission continues to interact with key issues facing the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – including the question of whether a per capita financing system based on membership is feasible for a denomination that’s continuously growing smaller. The 2018 General Assembly created a Special Committee on Per-Capita Based Funding and National Church Financial Sustainability, which met by conference call March 19 to begin its work and will meet in person in Fort Worth, Texas, in May – responding to concerns raised at the assembly about the impact of increasing per capita on congregations and mid councils, and to the need to look creatively at the way the denomination finances its work. With a denomination that’s been losing members for decades, “the revenue is not there” from per capita, said James Tse, a ruling elder from New York City on the Moving Forward Implementation. “We have a system that’s broken. It’s been broken for a long … [Read more...]
Go and tell what God has done (April 21, 2019)
UNIFORM LESSON FOR April 21, 2019 Scripture passage and lesson focus: Matthew 28:1-15 We finish up our unit on the call to ministry with the final chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. This week, we have the women sent out following the resurrection of Jesus. Next week, we have the disciples sent out following Jesus’ commissioning on the mountaintop. Our assignment is to ask how these two sendings can help us understand and live out our sendings today. Matthew 28:1-7 — God at work Though the story begins with Mary Magdalene and the other Mary on the move, the main actor in this story is behind the scenes. Suddenly, there is a great earthquake, an event over which human beings have imperfect knowledge and little to no control. Then, the earthquake is attributed to the visitation of an angel, who rolls back the stone and sits on it, showing that his work is now complete. This angel’s appearance is like lightning and his clothing “white as snow” (28:3), descriptions that often accompany … [Read more...]
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