The Presbyterian Outlook

ST. LOUIS – Presbyterians are trying to figure out how to proclaim their commitment to justice, equity and human dignity for all in a public way – to do so strongly and clearly in what feels like a crucial time in American public life. That sometimes cooks up a tension between speaking out now – and the realities of working through the slower and more deliberate Presbyterian system. That became evident June 20, as the General Assembly discussed business from its Theological and Church Growth Issues and Institutions Committee (not a phrase one will ever find on a bumper sticker). Letter from Birmingham City Jail One example: An overture from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area recommended that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) adopt Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a “contemporary statement of faith, a reliable aid for Christian study, liturgy and inspiration” but without any formal constitutional standing – meaning it’s not part of the PC(USA) Book of … [Read more...]

ST. LOUIS — There were three items brought before plenary at the 223rdGeneral Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee. Scott Prouty, committee moderator, presented an overture (07-02) that asks the General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations to nominate a number of international churchesto be invited to send ecumenical advisory delegates to the 224thGeneral Assembly (2020). The 223rdGeneral Assembly approved the following churches to be invited to the 224thGeneral Assembly (2020): Evangelical Church of Vietnam, Presbyterian Church of Myanmar, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land, Waldensian Church, Presbyterian Church of Mozambique (IPM), Ethiopia Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus (EECMY), The United Church of Jamaica and Cayman Islands, United Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPUB) and the Evangelical Church of the River Plate. In the … [Read more...]

ST. LOUIS – On Tuesday, June 19, the Office of Immigration Issues of the Presbyterian Church hosted a rally at Baer Park in downtown St. Louis. This was an organized event of the 223rd General Assembly. More than 100 Presbyterians attended the rally and heard impassioned speeches given by Presbyterian leaders.   T.J. DeMarco, stated clerk of the Presbytery of Northern New England, shares a story.   Yena Hwang, pastor at Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Virginia, relates her story of being a child immigrant and having to live several months separated from her mother to what is happening on the border today. Trey Hagar, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, tells of a group of men who were rounded up and arrested by ICE — all of whom were working legally in the United States. … [Read more...]

  ST. LOUIS – Hundreds of Presbyterians gathered in the convention center on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 19. However, instead of sitting down, engaging in parliamentary procedure and passing overtures and resolutions, they filed out of the convention center chanting, singing, and holding signs. They marched over a mile through the streets of downtown St. Louis where the temperature was 94 degrees with a heat index surpassing 100 degrees. The heat didn’t dampen the spirit of the crowd, who boldly chanted “End cash bail!” as they made their way to the City Justice Center. They were there to deliver a message – and a check for $47,200 for bail relief. The money came from the offering collected during the assembly’s opening worship. The offering taken during opening worship at previous assemblies has generally totaled $13,000-18,000. This offering was more than triple that. Working with local networks in St. Louis – the Arch City Defenders and the Bail Project – the offering … [Read more...]