ST. LOUIS – Following more than two hours of spirited debate over how the church should respond to climate change and fossil fuels, the General Assembly moved into a spirited worship service. The worship started with all gathered singing a hymn in unison that included the lyrics, “We are refugees together; all are wanderers welcomed home, greeted by God’s open arms with each unique but none alone.” The text for the hymn, “Draw the Welcome Circle Wider,” was commissioned for the 223rdGeneral Assembly and was also sung during opening worship. Following the call to worship, those gathered sang the classic hymn “Holy God We Praise Your Name.” Karl Hauser, pastor of Southminster Presbyterian Church in Crestwood, Missouri, led the call to confession, the prayer of confession, and the assurance of forgiveness, drawn from the new Book of Common Worship. Hauser swirled his hands through the water in the baptismal font during the assurance of forgiveness, continuing the theme of water … [Read more...]
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Outlook Reporting 1 min ago
Spirited worship follows spirited assembly debate
ST. LOUIS – Following more than two hours of spirited debate over how the church should respond to climate change and fossil fuels, the General Assembly moved into a spirited worship service. The worship started with all gathered singing a hymn in unison that included the lyrics, “We are refugees together; all are wanderers welcomed home, greeted by God’s open arms with each unique but none alone.” The text for the hymn, “Draw the Welcome Circle Wider,” was commissioned for the 223rdGeneral Assembly and was also sung during opening worship. Photo… continue reading... -
Editor's viewpoints 1 hour ago
Prayer for Friday of General Assembly
God of determination, we pray that you continue to guide the assembly today. We pray that in the midst of disagreement we find unity in you. There is much chaos and pain in the world. As the assembly continues to vote on issues relating to the environment, social justice, polity and mission, send your Spirit to guide us as we strive to be faithful to your call to us all. God of the oppressed, help us not to put up walls in our own defensiveness, but listen to those who… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 2 hours ago
Presbyterians put their hands together and stomp their feet for the Hands and Feet initiative at a concert by jazz musician Kirk Whalum
ST. LOUIS – On Thursday, June 21, the General Assembly was treated to a live concert by Kirk Whalum. This was billed as a celebration of the Hands and Feet initiative in St. Louis and a launch of the initiative in Baltimore. Stated clerk J. Herbert Nelson took the stage in a snappy blue blazer and bow tie to share opening remarks for the concert. He thanked Northern Trust securities for sponsoring the concert; because of their sponsorship, all of the proceeds from the ticket sales are going directly to… 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 Uncategorized110 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 Reviews116 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 Reviews106 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.
Proposed per capita increase will go to General Assembly February 9, 2018 Outlook Reporting4 comments LOUISVILLE – With no debate, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted Feb. 9 to approve a sizeable proposed increase in General Assembly per capita – from $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and to $11.45 in 2020.
That would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020. The proposal now will go to the 2018 General Assembly in June in St. Louis for its consideration.
Ken Godshall, who is chair of the board and a pastor from Kentucky, had voted against the proposed increase Feb. 8 when it came before the board’s executive committee, saying the increase...
Way Forward Commission takes action regarding trust and transparency June 12, 2018 Outlook Reporting2 comments The Way Forward Commission met on June 12 to take administrative action regarding issues of trust and transparency in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – apparently responding to imbalances it has detected in the way things have been operating in the national church.
The action (leading with the affirmation that “God alone is Lord of conscience”) addresses what information can be openly shared after a closed or confidential meeting of a denominational entity, and the ways in which staff and board members can express their views regarding information that’s not restricted “without real or implied threat.”
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Vision and structure, function and dysfunction: Way Forward discerns next steps for the PC(USA) June 18, 2018 Outlook Reporting2 comments ST. LOUIS – Representatives of the Way Forward Commission and the All Agency Review Committee made the case June 18 that a dysfunctional institutional culture at the Presbyterian Mission Agency makes change in the national structure imperative — even raising the possibility that the assembly might consider setting up an administrative commission to take charge of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board.
Mark Hostetter, moderator of the Way Forward Commission created by the 2016 assembly, responded to a question a Way Forward Committee (the entity of this 2018 assembly) member for this assembly raised las...
Spirited worship follows spirited assembly debate
Tagged With: GA223
Prayer for Friday of General Assembly
God of determination, we pray that you continue to guide the assembly today. We pray that in the midst of disagreement we find unity in you. There is much chaos and pain in the world. As the assembly continues to vote on issues relating to the environment, social justice, polity and mission, send your Spirit to guide us as we strive to be faithful to your call to us all. God of the oppressed, help us not to put up walls in our own defensiveness, but listen to those who have long been silenced. It is with joy that we remember you are our Advocate, you are present in all of our suffering, and comfort us when we need you most. May we also be advocates for one another. Empower us to trust your vision, to serve you and our siblings in Christ in love. Equip our passions that we have here to take home with us to our own local communities of service. With our hope, love and trust in you, we pray, Amen. … [Read more...]
Presbyterians put their hands together and stomp their feet for the Hands and Feet initiative at a concert by jazz musician Kirk Whalum
ST. LOUIS – On Thursday, June 21, the General Assembly was treated to a live concert by Kirk Whalum. This was billed as a celebration of the Hands and Feet initiative in St. Louis and a launch of the initiative in Baltimore. Stated clerk J. Herbert Nelson took the stage in a snappy blue blazer and bow tie to share opening remarks for the concert. He thanked Northern Trust securities for sponsoring the concert; because of their sponsorship, all of the proceeds from the ticket sales are going directly to the work of the “Hands and Feet” initiative. Nelson talked about the development of the Hands and Feet initiative and how it came to be in St. Louis. He said, “We came to St. Louis knowing what we were going to do and that’s the worst thing you can do.” Nelson acknowledged that they had to check their preconceived ideas and instead listen to local churches and partners on the ground. He led the audience in the chant: “Whose streets? Our streets!” Nelson said that those words were … [Read more...]
A GA junkie follows along from home
It all started when I was in seminary with the 219th General Assembly (held in Minneapolis in 2010). I knew I wanted to attend GA, but because I only had one semester left before graduation (as opposed to a full academic year), I wasn’t eligible to be a Theological Student Advisory Delegate (TSAD). But there was another option. I signed up to be a student worker and so ended up behind the scenes. (Have you ever noticed those tired-looking people running around in blue smocks? That was me.) And I loved every minute of those 10 days that I spent setting up and taking down and passing out paper and trying to help people with all their technical issues (yikes!) and running hastily-scrawled amendments from the plenary floor backstage so they could be put up on the screen for all to read. For me, that was it. I was hooked. I was officially a GA junkie. Every GA since then, I’ve spent the entire week following every moment possible from afar. I read through the overtures beforehand … [Read more...]
All approved: Assembly approves recommendations from Way Forward, All Agency Review and report from Vision 2020
ST. LOUIS – With relatively little discussion and no drama, the General Assembly approved the recommendations of the Way Forward Commission and All Agency Review Committee. While some commissioners struggled to understand the complexity of the proposals, those who have wrangled with these issues for months – and there’s been no shortage of drama there – have said they involve issues of power, control, accountability and trust. The changes the assembly approved June 21 by a vote of 474-47 will mean governance of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation – a secular corporation the church uses to handle its business – will shift from the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board to a shared governance model. The board will now have 11 members – with representation from five of the six PC(USA) agencies, along with the Advocacy Committee on Women’s Concerns, the Racial Equity Advocacy Committee, Presbyterian Women and three at-large members. That means the agencies that use shared … [Read more...]
PC(USA) joins with Salvadoran church to combat plague of gang violence
ST. LOUIS — Families who have suffered detention and separation from their children upon reaching the southern U.S. border have typically left behind a different, often deadly sort of trauma in their home countries in Central America. The 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is partnering with a Salvadoran church to help reduce levels of gang-related violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that have led families to flee those countries in fear for their own and their children’s lives. On June 21, the assembly passed an overture from the Presbytery of the Pacific that makes the PC(USA) a partner in working for region-wide and country-specific changes in policy sought by the Reformed Calvinist Church of El Salvador (IRCES). The vote to approve was 463-45. Changes called for by the assembly would include: assignment of a mission partner to help develop a refugee and immigration advocacy network; ensuring that leaders from the region get heard by the … [Read more...]
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