ST. LOUIS – Walking around the America’s Center Convention Complex, where the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 223rd General Assembly is being held, it’s impossible to miss the red-vested liaisons from Giddings-Lovejoy, the hometown presbytery of the greater St. Louis area. While all of the volunteers from Giddings-Lovejoy have been incredibly helpful, warm and welcoming, one in particular stands out. Meet T-Rex, the resident pastoral care dog for the 223rd General Assembly. At 12 years old, this volunteer is younger than most – although he’s already sporting a few gray hairs in his curly mohawk. It’s his first General Assembly, but he sat in on some classes at Columbia Theological Seminary with his mom, Thirza Sayers, so rest assured he knows the ropes (as well as 26 tricks, among them “cuddle”and “say your prayers”). If he’s not at the convention center, you might be able to catch him curled up in the front pew of Hillside Presbyterian Church in House Springs, Missouri, where … [Read more...]
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Outlook Reporting 2 hours ago
The GA223 mascot?
ST. LOUIS – Walking around the America’s Center Convention Complex, where the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 223rd General Assembly is being held, it’s impossible to miss the red-vested liaisons from Giddings-Lovejoy, the hometown presbytery of the greater St. Louis area. While all of the volunteers from Giddings-Lovejoy have been incredibly helpful, warm and welcoming, one in particular stands out. Meet T-Rex, the resident pastoral care dog for the 223rd General Assembly. At 12 years old, this volunteer is younger than most – although he’s already sporting a few gray hairs in his curly mohawk. It’s… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 3 hours ago
Intro to significant business: Assembly hears from committees and commissions
ST. LOUIS – This was like a meet-and-greet for some significant business coming before the 2018 General Assembly – an afternoon dedicated to reports from General Assembly committees and commissions, most notably the Way Forward Commission, the All Agency Review Committee and the 2020 Vision Team. Also up: a presentation from a special committee studying Christian education in the 21stcentury. Assembly committees will consider each of these items in more depth, reporting back recommendations to the full assembly later this week. But leaders of these groups were given time during… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 6 hours ago
Humbled and overjoyed: Newly elected co-moderators Cintrón-Olivieri and Kohlmann
ST. LOUIS – When asked how they felt about the “amazing honor” of being elected as co-moderators of the 223rd General Assembly Cindy Kohlmann answered with one word: Humbled. Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri added, “Overjoyed by the opportunity to serve.” Shortly after the election on June 16, the co-moderators were asked how they felt about the votes, knowing that it took four rounds of voting for a majority to be declared. Cintrón-Olivieri responded, “This was not a political race at all, this was the body of Christ seeking the will of God.”… 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 Uncategorized99 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 Reviews108 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 Reviews98 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 Reporting3 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...
Assembly approves child protection policy June 23, 2016 Outlook Reporting2 comments PORTLAND, Ore. – The General Assembly Procedures committee only had time to present one item of business from its report before the 2016 General Assembly adjourned for the evening June 22 – but it was a matter of both deep significance and emotional resonance.
The assembly voted on Item 03-14, a policy created for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to protect children, youth, and vulnerable adults. The committee’s moderator, Mary Lou Cox, introduced the item by shari...
Taxation without representation? Mid council leaders release statement addressing proposed per capita increase April 18, 2018 Uncategorized2 comments A group of 40 mid council leaders has written a statement urging the 2018 General Assembly to vote down a proposed General Assembly per capita increase– saying the proposed increase of 39 percent from 2018 to 2019 and another 7 percent from 2019 to 2020 feels like “taxation without representation.”
These mid council leaders contend the number of congregations not remitting per capita will “dramatically increase” if per capita goes up, and that presbyteries would bear the financial burden.
J. Herb...
The GA223 mascot?
Tagged With: GA223
Intro to significant business: Assembly hears from committees and commissions
ST. LOUIS – This was like a meet-and-greet for some significant business coming before the 2018 General Assembly – an afternoon dedicated to reports from General Assembly committees and commissions, most notably the Way Forward Commission, the All Agency Review Committee and the 2020 Vision Team. Also up: a presentation from a special committee studying Christian education in the 21stcentury. Assembly committees will consider each of these items in more depth, reporting back recommendations to the full assembly later this week. But leaders of these groups were given time during a plenary session June 17 to introduce key ideas: no votes, no debate, just an elevator speech and a chance to say hello. Way Forward and All Agency Review The Way Forward Commission and the All Agency Review Committee did a joint presentation – with some reminders of how they were birthed by the 2016 General Assembly and presenting some key themes. “In our beginning was the word from the … [Read more...]
Humbled and overjoyed: Newly elected co-moderators Cintrón-Olivieri and Kohlmann
ST. LOUIS – When asked how they felt about the “amazing honor” of being elected as co-moderators of the 223rd General Assembly Cindy Kohlmann answered with one word: Humbled. Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri added, “Overjoyed by the opportunity to serve.” Shortly after the election on June 16, the co-moderators were asked how they felt about the votes, knowing that it took four rounds of voting for a majority to be declared. Cintrón-Olivieri responded, “This was not a political race at all, this was the body of Christ seeking the will of God.” She noted that it was a Spirit-led process. Both Kohlmann and Cintrón-Olivieri expressed gratitude for the other candidates who stood for the office. Kohlmann said, “Bertram and Eliana have been amazing to get to know.” And, “It was a joy to get to know Chantal and Ken.” Cintrón-Olivieri remarked on the real collegiality within the group of six saying that between the three teams, “there was love and hope.” During the question-and-answer … [Read more...]
Prayer for the second day of the 223rd General Assembly
Gracious God, this is a day that you have made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. We give you thanks for lifting up leaders to serve you in particular ways in every age, calling forth people to use their gifts to further your will. We give you thanks for all of those who courageously say, “Here I am, Lord.” Thank you for Chantal and Ken, Bertram and Eliana, Cindy and Vilmarie. Thank you for their many and varied experiences and skills and their willingness to follow Jesus Christ wherever he leads. We ask you to bless and keep them as they continue to seek to be faithful to you. We pray you would grant Cindy and Vilmarie stamina and wisdom, joy and peace, as they begin their journey as co-moderators of this assembly. Knowing that the grace you give is sufficient for our calling because it is your grace, we ask to be bold in our decisions, careful in our speaking, open in our listening, ever aware that our knowledge is limited, but your grace is lavish and abundant. On this … [Read more...]
“Prophets over profit” – Fossil Free PCUSA holds press conference calling for divestment
After walking over 200 miles from the PC(USA) headquarters in Louisville, walkers and ombudsmen for Fossil Free PCUSA gathered to advocate for the passage of Overture 08-01 on June 16, one day after arriving in St. Louis for the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Set before the Environmental Issues committee by The Presbytery of the Hudson River, and with 39 additional presbyteries concurring, the overture calls for a recognition that holding investments in fossil fuel industries makes the PC(USA) “complicit in harming God’s creation and ‘the least of these’ who are disproportionately affected by climate change,” and for the “Board of Pensions and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation to divest from the fossil-fuel industry.” In advocating for the passage of Overture 08-01 at their June 16thpress conference, Fossil Free PCUSA also sought to highlight the human cost of climate change, economic incentives for divesting from the fossil-fuel industry, and … [Read more...]
Commissioners’ resolutions cover widespread issues: Calls to end policies separating families, respond to North Korean refugee crisis, address suicide and opioid addiction and more
ST. LOUIS – Commissioners’ resolutions to the 2018 General Assembly have started to roll in – often, matters drawn from breaking news or concerns too fresh to have made the assembly’s earlier deadlines for business. Among them: a resolution seeking to voice Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) opposition to the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents as their families try to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. That resolution asks the assembly to call on the U.S. Department of Justice “to immediately end the newly-implemented zero tolerance policy that is tearing apart families,” and to reunite families already separated “under the care of the community, not in family detention.” It encourages action by congregations too: asking mid councils and congregations “to understand, condemn, and work against the ideology of white supremacy undergirding these racist immigration policies.” This commissioners’ resolution, presented by commissioners Bart Smith of the … [Read more...]
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