New church development receives $50,000 to further mission in Southern California
Louisville -- New Hope Presbyterian Church, in the Presbytery of Los Ranchos in Southern California, has been named winner of the 2012 Sam and Helen R. Walton Award.
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PJC sustains Jane Spahr same-gender marriage conviction
SAN ANTONIO -- The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission – the highest court in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) – has ruled that Presbyterian minister Jane Adams Spahr violated the denomination’s constitution when she performed same-gender marriages in California in 2008.
Jumping to inevitabilities
Don’t jump to conclusions. The Fellowship of Presbyterians has launched a new denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO), signaling yet another structural divide in the mainline Presbyterian Church family (see pp. 12-16). But it remains to be seen whether this will produce a split or just a splinter. That depends on us. All of us.
Few churches appear ready to leave for new Presbyterian denomination
ORLANDO, Fla.
It appears that a relatively small number of congregations are ready to bolt the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) immediately to join the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, a new denomination that the Fellowship of Presbyterians formed in January and which will begin accepting congregations as members April 1.
‘God is calling us to dream’: ECO begins to take shape
ORLANDO, Fla.
The outlines of a new denomination — the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, or ECO for short — began to take shape as the Fellowship of Presbyterians held its Covenanting Conference in Orlando Jan. 18-20.
Fellowship’s theology document described as a work in progress
ORLANDO, Fla.
Two members of a writing team that produced a document on theology for the Fellowship of Presbyterians — a document that’s part of the constitution for the new denomination the Fellowship has created — answered questions about their work, and said they expect additional changes to be made in what they’ve produced.
Younger leaders not rushing to the exits
ORLANDO, Fla.
Most of the young evangelical church leaders attending a recent Fellowship of Presbyterians event came from congregations that either plan to stay in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) or are still deciding whether to leave.
Is the PC(USA) still Christian?
Genesis 37 begins the tragic and redemptive story of the children of Israel. In a few brief paragraphs, a vivid picture is painted of a family rife with conflict.
Why sweat through ‘calling’ a pastor when it’s simpler to just go supply?
I motored my way from my home in Annandale, Va. out to the congregation I’d soon be serving part-time in Poolesville, Md. I had an 11 a.m. meeting scheduled with the clerk of session of the wee kirk there, to sign my first contract and talk about how things at Poolesville Presbyterian work.
Faithmatters: Is Presbymergence a promising path?
It is not news that the Emergent Church Movement has been shaking up American Christians who identify themselves as evangelical.
Baseline Christianity
Normally mature Christians do not wonder much in the new year if they kept the faith minimally enough in the past 12 months to get by. More likely, they feel guilty that they have failed to serve Christ with consistent commitment and worry more about the things left undone than what they did that offended God.
Harkening to connections across fearful generations
IN AN EARLIER COLUMN (4/10/11) I pointed out our denomination’s shocking lack of available pastoral calls, in comparison to the large numbers of pastors seeking calls. The column’s conclusion was a series of encouragements for entrepreneurial strategies to address the call shortage.
Interview with Oren Moverman, director of “Rampart”
January 10, 2012
Ronald Salfen: First, let me say that I really thought this was a high-impact film. Where did you get the idea for him to be married to two sisters? Was that from the Bible, perchance?
Film in review: “This Means War”
This thing is neither fish nor fowl. It tries to be both an action movie and a romantic comedy, somehow simultaneously, but not surprisingly, it has a little difficulty sustaining believability when it so easily flip-flops between one mode and another. After a while, we get the impression that it’s all just a big act, which of course it is, but somehow it lacks something along the lines of the necessary suspension of disbelief.
Film in review: “Thin Ice”
It’s very difficult to like “Thin Ice,” because none of the characters are likeable.
Film in review: “The Vow”
It’s based on a true story, though some of the plot holes seem to challenge veracity. Maybe they couldn’t make this up.
Film in review: “Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace” (just released in 3-D)
Yes, you have to remember that the original three (1977-1983) are now called IV,V, & VI, and what is now called I (1999) actually serves as a prequel, with II and III completing the back story leading up to the originals.
Film in review: “Rampart”
“Rampart” refers to the name of the police station in Los Angeles where Dave Brown (Woody Harrelson) still worked in 1999.
Faith groups participate in peace initiative for London Olympics
London (ENInews) Faith leaders and community groups in London are promoting "One Hundred Days of Peace" – an initiative to develop a "peace legacy" for the London Olympic Games this summer.
GAMC addresses gender imbalance among witnesses at congressional hearing
LOUISVILLE – The General Assembly Mission Council ended its meeting Feb. 17 with a flurry of votes, looking at both internal church issues and events in the nation. Here’s some of what happened.
Panel says it has reached a dead end in efforts to get 3 companies to change practices in Israel
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The 2012 General Assembly is being asked to consider a controversial recommendation that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) divest its holdings in three companies doing business in Israel – companies that a church committee on socially responsible investing has determined are engaged in “non-peaceful” activities.
MRTI recommends targeted divestment in 3 companies for nonpeaceful use of their products in Israel-Palestine
Update: On Feb. 17, the full General Assembly Mission Council approved by a voice vote the recommendation from the Mission Responsibility Through Investment committee. The recommendation on divestment now will go to the 2012 General Assembly for its consideration.
LOUISVILLE – It’s sure to be a controversial issue before the 2012 General Assembly: whether the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) should divest its holdings in three companies doing business in Israel.
3 Hispanic churches in Texas withdraw, may face eviction
Three churches in Mission Presbytery may all lack a center for worship this Sunday as their presbytery has responded to their “renunciation of jurisdiction” by serving an eviction notice.
Call goes out for study of women in leadership
LOUISVILLE –
Saying that questions remain about whether women are being treated as “equal partners” in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), a task force is asking the 2012 General Assembly to fund a research study to look more carefully at women in leadership in the denomination.
Panel’s proposals would revamp special offerings
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Over the next few months, leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will consider whether to make changes in the denomination’s four special offerings.