How can your church learn more about immigration issues and the challenges they raise for Christians? Here are some resources:
The General Assembly in 2004 passed a "Resolution Calling for a Comprehensive Legalization Program for Immigrants Living and Working in the U.S." https://index.pcusa.org/NXT/gateway.dll?fn=default.htm$f=templates$vid=GA216:10.1048/Enu$3.0
CLEVELAND -- President Michael Livingston of the National Council of Churches (NCC) has urged church communicators to "tell our story -- by any means necessary."
Livingston, a Presbyterian minister who also serves as executive director of the International Council of Community Churches, said: "Mainline Protestant and Orthodox churches have been pounded into irrelevancy by the media machine of a false religion."
He described what passes as religion to be "a political philosophy masquerading as gospel; an economic principle wrapped in religious rhetoric and painted red, white and blue."
c. 2006 Religion News Service
It's a profound if unanswerable question for many who ask God to heal the sick: Can prayer actually help another person recover from disease?
A group of prominent scientists recently sought at least part of the answer, in the largest study of its kind, and concluded that prayer from strangers had no effect on whether people suffered complications from coronary artery bypass surgery.
"The effect of intercessory prayer was neutral. It showed no sign of any benefit," said Charles Bethea, an Oklahoma cardiologist and researcher who participated in the $2.4 million study by the John Templeton Foundation, which supports exploration of ties between religion and science.
Not only were effects of prayer by strangers neutral, the study said, but a selected group of patients -- who knew with certainty that strangers were praying for them -- experienced complications at higher rates than did two other groups who were told only that they might receive prayer. The group faring best was the only one not to receive strangers' prayers.
The researchers acknowledged their study was not definitive and called for more research on the subject.
Many congregations, pastors, and families struggle with decisions about children in worship. The questions, and sometimes the arguments, are fairly predictable:
Aren't they too young to get anything out of worship?
I'm on duty all day everyday. I want this time for me.
We have to make it easy for young parents or they won't come to church at all.
Our pastor isn't very good with kids.
Nurturing the worship life of children is more than a chore; it is a holy responsibility and a joy!
Those Christian educators just won't take "No!" for an answer. Recent General Assemblies have rejected again and again proposals to ordain educators, yet presbyteries persist in submitting more overtures for the same. When will they give up? Or, maybe, should this year's GA return a different response?
Our attachment to the threefold offices of minister of Word and Sacrament, of elder, and of deacon is held almost as intensely as our affirmation of a Trinitarian God and our preference for three-point sermons. We have protected that structure against those promoting the office of bishop or of priest or of anybody else. Indeed, many of us urge our seminaries to appoint as faculty members only those who have been ordained to one of those offices.
We have not always been so jealously protective of the threefold structure of church office.
The following publishers provide a variety of age-appropriate curricula for use in churches:
Hands-On Bible Curriculum®
Hands-On Bible Curriculum uses everyday objects to help teach as Jesus taught. It's multi-sensory teaching tools and leader resources make preparation easier so teachers can focus on what really matters--the children. It was voted number one in a poll of children's education directors and Sunday school teachers for being: easiest to use, keeping children's attention, easiest to recruit, and most age-appropriate. Hands-On Bible Curriculum provides Teacher Guides and Learning Labs® for Toddlers - 2s through Grades 5 - 6 each quarter. They offer a free Hands-On Bible Sampler Kit that includes six lessons (toddlers - 6th grade); fun gizmos; six interactive teaching tools; a CD with eight songs and more. Their goal is to offer easy-to-use, impossible-to-forget lessons that last a lifetime.
What really happens in baptism?
Why don't we have godparents?
What does baptism mean for children born with birth defects?
Where does the water come from?
Why not wait until my child can decide for herself?
My spouse is not a church member, what do we do?
These are just a few of the questions I received when I surveyed pastors and educators in Presbyterian congregations in the United States and Canada as I prepared to write the book, "The Baptism of Your Child."
Many people raised the same issues, and, I suspect, some questions were given in the hope that I might provide a ready answer for parents. I found from my mini-survey that pastors have given a lot of thought to the meeting they have with parents before a child is baptized. I know from talking with parents over the years that many questions go unasked because parents are afraid to ask them.
Several years ago a small incident occurred that has been much in my mind since I received the Final Report of the Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church. The incident took place as a pastor and I drove home from a meeting. We had joined ten others in what was called a "discernment exercise," exploring future directions for the presbytery where we both served. Rather than just brainstorm and then debate ideas, the group had attended on Scripture, entered silence, listened deeply to one another's yearnings, even where those yearnings lay far apart. The group prayed. On the way home, for better than an hour, my friend talked about the "fresh bond in Christ" (his exact words) he was discovering with a person whose views differed dramatically from his own.
The Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity is recommending the General Assembly approve an authoritative interpretation of G-6.0108 that claims merely to clarify what has long been the historical position of the Presbyterian Church: that ordaining governing bodies have the final say on decisions of ordination. It once was common that presbyteries would allow candidates for ordination to declare their disagreements ("scruples") with the confessional standards of the church, and then determine if they would ordain the candidate nonetheless (lines 724-726). The recommended authoritative interpretation would revive this historic tradition (lines 1138-1179), encouraging governing bodies to hear the scruples of candidates and decide whether the stated scruples were sufficiently beyond the pale of our tradition to prohibit ordination.
I oppose it for two reasons: If it is approved, it will further erode the level of trust in our church; and it will be a top-down decision of a matter that the presbyteries have refused to allow.
When our daughter was five she began to have more than the usual difficulty going to sleep at night. She cried when we put her to bed, used all of the "tricks" we'd learned to ignore for staying awake, and frequently woke up during the night calling out to us or weeping. After several days of this behavior that was exhausting all of us, I decided it was time to talk. We walked home from kindergarten and stopped at the park.
"Do you know why you're afraid at night?" I asked.
"Yes," she said softly.
"Can you tell me about it?"
"I can tell you what I wish," was her answer.
"What do you wish?"
"You won't get mad?" she asked, turning her tear-filled eyes toward my face.
"I won't get mad. I promise."
"Mommy, could we please not watch the news at breakfast any more?"
It took my brain a few seconds to process this request, but I managed to say, "Well, of course! We don't even have to have the TV on in the mornings. Would that help?"
"I think so," she said with the most incredible look of relief on her face.
I'm a news junkie. Many of us are, and the media encourages us to believe that the most significant thing we can do in a crisis is to know everything there is to know. But the news has been scary for a long time: terrorists, plane crashes, war, a tsunami, hurricanes are just pieces of what children have learned about in the last five years. As families and as church we have a responsibility for offering help and hope for our children in frightening times. All of us, our children included, need to be reminded regularly of our certainty that God is present comforting us, loving us, suffering with us, and that God can be trusted never to leave us, even, perhaps especially, when things we cannot explain happen.
The Sunday School bulletin board quietly announces "Joseph: A Life of Changes" but down the hall there is nothing quiet about what the elementary children are doing!
In the Drama Room, three kindergarteners are dressed like Egyptian royalty while others, dressed like nomads, stand waiting for their bags to be filled with grain (or is that sand?). In the Art Room, excited first graders stare intently as oil-based paint, in a variety of colors, is swirled by a teacher who is telling the story of Joseph and how, like the paint, Joseph's life was constantly changing -- all under the direction of God's hand! Occasionally the teacher pauses to invite a child to lay a piece of paper on the paint and lift it gently so that everyone can marvel at the unique artwork with "oohs and ahhs." In the Theater Room, third graders settle into their seats, popcorn in hand, to view a popular video that follows the life of Joseph. In the Game Room, a group of eager fourth graders are wildly ringing their buzzers as they "chime in" with their answers in a rousing game of "Jeopardy" where the questions (in the form of answers of course) all come from the biblical account of Joseph's life. In another corner of the room stands a "Wheel of Fortune" board with this unit's memory verse waiting to be revealed. In the Kitchen, creative fifth grade "cooks" are stirring together their "Twelve Tribe Trail Mix" as they begin to learn about Joseph's family tree and the lineage it would foster. And in the Computer Room, sixth graders are navigating their way to Egypt using a computer game designed by one of the youth of the church.
Check back for updates as additional items are received (Last Update 5/3/06)
LOUISVILLE - Two deacons, two elders and two ministers have been named recipients of the 2006 Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Women of Faith Awards.
They are:
Deacon Betty L. Grunstra, of Brookville (PA) Presbyterian Church in
Kiskiminetas Presbytery, who gives much of her time to a visitation
program, primarily in nursing homes, and who has established an annual
Thanksgiving dinner for those who have no one with whom to celebrate the
holiday;
Deacon Dawn Harvin, who as chair of the board of deacons at Grace
Memorial Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh Presbytery) has
led her congregation into increasing community service ministries;
Elder Evelyn Bonner, of First Presbyterian Church, West Point, MS (St.
Andrew Presbytery), who has served as a volunteer leader at Sheldon
Jackson College in Sitka, AK, and at Mary Holmes College in West Point,
among others;
Elder Grace S. Kim, of Davis (CA) Community Church (Sacramento
Presbytery) who, because she has also lived in China and Korea, has been
a leading advocate for overseas and multicultural mission;
The Rev. Betty Meadows of Louisville (Mid-Kentucky Presbytery), who
first as an associate executive of Greater Atlanta Presbytery and now as
executive presbyter of Mid-Kentucky Presbytery has inspired growth in
evangelism, new-church development and spiritual renewal for pastors,
educators and church members; and
The Rev. Carmen Rosario-Reyes, parish associate at Jamesburg (NJ)
Presbyterian Church (Monmouth Presbytery), whose passion for including
Hispanic women and men into the life of the PC(USA) led her to found the
Hispanic Leadership Development and Enhancement Program at Princeton
Theological Seminary.
Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, Princeton Seminary's William Albright Eisenberger Professor of Old Testament Literature and Exegesis and the director of Ph.D. studies, was honored March 8, at the Princeton YWCA Tribute to Women 2006 Awards Dinner.
The YWCA honored sixteen women and the organizations that have stood behind them for the women's contributions to their professions, communities, educational institutions, or organizations.
In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah (2 Samuel 11:1a-TNIV).
Welcome to Eastertide, a season to enjoy Easter's afterglow, to anticipate Pentecost's empowerment, and to go off to war.
'Tis the season to prepare for General Assembly.
The spring of 2005--the first GA off year--afforded Presbyterians the luxury of focusing their attention on Jesus' resurrection and the Holy Spirit's outpouring. This year such reflections could be drowned out by saber rattling and megaphone shouting. The 217th war, er, uh, meeting of the GA looms on the Alabama horizon--just three months away.
Almost thirty years ago when I was a seminary student, I preached at chapel services at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. I remember those beginner sermons, because in preparing them I wrestled with two Scriptures that have subsequently become life verses for me. Maybe these Scriptures also speak to you, and perhaps they even speak to our denomination.
The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta has unanimously endorsed Joan S. Gray as a candidate for moderator of the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Gray is the fourth candidate for moderator. She joins Kerry Carson, pastor of First Church in Conrad, Iowa; Tim Halverson of Faith Church in Cape Coral, Fla.; and Deborah Block, pastor of Immanuel Church in Milwaukee, Wisc.
The election will be held at the start of the Assembly on June 15, in Birmingham, Ala.
Gray is a graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary (1976) who has served as an adjunct faculty member there and also has taught as adjunct faculty at Johnson C. Smith Seminary. She has taught at Princeton Theological Seminary in the continuing education department. She was ordained by Atlanta Presbytery of the former Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1978.
Editor's note: Three hundred years ago this year, the first presbytery was organized in what became the United States of America. This article is the second in a series exploring the historical overview of the Presbyterian presence in our country. The first installment ran in the Outlook issue of Feb. 20, 2006 (Click here to read the first installment).
IV
Americans moved on after the Civil War, and so did Presbyterians, to face the challenges and changes of industrialization, urbanization, and globalization. We were heavy hitters in dealing with these challenges. After Lincoln, several other Presbyterian Presidents helped shape these years. Grover Cleveland, for example, presided over the Spanish-American War, and we extended our presence to places around the globe, for example, in Hawaiian Islands and the Philippines. He was a Democrat. Benjamin Harrison was a Republican, while Woodrow Wilson was another Democrat. William Jennings Bryan, an "also ran," was known as the "Great Commoner" with a "golden tongue."
"Tsotsi" means "thug" in South African dialect. Tsotsi (Presley Chweneyagae, in a remarkable debut) is a thug, all right, from the slums of Johannesburg. He glares constantly, as if always boiling with rage. He is cruel, violent, and humorless. He surrounds himself with other thugs, and together they go to the central train terminal, where they find their victims. They rob people who are unguarded enough to flash a wad of bills when they are paying for a newspaper. When they return to their slums, they spend their stolen money gambling at dice, and when it runs out, they go steal again. Tsotsi seems to be practically unredeemable. And then something unexpected happens.
Both ministers and elders are, in our polity, presbyters and have taken solemn vows that differ only as to function. In governing bodies, we proclaim the parity of presbyters, and make this a main feature of our church's life.
When the idea of limited terms became a reality in the church, two situations arose. Some elders served with distinction and had no desire to be placed on a ready list. A congregation I served made the decision that one particularly long-term and honored elder would be placed in a special category and made an elder for life.
The other situation is that many elders are elected, serve, and then cease to serve while retaining ordination without any relationship to a governing body.
The rotary system is good in intent. Its adoption may have created a situation not expected.
Let's look at the office of Minister of Word and Sacrament. First, and foremost, he or she is a presbyter who must be a member of a presbytery. If a minister ceases to be related to a presbytery, he or she may be allowed to lay aside the office.
c. 2006 Religion News Service
The Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr., a fiery and controversial social activist, Presbyterian minister and author who saw social justice 'at the heart of the Gospel,' died Wednesday (April 12). He was 81.
Coffin, who had been suffering from congestive heart failure, died at his home in rural Strafford, Vt.
He rose to prominence in the 1960s as Yale University's chaplain, a position he used to great effect to campaign against the Vietnam War and fight for civil rights for blacks.
A natural leader for the protesting students of the 1960s, Coffin took his first 'Freedom Ride' to Montgomery, Ala., in 1961 to challenge the segregation of Southern buses. In 1968, Coffin was indicted on charges of conspiring to counsel draft resistance.
Louis B. Weeks, president of Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education, has announced plans to retire from the seminary June 30, 2007.
Weeks was named the sixth president of Union in May 1994.
In the March 29, 1944 edition of The Presbyterian of the South, editors E.T. Thompson and Aubrey Brown announced that the magazine was changing its name to The Presbyterian Outlook. They explained:
We choose this name because it describes our purpose and hope--to give the Presbyterian outlook on evangelism, stewardship, missions (at home and abroad), education, worship, morals and life; the Presbyterian outlook on the problems of the individual, the home, the Church, the nation (especially our problems here in the South), and the world; the Presbyterian outlook on things past, things present, and on the things which are still to come.
We have been and we shall remain Presbyterian.
We shall endeavor, with God's help, to present a helpful, constructive, Presbyterian, thoroughly Christian outlook on all matters which properly concern us--as Christians and as Presbyterians.
Editor's Note: This sermon was preached at the memorial service for James E. Andrews, former stated clerk, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) at Oakhurst Church, in Decatur, Ga., on March 12 by current PC(USA) Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick.
Scripture: Romans 8: 28-39
Jim Andrews was always at his best at General Assemblies. He could do amazing things there.
I will never forget the Phoenix Assembly in 1984 when Jim was elected stated clerk of the newly reunited Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Jim was masterful in the way he reached out and connected with the commissioners and advisory delegates. What convinced me that he was a master at this was when the Youth Advisory delegates gave Jim teddy bears because they thought he was "so cuddly!" I had thought of Jim as many things: a statesperson for the church, an architect of Presbyterian reunion, an ecumenist, a "drum major" for social justice, an able Constitutional interpreter -- but never "cuddly!" He had an amazing ability to connect with people when critical issues of the church were at stake -- and I knew that he had done that with the youth at that Assembly -- even if it did lead them to what seemed a strange conclusion to me.
With Easter Week, spring break and other incentives to use our time to read something inspiring, we recommend the following:
For adults
Were You There? Finding Ourselves at the Foot of the Cross, by Erik Kolbell. Louisville: WJKP, 2005. ISBN 0-664-22778-3. Hb., 163 pp., $14.95.
What would you have done were you there during Jesus' passion? Would you have provided comfort, as did Mary? Would you have betrayed him, as did Judas? Would you have abused the power entrusted to you, as did Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate? Kolbell skillfully puts us into the story of Jesus' passion and death in such a way that we are there--and that then is somehow now, too. Retelling Jesus' passion from the perspective of multiple characters, he offers rich insight into Jesus' story, and into our stories, as well.
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