Camp and conference centers in the PC(USA) continue to play a vital and expanding role in the denomination. They provide and support Christian education, disciple-making, young adult leadership, congregational support, retreats of all varieties, evangelism and outreach.
W ith dollars being hard to come by and congregations and presbyteries feeling the pinch, many Presbyterian camps and conference centers are in a season of re-evaluation. Some have closed, and some are reconfiguring to diversify and firm up their financial base.
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.
Maryland is thinking about letting gays and lesbians get married.
A century ago, the geographic center of Christianity was in Europe and North America.
First, a disclaimer: I am happily married to a person whose vocation is sociology of religion.
Correction:
In the story, “In Pakistan, an island of clarity amid a sea of mixed messages” (pub. Jan 26), David Stoner was identified as former interim director of the General Assembly Council. He actually was the executive director. Also, Christy Munir did not teach at Gordon College but was chair of the chemistry department of Qaid-I Azim University. He was selected to become chairman of the board for Gordon College if the PC(USA) finally takes back the school.
Check the Amazon.com listings of recent books about Pakistan and you will perceive a theme: “The Unraveling …, ” “Descent into Chaos,” “ … the World’s Most Frightening State,” “Deadly Embrace …, ” “ … the Hard Country.”
With Living Waters for the World’s vacation bible school (VBS) curriculum, “Clean Water for All God’s Children!,” attendees will not go on safari or to the rain forest or on a sea cruise or have a space adventure. What they will do is learn about the miracle of clean water. And have the opportunity to provide clean water for some of God’s children.
Martin Luther’s footsteps are all over Germany — where he preached, prayed and inspired people to think about God in a new way.
Travel in Germany and the phrase “in former times” becomes almost a refrain. It can mean, depending on the context, during World War II, during the Communist era that divided the country for more than 40 years, during the Nazi regime which so scarred the country, or during an even longer stretch of history leading back to medieval times.
Once upon a time, in the 1600s, Martin Luther was a best-selling author in Europe. And his rise in popularity was connected to a technological revolution of the time: Johannes Gutenberg’s development of the printing press.
Exactly how Presbyterians would rank the top news of 2011 in the denomination, and how they would characterize what happened, will depend on their perspective. Here’s an effort to recap some of the biggest developments of the year. Feel free to make your own list.
Here I will confess, if that’s the appropriate word, I myself am a lapsed Presbyterian. It’s the diction that did it, finally, the worn-thin, shabby, church-poor words, so overused they connote to me a poverty of spirit, not the richness of it.
— E.L. Doctorow, The Waterworks
No college is right for everyone. But
anyone planning to go to college can,
with a little research, find schools
that are a good match for his or her
interests, abilities and personality.
I’ll never forget the day Dr. Tom Gillespie, then president of Princeton Theological Seminary, restored my academic pursuit and pastoral training such..
Preachers love analogies, so here’s one.
It’s no secret that in the Presbyterian world money is scarce at every level, from the denomination to the individual church. Folks hear of congregations without pastors, buildings locked and sold, yet another round of layoffs.
In the 25th chapter of Matthew, we hear of the master who left his holdings to three servants in varying numbers of talents, an ancient denomination of money. One received five talents, one received two and one got a single talent.
Ever gone to a presbytery meeting and wondered before you got out of the car who you might encounter? Here is a cheat sheet that will help prepare you to identify who is attending by checking the kinds of cars in the parking lot.
You’ve mastered Greek parsing, decoded Hebrew, passed your ordination exams and now are dreaming in the confusing acronymic language that is seeking a first call: With the approval of my CPM, I’m self-referring my PIF to the PNC after reading their CIF on the CLC … .
Augsburg Fortress (augsburgfortress.org)
ReNew and the Parable of the Sower (age specific material)
Printed on recycled paper and soy-based ink, this green VBS program brings together the Bible and environmental stewardship. Besides being a flexible program that encourages hope, opportunity, and service, ReNew is based on one story: Jesus’ Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9). Children explore the parable in-depth, rather than trying to learn multiple non-consecutive stories over a short period.
BALTIMORE – What is the future in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) of presbyteries and synods?
Why can’t American Christians be more like Koreans? Why can’t they honor and learn from their older adult family members the way the Koreans do?
Editor's note: This is a response to the post-General Assembly Outlook article, " Assembly approves removal of fidelity, chastity; presbyteries to vote..
MINNEAPOLIS —The 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has directed a special committee to engage in a retranslation of the Heidelberg Catechism. And it voted to ask the presbyteries to add the Belhar Confession from South Africa to the PC(USA)’s Book of Confessions.
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