SAN JOSE, June 26, 2008 — “Why do we continue to do Christian education? Because we want our lives to be something bigger than just our own stories. We want to be part of God’s story,”
SAN JOSE, June 26, 2008 — Near the end of her remarks at the Presbyterian Writers Guild (PWG) luncheon June 26, Marj Carpenter said, “I like to write so much that I feel sorry for people who never get to write.”
SAN JOSE -- The Rev. Byron Wade, pastor of the Davie Street Church of Raleigh, N.C., was confirmed as vice moderator of the 218th General Assembly on Wednesday (June 25).
SAN JOSE – The 218th General Assembly is sending a proposed revision of the denomination’s Form of Government back for more work – with a report to come back to the next General Assembly in 2010.
The General Assembly Nominating Committee (GANC) report took about an hour to generate zero news, until it finally made one little ripple just before finishing today (June 26).
SAN JOSE – Commissioners to 218th General Assembly meeting here voted today (June 26) to begin a four-year process to retranslate parts or all of the Heidelberg Catechism.
The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship honored four Peaceseekers at its breakfast on Wednesday morning at the General Assembly of the PCUSA. Anita David and Beth Pyles were awarded the 2007 Peaceseeker Award for their accompaniment work in Iraq.
SAN JOSE – The question of how Christians can witness to their faith in an interfaith world is never easy — and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is hoping to provide guidance in that through a new ecumenical policy statement.
“Glorious words we all have written, members of the Writer’s Guild,” sang those gathered today (June 26) at The Presbyterian Writers Guild 30th Annual Luncheon in San Jose, singing “The Presbyterian Writers Guild Hymn”, written by Vic Jameson. Jerry Van Marter, writers guild vice president shared words in memory of the late Jameson, asserting that singing the hymn was a very appropriate method of tribute.
SAN JOSE — With a rousing rendition of “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less,” Presbyterians for Renewal (PFR) opened their General Assembly breakfast on Wednesday (June 25), with PFR executive director Paul Detterman enthusiastically leading those gathered in song.
Lisa Wraith, liturgical artist and recent graduate of San Francisco Theological Seminary is the designer of the 218th General Assembly’s prayer chapel. “I went to seminary because of General Assembly,” Wraith says, admitting that it is perhaps a bit unusual to receive a call to ministry through committee participation at GA.
CORRECTION: Theoriginal version of this story, posted June 23, incorrectly quoted Ben Willis, a pastor from Lehigh Presbytery. The story quoted Willis as saying, "I'm not gay any more -- I used to be. It's the transforming power of the Holy Spirit," when Willis was actually recounting a conversation he'd had with a man who attends his church, and who made those remarks.
SAN JOSE — For Melva Costen the year leading up to the 1983 reunion was busy, demanding and deeply personal. Her husband, the Rev. James Costen, was the 1982 moderator of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA).
On the 25th anniversary of the reunion of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (northern stream) and the Presbyterian Church in the United States (southern stream), people who were there look back.
SAN JOSE – If Presbyterians want to speak of the common ground in the faith of Christians, Muslims and Jews — perhaps as a way to build a bridge to deeper conversation — what’s the best way to do that?
“Let the needs of the world and not the failings of the church set our agenda,” said Mary Hunt, Catholic feminist theologian, to those gathered for the Voices of Sophia breakfast Tuesday (June24).
A Church Growth and Christian Education Committee recommendation to produce human development resources for adolescents was approved by the 218th General Assembly Wednesday (June 25) after deliberations that included passionate, personal arguments for and against the creation of what was expected to take form as a new curriculum.
SAN JOSE – They had to endure some scolding, but the General Assembly Council (GAC) and the Presbyterian Foundation seem to have found a path for resolving future disputes over the disbursement of funds – disagreements that, at this week’s meeting of the 218th General Assembly, slid messily out into public view.
SAN JOSE – Leadership is a big deal at this year’s General Assembly – with the election June 21 of Bruce Reyes-Chow, http://www.mod.reyes-chow.com/ the young, tech-savvy pastor of a multicultural church, as moderator, and with the assembly scheduled to pick a new stated clerk on June 27.
SAN JOSE -- The General Assembly Youth Committee meeting June 24, using an interactive visioning process to address Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) concerns about the nature of adolescents, youth ministry, and resources for faith development, hammered out a series of recommendations for the Assembly's consideration later this week.
SAN JOSE -- Using his own church as an example, the Rev. Jin Kim, pastor of the Church of All Nations in Minneapolis, Minn., called for Christians to “lay down their sword of power and privilege and to walk humbly with God.”
SAN JOSE -- All attempts to mandate changes in the ways per capita is spent at the General Assembly level were turned aside by a General Assembly committee meeting Tuesday (June 24).
SAN JOSE — One hundred years after “A Social Creed of the Churches” [www.pcusa.org/acswp/socialcreed] joined Christians together to work to ease the human costs of industrialization, General Assembly’s Social Justice Issues Committee passed a new social creed Tuesday June 24) to “meet the challenges of sustainability and globalization.”
SAN JOSE — The Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations has voted to recommend that the 218th General Assembly adopt four ecumenical agreements intended to move the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) toward greater unity with other denominations.
