SAN JOSE – “We have presbyteries crying out for this kind of thing” and “now is as good a time as any,” said Joan Gray, moderator of the 217th General Assembly – speaking of the proposed revision to the form of government of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
SAN JOSE, June 21, 2008 — The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is in “deep need of renewal” and is on the verge of just such a renewal, outgoing General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick told 752 commissioners and 274 advisory delegates and corresponding members to the 218th General Assembly of the denomination during Saturday’s orientation.
SAN JOSE — After a number of failed attempts to land a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly, the Presbytery of San Jose finally succeeded in 2008 and local Presbyterians are excited, Committee on Local Arrangements chair Bob Bowles told the 218th General Assembly’s opening press conference June 20.
(PNS) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related publications and others won awards in the 2007 “Best of the Christian Press” competition sponsored by the Associated Church Press — the oldest and largest religious press association in North America.
The General Assembly Council has approved a mission budget for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for 2009 and 2010 that does not call for layoffs, but would use $7 million in reserves to balance the budget and would require the denomination to raise $2.1 million in new funding for world mission in each of the next two years.
Moving briskly and with little discussion, the General Assembly Council dispensed with a plateful of business April 25 — including passing a budget for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for 2009 and 2010.
LOUISVILLE -- The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC), official denominational publisher of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has announced changes in roles for several staff, most of which are effective immediately.
Marc Lewis, PPC president and publisher-elect, said, "These changes are intended to recognize achievement and to align staff in roles that both fit their skills and talents and result in improved effectiveness for PPC overall. It is PPC's practice to employ staff, as possible, in roles that individual staff find meaningful and satisfying while contributing to the overall success of the organization."
Dr. Donald Macleod served as a mentor and friend when I began studies at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1969. This Scottish Presbyterian revered Psalm100 as an international anthem of God's gracious friendship towards humankind. Its crescendo rises at the grand finale of praise: For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to the end of the ages.
When Donald Macleod stood by you, a student in his class knew this professor seldom fell away as a fair-weather friend. . We saw ourselves as "Macleod's Men," though the language may be sexist, it's how we described ourselves on campus when few women studied for ministry. He received telephone contacts from a myriad of Search Committees looking to fill their pulpits. When "Dr. Mac" extolled the strengths of one of his "men," Pastoral Search Committees seemingly treated Macleod's inventory of candidates as the very voice of the Lord.
Presidential contender Mike Huckabee, an ordained preacher in the Southern Baptist Convention, adores its theology. Born-again Jimmy Carter deplores it. Carter severed Southern Baptist ties in which he was raised because some leaders snarled like roaring lions at other Christians. Recruiting former president Bill Clinton, another Southern Baptist, Carter has cobbled together a coalition of Christians disgruntled with a denomination that keeps women in their place, strictly behind their men.
The seminaries affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) planned a variety of events in spring 2007 honoring graduates and awarding degrees. These included:
Austin Theological Seminary, Austin, Texas
The Reverend Dr. Robert M. Shelton, former president and Jean Brown Professor Emeritus of Homiletics and Liturgics of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary addressed graduates at the APTS commencement on May 20. Sixty-seven students were expected to receive degrees: fifty-two, the Master of Divinity; ten, the Master of Arts in Theological Studies; and five, the Doctor of Ministry. Among this year's graduates is Shelton's wife, the Reverend Frances Tilton Shelton, receiving the D.Min. degree.
Robert Shelton joined the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary faculty in 1971 and was named the Jean Brown Professor of Homiletics and Liturgics in1982. He served as academic dean for fourteen years before becoming president in 1996. Shelton served as interim senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas from October 2005 until November 2006. Shelton served as moderator of the 163rd General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1993, and has served on numerous committees and boards of that denomination and of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
