A tented prayer chapel for use during the 218th General Assembly in San Jose is being provided by San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo, Calif., according to plans the seminary announced recently.
Katherine Joy “Katie” Skattebo is the 2008 winner of The Presbyterian Outlook Church-College Partnership Award. Initiated in 2007, the award is given to a graduating senior from a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related college who has written the winning essay on the subject, “How my education at a PC(USA)-related college has prepared me for significant service and leadership.”
Editor’s Note: The Outlook recently addressed a series of questions to the candidates standing for stated clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Here are the questions and their responses:
Wouldn’t it be great if the headlines coming out of this General Assembly are inspiring and bold, about commitments to expanding participation in God’s mission and to growing God’s church? Good News. It’s possible.
Recommendation 5 of the Report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church was designed to help cushion the damaging effects of controversy in the church.
Trust is increasingly raised as an issue in our denomination. For instance, those who oppose the proposed Form of Government are saying that where trust is a problem, as it is in the church now, we should not reduce the rules under which we operate in favor of greater discretion.
The Presbyterian Outlook cover picture of a closing door (March 10 issue) does capture the immediate and frankly sad meaning of the February judicial decision about fidelity and chastity in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), but not all of it.
I was newly ordained, and the opportunity to attend my first national assembly was no small thing. We rented the largest car we could, and piled in as many of our leaders as would reasonably fit, so several of us could go to the convention.
I didn’t grow up in a family of faith, much less in the Presbyterian tradition. I grew up in a Northern California town with only one church, a community church.
Editor’s Note: The author wrote the following article in response to Agnes Norfleet’s Benedictory column, “Thank God for PKs” in the March 10, 2008, Outlook.
Revisions to the statement, “Vigilance against Anti-Jewish Ideas and Bias,” prepared by the Office of Interfaith Relations of the PCUSA, have drawn sharp criticism from three American Synagogue leaders.
JEFFERSONVILLE, IND — Fifteen semi-finalists have been announced in the inaugural Youth Video Challenge sponsored by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation on its social networking site, ymiLIVE.org
Jan DeVries, Synod executive for the Synod of the Southwest notified the Presbyterian Foundation June 4 that the Synod had voted to withdraw its proposed Overture 85 from the 218th GA agenda. The leadership of the Presbyterian Foundation responded with a statement in appreciation of the Synod's decision.
Bob Leech, President and CEO of the Foundation was encouraged by the decision of Conrad Rocha, Synod Moderator and the Rev. DeVries to recommend a withdrawal of the overture from the GA's business agenda and the Synod's subsequent vote to affirm such action.
When I told some New York friends recently that Memorial Day weekend would find me eating fried chicken in the Paddock at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, watching the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, they were shocked.
We have not yet met but I look forward to greeting you (N. Scott Cupp). Already I am in your debt. You gave the time to listen to my speech repeatedly and the time to write a response. Further you say you found it very interesting and are appreciative of much that it says. Add to this my ready admission that listening to the speech cannot have been a pleasant experience if one identifies ones self with the progressive camp. Thank you for your grace.
Ever since the November article in the Layman quoting you (Jerry Andrews) from Gathering X came out, I have wrestled with whether or not to write in response to that article. I then listened to your speech (several times) … and I appreciated much of what you had to say. Recognizing that it was intended to buck up the troops, it left many questions unanswered for those who were not there and yet were painted by your broad brush.
Editor’s Note: In order to help overview peacemaking, justice and environmental initiatives coming before the General Assembly, the Outlook invited Ron Kernaghan of Fuller Seminary, co-chair of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) and Chris Iosso, coordinator of ACSWP, to allow our readers to listen in to a conversation between them on the related proposed legislation.
This year we observe the hundredth anniversary of the so-called “Social Creed of the Churches,” adopted in 1908 at the founding of the Federal Council of Churches. Frank Mason North, who in 1904 had written the hymn “Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life,” proposed it. Charles Stelzle, a Presbyterian engaged in ministry to working people in New York, seconded the motion.
The four declared candidates for moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) were together for the first time in two back-to-back forums on April 25 held at Presbyterian-related Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, N.J., and Lawrenceville Church in Lawrenceville, N.J.
Recently our church has been studying the shortest books of the Bible. The epistle to Philemon has been of particular interest because it is so focused.
