Church musicians walk a delicate line. Many are classically trained. Their tastes might be broad, but at some level, many believe that “serious music” is better than “popular music,” and it is their job to defend musical excellence.
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, during the meeting of the 218th General Assembly, slid messily out into public view.
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 – Commissioners to the 218th General Assembly voted to begin a four-year process to retranslate parts or all of the Heidelberg Catechism. After defeating a minority report that would have left intact the translation that was added to the Book of Confessions in 1967, the commissioners approved the plan of retranslation by a vote of 436 to 280.
Using computer troubleshooting as a metaphor for spiritual “troubleshooting,”
LOUISVILLE — The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC), the official publisher for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has unveiled a new management team following the confirmation of Marc Lewis as president and publisher.
“Sowing Mustard Seeds: Working for God’s Justice — Confronting Poverty” is the theme of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference that began Tuesday (July 15) in Orange, Calif. The conference, being held on the campus of Chapman University, concludes July 19.
The latest edition of “Batman” is slick, scary, and contains an outstanding performance from an actor since deceased.
So, 250 Presbyterians gathered at a beautiful mountain retreat – provided by co-sponsor, the Montreat Conference Center.
LOUISVILLE — The three top leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have sent a follow-up letter to the one they issued immediately after the recent 218th General Assembly, asking Presbyterians “to continue to celebrate with us good news of our General Assembly and of our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).”
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days — and also afterward — when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.” (Genesis 6:4)
Radical engagement with the other: Church Unbound day 3
Bangalore, India — (ENI) A Christian father in Pakistan is trying without success through the courts to gain custody of his two pre-teen daughters who were kidnapped and made to convert to Islam.
Canterbury, England — (ENI) When the first Lambeth Conference opened in 1867, only 76 of the Anglican Communion's 144 bishops accepted an invitation by the Archbishop of Canterbury to attend because of disagreement among them about the way the church was shaping-up in British colonies.
Geneva — (ENI) The World Council of Churches says it will send representatives to a 16-18 July international interfaith conference convened in Madrid by the Muslim World League following an initiative by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.
LOUISVILLE — Elizabeth “Lib” McGregor Simmons was installed June 1 as the first-ever permanent female pastor and head of staff at 171-year-old Davidson College Church [www.dcpc.org] in Davidson, N.C. In the process, she became one of only a handful of women across the country leading large Presbyterian churches with multiple clergy staffs.
LOUISVILLE — Tapping into a higher power, Limestone Church in Wilmington, Del., is installing a solar-electric generating system, which will make the congregation the state’s first church to draw its electricity from the sun.
“It was his youthfulness.”
“He’s the new Rick Ufford-Chase.”
SAN JOSE – The 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has elected as its moderator, Bruce Reyes-Chow, the youngest candidate in the race, and the only one of the four candidates who did not wear a necktie. He is a technologically-savvy Asian-American who described himself as the pastor of a “funky urban church” in San Francisco.
SAN JOSE – This was a first for a Presbyterian General Assembly: an opening worship service (Sunday morning, June 22) held simultaneously in two locations in Silicon Valley, linked by the power of technology.
A same-sex wedding made possible by a recent California Supreme Court decision was held June 21 at the conclusion of the More Light Presbyterians’ traditional reception and dinner during the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
SAN JOSE - Surrounded by about 40 colleagues, friends and family members, Joseph D. Small was honored at a gathering of his peers June 20. Small was presented a Festschrift, a book of collected theological essays honoring Small’s achievements and leadership in the field of ecclesial theology.
More than 500 Christian activists, clergy, lay leaders, students, and scholars at the Envision 08: The Gospel, Politics & the Future conference held June 8-10 in Princeton, New Jersey, challenged each other to find unity in their diversity, and to move beyond side issues to a focus on God’s priorities of justice and reconciliation.
Why does a Presbyterian congregation in Roanoke, Va., care about the quality of pastoral ministry in Prestonsburg, Ky.? Or in Kane, Pa.? Or in Pasadena, Texas? Why would a congregation offer facilities, staff, homes, and members’ time to provide southern hospitality for eight ministers, most of whom had never been in Roanoke?
On April 5, the Presbytery of the James hosted a conference on evangelism. I found it a thought-provoking experience.
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