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A pastoral letter from CANAAC on hurricanes and tropical storms

To the member churches of the Caribbean and North American Area Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, its steering committee, heads of Communions, ecumenical officers, delegates, CANACOM partners, WARC executive committee members residing in this region:

A Vital Word (September 2008) A monthly column for the church by the stated clerk

LOUISVILLE — (PNS) This past month was full of adventure.

Gustav tears roof from Presbyterian church in Louisiana; manse in Mississippi heavily damaged

LOUISVILLE — Hurricane Gustav ripped the roof from a Presbyterian church north of Baton Rouge, La., and a manse in Natchez, Miss., was heavily damaged by falling trees.

Preventive health care tool was introduced last year

PHILADELPHIA — The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has announced that it will continue to offer the Mayo Clinic Health Assessment, a benefit for active Medical Plan members and spouses designed to encourage members and their families to engage in preventive healthcare, thereby improving their overall health and helping contain healthcare costs.

Indian Christians say state government wants to punish them

Bangalore, India — (ENI) Christian groups have expressed dismay at attempts by the government of India's southern Karnataka state to take action against hundreds of church educational institutions after they closed for a day to protest at ongoing violence against Christians in eastern Orissa state.

Elizabeth Andrews funeral September 6

(PNS) Elizabeth Andrews, a well-known Atlanta educator and widow of late Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) General Assembly Stated Clerk James E. Andrews, died suddenly Aug. 27 of a massive infection.

Presbyterian leaders assessing damage from Gustav

LOUISVILLE — Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders were still working Tuesday (Sept. 2) to assess Presbyterian-related damage from Hurricane Gustav, which roared from the Gulf of Mexico into southern Louisiana on Monday as a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph.

World fascinated by Amish ‘forgiveness’ as U.S. membership numbers double

(ENI)--Nearly two years after five Amish girls were killed in a grisly Pennsylvania school shooting, Anabaptist experts at nearby Elizabethtown College field a constant stream of questions from around the world about the religious group.

Volunteers work on flooded Iowa homes as winter approaches

The floods in Iowa didn’t come in one dramatic, before-and-after moment. The rain kept coming, the water kept rising, and downriver, the trouble passed on from town to town to town.

Women of Faith Award winner Theodora Jackson dies

(PNS) Theodora Grace Jackson, 84, a recipient of this year’s Women of Faith Award at the recent 218th General Assembly, died July 27 in Brewster, N.Y. A memorial service was held July 30 at First Church of Katonah, N.Y.

Dangerous Elders

Why have such a conference?

I anticipated that question might be on the minds of many of those who gathered for the first-ever National Elders Conference in Nashville, Tenn., in August 2007.

The Presbyterian Elder

The position of elder is the oldest active office still being used in the Christian church today. Although the apostleship no doubt precedes it in prestige, power, and antiquity, it did not remain a permanent office since it was limited to those who had a direct commission from the risen Jesus himself and had unique gifts from the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1–26; 1 Cor. 12:1–11, 29).

Burning out or bearing fruit

Years ago members of a church I was serving talked about people who had once been very active in the congregation but whom I had never met. I asked someone who these people were.

Benefactors or beneficiaries?

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people. … ” The gifts he gave that were some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the full measure of the full stature in Jesus Christ (Eph. 4: 7-8, 11-13.)

New networks for leaders

The call to leadership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is a call to diverse forms of service. Ruling Elders are also charged to nurture the faith and life of the congregation while encouraging members in worship, service, mission, and care.

Exercise your ministry!

“I really don’t feel qualified. I think a minister should lead the committee — someone who has studied the Bible.”

Elders living, teaching the Bible

The Book of Order makes it clear: Elders “should cultivate their ability to teach the Bible. … ”  

What elders should know about preaching

Preaching forms the theological mind and heart of a congregation. A congregation nurtured by preaching that plumbs the murky depths of truth, preaching that provides a realistic and relevant engagement with the Scriptures, will show signs of spiritual depth and maturity.

Biblical ethics: Who believes that stuff anymore?

While our Presbyterian General Assembly met in San Jose, a presidential candidate out on the stump asked during a speech, “Which passages of Scripture should guide our public policy?