SAN JOSE – The 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) kicked off this morning with some bursts of hope – with voices from the leadership of the denomination telling of their work and their conviction that, in the words of Robert Wilson, vice-moderator of the 217th General Assembly, “we are better together.”
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.
(PNS) Mark McCalla, pastor at Highlawn Church in Huntington, W.V., was June 19 in what police are investigating as a homicide.
PNS/SAN JOSE — The official 2007 statistics for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) were released June 20 by the Office of the General Assembly on the convening day of the 218th General Assembly.
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.
LOUISVILLE – A new fellowship started in Presbytery de Cristo and the Synod of the Southwest now enables Middle Eastern Presbyterians and other Arab-speaking Christians in the area to worship in their own language and culture.
An overture from the Presbytery of John Knox (Item 05-12) intends to overturn the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission’s authoritative interpretation (AI) in the recent Bush decision. The PJC ruled that determinations made under G-6.0108 “do not permit departure from the ‘fidelity and chastity’ requirement found in G-6.0106b” (Headnotes).
One of the most important tasks of church officers and pastors is to visit the sick, take care of shut-ins, and meet with members who are in personal or public distress.
Memorial Day weekend, followed six weeks later by the Fourth of July, compels worship planners to consider the place of patriotism in church.
When the General Assembly commissioners* take up proposals regarding sexual orientation and practice, three questions will hang in the air.
Linda Valentine, executive director of the General Assembly Council, said she is praying that “this is a good-news assembly.”
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.
This coming General Assembly can correct a false categorical declaration the Assembly made in 1978 — “that the practice of homosexuality is sin.”
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.
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