This book is certain both to challenge and to enrich our preaching. J. Barrie Shepherd is both a poet and a preacher and so it is not surprising that his writing is more intuitive than analytic and more metaphorical than argumentative.
In the "flat" world of Internet-centric communications, churches are a major beneficiary.
Powerful tools once reserved for well-heeled organizations are available at little or no cost to everyone, including churches struggling to control costs. All it takes is the imagination to see possibilities, the humility to try new ways, and the will to overcome resistance from those who distrust technology or fight any change.
Part I of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Constitution, the Book of Confessions, is of particular interest to me. So I noted with attentiveness Pittsburgh Presbytery's overture to the 218th General Assembly to amend Part I of the Constitution of the PC(USA), the Book of Confessions, to, in the words of the overture, "restore The Heidelberg Catechism to an authentic and reliable English version of the historic document by replacing the 1962 translation, The Heidelberg Catechism, 1563-1963, 400th Anniversary Edition. Copyright 1962. United Church Press, with a translation that more faithfully renders the original text." In its rationale, the overture gives five examples of mistranslations of the original Heidelberg Catechism in the current PC(USA) Constitution. While each of these examples is interesting, many PC(USA) readers will be most interested in the fifth and last example, which concerns Q & A 87 in the Heidelberg Catechism having to do with "homosexual perversion."
LOUISVILLE -- Joan Gray, https://www.pcusa.org/gamoderator/bio.htm moderator of the 217th General Assembly, offered a word to a troubled church in the light of the recent decisions of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission (GAPJC) https://www.pcusa.org/gapjc/.
Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick's Preliminary Top 10 issues before the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):
LOUISVILLE -- In just two short months, the General Assembly Council will be asked to vote upon a proposed budget for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the next two years. And one difficult decision the council will have to make in April is how much to spend on international missionaries.
The bottom line is: because the denomination does not have enough money, the number of mission co-workers serving the denomination overseas is dropping at what's been described as a "'precipitous pace."
LOUISVILLE -- Rick Ufford-Chase, a former General Assembly moderator, has said it before. "There is, I believe, a Pentecost wind that is sweeping across the church today."
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- with new leadership and a new structure -- is recognizing that "we're in a time that requires collaboration, not centralization and control," Ufford-Chase told the General Assembly Council during the opening session of its meeting Feb. 13. He now leads the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship,
Ufford-Chase was discussing the gathering several weeks ago in Dallas of the Mission Consultation, which brought together more than 60 people representing a diversity of views. In the past, some had mistrusted each other's positions, but signed a covenant to work together in Presbyterian mission.
In the light of landmark rulings handed down Feb. 12 by the PC(USA)'s General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, the Office of Constitutional Services has published an advisory opinion explaining and summarizing the implications of those rulings. An advisory opinion does not exercise binding authority, but it does attempt to bring clarity.
The opinion can be found at the Office of Constitutional Services Web site: https://www.pcusa.org/constitutionalservices/ad-op/note21.htm
LOUISVILLE -- When the General Assembly Council meets again in April, it will be asked to consider a budget for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the next two years.
Here are some hard questions the council must answer.
How many overseas missionaries should the PC(USA) have? And where is the money going to come from to pay for them?
Here are the painful statistics.
Reflecting on this passage in its entirety is beyond the scope of this brief article. Two high points will be our focus. The first is the Christological confession of Martha and the second is the surprising anger of Jesus and its aftermath.
No, not the E.T. or the J.P. that first come to mind. That's E.T. as in Thompson, and J.P. as in Price.
'Tis no small thing to try to fill the shoes of E.T. Thompson. Ernest Trice Thompson and his partner, Aubrey Brown, took over the Presbyterians of the South newspaper and turned it into The Presbyterian Outlook in April 1954. In the years that followed Thompson collected articles, edited them, wrote editorials, and wrote Sunday School lessons -- and did all that every week.
DALLAS -- Saying, "God is calling us to new patterns of mission," 60 people instrumental in Presbyterian mission met in Texas January 20 and signed a covenant to work together in what they call a "new collaborative model of Presbyterian mission."
That covenant calls for doing mission together in trust and humility, with the participants pledging to encourage one another and to "celebrate and encourage diverse approaches and structures for mission while maintaining the unity of our participation in God's mission."
RICHMOND, CALIF. -- San Francisco Presbytery has cleared a candidate to proceed toward ordination as a minister who has declared a scruple -- an objection based on conscience -- to the denomination's ordination standards involving sexual practice.
The presbytery voted 167 to 151 on Jan. 15 to approve as "ready for examination, with departure" Lisa Larges, a lesbian who works as ministry coordinator for the advocacy group, That All May Freely Serve.
This is the first time a presbytery has approved a candidate who declared a scruple involving sexual practice following the General Assembly's adoption in June 2006 of the report of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
In semi-retirement I turned down an opportunity to serve on the candidates committee, as we used to call it, thinking that if I accepted the assignment I'd feel like I hadn't retired from anything. I'm sure those who do serve the committees on preparation for ministry are much appreciated for the work they do on behalf of new "recruits." Here are some "post-game" reflections for the benefit of those who're soon to become "rookies" and are wondering and wavering about whether or not to enter the field.
The discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus focuses on the Trinity.
After an introduction, in the dialogue between the two of them, Nicodemus makes three speeches to which Jesus gives three replies. Furthermore, Jesus introduces each reply with the phrase, "Amen, Amen I say to you." Whenever this phrase appears something of supreme importance is being said. In the Gospel of John, only in this text do three occurrences of this rare affirmation appear. What is their significance?
Churches should be aggressive in using latest technologies, both to maximize return on investment and to communicate effectively.
An e-mail newsletter is central. The days of the printed and mailed newsletter are over. They cost too much and are read too little, especially among young and middle-aged adults. You can offer a mailed newsletter to those who prefer it, but not many will prefer it. (One large church estimates that a regular postal newsletter costs $2,100 to prepare and send, not counting staff time; an e-mail newsletter costs $15.)
LOUISVILLE -- When a presbytery passes a resolution stating that it will enforce all mandatory standards for ordination from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) constitution -- granting no exceptions based on conscience -- is that merely an expression of opinion by the presbytery? Sort of a "here we stand" statement that has no practical effect in the individual examination of candidates?
Or does it have a "chilling" impact that will dissuade candidates who might want to declare a scruple, or an objection based on conscience, from ever making an attempt at winning approval in that presbytery?
Those are among the questions the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission (GAPJC) is pondering as it considers three cases in which it heard oral arguments on Feb. 8 and on which it is expected to rule soon.
Each of those cases involves resolutions which presbyteries -- in this case, Washington, Olympia, and Pittsburgh -- adopted in the wake of the 2006 General Assembly.
LOUISVILLE -- When a presbytery passes a resolution stating that it will enforce all mandatory standards for ordination from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) constitution -- granting no exceptions based on conscience -- is that merely an expression of opinion by the presbytery? Sort of a "here we stand" statement that has no practical effect in the individual examination of candidates?
Or does it have a "chilling" impact that will dissuade candidates who might want to declare a scruple, or an objection based on conscience, from ever making an attempt at winning approval in that presbytery?
Those are among the questions the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission (GAPJC) is pondering as it considers three cases in which it heard oral arguments on Feb. 8 and on which it is expected to rule soon.
AUSTIN -- Stanley Robertson Hall, 58, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary's Jean Brown Associate Professor of Liturgics and Homiletics, died February 3. He was at home when he died, having just begun his morning routines. His wife, the Reverend Gail Snodgrass, was with him.
The Service in Witness to the Resurrection will be held at Genesis Church in Austin, Texas, February 15 at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow at Austin Memorial Cemetery.
Washington, DC -- Religious leaders are often the first point of contact for domestic violence victims seeking a safe and secure place to disclose their abuse. Recognizing religious communities' integral role in supporting, counseling and advocating for victims of abuse, Jewish Women International (JWI) has launched a national Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition to amplify the faith community's voice in national policy and legislative initiatives.
LOUISVILLE -- Responding to the recent crisis in Gaza, the
National Middle Eastern Presbyterian Caucus (NMEPC) has
issued a statement calling for an end to Israel's
occupation of Palestine and its "siege" of Gaza residents.
The group's statement urged the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) "to take active measures to address American
implication in and support of Israel's occupation of
Palestine."
The statement comes after tens of thousands of Gazans
overran the border into Egypt last month when Palestinian
militants blasted through concrete and metal walls at the
Rafah border crossing. Egyptian shops were drained of basic
goods that were in short supply on the Gaza Strip under an
Israeli blockade aimed at pressuring Palestinian militants
to halt rocket attacks.
LOUISVILLE -- Lewis Langley Wilkins, a former middle governing body executive, pastor and scholar who was heavily involved in the movement that led to Presbyterian
reunion, died Jan. 31 of pancreatic cancer. He was 71.
Wilkins was born in Kerrville, Texas, where he graduated from
Presbyterian-related Schreiner University. He later earned degrees from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., and Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas.
Wilkins also engaged in doctoral study in Old Testament at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. He completed a Doctor of Ministry degree in church administration at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.
Slowing down, this holy season,
may be the way to go.
Letting go, at least an hour here
and there, of that wheel
with which you drive, and which drives you.
Recently the world of spiritual study and practice has been shocked by a previously unknown revelation about the severe doubts of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. For years she could not find Christ and at times doubted her calling to serve the poor. Some people wonder if they should continue to honor her as a spiritual mentor if she had such trouble finding her way.
Slowing down, this holy season,
may be the way to go.
Letting go, at least an hour here
and there, of that wheel
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