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Founder of homeless ministry is third candidate for GA moderator

LOUISVILLE -- Carl Mazza, the founder and leader of "Meeting Ground," a community-based ministry with the homeless and other marginalized people in Elkton, Md., is the third announced candidate to stand for moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), next summer in San Jose, Calif.

Mazza was endorsed on Jan. 18 by New Castle Presbytery, based in Newark, Del.

Mazza, a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, founded Meeting Ground in 1981. It now encompasses two shelters, one for women and one for men; a transitional house; and a rural residential facility for men, women and children. Meeting Ground also operates a care program for children and youth and a church-based winter shelter program that rotates among area churches.

T.F. Torrance collection donated to Princeton Seminary

Princeton, N.J. -- The family of theologian and professor Thomas F. Torrance (1913--2007) has donated his books, personal papers, and manuscripts to the special collections of the Princeton Theological Seminary Libraries.

He was a frequent visitor to the seminary campus and also acted as an informal advisor and confidant to several of its presidents. His younger son, Iain R. Torrance, became Princeton Seminary's sixth president in 2004.

Guest Viewpoint: Issues for the church concerning the overture of Pittsburgh Presbytery on amending the Heidelberg Catechism

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 218^th 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, 400^th 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."

Gray speaks to “impact” of court decisions, kairos moment

LOUISVILLE -- Joan Gray, https://www.pcusa.org/gamoderator/bio.htm moderator of the 217^th 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/.

Kirkpatrick lists “Top 10 Issues” before next General Assembly

Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick's Preliminary Top 10 issues before the 218^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):

1. A New Form of Government -- The Special Task Force was created by the 217^th General Assembly to propose a revised polity that would be more flexible, more foundational and more appropriate for a missional Reformed Church in the 21^st century. That Task Force will be bringing a revised Form of Government for adoption by the Assembly and recommendation to the presbyteries.
2. Partnership in World Mission -- The 217^th General Assembly called for a consultation between the GAC World Mission program and a variety of mission initiators in the PC(USA). The fruits of that consultation will be before the Assembly in a call for an "Expanding Partnership in God's Mission" that involves a wide variety of groups working together for the renewal of world mission.

Number of mission workers dropping; Council to consider financial priorities

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."

“Real change” atmosphere as Council deals with mission, finance issues

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.

OGA issues explanation of PJC rulings on ordination standards

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

GAC budget faces big questions

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.

Presbyterian mission leaders covenant for “new collaborative model”

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."

Lisa Larges approved to seek ordination

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.).

Judicial Council considering presbytery resolutions on ordination standards

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.

GAPCJ hears standards-scruples cases

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.

Stan Hall, Austin Seminary professor, dies at 58

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.