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Half of Katrina funds unspent, part of long-term planning

LOUISVILLE -- So far, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has taken in more than $24 million in cash donations for Hurricane Katrina relief and $112,000 in donated materials.

It has distributed 18,160 "immediate response kits" worth $340,000

It has provided 91,776 volunteer days of service -- volunteers who repaired 3,380 homes and rebuilt 565 houses. More than 31,350 volunteers have come to help.

But with an emphasis on being around to help for the long haul, sticking around to provide assistance after others may have gone home, it so far has spent only about $12 million, roughly half of what's been given. And that has some members of the General Assembly Council worried.

Nyomi addresses council, governing body executives

LOUISVILLE -- God's assurances in 1 Peter that believers are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" are dangerous words if they are misconstrued, World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) General Secretary Setri Nyomi told a gathering of General Assembly Council members and middle governing body executives here Sept. 17.

"In the dangerous world in which we find ourselves, claiming these words as proof that we are right and those who disagree with us are wrong can be very dangerous," Nyomi said. "Such a reading has too often led to hatred, violence and war."

Emergent churches seek new ways to worship, serve

Emergent worship folks in the Presbyterian church are trying to figure out where to go from here -- along the way taking the temperature of people interested in the emergent life, and planning more conversations.

A new book -- An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, including some essays written by Presbyterians -- attempts to lay out aspects of emergent thinking. There's ongoing conversation about where and how missional and emergent approaches converge and diverge.

And a tantalizing question asked at a July emergent gathering in San Francisco, according to Karen Sloan, a Presbyterian who's the author of Flirting with Monasticism: Finding God on Ancient Paths and who's been helping to organize some of these events, was: "What is presbymergent's agenda?" and does it intend to change the church?

Claire Randall, 91, dies; Presbyterian elder was leader of NCC, Church Women United

Claire Randall, a Presbyterian elder who served the church and ecumenical movement for more than 30 years in top posts, died Sept. 9 in Sun City, Ariz. She was 91.

Randall, a native of San Antonio, Texas, was an artist, designer, music director, educator, Bible scholar and theologian. But her greatest gift to the Christian church was her commitment to ecumenism.

Christian leaders welcome Muslim letter urging cooperation

Geneva/Rome, 15 October (ENI)--The head of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, has welcomed an open letter by 138 Muslim scholars urging Christians and Muslims to seek common ground and he has said the Geneva-based WCC is ready to help

    'It is significant in that it is signed by such a large group of Muslim leaders and scholars from around the world, which makes it unprecedented,' WCC general secretary Kobia said in 15 October comments to Ecumenical News International. 'Such a rare unity of purpose gives great hope as to what people of faith can achieve together.'

Council reviews provisions of draft governance task force report

LOUISVILLE -- In what could be a preview of what to expect at next summer's General Assembly, the General Assembly Council heard a summary of the recommendations of the Form of Government Task Force during its meeting Sept. 18-21. And, not surprisingly, the council members had both praise for the task force's hard work -- and some questions and concerns.

The Form of Government Task Force has been meeting for a little more than a year with a gargantuan task: to rewrite the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to make it more concise, more flexible, more theologically grounded.

The task force is posting its work online (www.pcusa.org/formofgovernment /), asking for comments and suggestions from Presbyterians while there's still time to make revisions. And it's offering video clips of task force members responding to frequently-asked questions.

Council moves to create separate disaster assistance corporation

LOUISVILLE -- Acknowledging the need to adapt to new patterns of charitable giving in the United States, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s General Assembly Council voted in September to separately incorporate Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).

A "very limited, related and dependent" PDA corporation will be able to accept employer matching funds for employee gifts, as well as government and foundation grants, many of which are currently not available to church agencies.

The incorporation would also give PDA higher visibility, as it would be included on published lists of non-profit charities that exclude church groups.

Islamic scholars seek ‘common ground’ with Christian leaders

Geneva, 11 October (ENI)--More than 130 Muslim scholars have said in a letter to Christian leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI and the head of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Samuel Kobia, that world peace depends on cooperation between Christianity and Islam.

         'Our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake,' the 138 signatories state in the letter made public on 11 October.

         The letter is also addressed to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos I and other Orthodox church leaders, as well as the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and the leaders of world groupings of Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed Christians.

Peace still a distant dream in Darfur

Nyala, Sudan, 10 October (ENI)--The killing in late September of 10 peacekeepers from the African Union in Sudan's volatile western region of Darfur is the most dramatic and publicized example of a steady decline in security during the last six months, and one that threatens humanitarian efforts championed by a wide spectrum of international faith-based groups and coalitions.

Ufford-Chase to receive Dignitas Humana Award

Rick Ufford-Chase, executive director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and moderator of the 216^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is being awarded the 2007 Dignitas Humana Award by St. John's School of Theology-Seminary.

St. John's, in Collegeville, Minn., grants the award annually to recognize...  

How will you vote on proposed amendments to the Constitution?

Your presbytery will soon be voting on proposed amendments to the Constitution.  You face an important question: How WELL will your elders and ministers vote?  That is, how well will they understand what's being asked of them? Will they be well informed?

Kirkpatrick will not seek fourth term; Committee seeking nominee

Clifton Kirkpatrick -- tall, ecumenically-minded, a nimble public speaker, and sometime lightening rod for controversy -- has decided not to seek a fourth term as stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Kirkpatrick's term of service will be completed at the close of the General Assembly meeting in San Jose in June 2008. His departure leaves the field open for a new leader of the Office of the General Assembly -- the chief constitutional officer of the denomination and its representative in meeting with religious leaders from around the world.

Clifton Kirkpatrick’s statement:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It has been an incredible blessing to be able to serve as Stated Clerk of the General Assembly for now going on twelve years, and to serve in leadership in the General Assembly and its mission for over twenty-six years. I give thanks to God for you who have been my partners in this journey, for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and for this unique opportunity to share in the service of Christ through this great church. This has been the best job I have ever had and a wonderful way to live out my call to ministry.

Council, regional execs wrestle with the “between”

LOUISVILLE -- "We are between eras."

Or: "Are you willing to let Christ change your life?"

Those could be bumper stickers for the discussion Presbyterian leaders held Sept. 18-19 in Louisville, a joint gathering of presbytery and synod executives and members of the General Assembly Council.

These church leaders are looking for a way forward during a time of tremendous change -- changes in leadership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in technology, in the way Americans think about religion, in the way Christians in the U.S. relate to the rest of the world. The list could go on and on.

Sam Roberson, general presbyter of Charlotte Presbytery, was the guy who said "we are between eras" -- but he was just one person describing what's happening. Others suggested bumper stickers or text messages for the PC(USA) including "Presbyterian Church Finally Figures Out that God Really is In Charge."

Baskin leaves Outlook after reorganization

The Board of Directors of The Presbyterian Outlook Foundation meeting in Richmond, Va., September 6-7 voted to reorganize the staff and eliminate the position of publisher. Publisher Robert P. Baskin ended his service with the Outlook effective September 30 in order to pursue other business ventures.