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Statement on church property, resources

After holding an extensive interview with Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, reported in recent weeks on this Website and in the magazine, Outlook editor Jack Haberer, pressed Mr. Kirkpatrick to answer some of the particular questions that have arisen from Outlook's readers regarding the legal advice circulated by denominational leaders on the matter of church property disputes. Mr. Kirkpatrick met via conference call with the editor, along with Mark Tammen, Associate Stated Clerk for Constitutional Services, and Eric Graninger, General Counsel: Legal/Risk Services for the General Assembly Council. After discussing these matters, they agreed to prepare a detailed response to those questions. Here is that response

Over the past several months, some have expressed concern about two resources relating to church property that critics have called the 'Louisville Papers.' Others have expressed support for them. The first is a Polity Memorandum prepared by the Office of the General Assembly's Department of Constitutional Services, while the second is a Legal Memorandum prepared by the General Assembly Council's Office of Legal Services. (1) This statement comes to clarify the origin and timing of these resources.

The Polity Memorandum and the Legal Memorandum were created as resources enabling presbyteries to better understand and work with these processes. Presbyteries are in no manner compelled to use these documents. They are simply advisory and, hopefully, helpful. (2) While some may believe that the Legal Memo presents matters in rather stark terms, this simply reflects the legal process and terminology of secular litigation, where decisions are made by attorneys and judges (for whom Presbyterianism may be wholly foreign) under strict rules of evidence and procedure. The Legal Memo is a practical introduction to civil litigation, to assist presbyteries when they find themselves in such circumstances, but is by no means intended to encourage recourse to that forum.

Montreat Church: Presbytery votes to divide into two congregations

MONTREAT -- In a historic meeting April 24, the Presbytery of Western North Carolina voted 185 to 69 to divide the Montreat Presbyterian Church into "those who want to go" and "those who want to stay" in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  

The Montreat church will be divided into two congregations. Those wishing to remain in the denomination will retain the present name. Those wishing to leave will be dismissed as a congregation to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Wading through more than four hours of political quagmire with amended and substitute motions, the entire Revised Recommended Decision before Presbytery was adopted.

Step up and help: Presbyterians donate gifts, time, prayers to troops in Iraq

It often starts with one person -- one Presbyterian who thinks, "There must be something I can do."

At McDowell Church in McDowell, Va., a tiny congregation of about 50 members, that someone was retired artist and photographer Diane Stein. She wanted to find a way to support the men and women serving with the American military in Iraq.

For Stein, the war has definitely hit home: earlier, her granddaughter lost her fiancé in the conflict. Two hours be­fore he was killed, the fiancé e­mailed to say, "'Don't worry about me, baby, I'll be home.' ... But he never came home," Stein said. "These are our fam­ily members, our people."

So Stein started looking on the In­ternet for ways she could help support the troops, and came across the Web site www.anysoldier.com , which lists contact information for troops serving in the war and supplies they need.

Princeton professor receives 2007 Murray-Tutu book prize

The Andrew Murray­ - Desmond Tutu Prize for the Best Christian and Theo­logical Book by a South African in any official language of South Africa, will be awarded for the first time in 2007. The recipient is J. Wentzel van Huyssteen for his book, Alone in the World? Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology, published by Wm. B. Eerd­mans Publishing Company in the Unit­ed States.

Elizabeth Kiss installed as president of Agnes Scott

Elizabeth Kiss was installed as the eighth president of Agnes Scott Col­lege on April 20 at the school in De­catur, Ga.

In her installation address, she af­firmed the value of women's education in a time when women hold majority in the nation's coeducational institutions. "Decatur Female Seminary was estab­lished in the context of a south still reeling from the economic and social crisis of the Civil War," Kiss said, refer­ring to the college's original name. "Col. George Washington Scott, the Rev. Frank Gaines and the other founders were determined to elevate their community and convinced that the education of young women was key to this task.

Palestinian Bible Society building bombed in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestine (ABP) -- In the latest violence among warring Palestin­ian factions, a bomb severely damaged the Palestinian Bible Society building April 15 in Gaza City.

Eight Eckerd College students receive NOAA Hollings scholarships

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded scholarships in the 2007 Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program to eight Eckerd College students: Caroline Antolik, Jason Dorfman, Emma Hiolski, Kristen Jabanoski, Graham Johnston, Kassandra Smith, Caroline Storer, and Brittany Wright.

Since its inception in 2005, 17 Eckerd students have been named Hollings Scholars -- more than any other college or university in the United States.

Roger Harp Memorial Fund established

LOUISVILLE -- In recognition of his deep commitment to the pastoral care of ministers, a fund has been established in memory of..

Presbytery voting on changes to BOO Chapter XIV remains close

Voting by presbyteries remains close on proposed amendments to change Chapter XIV of the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- an indication that what some consider to be a flexible streamlining of the rules, others are finding problematic. 

Overall, the Chapter 14 revisions being proposed are intended to reword and simplify the document (the revised version is about one-fourth shorter than the current chapter) and to give presbyteries more flexibility in calling pastors.

But clearly Presbyterians have differing views on the wisdom of the proposal.

Zimbabwe’s Mugabe says Catholic bishops are on ‘dangerous path’

Harare, 4 May (ENI)-- Zimbabwe President President Robert Mugabe has warned Roman Catholic bishops who published a pastoral letter criticising his government over the country's mounting economic and economic crises, saying that they have chosen 'a dangerous path'. 

Mugabe said the bishops had become political. He described the letter written by the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference and read to congregations across the country on Palm Sunday (1 April) as 'political nonsense'. 

FOG task force will submit two versions of polity revisions

LOUISVILLE -- A task force charged with revising the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Form of Government (FOG) has backed away from its proposed rewrite of the PC(USA) Constitution's theological underpinnings (chapters 1-4 of The Book of Order).

The task force was authorized by last summer's 217th General Assembly to revise the FOG to make it more flexible for presbyteries and congregations. Some members of the task force had drafted a new section to replace the first four chapters.

But instead of recommending this new section entitled "The Foundations of Presbyterian Polity," the nine-member Form of Government Task Force tentatively decided at its April 12-14 meeting here to submit both "Foundations" and the existing first four Book of Order chapters to the 2008 assembly and let commissioners decide which they prefer.

Isabel Wood Rogers: educator, church leader, author (1924-2007)

c. 2007 Religion News Service

Isabel Wood Rogers died March 18 at Westminster Canterbury, Richmond, at the age of 82, after a battle with cancer. "Dr. Izzie" as she was often called, left us a rich heritage.

She was born in Tallahassee, grew up and then took degrees at Florida State University, the University of Virginia (political science), the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (Richmond, Va.) and Duke University where she earned a Ph.D. in theology and ethics and was Phi Beta Kappa. After serving as Presbyterian chaplain and director of religious activities at Georgia College and State University she settled down as professor of applied Christianity at PSCE, now Union-PSCE in Richmond, for 37 years from 1961 to 1998.

She left us a heritage of insightful written works, focusing on her interests.

Izzie wrote a brief study entitled, In a Word: The Power of Language  in which she explores the "shaping power" of language, such as words the biblical authors used to describe God as a "decreeing, punishing, conquering" and also "delivering, "divine." She warned against idolatry of race, class, age, and even of ourselves as we use language that creates God in our own image.