Why is America so sports crazy? What am I so sports crazy?
My eligibility to play on college athletic teams expired thirty years ago. I now have children older than the young men and women who are vying for national championships. Yet my interest in the outcome of those games -- and, at times, my irrational responses to what I am seeing on the court and on the field -- seem to be accelerating.
Would you be happy for your church to be called, "a school of the love of God"? Certainly our local churches often fall short of this goal; nevertheless, "a school of the love of God" is a noble description of the Church. Of course it is different from the classical definition of John Calvin, "wherever the Word is properly preached and the Sacraments correctly administered, there you can be sure the true Church is present", but surely he would have embraced "a school of the love of God" as a useful amplification. The divine cannot be captured in any wooden definition no matter how finely crafted. Combining the two, "a school of the love of God where Word and Sacrament are correctly administered," makes a robust definition of the Church that brings many joyful images to mind.
Good News for a Fractured Society: Matthew Speaks to Divisions of Power, Wealth, Gender, and Religious Pluralism, by Stephen McCutchan. Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, 2006. ISBN 1425956785. Pb., 196 pp. $15.95.
Reviews of 'Dreamgirls' and 'Home of the Brave'
Editor's note: Time to plan for the summer's upcoming Vacation Bible Schools! The Outlook provides overall plans in this article and an assessment of available curricula in the next.
For those of us who grew up in the church, the words "Vacation Bible School" have some very special memories. I remember looking forward to Vacation Bible School each summer. It was a week of fun, play, learning, and refreshments that always included butter cookies with a scalloped edge and a hole in the middle that just fit my index finger.
Christmas is just a few weeks behind us. So naturally, if you serve a congregation as a Christian educator or as Vacation Bible School director, the time is nigh to begin planning for the second most wonderful time of the year: Vacation Bible School 2007! Nine publishers consented to the Outlook's request to review their products. Here is a quick assessment of each. General observations of elements common to most, if not all, the VBS programs are followed by specific comments with regard to 1) Reformed compatibility, 2) small church adaptability, and 3) special features.
Jeff Lipsky, director of the film, "Flannel Pajamas" is interviewed by Ron Salfen, OUTLOOK film reviewer.
When persons become members of a Presbyterian congregation, they are asked to profess their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to express their intention to live in faithful discipleship. When persons are ordained as ministers, elders, and deacons, however, more is required. The Book of Order states that Their manner of life should be a demonstration of the Christian gospel in the church and in the world, and that they are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church.i Furthermore, they are required to make ten vows that express a high level of theological and ecclesial commitment. With the exception of the final vow concerning the different ministries of the three offices, the ordination vows are identical for ministers, elders, and deacons; the forms of the three ministries differ, but requirements for faith and faithfulness are the same.
(RNS) More than 1,000 houses of worship will receive grants from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund to help recover from 2005 hurricane damage on the Gulf Coast.
Fund spokesman Bill Pierce said the number of applications far exceeded expectations. Officials originally expected between 500 and 700 applications.
compiled by faithinpubliclife.org
As news reports are abuzz with speculation about the State of the Union address -- what agenda items will make the cut and what tone President Bush will strike -- Christian leaders are challenging the President to address the most pressing moral concerns of our time: bringing our troops home from Iraq, eradicating poverty, abolishing torture without exception, creation care and comprehensive immigration reform.
'It is time for all people of conscience to call upon America to return to her true home of brotherhood and peaceful pursuits. We cannot remain silent as our nation engages in one of history's most cruel and senseless wars. During these days of human travail, we must encourage creative dissenters. We need them because the thunder of their fearless voices will be the only sound stronger than the blasts of bombs and the clamor of war hysteria. Those of us who love peace must organize as effectively as war hawks. As they spread the propaganda of war, we must spread the propaganda of peace. '
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., February 27, 1967
This weekend around the USA and elsewhere, people will remember and give thanks for the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project and Professor of History at Stanford University has a web page with "Frequently Requested Documents and Audio Clips" that includes 'Letter from Birmingham Jail' (this famous letter was written to respond to a Presbyterian minister and other religious leaders who opposed King), March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (King's "I Have A Dream" speech given after Presbyterian Eugene Carson Blake's speech), Acceptance Speech at Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony and I've Been To The Mountaintop (King's last speech). I sent this web page to our congregation's members and friends in my weekly pastoral note to encourage people to read. The Nov/Dec 2005 issue of Church & Society looks at "Trusting the Nonviolence of Jesus Christ Today" from diverse Presbyterian perspectives; it is a fine print resource that also makes good reading for this holiday and other times.
Ben Lacy Rose, moderator of the 111th General Assembly of the PC US (1971-1972) died in Richmond, Va, November 13 at Westminster Canterbury retirement community two days after Veterans Day. He lived a long, active, and productive life as a pastor, military chaplain, professor of homiletics, editor, and author, supported by his spouse Ann Thompson Rose, who died in 2005.
Rose was born in Fayetteville N.C., in 1914, heir to a long history of Roses whose line extends back to Scotland of the 1730's, to Orange County, N.C., and Fayetteville where he was born in 1914. He attended Davidson College in N.C., Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., where he took his BD (1938), Th. M. (1950) and the Th. D. (1955). He served as chaplain in the United States army in World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star and Legion of Merit Medal. In 1974 he retired from the Army Reserve with a rank of colonel, one of those veterans of honorable service marked on Nov. 11.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is creating a new Office of Leadership and Vocation -- a combined venture of the General Assembly Council and the Office of the General Assembly.
The new office -- part of a continuing reorganization of the denominational structure -- will pull together elements of work involving congregations calling pastors, efforts to prepare candidates for ministry, the training of commissioned lay pastors, support of Christian educators and programs to encourage vocational discernment.
To convert or to covenant: that is the question.
American Protestantism travels via two different routes. Both aim for heaven. In most theological respects the groups confess compatible convictions. Both believe in the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. Both depend upon the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be the source of the grace that saves. Both count upon that grace to reconcile them to God, to empower faith within them toward God, and to mobilize them into service in the world created by God.
c. 2006 Religion News Service
Conservative Episcopalians' steady exodus from the Episcopal Church accelerated Dec. 17 as eight Virginia congregations -- including two large, historic parishes -- voted to leave the national body.
The Diocese of Virginia has lost 12 congregations and about 18 percent of its average Sunday worship attendance in recent battles over homosexuality and the authority of Scripture, according to figures provided by the diocese.
"People ask me, 'Rick, are you right wing or left wing?' I tell them, I'm for the whole bird!"
That statement, one of a plethora of sound bites spoken by pastor and author Rick Warren, embodied both the theme and spirit of "Race Against Time," the 2006 Global Summit on AIDS at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Cal., this past Nov. 29 -- Dec. 1. The conference drew the attention of many, due in part to the invitation Warren extended to potential Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. This act of inclusivity drew both the attention of the secular world and criticism from the religious right.
"This is most likely the greatest thing I can possibly do because this is what Christ told us to do, go and serve others. So, we are literally taking the words of Christ and putting them into action." So states Will Foltz. A powerful statement, made even more so when you realize that Will Foltz is 14 years old.
What does Will keep going back to? It is called the Agape Community Kitchen, and each Wednesday evening in Elizabeth, New Jersey, it serves about 250 guests a warm meal. It is a ministry begun by the Presbyterian Church in Westfield. Not exactly unique, you might think, but this is not the usual soup kitchen. It was started, and continues to be run, by the youth of the church.
In some places, Presbyterian camps and conference centers are shutting down -- as beloved as they may be, there's just not enough money to keep going.
But Ferncliff in Little Rock, Ark., has a different, more positive story to tell.
Over the last 20 years, Ferncliff, the camp of Arkansas presbytery, has experienced slow but steady growth.
It's found new life through innovation: by responding to incidents of school violence and, more recently, by becoming involved in disaster assistance efforts.
And the heart of its vision, according to Executive Director David Gill, is the realization that Ferncliff isn't just a fun place to visit, but a center of mission and ministry as well.
The Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge has been named associate director of the Louisville Institute, effective January 1, 2007.
There are more than 140 camps and conference centers across the denomination. In its own way, each is seeking to serve the changing population found in the congregations of their judicatory. Whether the site serves a single congregation, a presbytery, a synod, or the entire denomination, many people consider these special locations "holy ground." While these places may have changed over the years, today's Presbyterian camps and conference centers are still a place where ministry is alive and well.
This summer Camp Hanover, a ministry of the Presbytery of the James (Virginia), will celebrate an important milestone. For fifty years the camp has been providing a summer residential camp experience for children and youth, and hosting a variety of church group retreats during the other seasons of the year.
Like many other denominational camps, Hanover was organized in the heyday of church camp startups in the 1950s and 60s. At that time congregations were flourishing and full of young families. Churches instinctively built vital, cooperative partnerships with the camps. Camp and church leaders frequently noted that a week at camp was worth a whole year of Sunday School.
If you are anything like me, you are reading this article while sitting indoors. I can remember a day when the majority of my days were spent outdoors. When I was a child I would dig in my backyard in New Jersey, wander the tide pools on vacations in Florida, and celebrate the cold beauty of winter skiing in Pennsylvania. No matter where you grew up, I am sure you can remember being "kicked" out of the house to play with friends, which led to hours of imaginative play. The wonder of those experiences and the intimate contact with creation has a lasting impact on our psyche.
The challenge was offered to our 230-member congregation on the Third Sunday of Advent. The goal was a special offering of $500 to give to the pastors of our mission partnership in Manipur, India. Since October, they have not accepted pay, instead focusing those funds on the mission outreach. Elder Kevin, chair of our Mission Committee, said that we could cut his ponytail if we achieved the goal. In the coffee hour following worship, the excitement grew as bidding took place. Kevin's hair was cut and sent to Locks of Love, and $900 was raised that day.
Though I had grown up in the church and was very close to it, I met the Lord in a personal way at a Montreat Youth Conference in the summer of 1972. A faith that had been borrowed suddenly became owned. A Christ that I knew about suddenly became known. My encounter was less about what was said up front, but was caught from the contagious witness of other youth in the small group in which I was placed. Right in the back of Anderson Auditorium I prayed a prayer with members of that group that has changed my life.
-- Jim Singleton, pastor, First Church, Colorado Springs
My very first camp experience focused around producing "conversion experiences" on schedule by the Thursday evening worship service. That meant all of us needed to be manipulated--by a lot of fear about the devil, demons, and hell--into answering the altar call. Needless to say, this was not a camp sponsored by the Presbyterian Church! More positive were the years in which I attended Camp Manitoqua--a camp of the Reformed Church in America. I have happy memories of serious discussions about faith and the Christian life that I had with fellow campers and with many wonderful counselors, who showed me that you could be a "cool" person and still be very serious about living a life of piety. I learned that there was nothing in life--including sports, silly games, eating and drinking, annoying bugs, crushes on boys, the works!--that could not be combined with an awareness of oneself as living before God. That lesson has served me well long after my camping days were over.
-- Dawn DeVries, John Newton Thomas Professor of Systematic Theology, Union Theological Seminary-PSCE, Richmond, Va.
LOUISVILLE -- To stay in business, the major fundraising drive of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) needs to find money soon for operating expenses.
So the General Assembly Council's Executive Committee has decided to provide $720,000 to cover those administrative costs. That means the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands campaign should be able to keep working until the General Assembly meets in 2008, trying to raise the last $14.5 million of its five-year $40 million goal.
That $720,000 will be "essentially a loan" that would be repaid, said David York, Joining Hearts & Hands' new executive director. The money to do that would come from a 5 percent administrative fee that would be taken out of restricted gifts made to the campaign -- in other words, money that congregations, presbyteries or individual donors provide while specifying that it will be used for particular projects.
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