Headlines:
[1] Peters Creek Joins the Exodus from the PC(USA_
[2] Paisley Will Not Strand for Reelection
[3] Training on Microfinance and Microenterprise Development
[4] Kirkpatrick Will Not Run for PC(USA) Clerk
[5] Ivory Moves from PC(USA) to WCC
[6] Korean Conference Flourishes
[7] Christ Covenant Purchases Sheridan School
[1] Peters Creek Joins the Exodus from the PC(USA_
Members of a Washington County, Pennsylvania, congregation took part in an emotional vote over whether or not to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) on 9 September. The final vote total came down to 273 active members of the Peters Creek Presbyterian Church voting to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, while 86 voted against leaving. All 15 elders voted with the majority.
+ Peters Creek Presbyterian Church, 250 Brookwood Road, Venetia, Pennsylvania 15367 (724) 941-6210 <http://www.peterscreekchurch.org/>
[2] Paisley Will Not Stand for Reelection
After a five-hour meeting on 7 September, of presbytery, Dr. Ian Paisley announced he would step down as Free Presbyterian of Ulster moderator in January. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader also said he intended to continue his work as a clergyman.
Speaking to his congregation at Martyrs' Memorial Church in Belfast on the Sabbath, Lord Paisley said he had agreed to stand down because the church was facing a "very real crisis.". "While I am no longer going to carry the weight which I have carried for over 56 years as moderator of our Presbytery, I have news for you . . .I will be here and I am praying to God that I will be able to preach right to the end of my days," he said in reports distributed by the BBC.
Paisley has been elected moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church every year except one since he founded the church in 1951. The DUP which also owes its present status to Paisley is the largest political party in Ulster.
+ DUP Headquarters, 91 Dundela Avenue, Belfast, BT4 3BU, Ulster, Northern Ireland
+ Dr. Ian Paisley, Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church, 356 Ravenhill Road, BT 5 Belfast, Ulster, Northern Ireland
[3] Training on Microfinance and Microenterprise Development
According to ByFaith Online, the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, a part of Covenant College, offers email-based distance learning courses on how to minister to the poor without creating dependency. This training helps the church to help the poor help themselves. A course called "Principles and Practices of Christian Microfinance and Microenterprise Development" provides an overview to microenterprise development and microfinance and orientation to the selection and design of a holistic intervention appropriate for your ministry context. Cost of this seven-week course is US$199 plus the cost of course material. The course will be offered on 7 January – 22 February 2008. [BFOL]
The prerequisite course is "Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry." It teaches appropriate goals and strategies for conducting Christian development in poor communities. Cost of this four-week course is US$75 plus the cost of course material. The course is scheduled for 22 October 22 – 16 November 2007, and February 4 – 29, 2008.
To learn more, including information about a discount for Two-Thirds World participants, or to register, visit
+ The Chalmers Center, 14049 Scenic Highway, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
[4] Kirkpatrick Will Not Run for PC(USA) Clerk
Clifton Kirkpatrick has announced that he will not seek a fourth term as stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA) when his current term ends in June 2008.
Kirkpatrick indicated he wanted to spend quality time with his family and devote more energy to his role as president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC). Setri Nyomi, General Secretary of WARC, said in a 11 September letter to Kirkpatrick that the Reformed family worldwide is grateful for his ministry at the Presbyterian Church (USA), WARC and in the wider ecumenical movement.
The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries - united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world.
+ World Alliance of Reformed Churches, 150 Route de Ferney, PO Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
[5 ] Ivory Moves from PC(USA) to WCC
Elenora Giddings Ivory, who for nearly two decades has been director of the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Washington Office recently announced plans to take a position with the World Council of Churches (WCC).
Ivory’s last day leading the PC(USA)'s public policy, information and advocacy office in Washington, DC, will be in late October. She will then become director of the WCC's Public Witness: Addressing Power and Affirming Peace program area, pending final approval from the WCC executive committee when it meets in Armenia, 25-28 September.
The program area Giddings Ivory will lead focuses on concerns of WCC members regarding violence, war, human rights, economic injustice, poverty and exclusion - voicing these concerns to such intergovernmental organizations as the United Nations and various international financial institutions in hopes of influencing policy decisions.
+ Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202 (888) 728-7228
[6] Korean Conference Flourishes
The Korean churches of First Associate Reformed Presbytery held a conference at Bonclarken Conference Center, Flat Rock, North Carolina, over the Labor Day Weekend. There were 73 in attendance. Dr. Suk Ho Moon, senior pastor of the Hyo Shin Presbyterian Church, New York City, was the keynote speaker. This is the second year the conference has been held. It is planned to make this an annual event.
+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland St., Suite 110, Greenville, SC 29601-3646 (864) 232-8297
[7] Christ Covenant Purchases Sheridan School
Christ Covenant Orthodox Presbyterian Church soon will be the new owner of Marion Elementary School. The Sheridan Community School Board on 10 September voted 4-1 to accept the church's cash bid of US$200,000 for the school building and 6 acres on Ind. 47 in Boone County.
"This is a huge answer to our prayers," said Jason Elmore, one of the church members at the meeting according to reports published by the Indianapolis Star. "We were already busting out of the old (church) building and were trying to figure out how to expand," he said. "It was definitely providential."
Marion Elementary has sat empty since it closed in 2004, the same year the school celebrated its 50th anniversary.
+ The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 N. Easton Rd., Bldg. E, Box P, Willow Grove, PA 19090-0920
