31 December 2008

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] URCNA Pioneer Peter Moen Dies
[2] Free Church of Scotland History Book Available Online
[3] Church of Scotland Minister Reacts to Roman Catholic Pope’s End-of-Year Address
[4] Missouri Union Presbytery (PCUSA) and Hungarian Reformed Church in Partnership Twenty-Four Years
[5] Hope College Professor to Speak at First Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan on 4 and 11 January 2009
[6] CRC and RCA Partner to Establish a Congregation at Michigan’s Ionia Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility
[7] Calvin Reformed Church of Norwalk, Connecticut Holds English Classes for Immigrants
[8] Belgic Confession Sunday School Notes Available Online
[9] Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa Urges Implement of the Accra Confession
[10] United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Says Iraq is Now One of the Most Dangerous Places on Earth for Religious Minorities
[11] Police in the Peoples Republic of China on Christmas Eve Raid Homes of Earthquake Victims Helped by Christian Volunteers
[12] Illinois Supreme Court Rejects Blagojevich's 'Emergency Rule' Forcing Pharmacies to Stock and Disburse ‘Morning After Pill’ Contraceptive and Abortifacient
[13] ACLJ Asks “Will Pro-Life Demonstrations be Crushed at the Obama Presidential Inauguration?”


[1] URCNA Pioneer Peter Moen Dies

Peter Moen, 72, of Pequannock, New Jersey, died 2 December 2008 from brain cancer that he had battled during the previous year.

Moen was a member of Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church of Pompton Plains, New Jersey since joining the church in 1966, served there in the offices of deacon and elder, and was a board member of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana.

Moen, in the 1990’s, was a chairman of the Alliance of Reformed Churches and was instrumental in bringing to birth the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA). He regularly served as an Elder delegate to the URCNA Synod meetings.

Moen served in the New Jersey Army National Guard from 1955 – 1964, graduated from Rutgers University in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in History, and was employed by New Jersey Bell, later AT&T, from 1954 until his retirement in 1987. He then worked for several years as the church and cemetery manager at the Pompton Reformed Church of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.

Peter Moen is survived by his wife of fifty years Ann Stols Moen, by sons Peter, Neal, and Mark, and by his brother Edward and his sister Barbara.

Moen’s funeral service was held 8 December 2008 at the Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church.

+ Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, New Jersey, 07470, 973-696-2900, Fax: 973-628-9437, vandermayfuneralhome@vandermay.com

+ United Reformed Churches in North America, C/O Mr. Bill Konynenbelt, 5824 Bowwater Circle Northwest, Calgary, Alberta T3B 2E2, Canada, 403-286-0521, Fax: 403-286-0759, urcna@shaw.ca


[2] Free Church of Scotland History Book Available Online

The Free Church of Scotland: Her Origin, Founders and Testimony, Second Edition, by Peter Bayne, LL.D., published by T. & T. Clark of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1894, and in the library of Princeton Theological Seminary, has been digitized into PDF, full text, and several other formats and is available from the Internet Archive.

+ Internet Archive, 116 Sheridan Avenue, The Presidio of San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94129, 415-561-6767
Fax: 415-840-0391, info@archive.org

+ Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LS, 0131-226-5286, Fax: 0131-220-0597, catherine@freechurchofscotland.org.uk


[3] Church of Scotland Minister Reacts to Roman Catholic Pope’s End-of-Year Address

In response to the Roman Catholic pontiff’s end-of-year address where he called on the [Roman Catholic] Church to protect man from the "destruction of himself" saying that tropical rainforests deserved protection but man as a creature "does not deserve any less", Church of Scotland minister the Rev. Ewan Aitken accused the Pope of teaching death rather than love.

Aitken said, "The Pope has crossed the line when he suggests that 'saving the world from homosexuality' is more important than saving the environment. There is nothing more important than saving the planet. The human race is in self-destruct mode but not over who we love and how we make love but how we are treating the planet without which there will be no place to make or be in love (or both).”

Aitken went on to say the Roman Catholic pontiff should spend "what moral authority he may have" calling people to consume less and care more about their carbon footprint than worrying yet again about who is sleeping with whom.

+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 8AS, 0131-620-8620

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722

+ The Vatican


[4] Missouri Union Presbytery (PCUSA) and Hungarian Reformed Church in Partnership Twenty-Four Years

In a 22 December 2008 article on the Missouri Union Presbytery (MUP) (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) website, Vicki Schildmeyer describes the presbytery’s twenty-four year covenant relationship with the Hungarian Reformed Church (HRC).

Schildmeyer describes how in early years of the relationship that began in 1984, efforts were concentrated on reopening the seminary at Saraspatak, which was founded in 1531, but had been closed during almost 50 years of Communist oppression. The Saraspatak Academy now includes a primary school, a high school, and a seminary.

Schildmeyer describes MUP’s partnership with the HRC district in Ukraine, and how in more recent years, much of the mission support has been a joint outreach ministry to the desperately poor church in Ukrainian and Roma (Gypsy) communities. During 2008, MUP and individual churches sent over US$22,000 to support ministry in Ukraine, Romania and Hungary.

Schildmeyer additionally says that some members of the HRC live outside the current borders of Hungary because the denomination extends to territories that were part of Hungary prior to 1923. The HRC is comprised of 9 church districts, which include 64 sub-districts. In 2009 a unified constitution will be presented, hoping to solidify unity among the Reformed Christians in Hungary, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Transylvania (Romania).

+ Missouri Union Presbytery, 915-A Leslie Boulevard, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101, 573-635-9221, Fax: 573-635-9222, dnldbay@aol.com

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[5] Hope College Professor to Speak at First Reformed Church of Holland, Michigan on 4 and 11 January 2009

Lynn Japinga, Associate professor of religion at Hope College, will be speaking at First Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan at 11:00 a.m. on 4 and 11 January 2009 on the topic of “Women as Leaders in the Christian Tradition.”

The 4 January session will look at some of the ways that women have been denied positions of power and authority within the church and society. The 11 January session will explore the lives of women who did exercise significant leadership, from Esther and Vashti in the Old Testament to Catherine of Siena in the 14th century to Sarah Grimke in the 19th century.

Professor Japinga teaches American religious history and women’s studies at Hope College. She has served as interim preaching pastor at Hope Church and authored the book, “Feminism and Christianity: An Essential Guide,” Abingdon Press. Her current project is a study of the Reformed Church in America since 1945.

+ Holland Sentinel, 54 West 8th Street, Holland, Michigan 49423, 616-546-4200, Fax: 616-393-6710, peter.esser@hollandsentinel.com

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org


[6] CRC and RCA Partner to Establish a Congregation at Michigan’s Ionia Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility

A prison church established through a partnership of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) and the Reformed Church in America (RCA) held its first service at Michigan’s Ionia Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in November 2008. Inmates help plan worship, assist in the service, and eventually will have elders and deacons elected from amongst themselves. The church and the inmates are supported by three dozen pastors and volunteers from several other churches.

Pastor and developer of the prison church the Rev. Richard Rienstra says that the congregation is different from the other religious services and worship gatherings offered at the prison, as it provides inmates the opportunity to form and nurture a community of believers.

Head of chaplains for the Michigan Department of Corrections, the Rev. Michael Martin, said that state officials approved the church as a pilot program of its Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative to help ex-offenders move back into civilian life.

+ Abilene Reporter News, 101 Cypress Street, Abilene, Texas 79601, 325-673-4271, webmaster@reporternews.com

+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org


[7] Calvin Reformed Church of Norwalk, Connecticut Holds English Classes for Immigrants

Calvin Reformed Church of Norwalk, Connecticut pastor the Rev. Ervin Betts and congregant Gail Deaver, an English teacher, decided several months ago that their church should offer English classes to the group of immigrant day laborers they passed by each Sunday on their way to church services.

Deaver signed up for and completed a community college methods course for teaching English as a second language, and after several months of recruiting students in the neighborhood, began offering the English class to the immigrants in December 2008.

Deaver’s class is designed to teach the students the type of English they will need in order to work and get through everyday life. The students learned Christmas carols in English in order to help them remember the English phrases therein.

Deaver said the people of the Calvin Reformed Church have learned a valuable lesson from this experience as well. The Calvin Reformed Church used to be a church for mostly Hungarian immigrants, but due to the passage of time, many of them find it is difficult to remember or understand that process.

Pastor Betts says that the church has become so interested in helping the immigrant population that it plans to host other events, such as voter registration and citizenship classes in the future.

+ The Hour Publishing Company, 346 Main Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851, 203-846-3281, Fax: 203-840-1802

+ Calvin Synod, C/O Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop, 7319 Tapper Avenue, Hammond, Indiana 46324, 219-931-4321, kkludwig@aol.com


[8] Belgic Confession Sunday School Notes Available Online

Christopher Coleman is a Masters of Divinity student at Westminster Seminary California and is licensed to "exhort" in the United Reformed Churches in North America.

Coleman teaches a high school-aged Sunday School class on the Belgic Confession at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, California, and has made his lecture notes available through his blog The Belgic Confession.

+ The Belgic Confession, chrisafari@gmail.com


[9] Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa Urges Implement of the Accra Confession

Following their meeting in Maputo, Mozambique ending 6 December 2008, the Alliance of Reformed Churches in Africa, an Area Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), urged its member churches to continue to promote and implement the Accra Confession for the sake of the weak, poor and marginalized of Africa.

The Accra Confession is the major statement of the 24th General Council of WARC, which critiques neoliberal economic globalization, stating that Christians cannot remain silent in the face of its destruction of people and the planet.

+ World Alliance of Reformed Churches, 150 route de Ferney, Post Office Box 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland, 41-22-791-6240, Fax: 41-22-791-6505, warc@warc.ch


[10] United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Says Iraq is Now One of the Most Dangerous Places on Earth for Religious Minorities

In response to what it calls the Iraqi government's tolerance of severe abuses of religious freedom and for tolerating attacks on Christians and others, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, a body appointed by the U.S. Congress and the U.S. president, has declared Iraq as now being one of the most dangerous places on earth for religious minorities.

The report comes after 1,500 Christian families fled attacks and intimidation in the northern city of Mosul in October, and the city's Christian archbishop being kidnapped and murdered earlier this year.
The U.S. State Department says that the Christian population in Iraq has halved since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. An estimated 700 thousand remain, with the rest having fled Iraq to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

Most Iraqi Christians are Chaldeans, a branch of the Roman Catholic Church.

+ Iraq Updates Ltd., Suffolk House, George Street, Croydon CR0 0YN, England, 44-0-207-582-6222, support@iraqupdates.com

+ The Vatican


[11] Police in the Peoples Republic of China on Christmas Eve Raid Homes of Earthquake Victims Helped by Christian Volunteers

ChinaAid contacts report that on Christmas Eve 2008, more than forty police raided four households in the Sichuan, China earthquake disaster area because they received the help of Christian volunteers from outside the area.

The policemen beat, swore at, and insulted the people at the scene. They threatened to demolish the house, newly built by the earthquake victims. Finally, the police took away Li Zenggui, a local earthquake victim, and Christian volunteers Cao Gang, Brother Yang, and others. They also seized Bibles, hymnals, televisions, motorcycles and many other items owned by the Christians. During the raid, the police refused to present documents to prove their actions were legal.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com


[12] Illinois Supreme Court Rejects Blagojevich's 'Emergency Rule' Forcing Pharmacies to Stock and Disburse ‘Morning After Pill’ Contraceptive and Abortifacient

The Illinois Supreme Court on 18 December 2008 reversed a lower court ruling that effectively upheld the "Emergency Rule" issued by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in 2005 requiring pharmacies to dispense the Plan B “Morning After Pill” contraceptive and abortifacient without delay and without regard to the religious beliefs or conscience of the dispensing pharmacist.

LifeSiteNews.Com reports that the high hormones doses of progestin in Plan B also cause the abortion of a conceived human embryo and leave women vulnerable to health risks.

The Governor stated publicly that "pharmacists with moral objections should find another profession," and "must fill prescriptions without making moral judgments." Blagojevich's rule was eventually adopted as an administrative rule, and within weeks of its final enactment the Department of Financial & Professional Regulation began prosecuting pharmacies or pharmacists alleged to have violated the rule.

In response, pharmacists Luke Vander Bleek and Glen Kosirog challenged the Rule in court, claiming in a nine-count complaint that the governor's dictate and the administrative rule that followed were violations of their statutorily and constitutionally protected rights to conscience and free exercise of religion.

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, Post Office Box 25382, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15220, 866-787-9947, lsn@lifesitenews.com


[13] ACLJ Asks “Will Pro-Life Demonstrations be Crushed at the Obama Presidential Inauguration?”

Pro-life activists unsure if their events will be allowed to happen during the January 2009 inaugural parade and inaugural week celebrations are being represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, which has sent a letter to the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. National Park Service seeking a meeting to resolve the matter.

Reformed Presbyterian Pastor the Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, has good reason to believe that the pro-life message will be quashed during the inaugural, as during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado in August 2008, two young women were writing pro-life messages in sidewalk chalk on the public sidewalk near then-Senator Barack Hussein Obama's hotel when police officers rushed in and violently arrested the girls without warning or provocation. Mahoney was also arrested and threatened with a felony for leading the event. They all were later released.

Mahoney states:

"Pro-life activists are very troubled and concerned that their First Amendment free speech rights will be denied and trampled during the Presidential Inauguration. After meeting with government officials, we were told they could not guarantee our pro-life demonstrations could take place.

A Presidential Inauguration should be a time to celebrate and honor the First Amendment and free speech rights not crush them. It is our hope that federal law enforcement officials and the Presidential Inaugural Committee will honor the Constitution and allow these peaceful demonstrations to take place. Censorship should not be a part of the new Obama Administration."

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Christian Defense Coalition, 540-538-4741

24 December 2008

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Jacksonville, Florida Woman Fights Church Discipline

[2] Head of U.S. Episcopal Church Admits Stances on Homosexuality Conflict With Biblical and Traditional Christian Moral Teaching

[3] Eleven Virginia Anglican Congregations Win Legal Fight to Leave Episcopal Church and Keep Their Property

[4] The Reformed Resistance Blog Announced

[5] Presbyterian Global Fellowship Conference Inside Out and On The Road - Gearing Up Atlanta at the Peachtree Presbyterian Church 18-19 February 2009

[6] Denominational Representatives Call for Easing Cuban Travel Restrictions

[7] Former United Reformed Church Moderator the Rev. John Morgans Publishes an Account of Welsh Life

[8] Colts Neck Reformed Church Elder Elected to New Brunswick Theological Seminary Board of Trustees

[9] EPC Home Missionary Publicizes a Need in Post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana

[10] CRWRC Helps Rush Ten Thousand Tons of Food Aid To Zimbabwe
[11] Kuteb Tribesmen Honor Johanna Veenstra, First CRC Missionary in Nigeria
[12] Scottish Bible Society to Mark 200th Anniversary
[13] Princeton Seminary Invites Participation in ‘A
Year with the Institutes’ in Honor of John Calvin’s 500^th Birthday

[1] Jacksonville, Florida Woman Fights Church Discipline

A divorced Jacksonville, Florida woman in a sexual relationship with a man not her husband has made public the attempts of her former church to carry out scriptural discipline.

The woman complains of harassment from Grace Community Church due to her behavior, and says that the elders of the church told her that because she has refused to end the sexual relationship that they have no other choice but to carry out the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:17 by bringing the matter to the attention of the entire congregation.

The woman has since left Grace Community Church for another church, and says that her former church should now leave her alone. She plans to send a letter to Grace Community Church making it clear that she is no longer a member.

+ News 4 Jacksonville, 4 Broadcast Place, Jacksonville, Florida 32207, 904-399-4000, jaxnews@news4jax.com


[2] Head of U.S. Episcopal Church Admits Stances on Homosexuality Conflict With Biblical and Traditional Christian Moral Teaching

Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (TEC), Katharine Jefferts Schori, in a 16 December 2008 address to the National Press Club in Washington DC said that her approval of the consecration of an openly homosexual bishop and her church's affirmation of same sex unions conflict with biblical and traditional Christian moral teaching.

The Rev. Rob Schenck, President of the National Clergy Council and it's lay affiliate Faith and Action questioned Schori following her address and afterwards said, "Bishop Jefferts Shori's openness to being wrong on an issue of such enormous importance and consequence has tremendous implications. It suggests that the damage done to the Episcopal Church [TEC] and the wider Christian Church by this moral apostasy might have its origin in the ambivalence in her own soul and those of her church's leadership. She must settle this personal conflict before she inflicts any more damage."

+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com

+ Episcopal Church Center 815 Second Avenue New York, New York 10017, 800-334-7626, cdawkins@episcopalchurch.org


[3] Eleven Virginia Anglican Congregations Win Legal Fight to Leave Episcopal Church and Keep Their Property

On 19 December 2008, a Virginia judge finalized earlier court rulings holding that all eleven of the congregations that left the Episcopal Church (TEC) and formed the Anglican District of Virginia in 2007 could retain their property. The eleven churches included colonial era Truro Church in Fairfax, Virginia, and The Falls Church in Falls Church, Virginia.

Fairfax County Judge Randy Bellows ruled in April that the eleven congregations could invoke the War Between the States-era Virginia Division Statute that says majority rule applies when a division in a denomination or diocese results in the disaffiliation of an organized group of congregations.

The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, which filed the lawsuit against the departing congregations, plans to appeal the rulings.

+ Cybercast News Service, 325 South Patrick, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 703-683-9733

+ Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, 110 West Franklin Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220, 800-346-2373


[4] The Reformed Resistance Blog Announced

A new blog called The Reformed Resistance has been established by several mainline pastors and writers for purposes best explained in their inaugural post:

“In light of decades of grievous sins against God, His Word, and our own Constitutions and Confessions, we the confessionally committed followers of Jesus Christ take our stand and call the ‘mainline’ Reformed churches - now in theological shambles - to forsake their nakedness, repent, and return to Jesus Christ. (Ezekiel 16:36-38; Revelation 2:4)

We who were drawn to Jesus Christ and called to serve by Divine Providence in and through our connection to the historic North American church declare our intentions and commit ourselves to God, one another, and our vision for a renewed church in a renewed land.”

+ The Reformed Resistance


[5] Presbyterian Global Fellowship Conference Inside Out and On The Road - Gearing Up Atlanta at the Peachtree Presbyterian Church 18-19 February 2009

The Presbyterian Global Fellowship (PGF) is conducting a regional conference called Inside Out And On The Road - Gearing Up Atlanta at the Peachtree Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Atlanta, Georgia 18-19 February 2008.

The featured speaker, Reggie McNeal, will offer two sessions titled Shifting Gears, described by PGF as follows: “The missional renaissance is the biggest development in Christianity since the Reformation. God seems to be having a new conversation with the church about who we are and our role in what he is up to in the world. Church leaders who want to get in on this conversation will find that they will need to make three significant shifts. During these sessions Reggie will detail those shifts and their implications for us as leaders of existing congregations.”

+ Presbyterian Global Fellowship, C/O Peachtree Presbyterian Church, 3434 Roswell Road Northwest, Atlanta, Georgia 30305, 404-846-4386, pgf@presbyterianglobalfellowship.org

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[6] Denominational Representatives Call for Easing Cuban Travel Restrictions

Denominational representatives including those from the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), Reformed Church in America, and United Church of Christ, on 18 December 2008, signed a letter to U.S. President-elect Barack Hussein Obama asking him to ease travel restrictions to Cuba, which they say hinder their religious work in that country.

+ Associated Baptist Press, 200 Maryland Ave Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-548-5244, david@abpnews.com

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org

+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org


[7] Former United Reformed Church Moderator the Rev. John Morgans Publishes an Account of Welsh Life

Sixty-nine year old former United Reformed Church Moderator the Rev. John Morgans began keeping a diary in 1952 at age twelve, and over a period of more than fifty years penned more than 5 million words that he has now distilled into a single volume.

Journey of a Lifetime chronicles events in his life and in his homeland from the post-World War II Wales of his youth through the birth of modern Wales.

Journey of a Lifetime was printed by Cambrian Printers, Aberystwyth, Wales and can be obtained by emailing jonomo <at> btinternet.com.

+ Media Wales, Six Park Street, Cardiff CF10 1XR, Wales, 029-2022-3333, enquiries@mediawales.co.uk

+ The United Reformed Church - National Synod of Wales, Synod Office, Minster Road, Roath, Cardiff CF23 5AS, Wales, 029-2019-5728


[8] Colts Neck Reformed Church Elder Elected to New Brunswick Theological Seminary Board of Trustees

Colts Neck Reformed Church (RCA) elder Nancy Hartog Ruiter of Freehold, New Jersey was one of seven people recently elected to the New Brunswick Theological Seminary's board of trustees.
Ruiter is past Classis president and delegate to the General Synod and Regional Synod of the Synod of the Mid-Atlantics for the Reformed Church in America, and is the board treasurer for the Court Street School Education Community Center Inc. in Freehold Borough and office manager in the college counseling department for the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

+ Greater Media Newspapers, 3499 Route 9 North, Suite 18, Freehold, New Jersey 07728, 732-358-5200, gbean@gmnews.com

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org


[9] EPC Home Missionary Publicizes a Need in Post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana

Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) Home Missionary Kevin Brown, Executive Director of the Trinity Christian Community (TCC) in New Orleans, Louisiana, reports a special need for consideration. Post-Hurricane Katrina, TCC has been working with a grandmother with limited means to rebuild her home. There is a shortage of US$8,340, which needs to be covered by 12 January 2009. If you or your church is interested in this special giving opportunity, please contact Kevin Brown at TCC.

+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 17197 North Laurel Park Drive Suite 567, Livonia, Michigan 48152, 734-742-2020, Fax: 734-742-2033, webmaster@epc.org


[10] CRWRC Helps Rush Ten Thousand Tons of Food Aid To Zimbabwe

The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) and other members of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank are working to send 10 thousand tons of emergency food supplies to families in Zimbabwe. The corn, soy, oil, and ground nuts will feed approximately 120 thousand people for five months and will sustain them until the next harvest.

The aid project was influenced in part by a recent United Nations prediction that 5.1 million Zimbabweans will require emergency food aid for the first three months of 2009.

The CRWRC additionally participated in a Pan-African Day of Solidarity for Zimbabwe with the Global Call to action Against Poverty (GCAP). GCAP called for an independent commission to investigate human rights abuses, posting of human rights monitors, solutions through reconciliation and dialog, restoration of an independent judiciary, and accountability for security forces and law enforcement agencies.

Zimbabwe has been ruled by the Marxist dictator Robert Mugabe since he came to power in 1980 in the country formerly called Rhodesia.

+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org

+ BBC, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TS, England, Fax: 020-8008- 2398


[11] Kuteb Tribesmen Honor Johanna Veenstra, First CRC Missionary in Nigeria

Four members of the Kuteb tribe in northern Nigeria made a trip in mid-November 2008 to clean and better mark the grave of Johanna Veenstra, the first Christian Reformed Church (CRCNA) member to go as a missionary to that African country.

Veenstra went to Nigeria in 1921 and was stationed at Lupwe, near Takum, now in Taraba State, and eventually became director of the mission there.

During her ministry in Lupwe, a number of people especially of the Kuteb tribe became Christian. The roots of the Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria (CRCN) lay in part in the work of Johanna Veenstra.

Veenstra died in Nigeria on Palm Sunday in 1933 and was buried in a non-descript grave in the community of Vom. The grave, which had been relatively untended over the years, is located near a hospital and car body shop.

In about 1940, the Christian Reformed Church in North America adopted the northern part of Nigeria as one of its mission fields. Over the decades, missionary work flourished. There are now more than 75 thousand CRCN members worshiping in one hundred churches. Numerous evangelism sites, preaching centers, and church plants throughout Nigeria are supervised by these one hundred churches.

+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org

+ Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria, Post Office Box 31, Takum, Taraba State, Nigeria, 234-802-479-1381, Fax: 234-73-57719, crcnheadquarters@yahoo.com


[12] Scottish Bible Society to Mark 200th Anniversary

2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the Scottish Bible Society (SBS), and the SBS is using the opportunity to spread God’s Word to even more people.

The SBS is planning events and projects to run throughout 2009 to help people engage with the Bible in new ways, according to the latest edition of the Church of Scotland’s Life and Work magazine.

The SBS was founded 200 years ago when a group of men gathered in Edinburgh’s City Chambers to form a society to “promote the wider circle of Holy Scriptures without note or comment”.

The SBS is credited with helping to establish God’s Word in Nigeria, China, Malawi, Japan and Korea among other countries around the world.

+ Christian Today, 200 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4YB, England, 44-0-20-7378-5705

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722


[13] Princeton Seminary Invites Participation in ‘A
Year with the Institutes’ in Honor of John Calvin’s 500^th Birthday

Princeton Theological Seminary is inviting the church and individual Christians around the world to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth by participating in “A Year with the Institutes,” a daily reading of Calvin’s major work, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, during 2009.

The seminary website will provide a daily reading schedule, text, and audio recording of a three-to-six-page section of the 1559 version of the Institutes for each day of 2009, except Sundays and Christmas Day. Each week, an invited scholar or pastor will provide a reflection paper on that week’s readings, and participants will be able to comment on both the readings and the reflection papers.

For information about how to participate in “A Year with the Institutes,” and for answers to questions, visit the seminary website or send an email.

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005

+ Princeton Theological Seminary, 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08542-0803, 609-921-8300


[14] The Confessional Presbyterian, Volume 4, 2008 Edition is Available and Shipping

The 2008 edition (Volume 4) of The Confessional Presbyterian is available from the publication’s website for US$18 postage paid for individuals in the U.S. and US$25 postage paid for institutions and orders from outside the U.S.

All four volumes from 2005-2008 are currently on special for US$50 postage paid for individuals in the U.S. and US$80 postage paid for institutions and orders from outside the U.S.

The 2008 articles include ‘American Presbyterianism, Geology, and the Days of Creation’ by Frank J. Smith, ‘Olevianus and the Old Perspective on Paul’ by R. Scott Clark, ‘John Calvin on Human Government and the State’ by David W. Hall, and many more.

+ The Confessional Presbyterian, Post Office Box 141084, Dallas, Texas 75214

17 December 2008

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] NAE Vice President Richard Cizik Resigns After NPR Interview Remarks Favoring Civil Unions and Homosexual Marriage
[2] PCUSA Minister Wins 2009 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion
[3] First Presbyterian Church of Marion, North Carolina Loses Lawsuit Against PCUSA for Church Property
[4] Carmen S. Fowler Becomes President and Executive Editor of the Presbyterian Lay Committee on 2 March 2009
[5] Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Responds to the 15 December 2008 Newsweek Cover Story “Our Mutual Joy”
[6] Robert A. Schuller Resigns as Crystal Cathedral Senior Pastor
[7] 2009 Banner of Truth United States Ministers' Conference 26-28 May 2009 at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania
[8] Reformed Church in Japan Leaves Reformed Ecumenical Council
[9] Presbyterian Church of Taiwan Commerating John Calvin’s 500^th Birthday in 2009
[10] United States President George W. Bush Says Creation and Evolution are Compatible
[11] Redesigned Website Makes Lambeth Palace Library More Accessible
[12] Coordinated Muslim Attacks on Christians in Northern Nigeria Leave 400 Dead
[13] Francis David Charteris, the 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th of March, 96, Dies 12 December 2008


[1] NAE Vice President Richard Cizik Resigns After NPR Interview Remarks Favoring Civil Unions and Homosexual Marriage

National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) Vice President for Government Affairs Richard Cizik resigned on 11 December 2008 in the wake of controversial remarks he made in a 2 December 2008 National Public Radio (NPR) interview where he expressed support for civil unions and possibly outright marriage for homosexual couples.

Cizik additionally expressed his support for government supplied contraceptives in order to reduce abortions, and reiterated his long-time concerns about global warming and his desire that evangelical churches make environmental issues a high priority.

L. Roy Taylor, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and Chairman of the Board of the NAE, released an 11 December 2008 statement saying that Cizik’s NPR interview statements “did not appropriately represent the values and convictions of NAE and our constituents” and that “there is a loss of trust in his credibility as a spokesperson among leaders and constituents."

Taylor expressed his love and appreciation for Cizik during their ten years of working together at the NAE, and described Cizik as “a brother in the Lord and as a gifted and enthusiastic advocate of causes dear to evangelical Christians.”

Taylor reviewed the history of the PCA’s association with the NAE, and closed by asking PCA members “to pray for the NAE and it ongoing ministry and especially to pray for Richard Cizik and his family.”

+ Institute on Religion and Democracy, 1023 15th Street Northwest, Suite 601, Washington DC 20005-2601, 202-682-4131, Fax: 202-682-4136, info@theird.org

+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org


[2] PCUSA Minister Wins 2009 Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion

Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA) minister and President Emeritus of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, the Rev. Donald W. Shriver Jr. is the winner of the 2009 Louisville Grawemeyer Award (LGA) in Religion for his book, Honest Patriots: Loving a Country Enough to Remember Its Misdeeds, published in 2005 by Oxford University Press. The award includes a $US200,000 prize and is given jointly by Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (LPTS) and the University of Louisville.

In his book, Shriver contends that the United States particularly needs to acknowledge and repent of its historical treatment of African- and Native-Americans, and then try to repair and repay the debt for those past wrongs in public ways.

Susan R. Garrett, professor of New Testament at LPTS and coordinator of the LGA in Religion said, “Shriver suggests what repentance and reparation might look like on a wider scale in America, and provides much food for thought regarding present American crimes for which we will likely feel a need to repent at some point in the future.”

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005



[3] First Presbyterian Church of Marion, North Carolina Loses Lawsuit Against PCUSA for Church Property

A McDowell County, North Carolina, Superior Court jury ruled 25 November 2008 that First Presbyterian Church of Marion (FPCM), North Carolina, is bound by the property trust clause of the Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA) Constitution, which states that all congregational property is held in trust for the denomination. FPCM sued the Western North Carolina Presbytery (WNCP) in July 2007, seeking title to the church property. The church currently remains in the PCUSA.

In a letter to its churches, WNCP Executive Presbyter Bobbi White wrote, “Presbytery intends to give the Marion congregation caring pastoral support, as together they plan for the greater witness of Christ's Church in the Marion community, which that church has served well since 1845.”

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[4] Carmen S. Fowler Becomes President and Executive Editor of the Presbyterian Lay Committee on 2 March 2009

The Rev. Carmen S. Fowler will assume the offices of President and Executive Editor of the Presbyterian Lay Committee beginning 2 March 2009.

Fowler is currently an associate pastor of the 800-plus member Providence Presbyterian Church in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where she has served since 2003. Fowler served as executive director of The Presbyterian Coalition in 2002 and 2003 and is now co-moderator of the New Wineskins Association of Churches.

+ Presbyterian Lay Committee, Post Office Box 2210, Lenoir, North Carolina 28645, 828-758-8716, Fax: 828-758-0920, laymanletters@layman.org


[5] Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Responds to the 15 December 2008 Newsweek Cover Story “Our Mutual Joy”

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Dr. Robert A. Gagnon has written a response to the 15 December 2008 Newsweek cover story “Our Mutual Joy” by Newsweek Religion Editor Lisa Miller, which he titles ‘“More than “Mutual Joy”: Lisa Miller of Newsweek against Scripture and Jesus.’

Dr. Gagnon introduces the article as follows: “Religious proponents of gay marriage routinely ignore or twist the major arguments in Scripture and philosophy against homosexual practice. The cover story by Religion Editor Lisa Miller in the Dec. 15, 2008 issue of Newsweek, wholeheartedly endorsed by Managing Editor Jon Meacham, is a perfect case in point.”

+ Robert A. Gagnon, 412-441-3304 extension 2205, gagnon@pts.edu

+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005


[6] Robert A. Schuller Resigns as Crystal Cathedral Senior Pastor

The Rev. Robert A. Schuller has resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral two months after being ousted by his father the Rev. Robert H. Schuller from the cathedral’s television show “Hour of Power.”

The younger Schuller plans to start his own ministry and plans to make an announcement about the new ministry in the near future.

+ San Jose Mercury News, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95190, 408-920-5000, Fax: 408-288-8060, webfeedback@mercurynews.com

+ Reformed Church in America, 4500 60th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512, 800-968-6065, questions@rca.org


[7] 2009 Banner of Truth United States Ministers' Conference 26-28 May 2009 at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania

The 2009 Banner of Truth Ministers’ Conference will he held 26-28 May 2009 at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania.

Featured conference speakers include Sinclair Ferguson, Alistair Begg, Walter Chantry, Mark Johnston and Jonathan Watson.

+ The Banner of Truth Trust, Post Office Box 621, Carlisle, Pennsylvania 17013, 717-249-5747, info@banneroftruth.org


[8] Reformed Church in Japan Leaves Reformed Ecumenical Council

At its synod October 21-23, the Reformed Church in Japan (RCJ) voted to suspend its membership in the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC).

The RCJ’s concerns about theological and confessional integrity within the REC, and the REC’s upcoming merger with the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to form the World Communion of Reformed Churches were cited as reasons for the RCJ’s departure.

+ The Reformed Ecumenical Council, 2050 Breton Road Southeast, Suite 102, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546, 616-949-2910, rvh@recweb.org


[9] Presbyterian Church of Taiwan Commerating John Calvin’s 500^th Birthday in 2009

The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) is planning events to mark the 500^th birthday of John Calvin on 10 July 2009.

Hsinchu Bible College will host a conference called “Calvin and Today’s Church” on 17-20 August 2009. The event is expected to draw 240 staff members from presbyteries across Taiwan. The purpose of the conference is to help Christians today understand Calvin’s contribution to theology, churches, and his contribution to the Protestant Reformation.

Additionally, all PCT presbyteries will be holding special services 5 July 2008 to commemorate Calvin’s 500^th birthday, and there will be related memorabilia, DVDs, and publications distributed during the celebrations.

+ Presbyterian Church in Taiwan


[10] United States President George W. Bush Says Creation and Evolution are Compatible

In an 8 December 2009 interview with Cynthia McFadden for American Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Nightline, U.S. President George W. Bush stated that he believes that the concept of evolution does not conflict with a belief that God created the world.

Institute for Creation Research assistant editor Christine Dao responded, “Indeed, evolution, which requires massive amounts of death over millions of years, does not explain the mystery of life at all. Furthermore, creation and evolution are completely antithetical to one another.”

Dao continued, “Bush called himself a “simple president,” implying that he does not feel qualified to speak authoritatively on scientific matters. Few people do, since American science education, under the guise of “separation of church and state,” has for decades hindered students from understanding even basic science by limiting their studies to the evolutionary worldview and forbidding an open exploration of the evidence.”

Dao concluded, “During his presidency, Bush has affirmed his faith in the Christian God a number of times. And like many professing Christians, he errs in placing human wisdom and what some call science over the authority of the living Word of God. He has believed the pervasive, yet fraudulent, claim that evolution is a fact and that the biblical account cannot be literally true. If Christians even in the highest places of governmental authority cannot trust in the accuracy and authority of God’s Word, then how can we hope that they will lead our nation in “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim 2:2)?”

+ Institute for Creation Research, Post Office Box 59029, Dallas, Texas 75229, editor@icr.org


[11] Redesigned Website Makes Lambeth Palace Library More Accessible

The collections of the Lambeth Palace Library, the historic library and record office of the archbishops of Canterbury and the principal repository of the history of the Church of England, have been made more accessible with the launch of a newly redesigned website at www.lambethpalacelibrary.org.

As well as practical details on accessing the library's collections and other services, the website allows potential users to view the full scope of its research resources via its electronic catalogues and outlines of its holdings.

Improved features on the new-look site include downloadable research guides covering a range of topics, from helping people trace their family history where their ancestors include Anglican clergy, through to trends in church architecture and clerical costume through the ages.

+ Episcopal Church Center 815 Second Avenue New York, New York 10017, 800-334-7626, cdawkins@episcopalchurch.org

+ Church of England, Church House, Great Smith Street, Westminster, SW1P 3AZ, England, +44(0)20-7898-1000


[12] Coordinated Muslim Attacks on Christians in Northern Nigeria Leave 400 Dead

Ruth Gledhill, The London Times’ Religion Correspondent, reports that preplanned and well-coordinated post-election attacks by Muslims upon Christians in the northern city of Jos, Nigeria have left 400 dead, churches burned, and an Augustinian monastery attacked.

Anglican Bishop of Jos, Dr. Benjamin Kwashi, is reported to have said that the attacks had been long in the planning and were not a spontaneous response to the elections as others have claimed.

The Bishop said too that these attacks were worse than similar riots occurring in 2001, because the earlier attacks were with stones and knives and people could run away. This time, there was no running away. People who tried to flee were gunned down.

The Jos diocesan website has photographs of the death and destruction caused by the recent rioting.

+ The London Times, Times House, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT, England, 44-0-20-7782-5971, pressoffice@thetimes.co.uk

+ Worldwide Anglican Communion, St Andrew's House, 16 Tavistock Crescent, London W11 1AP, England, 44-0-20-7313-3900, Fax: 44-0-20-7313-3999, aco@anglicancommunion.org


[13] Francis David Charteris, the 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th of March, 96, Dies 12 December 2008

Francis David Charteris, the 12th Earl of Wemyss and 8th Earl of March, died in Edinburgh, Scotland on 12 December 2008 at age 96.

Lord Wemyss was president of the National Trust for Scotland from 1967 to 1991, Lord Clerk of the Register of Scotland, Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on three occasions, chaired the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments for Scotland, and was a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.

Lord Wemyss is survived by his second wife, Shelagh Kennedy, a daughter, Lady Elizabeth Benson, and his son, Lord Neidpath, who inherits the titles.

+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, Scotland EH8 8AS, 0131-620-8620

+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722