Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Death of the Rev. Paul Kovacs
[2] Concerned Women for America Iowa Reacts to Iowa Supreme Court Overrule by Judicial Fiat of Iowa Defense of Marriage Act
[3] United Church of Christ Hails Iowa Supreme Court Decision Legalizing Homosexual Marriage
[4] Bloomfield College Celebrates Annual Out & Proud Week
[5] Presbyterian Foundation Lays Off Fourteen Employees and Closes Six Regional Development Offices
[6] Eastern Michigan University Suspends Student from Counseling Program for Refusal to Affirm Counselee’s Homosexuality
[7] Pro-Family Organizations Urge Student Walkout for Schools' “Day of Silence” Pro-Homosexuality Event
[8] Official for Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty Rousted by Transportation Security Administration Screeners at St. Louis Airport
[9] New Wineskins Association of Churches Announces Convocation VI to be Held 4-6 October 2009 in Signal Mountain, Tennessee
[10] April 2009 Reformation Voice Available for Download
[12] Church of Scotland Old Parish Death and Burial Records from the 16th to 19th Centuries Now Available Online
[13] Big Oops at BYU
[1] Death of the Rev. Paul Kovacs
Former executive director and chaplain of the Bethlen Nursing Home of Ligonier, Pennsylvania, the Rev. Paul Kovacs, 79, died 4 April 2009 at his home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
Kovacs was born in Nadudvar, Hungary, and graduated from the Debrecen Reformed Theological Seminary in Debrecen, Hungary, making him the 17th generation minister of his family. Kovacs served as a missionary in Uruguay for ten years, then in 1970 moved his wife and five children to the United States where he served as a minister for the Johnstown and Windber (Pennsylvania) Hungarian Reformed Churches.
Kovacs and his family moved to Sharon, Pennsylvania in 1972 where he served as a minister at the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church. Kovacs became the executive director and chaplain of the Bethlen Nursing Home of Ligonier, Pennsylvania in 1976 and served in that capacity for 23 years. Kovacs retired in 1999, and returned to Johnstown, Pennsylvania where he attended the now-merged Johnstown-Windber (Pennsylvania) Hungarian Reformed Church until his death.
Kovacs is survived by his wife, two sons, three daughters, five grandchildren, two sisters, and one brother.
+ The Tribune-Democrat, 425 Locust Street, Post Office Box 340, Johnstown, Pennsylvania 15907, 814-532-5000, Newsroom@tribdem.com
+ Calvin Synod, C/O Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, Bishop, 7319 Tapper Avenue, Hammond, Indiana 46324, 219-931-4321, kkludwig@aol.com
[2] Concerned Women for America Iowa Reacts to Iowa Supreme Court Overrule by Judicial Fiat of Iowa Defense of Marriage Act
Concerned Women for America of Iowa (CWAI) responded to the Iowa Supreme Court overrule by judicial fiat on 3 April 2009 of the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act, thus legalizing homosexual marriage in Iowa, by quoting English jurist William Blackstone who said, “If the legislature will positively enact a thing to be done, the judges are not at liberty to reject it, for that were to set the judicial power above that of the legislature, which would be subversive of all government..."
CWAI continued, “The most disappointing aspect of this ruling is that many pro-family groups and Christian voters continue to hope the judicial or legislative branches will fix the problem when we, the people have failed to honestly stand on the principles of God which gave our Forefathers direction, protection and great wisdom. Until we rightly handle these issues in God's house, we will continue to fail in the court house, the state house, and the school house. George Washington warned us it would be impossible to rightly govern without the Bible, [and] until we repent and return to those same principles, we will fail to properly govern and succeed as a nation.”
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Concerned Women for America, 1015 Fifteenth Street Northwest, Suite 1100, Washington DC 20005, 202-488-7000, Fax: 202-488-0806
[3] United Church of Christ Hails Iowa Supreme Court Decision Legalizing Homosexual Marriage
United Church of Christ leaders on 3 April 2009 hailed the Iowa Supreme Court overrule by judicial fiat of the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act. UCC Iowa Conference Minister Rich Pleva said, “Words can hardly express how delighted and relieved I am for same sex couples in Iowa, more than a few of whom are my friends.
On 6 April 2009, UCC pastor the Rev. David Runnion-Bareford, Executive Director of Biblical Witness Fellowship, The Confessing Movement in the UCC, and President of the Association for Church Renewal issued a statement to pastors, churches, and Christians in Iowa saying, “I apologize with a broken heart for our denominational officials and other proponents of faux Christian religion who have publicly advocated and applauded the attempt of your court to redefine marriage. This is an ancient idolatry in new skin. We know that the ordinance of marriage between one man and one woman is imbedded in natural law and the natural moral order by the sovereign word of the creator God…Marriage for all of us, regardless of belief, is the primary covenant in which all other human covenants, laws, and governments are grounded. When courts, governments, or religious bodies make decrees to change the character and definition of marriage, nothing is changed other than the state of their own legitimacy. To decree some other form of relationship a marriage, does not make it so in the only court before which each of us will ultimately stand…”
+ National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, New York 10115
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
+ Association For Church Renewal, Biblical Witness Fellowship, Post Office Box 102, 182 High Street, Candia, New Hampshire 03034, 603-867-7711, Renewall.acr@gmail.com
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
[4] Bloomfield College Celebrates Annual Out & Proud Week
Bloomfield College celebrated 30 March – 4 April 2009 its annual Out & Proud Week, which celebrates the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Events included a film showing, a roundtable discussion about religion and homosexuality, and a professional theatre company presentation of the play “Avow.”
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ Bloomfield College, 467 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003, 973-748-9000
[5] Presbyterian Foundation Lays Off Fourteen Employees and Closes Six Regional Development Offices
The Presbyterian Foundation has laid off thirteen full-time and one part-time employee, and has closed six of its sixteen regional offices in order to reduce payroll expenses and to better manage its budgets during the global financial crisis.
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
[6] Eastern Michigan University Suspends Student from Counseling Program for Refusal to Affirm Counselee’s Homosexuality
Eastern Michigan University (EMU) student Julea Ward was suspended 12 March 2009 from the EMU counseling program after she refused EMU’s directive to affirm the homosexual lifestyle of a counselee.
Ward had followed her supervising professor’s advice to have the counselee referred to another counselor who did not have a conscience issue with the very matter to be discussed in counseling, but was instead called into a hearing where EMU faculty denigrated Ward’s Christian views and asked several inappropriate and intrusive questions about Ward’s religious beliefs, then dismissed Ward from the counseling program. Ward appealed the decision to the dean of the College of Education, who upheld the dismissal on 26 March 2009.
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom filed a lawsuit 2 April 2009 against EMU for violating Ward’s constitutional right not to be compelled to speak a message with which she disagrees.
+ Alliance Defense Fund, 15100 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, 800-835-5233, Fax: 480-444-0025
[7] Pro-Family Organizations Urge Student Walkout for Schools' “Day of Silence” Pro-Homosexuality Event
A coalition of pro-family groups including the Illinois Family Institute, Liberty Counsel, Mission America, and Americans for Truth is urging parents to call their children out of school if their local school will be permitting students or teachers to remain silent during instructional time for the 17 April 2009 Day of Silence, which since 2001 is a political action formally sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
Parents are encouraged to call their children's middle schools and high schools to ask whether the administration and teachers will permit students to remain silent during class on the Day of Silence. If so, parents can express their opposition by calling their children out of school on that day and sending letters of explanation to their administrators, their children's teachers, and school board members.
+ Christian News Wire, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20006, 202-546-0054, newsdesk@christiannewswire.com
[8] Official for Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty Rousted by Transportation Security Administration Screeners at St. Louis Airport
After attending a Campaign for Liberty (CFL) regional conference in St. Louis, Missouri, Steve Bierfeldt, director of development for Ron Paul’s organization CFL, on 29 March 2009 was detained and harassed by Transportation Security Administration screeners at the St. Louis, Missouri airport after they found in his possession a metal box containing cash and checks made out to CFL received from ticket sales, bumper stickers, books and other conference-related items.
A 20 February 2009 Missouri Information Analysis Center report issued to Missouri law enforcement officials to assist them in identifying members of radical militia read: "Militia members most commonly associate with third-party political groups. It is not uncommon for militia members to display Constitution Party, Campaign for Liberty or Libertarian material. These members are usually supporters of former presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr."
Missouri officials quickly apologized and removed the specious allegations about third-party political group supporters from the report after the report was widely publicized.
+ The Washington Times, 3600 New York Avenue Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-636-3205
[9] New Wineskins Association of Churches Announces Convocation VI to be Held 4-6 October 2009 in Signal Mountain, Tennessee
The New Wineskins Association of Churches has announced its Convocation VI conference "Gathered to be with Him, Sent to be like Him," which will be held 4-6 October 2009 at the Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, Tennessee located outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
+ New Wineskins Association of Churches, 8800 Peebles Road, Allison Park, Pennsylvania 15101, 888-754-9693, info@newwineskinsassociation.org
[10] April 2009 Reformation Voice Available for Download
The April 2009 issue of Reformation Voice is available for download from the Heidelberg Reformation Association website.
+ Heidelberg Reformation Association, Rev. Howard Sloan, Secretary, 5543 Business 220, Bedford, Pennsylvania 15522
[11] Calvin Pastor’s Conference 6-9 July 2009 at the Machen Retreat Center
A minister’s conference celebrating the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin will be held 6-9 July 2009 at the Machen Retreat Center in McDowell, Virginia.
Featured speakers are Dr. Cornelis Venema, who will speak on the topics of Calvin's Life and Legacy and The Twofold Grace of God, and Professor Alan Strange of Mid-America Reformed Seminary who will speak on the topics of Calvinism and The Westminster Assembly, Calvinism and Jonathan Edwards, Calvinism and Charles Hodge, and Calvinism and J. Gresham Machen.
+ The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 North Easton Road, Building E, Box P, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090, 215-830-0900, Fax: 215-830-0350
[12] Church of Scotland Old Parish Death and Burial Records from the 16th to 19th Centuries Now Available Online
The eight-year project to digitize Old Parish Records (OPRs) of the Church of Scotland has been completed, and now death and burial records are available in addition to the birth, baptism, banns and marriage records already available via www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. OPRs are the records kept by the Church of Scotland for the 300 years before the start of the civil registration system in 1855.
+ STV, Pacific Quay, Glasgow G51 1PQ, Scotland, 0141-300-3704, yourview@stv.tv
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 4YN, 0131-225-5722
[13] Big Oops at BYU
Brigham Young University (BYU) officials on 6 April 2009 pulled 18,000 copies of the student newspaper The Daily Universe off the school newsstands after finding the caption under a picture of the Mormon leadership council read “Quorum of the Twelve Apostates” instead of the correct title for the group “Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.”
A BYU spokesman explained that the problem was caused by when an editor using a computer spell-checker choose a wrong replacement word precipitated by a misspelling of “Apostles.”
Later in the day, 10,000 The Daily Universe newspapers with a corrected caption were delivered to the BYU newsstands.
+ WTOP Radio, 3400 Idaho Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20016, 202-895-5000
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
8 April 2009
