16 September 2009

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] “Abortion is Not Health Care” Prayer Vigil Includes Memorial Service for Michigan Pro-life Protester Gunned Down 11 September 2009
[2] World Magazine Investigates World Relief’s Hiring of Barack Hussein Obama Presidential Campaign Field Organizer
[3] Newly Confirmed Chief of White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Cass Sunstein, is Animal Rights Activist
[4] Hurricane Katrina Private Charity Relief of US$6.5 Billion Ignored by Broadcast Media
[5] EPC Women In Ministry Leadership Training 16-17 October 2009 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
[6] Slovakia Outlaws All Languages Other than Slovak
[7] Belfast, Northern Ireland, Free Presbyterian Church Challenges Ban on Newspaper Ad Condemning Sodomy as being Unbiblical
[8] Idaho Church Restores Pastor to Pulpit Convicted in 2008 of Misdemeanor Battery for 2007 Forced Sex and Beating of Now Ex-Wife
[9] Lutheran CORE Declares Independence from ELCA
[10] Student Minister Bids Farewell to Accra, Ghana, Congregation
[11] PCG Presbytery Official Addresses Ethnic Conflict in Bawku, Ghana
[12] Presbyterian Church of Cuba Minister and Two Other WCC Presidents Decry Lack of Women in Top WCC Posts
[13] Reformation2Germany Seeks to Reestablish Churches True to Biblical and Confessional Standards
[14] Lakeside Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church to Meet 24 October 2009 in Fairport, Ohio
[15] Calvin in the Capitol Messages in October and November 2009 in Washington DC
[16] Christ, Kingdom, and Culture Conference at Westminster Seminary California 15-16 January 2010
[17] Paperback Edition of A Conquered Kingdom: Biblical Civil Government Published


[1] “Abortion is Not Health Care” Prayer Vigil to Include Memorial Service for Michigan Pro-life Protester Gunned Down 11 September 2009

A memorial service for Michigan pro-life activist Jim Pouillon, who was gunned down and killed 11 September 2009 while seated on a public sidewalk holding a pro-life sign, was held during the "Abortion is Not Health Care" prayer vigil in Washington DC 13-14 September 2009. Pouillon had planned to attend the prayer vigil before being killed in a drive-by shooting by Harlan James Drake, who reportedly did not like the contents of the sign held by Pouillon depicting a newborn baby on one side and an aborted baby on the other side.

Drake is being held without bond for the first degree murders of Pouillon and a business owner he gunned down several minutes after killing Pouillon.

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

+ American Family Association, Post Office Drawer 2440, Tupelo, Mississippi 38803, 662-844-5036

+ Christian Defense Coalition, 202-547-1735, 540-538-4741


[2] World Magazine Investigates World Relief’s Hiring of Barack Hussein Obama Presidential Campaign Field Organizer

The 26 September 2009 issue of World Magazine contains the article “Aid Dependents,” by Warren Cole Smith, which investigates the hiring by World Relief (WR), the compassion arm of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), of former Obama presidential campaign field operative Andrew Mwavua as WR’s National Campaign Director.

Smith points out that more than half of WR’s 2008 financial support totaling US$60 million came from grants of government entities like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and from other federal agencies that fund refugee resettlement work.

NAE’s senior vice president of church engagement, Don Golden, pointed out that during the presidency of George W. Bush, WR’s financial support from the U.S. federal government increased from $US17 million in 2002 to US$31 million in 2008. Both Mwavua and Golden deny that Mwavua’s hiring was to curry favor with the Obama administration in hope of keeping the federal funds flowing to WR. Golden’s letter of late August 2009 announcing Mwavua’s hiring described Mwavua’s organizing skills during the Obama presidential campaign as “brilliant.”

Four days after World Magazine interviewed Mwavua, the former Obama operative resigned from WR. Both Mwavua and WR declined to comment on the resignation.

+ World Magazine, 85 Tunnel Road, Suite 12, Asheville, North Carolina 28805, 828-232-5415, Fax: 828-253-1556, mailbag@worldmag.com

+ World Relief, 7 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202, 443-451-1900, worldrelief@wr.org

+ National Association of Evangelicals, Post Office Box 23269, Washington DC 20026, 202-789-1011, president@nae.net


[3] Newly Confirmed Chief of White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Cass Sunstein, is Animal Rights Activist

Newly confirmed director of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Cass Sunstein, is an animal rights activist who ranks animals above humans.

During a 2002 videotaped event, Sunstein quoted the works of 19^th century animal rights activist Jeremy Bentham, who contended that human rights are withheld from animals by “the hand of tyranny,” compared the plight of French slaves before their emancipation to that of animals oppressed by humans, and ranked adult dogs and horses above human infants up to one month old as being more “rational” and “conversable” than the human child.

Additional concerns about Sunstein include his apparent disregard for both the First and Second Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

+ YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, California 94066, 650-253-0000, Fax: 650-253-0001, press@ytube.com

+ Press Publications, Post Office Box 3037, Rutherfordton, North Carolina 28139, 828-286-9946, editor@thedogpress.com


[4] Hurricane Katrina Private Charity Relief of US$6.5 Billion Ignored by Broadcast Media

The Culture and Media Institute (CMI) in a 2 September 2009 article, “Charity: The Untold Story of Katrina,” tells of the continual mainstream broadcast media portrayal of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in terms of the Superdome horror; the local, state, and federal incompetence surrounding government disaster relief efforts; (false) claims that black residents of New Orleans, Louisiana, suffered higher fatalities proportionally than did white New Orleans residents; and then-New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin’s (false) claims that lawlessness ruled the city for days after the hurricane, and that the levees protecting New Orleans were deliberately destroyed.

CMI contrasts the misleading mainstream broadcast media portrayal of the Katrina aftermath with the realities of the huge outpouring of charity relief from the church and the private sector in the short, medium, and long term aftermath of the storm, which has so far totaled US$6.5 billion. Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina, corporate donations were more than US$500 million. US$4.5 billion of the US$6.5 billion total was donated in 2005.

After relating several stories from the local media about the huge outpouring of relief occurring after the hurricane, the article concluded by noting that the 2005 outpouring of charity for Hurricane Katrina victims set new records, and even surpassed charitable giving for the 11 September 2009 victims.

+ Culture and Media Institute, 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, 703-683-9733, Fax: 703-683-9736,
contact.cmi@mediaresearch.org


[5] EPC Women In Ministry Leadership Training 16-17 October 2009 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) will hold the Women in Ministry Leadership Training conference 16-17 October 2009 at the Reynolda Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Workshops include A Theology of Ministry, led by Cathy Deddo of Immanuel EPC in Warrensville, Illinois; Spiritual Formation of a Leader led by Suzanne Stelling of Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee; Called to Lead led by Susan Nash of First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Gifted for Ministry led by Gerri Fieno of Lake Forest EPC in Huntersville, North Carolina; and Heart of a Leader led by Sarah J. Bush of River Oaks Community Church in Clemmons, North Carolina.

Registration for the conference is US$35, and can be accessed online at http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=768883.

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


[6] Slovakia Outlaws All Languages Other than Slovak

A new law in Slovakia took effect on 1 September 2009, which establishes restrictions upon and punishment for using languages other than Slovak within the broadly and vaguely defined “public realm.”

The law targets the fifteen percent of Slovakia’s population that speak languages other than Slovak, the largest group of which being Hungarian-speakers compromising eleven percent of the Slovak population. Fines for violating the language laws range from €100 - €5000. The law exempts the small minority of Czech-speakers living in Slovakia.

+ Hungarian Human Rights Foundation, 120 East 90th Street, Suite 5D, New York, New York 10128, 212-289-5488, Fax: 212-996-6268, hamos@hhrf.org

+ Hungarian Reformed Church


[7] Belfast, Northern Ireland, Free Presbyterian Church Challenges Ban on Newspaper Ad Condemning Sodomy as being Unbiblical

Sandown Free Presbyterian Church (SFPC) of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2008 ran a full page ad titled ‘The Word of God against Sodomy’ in Belfast’s News Letter newspaper ahead of the 2008 Belfast Gay Pride parade, quoting Scripture concerning sodomy, and defining sodomy as a “perverted form of sexuality.”

After receiving seven complaints about the ad, the Advertising Standards Authority banned the ad from appearing again, saying that the ad was “homophobic,” and that the ad was "forceful, confrontational and threatening to a section of the community."

SFPC on 11 September 2009 won from Northern Ireland’s high court the right to legally challenge the ad ban, the court contending that an arguable case could be made that the ad ban violates SFPC’s freedom of religion and rights of free expression. The court additionally found that SFPC may not have been offered the opportunity to provide an explanation to the authority before the ban was imposed.

A court decision is expected in late September 2009.

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

+ Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster


[8] Idaho Church Restores Pastor to Pulpit Convicted in 2008 of Misdemeanor Battery for 2007 Forced Sex and Beating of Now Ex-Wife

The congregation of First Presbyterian Church of Jerome, Idaho, on 12 September 2009, voted sixteen yes to six no to reinstate their pastor the Rev. Ron Matheney who pleaded guilty in May 2008 to misdemeanor assault and in September 2008 was sentenced to two years probation for what prosecutors say happened 14 August 2007 when Matheney woke up his now ex-wife, forced her to have sex, beat her, then prevented her from calling authorities. Matheney was originally charged with four felonies including domestic battery, attempted strangulation, rape, and sexual penetration with a foreign object.

Matheney is a minister in the Presbytery of Kendall of the Synod of the Pacific of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA).

+ KHQ Broadcast Center, 1201 West Sprague Avenue, Spokane, Washington 99201, 509-448-6000, khqnewsdesk@khq.com

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

+ Synod of the Pacific, 200 Kentucky Street, Suite B, Petaluma, California 94952, 800-754-0669, Fax: 707-765-4467, rob@synodpacific.org

+ Presbytery of Kendall, 128 North 100 East, Jerome, Idaho 83338, 208-324-4248, Fax: 208-324-4453


[9] Lutheran CORE Declares Independence from ELCA

The chairman of the Lutheran Coalition for Reform (CORE), the Rev. Paull E. Spring of State College, Pennsylvania and former bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA)’s Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod, declares that the ELCA has “fallen into heresy” because of the decisions made on human sexuality at the August 2009 ELCA assembly, and that CORE intends to become a “free-standing synod” that will carry out its ministry separate from the ELCA. Spring added that CORE will consider initiating conversations with member Lutheran congregations and reform movements in the United States and Canada toward a possible reconfiguration "of North American Lutheranism."

These issues will be discussed at the Lutheran CORE convocation scheduled for 25-26 September 2009 at Christ the Savior Lutheran Church in Fishers,
Indiana. A CORE spokesman said that 700 people were registered for the convocation as of 8 September 2009.

+ National Council of Churches, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 880, New York, New York 10115

+ Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, Illinois 60631, 773-380-2700, Fax: 773-380-1465, info@elca.org


[10] Student Minister Bids Farewell to Accra, Ghana, Congregation

The Asylum Down Presbyterian Church (ADPC) (Presbyterian Church of Ghana) in Accra, Ghana, bid farewell 6 September 2009 to their pastor the Reverend Patrick Kofi Ntim Manteaw, who served ADPC as pastor-in-charge for the past three years while pursuing a divinity degree at nearby Trinity Theological Seminary.

Pastor Manteaw read from James 2:1-7, and delivered a sermon titled “Be Strong, Do not Fear, Have Faith in God,” reminding those in attendance that Christ does not discriminate against anyone, and that Christians and especially Christian leaders must love all equally including the rich and the poor. Manteaw commented: “Tap talents and potentials in the church and get everybody involved in the development of the church; visit the poor and the disadvantaged and let them feel the love of God.”

During Pastor Manteaw’s tenure at ADPC, he introduced various health and social programs to educate members about the need to live a healthy Christian lifestyle. Manteaw additionally introduced a yearly mini-fair to help promote entrepreneurs among the church membership, emphasizing the importance of ADPC attending to the physical needs of its members.

+ Peace FM, Post Office Box 17470, Mile 7 Junction, Achimota – Accra, Ghana, 00233-21-406677, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Post Office Box GP 1800, Accra, Ghana, 233-021-662511, Fax: 233-21-665594, pcghg@yahoo.com


[11] PCG Presbytery Official Addresses Ethnic Conflict in Bawku, Ghana

Another celebration in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) held on 6 September 2009 was a farewell and thanksgiving service for the outgoing chairman of the PCG’s Asante Presbytery, the Reverend Otuo Acheampong, at the Bantama Payer Memorial Presbyterian Church in Kumasi, Ghana.

Acheampong’s sermon also used the common PCG theme of “Be Strong, Do not Fear, Have Faith in God,” as Acheampong addressed the long-time conflict between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups of Bawku in north-east Ghana, counseling the feuding factions to bury their differences so that peace can prevail, and reminding the listeners that conflict in whatever form is destructive to Ghana’s development process. Acheampong additionally tasked politicians, opinion leaders, and traditional authorities in the area “to as a matter of urgency meet and brainstorm” with the view to adopting what Acheampong described as “road map for peace at Bawku”.

Acheampong closed by urging Christians to abide by the doctrines of the Church for their physical and spiritual growth, and Acheampong called on pastors, presbyters, and catechists to maintain high moral standards and intensify evangelism to win more souls for Christ.

+ Peace FM, Post Office Box 17470, Mile 7 Junction, Achimota – Accra, Ghana, 00233-21-406677, Contact Page

+ Cambridge University Press, 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10013, 212-924-3900, 212-691-3239, information@cup.org

+ Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Post Office Box GP 1800, Accra, Ghana, 233-021-662511, Fax: 233-21-665594, pcghg@yahoo.com


[12] Presbyterian Church of Cuba Minister and Two Other WCC Presidents Decry Lack of Women in Top WCC Posts

The three women who serve as presidents of the World Council of Churches (WCC), including the Rev. Ofelia Ortega of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, told the WCC Central Committee, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in early September 2009, that they are concerned and disappointed about the lack of women in senior staff leadership positions within the WCC.

The WCC Central Committee then approved the recommendation of the three presidents that "those responsible for staff appointments give due attention to regional, confessional and gender balances, particularly the presence of women in all levels of staff leadership groups."

The WCC represents more than 560 million Christians and has 349 members, principally Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant churches, and has a few Roman Catholic members on some WCC committees.

+ World Council of Churches, 150 route de Ferney, CH-1211, Geneva 2, Switzerland, 41-22-791-6111, Fax: 41-22-791-0361

+ Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, Salud # 222 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Ciudad Habana, C.P. 10200, Cuba, 53-7-862-1219, Fax: 53-7-866-8819, presbit@enet.cu


[13] Reformation2Germany Seeks to Reestablish Churches True to Biblical and Confessional Standards

Reformation2Germany seeks to establish Presbyterian and Reformed churches in Germany that are true to biblical and confessional standards, because: “In a most distressing sense, Germany has been inoculated against fresh presentations of the Gospel. The bastions of the Reformation have long become museums that tourists frequent instead of places from which the Gospel can spread. The many beautiful steeples still adorning the German countryside are nothing but reminders of an all too distant past chapter in the cultural history of Germany: its “Christian phase”.”

The Reformation2Germany team consists of Sebastian Heck and family. Heck is a church planter who has an M.Div. from a German seminary, and is presently a Ph.D. candidate at the Theological Universiteit Apeldoorn, Netherlands, working on the natural theology of John Calvin under Dr. Herman Selderhuis.

Will Traub and his wife Judi serve through Mission to the World (MTW), and have spent twelve years serving in Germany as missionaries. Traub served as pastor of Peace Reformed Church in Loveland, Colorado and Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg, Virginia, before going to Germany where Traub now serves as Coordinator of Theological Education and Training for MTW Europe.

Reformation2Germany is seeking others to become involved in this important missionary endeavor. Details can be accessed at http://www.reformation2germany.de/?page_id=13.

+ Reformation2Germany, c/o Sebastian Heck, Birkenweg 4a, 69181 Leimen,
Germany, 49-6226-972877, willtraub@mac.com

+ Mission to the World (PCA), Post Office Box 116284, Atlanta, Georgia 30368, 678-823-0004 x2451, partnerservices@mtw.org

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


[14] Lakeside Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church to Meet 24 October 2009 in Fairport, Ohio

The fall 2009 meeting of the Lakeside Classis of the Hungarian Reformed Church will meet 24 October 2009 at the Hungarian Reformed Church of Fairport Harbor in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. Lunch will be served at noon, followed by worship at 1 p.m., and a business meeting at 2 p.m.

Further information is available at:

http://www.reformatus.us/2009/09/15/lakeside-classis-meets-saturday-october-24th/.

+ Magyar Református Egyház

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


[15] Calvin in the Capitol Messages in October and November 2009 in Washington DC

A free series of messages called Calvin in the Capitol about John Calvin’s life as a pastor and teacher whose primary concern was the care of souls will be presented on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m., 8 October through 12 November 2009, at Christ Reformed Church in Washington DC. Each presentation will be preceded by musical entertainment, and will be followed by a time of cocktails and informal interaction with the speaker and attendees.

Speakers include Dr. Robert Norris, the Rev. Ken Jones, Dr. Brian Lee , the Rev. Glen Hoburg, Dr. Darryl Hart, and Dr. Robert Godfrey.

+ Christ Reformed Church, 1611 16th Street Northwest,
Washington DC 20009, 703-861-0460, info@christreformeddc.org

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

+ Women’s Christian Temperance Union, c/o Frances Willard Memorial Library and Archives, 1730 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, Illinois 60201 ;-)


[16] Christ, Kingdom, and Culture Conference at Westminster Seminary California 15-16 January 2010

The “Christ, Kingdom, and Culture” Conference is scheduled for 15-16 January 2010 at Westminster Seminary California in Escondido, California.

Conference speakers include Westminster faculty members W. Robert Godfrey, S. M. Baugh, David M. VanDrunen, Dennis E. Johnson, and Michael S. Horton.

Conference information is available at http://www.wscal.edu/newsevents/conferences/2010/index.php.

+ Westminster Seminary California, 1725 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, California 92027, 760-480-8474, Fax: 760-480-0252, info@wscal.edu


[17] Paperback Edition of A Conquered Kingdom: Biblical Civil Government Published

A paperback edition of A Conquered Kingdom: Biblical Civil Government has been published by Reformed Worldview Books of Saintfield, Northern Ireland.

Author Dr. Daniel F.N. Ritchie, presents a comprehensive study of what the Bible has to say with respect to the limitations and functions of civil government. The paperback version of A Conquered Kingdom is essentially the same as the hardback edition (though with a few minor nuances), but is now available at the more affordable price of US$17.56 plus shipping.

Dr. Ritchie is a member of Dromara Reformed Presbyterian Church in County Down, Northern Ireland, is currently studying history and politics at the Queen's University of Belfast, and holds a doctorate from North American Reformed Seminary.

+ Reformed Worldview Books, Saintfield, Northern Ireland

+ Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland, 98 Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 6AG, Northern Ireland, 44-1232-660-689, Fax: 44-1232-823-794, info@rpc.org