7 October 2009

Presbyterians Week

[1] Christian Observer Assistant Editor Dr. Robert L. LaMay to become Pastor Emeritus of Providence Church in Morton, Illinois
[2] Two Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Elders Resign over Alleged Retaliation by Pastor toward Critics
[3] Israel Government Partnering with Ultra-Orthodox Anti-Assimilation Organization to Keep Messianic Jews from Living in Israel
[4] Dutch Christians Fight Against Festival including Hindu Idolatry
[5] Dallas, Texas, Lawyer Sues to Stop Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches Leaders from Praying Imprecatory Psalm 109 Against Lawyer and Family
[6] Old Testament Festivals 15-17 October and Reformation Day Psalm Sing at Reformed Presbyterian Church in Manassas, Virginia
[7] Sardinia Presbyterian Church Celebrates 100^th Anniversary
[8] Peters Creek United Presbyterian Church of Venetia, Pennsylvania, Keeps Property in Dispute with PCUSA
[9] Maine Censors Christian Action Network and Imposes US$4,000 Fine for Fundraising Letter with Anti-Muslim Message
[10] Pro-Life Groups Setup 100 Foot-Tall Number Seventy-One on U.S. Capitol Lawn to Represent Seventy-One Percent of Americans Opposed to Taxpayer-Funded Abortion
[11] Hungarian Government Cuts 2010 Church Funding
[12] Fellowship of Confessing Churches Receives 100+ Applications Following Church of Scotland’s Appointment and Ordination of Homosexual Minister
[13] Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Dr. Robert Gagnon Pens “What Should Faithful Lutherans in the ELCA Do?”
[14] Scotland’s Chief Prosecutor Refuses to Issue Guidelines for Legal Assisted Suicide
[15] Ulster Assemblyman Speaks Out Against Possible January 2010 Visit of Roman Catholic Pontiff
[16] U.S. Presidential Appointment for School Safety Czar was Thirteen-Year Leader of Largest Activist Group in U.S. Promoting Homosexuality to Children
[17] Gambling Referendum in Taiwan Fails Thanks to Coalition of Groups and Individuals including the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
[18] WARC Hosts Accra Confession Dialogue
[19] All Saints Sisters of the Poor of Catonsville, Maryland, Leave Canterbury for Rome
[20] PCUSA GA Committee Recommends Adoption of Belhar Confession
[21] "Pastoral Care and Discipline in Calvin's Geneva" is Subject of Calvin’s 500^th Birthday Celebration at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa on 15 October 2009
[22] Reformed Theological Seminary Events at McLean Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia
[23] 17^th Annual Reformation Celebration 30 October to 1 November 2009 at Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel, Mississippi


[1] Christian Observer Assistant Editor Dr. Robert L. LaMay to become Pastor Emeritus of Providence Church in Morton, Illinois

Hanover Presbytery minister, Assistant Editor for the Christian Observer and long-time author of the Christian Observer Sabbath School Lessons, Dr. Robert L. LaMay, will be honored with the title of Pastor Emeritus by Providence Church (Covenant Presbyterian Church) in Morton, Illinois on Sunday, 11 October 2009.

Providence Church became a mission church of the Hanover Presbytery on 8 September 2002. Dr. LaMay was assigned as the provisional pastor of Providence Church and served from 24 October 2004 to 27 August 2006, when Providence Church called their first pastor. During Dr. LaMay's tenure, Providence Church became a fully functioning church with the installation of two elders and one deacon. Additionally, there was one wedding, two families added, and five covenant children baptized.

Currently, Providence Church has over twenty families in regular attendance (many families with more than five children!) and is leasing a beautiful building in Morton, Illinois, where they will celebrate their third annual Reformation Day Faire on 23-24 October 2009 at which Dr. LaMay will give the opening welcome.

The Providence Church Session and members are thankful to God for providing Dr. LaMay to Providence Church at a critical time and rejoice in all that God has done for Providence Church through Dr. LaMay's faithful labors and delight that Providence Church can honor him in this fashion. For further information, please access the Providence website at http://providencepeoria.org.

+ Providence Church, Post Office Box 19, Kingston Mines, Illinois 61539, 309-387-2600, Fax: 847-890-6254, Contact Form

+ Covenant Presbyterian Church, Contact Form

+ Hanover Presbytery, Reformed Presbyterian Church, hanoverpresbyter@yahoo.com


[2] Two Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Elders Resign over Alleged Retaliation by Pastor toward Critics

A 1 October 2009 article in the Miami Herald reports that two ruling elders of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (CRPC) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, have resigned from the CRPC session over what the former elders describe as the retaliation being taken by Pastor Tullian Tchividjian and church officers against CRPC members that favored Tchividjian being fired. A 20 September 2009 congregational meeting voted sixty-nine percent to thirty-one percent to retain Tchividjian.

CRPC choir members at rehearsal the week of 27 September 2009 were told to recant any prior opposition to Tchividjian if they were to remain in the choir.

One of the resigning elders summarized the situation by saying, “We had a golden opportunity to reconcile rather than be punitive.”

+ The Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, Florida 33132, 305-350-2111, Contact Form

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

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


[3] Israel Government Partnering with Ultra-Orthodox Anti-Assimilation Organization to Keep Messianic Jews from Living in Israel

The Times, in a 2 October 2009 article, quote an unnamed official of the Israeli Interior Ministry who reports that the ministry is working with an ultra-Orthodox Jewish anti-assimilation group called Yad L’Achim to prevent Messianic Jews from being allowed to live in Israel.

Some ultra-Orthodox Jews consider Messianic Jews a threat to the Jewish identity. The US State Department has accused Yad L’Achim of using violence against those who go to Israel and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Israeli Jews.

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


[4] Dutch Christians Fight Against Festival including Hindu Idolatry

Christians in Amstelveen, Netherlands, are fighting plans by local authorities to support a Hindu festival called the ‘India Diwali Festival’ that includes prayer to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi in the town center.

Former Amstelveen, Netherlands, resident and BosNewsLife founder Stefan J. Bos, put the proposed festival in context, writing, “While Amstelveen wants to honour a Hindu goddess, Indian Christians are jailed, tortured, and even murdered for honoring their God and Lord Jesus Christ.”

Another writer commented that Amstelveen, Netherlands, a European gateway for international companies due to its location near Schiphol Airport and key highways, is using the festival as another way “to attract Indians with their big wallets.”

The Dutch capitol of Amsterdam and Amstelveen-based KPMG, one of the world’s largest professional services providers, are additionally funding the Amstelveen Hindu festival.

+ Religion News Blog, Contact Form


[5] Dallas, Texas, Lawyer Sues to Stop Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches Leaders from Praying Imprecatory Psalm 109 Against Lawyer and Family

Dallas, Texas, attorney and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Mikey Weinstein, is suing former U.S. Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt and Jim Ammerman, the founder of the Dallas-based Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches (CFGC), to stop praying imprecations from Psalm 109 against Weinstein and his family, and for Klingenschmitt and Ammerman to cease “encouraging, soliciting, directing, abetting or attempting to induce others to engage in similar conduct,” because of Weinstein’s efforts to constrain evangelical Christians in the U.S. military from exercising the soldiers’ First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

Klingenschmitt’s organization, Pray In Jesus Name Ministries, posted an evening prayer on 25 April 2009 that read:

“Let Us Pray. Almighty God…

Today we pray imprecatory prayers from Psalm 109 against the enemies of religious liberty, including Barry Lynn [director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State] and Mikey Weinstein, who recently issued a press release attacking me personally. God, do not remain silent, for wicked men surround me and tell lies about me. We bless them, but they curse us. Therefore find them guilty, not me. Let their days be few, and replace them with Godly people. Plunder their fields, and seize their assets. Cut off their descendents, and remember their sins.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Weinstein’s suit additionally aims to cripple the GFGC financially and to have the GFGC stripped of its status with the Department of Defense.

+ Military Religious Freedom Foundation, 13170-B Central Avenue, Southeast, Suite 255, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87123, 800-736-5109, info@militaryreligiousfreedom.org

+ Pray In Jesus Name Ministries, Post Office Box 77077, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80970, 719-360-5132, chaplaingate@yahoo.com

+ Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, 2715 Whitewood Drive, Dallas, Texas 75233, 214-331-4373, Fax: 214-333-4401, CFGC@cfaith.com

+ Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 518 C Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-466-3234, Fax: 202-466-2587, americansunited@au.org


[6] Old Testament Festivals 15-17 October and Reformation Day Psalm Sing at Reformed Presbyterian Church in Manassas, Virginia

Dr. Grady S. McMurtry will speak about the Old Testament Festivals 15-17 October 2009 at the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Manassas, Virginia:

-- Why Should We Study The Feasts? - Thursday, 15 October 2009 - 7:00 p.m.

-- Demonstration Passover Seder - Friday, 16 October 2009 - 7:00 p.m.

-- "See" the Cross - Saturday, 17 October 2009 - 9:00 a.m.

-- Pentecost and the Summer Feasts - Saturday, 17 October 2009 - 10:30 a.m.

Dr. McMurtry is a missionary, full-time international creation emissary, biblical scientific creationist, and Christian apologist for Creation Worldview Ministries, and holds the Master of Science degree from the College of Environmental Science of the State University of New York; and holds the Doctor of Divinity degree from the School of Theology in Columbus, Georgia.

Additionally, a Reformation Day Psalm Sing will be held at Reformed Presbyterian Church on Saturday, 31 October 2009, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For details about the events, please see the Manassas Church Blog at http://manassaschurch.blogspot.com.

+ Reformed Presbyterian Church, 9400 Fairview Avenue, Manassas, Virginia 20110, 703-361-2300, Festivals@RPChurch.org

+ Hanover Presbytery, Reformed Presbyterian Church, hanoverpresbyter@yahoo.com

+ Creation Worldview Ministries, 4698 Hall Road, Orlando, Florida 32817 407-678-8234, Contact Form


[7] Sardinia Presbyterian Church Celebrates 100^th Anniversary

Sardinia Presbyterian Church of Sardinia, South Carolina, is celebrating 100 years of worship at the church with special services 10-14 October 2009:

-- Dinner and a Special Program – Saturday, 10 October 2009 – 6:30 p.m.

-- Sunday School Hour with the Rev. Robert Korn speaking – Sunday, 11 October 2009 – 10:00 a.m.

-- Regular Worship with the Rev. John Dodd – Sunday, 11 October 2009 – 11:15 a.m. – followed by a fellowship lunch

-- Special Revival Services with Dr. Gordon Reed [Editor Emeritus – Christian Observer] – Sunday through Wednesday, 11-14 October 2009 – 7:00 p.m.

For further information, please contact the church at 803-473-4329.

+ Sardinia Presbyterian Church, 1386 Garland Road, Sardinia, South Carolina 29143, 803-473-4329, 803-473-4313, sardiniapca@ftc-i.net


[8] Peters Creek United Presbyterian Church of Venetia, Pennsylvania, Keeps Property in Dispute with PCUSA

Peters Creek United Presbyterian Church (PCUPC) of Venetia, Pennsylvania, withdrew from the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) nearly two years ago, and subsequently affiliated with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

PCUPC filed suit against the Washington Presbytery (WP) (PCUSA) after the WP attempted to take the PCUPC church property after PCUPC left the WP and the PCUSA without the WP’s concurrence.

Washington County Court Judge Paul Pozonsky ruled 1 October 2009 that the PCUPC is the rightful owner of the PCUPC property, that PCUPC is entitled to that property without the interference of WP, and that neither the WP nor the PCUSA has any property interest in the PCUPC property.

+ Observer-Reporter, 122 S. Main Street, Washington, Pennsylvania 15301, 724-222-2200, Fax: 724-225-2077, pburroughs@observer-reporter.com

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

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


[9] Maine Censors Christian Action Network and Imposes US$4,000 Fine for Fundraising Letter with Anti-Muslim Message

The Christian Action Network (CAN) has been an organization in good standing with the state of Maine for several years, and in March 2009 filed for a renewal of CAN’s state license, including a license fee check that was cashed by the state government.

In April 2009, CAN mailed a letter exposing how some Maine public schools were promoting Islam by providing instruction on the Five Pillars of Islam and the Koran. The letter pointed out that some schools have provided a “prayer room” for Muslims and one textbook that told seventh grade students they “will become Muslim.” The letter listed Maine Governor John Baldacci as a person who is over the public schools and someone to whom the recipients of the letter should voice their opinion.

In May 2009, CAN was informed by Maine that its application was now being denied, and a US$4,000 fine was imposed for three reasons: (1) the state alleged CAN’s letter contained “an inflammatory anti-Muslim message;” (2) the letter used Governor John Baldacci’s name without his approval; and (3) the registration was allegedly “incomplete.”

CAN, represented by the Liberty Counsel, filed a lawsuit against the state of Maine challenging the state statute regarding use of a person’s name, which the state has interpreted to mean that the governor’s name cannot be used in a direct mail piece without his permission, and raising a free speech challenge to the state for censoring the letter for its alleged “anti-Muslim message.”

Mathew D. Staver of Liberty Counsel commented: “The chief purpose of the First Amendment was to prevent the government from licensing the press. Citizens do not need permission to petition government officials or to protest government policies. The state of Maine has no business licensing one viewpoint on controversial issues and cannot deny speech because some bureaucrat deems it ‘anti-Muslim.’”

+ Liberty Counsel, Post Office Box 540774, Orlando, Florida 32854, 800-671-1776, Liberty@LC.org

+ Maine Governor John Baldacci, Office of the Governor, #1 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333, 207-287-3531, Fax: 207-287-1034, Contact Form for Maine Governor John Baldacci


[10] Pro-Life Groups Setup 100 Foot-Tall Number Seventy-One on U.S. Capitol Lawn to Represent Seventy-One Percent of Americans Opposed to Taxpayer-Funded Abortion

The Christian Defense Coalition (CDC), Generation Life, and Operation Rescue as part of the "Abortion is Not Health Care" campaign, have begun an online campaign called "I am 71," to represent the seventy-one percent of Americans opposed to taxpayer funded abortion. On 2 October 2009, "I am 71" displayed a 100 foot-tall number seventy-one on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in order to encourage members of the U.S. Congress to listen to the wisdom of the American people and ensure that not a single penny of public money will be used to pay for or to subsidize abortions.

Reformed Presbyterian pastor and Director of the CDC, the Rev. Patrick Mahoney stated, "Americans intuitively know that abortion is not health care. They understand that health care should bring compassion, mercy and healing to those in need not violence and despair. We are displaying this large seventy-one on the lawn of the Capitol to remind lawmakers to listen to the voice and wisdom of the American people and embrace human rights and social justice. It would be tragic for Congress to force the American faith community to pay for the killing of innocent children through their tax dollars. The pro-life community will continue to be a loud and prophetic voice speaking out against abortion in health care during this entire debate."

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

+ Christian Defense Coalition, Post Office Box 77168, Washington DC 20013, 202-547-1735, ChristianDefense@gmail.com

+ Generation Life, 590 Snyder Avenue, West Chester, Pennsylvania 19382,
215-885-8760, Mail@GenerationLife.org

+ Operation Rescue, Post Office Box 782888, Wichita, Kansas 67278-2888, 800-705-1175, Fax: 916-244-2636, info@operationrescue.org


[11] Hungarian Government Cuts 2010 Church Funding

Hungarian government spokesman Domokos Szollár, in a 29 September 2009 statement to reporters after representatives of Hungary’s traditional churches met with Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and other government officials, explained that “due to the difficult economic situation,” the Hungarian government’s usual matching funds paid to churches for individuals’ contributions to those churches will be reduced in 2010.

Head of the Hungarian Reformed Church, Bishop Gusztáv Bölcskei, told reporters for the Hungarian state news agency Magyar Távirati Iroda (MTI) that four traditional church denominations will receive HUF2-3 billion (equivalent to US$11-16.5 million) less from the government in 2010 than would have normally been expected, a drop from HUF26.6 billion to as little as HUF23.5 billion (equivalent to a drop of US$146.3 million to as little as US$129.3 million).

+ Caboodle.hu, hello@caboodle.hu

+ Magyar Távirati Iroda Zrt., Vince Mátyás elnök, H-1016 Budapest Pf.3., Hungary, 441-9000, hirforgalom@mti.hu

+ Hungarian Reformed Church


[12] Fellowship of Confessing Churches Receives 100+ Applications Following Church of Scotland’s Appointment and Ordination of Homosexual Minister

The forty-six member Fellowship of Confessing Churches (FCC) has received more than 100 applications from Church of Scotland (COS) congregations since the appointment and installation of a practicing homosexual as the minister of Queen’s Cross Church in Glasgow, Scotland, and the subsequent COS General Assembly (GA) decision to form a study commission on the subject to report back to the 2011 COS GA.

The FCC requires member churches to prominently display the following covenant:

“We recognize God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family.

We acknowledge the great harm that has come from our failures to maintain this standard, and we repent and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.

We reject the authority of those who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed.”

+ The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk

+ Fellowship of Confessing Churches

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


[13] Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Professor Dr. Robert Gagnon Pens “What Should Faithful Lutherans in the ELCA Do?”

In response to “the [Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA)]’s hard-left departure from normative Christian faith and practice,” as evidenced by “[the ELCA] Churchwide Assembly in August 2009 vot[ing] to allow for the blessing of homosexual unions and the rostering of pastors in homosexual relationships,” Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Associate Professor of New Testament Dr. Robert Gagnon has written an essay titled “What Should Faithful Lutherans in the ELCA Do?,” in order to give Lutherans that adhere to biblical standards on human sexuality guidance to “deal with these new heretical and immoral actions…”

After presenting a syllogism about denominational legitimacy, then thoroughly and methodically analyzing the relevant scriptural principles concerned with human sexuality and the family including the issue of incest dealt with by Paul in I Corinthians, Gagnon concludes:

“The ELCA has gone beyond the Corinthian community. It has allowed for sexual immorality that Paul (and Jesus) would have regarded as even more extreme than the specific case of incest at Corinth. Furthermore, it has not only tolerated such immorality but also allowed for its blessing and the rostering as active leaders of the church the very persons engaging in the immorality. Moreover, unlike Corinth, this outcome is not just a recent development but part of an orchestrated effort for promoting homosexual behavior over the past decade. The faithful in the ELCA have been more than patient.

At some point—perhaps not immediately but surely down the line—those who remain in the ELCA run the risk of becoming enabling accomplices to a regime that has betrayed the illustrious heritage of the Lutheran communion, to say nothing of the worldwide church, Scripture, and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. No doubt there is pain ahead, but also the joy that comes from dying to self and living for God. May God grant them wisdom and courage in their future decisions, which only they can make.”

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

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

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

+ Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, 616 North Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206, 412-362-5610, Fax: 412-363-3260


[14] Scotland’s Chief Prosecutor Refuses to Issue Guidelines for Legal Assisted Suicide

Scotland’s chief prosecutor, Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini QC, has refused to follow her counterpart, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for England and Wales, Keir Starmer QC, who the week of 21 September 2009, issued guidelines explaining the circumstances under which Starmer is likely to prosecute a case of assisted suicide.

The same day that the DPP issued the guidelines, Angiolini issued a statement saying:

“The guidance issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales will only apply to cases where an offence of assisting suicide takes place within England and Wales. It will not apply to Scotland.

The DPP’s guidance follows the decision of the House of Lords in the English case of Purdy. This case applies only to England and Wales and to the statutory offence of assisting the suicide of another under section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961.

This offence does not apply in Scotland, where, depending on the particular facts and circumstances of the case, the law of homicide may apply.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will give careful consideration to the implications of the DPP’s interim guidance, the outcome of his public consultation and developments in other jurisdictions.

The Crown recognises the importance of this issue, but any change in the current law related to homicide is properly a matter for the Scottish Parliament.”

The vice-convener of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council, the Rev. Sandy Horsburgh commented: “We hope the present legal situation in Scotland will not be changed, and that the guidance in England and Wales is not seen as setting a precedent.”

+ The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk

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


[15] Ulster Assemblyman Speaks Out Against Possible January 2010 Visit of Roman Catholic Pontiff

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Mid Ulster, Ian McCrea, on 25 September 2009 responding to the possible visit of the Roman Catholic Pontiff to Ulster in January 2010, in an article titled “‘No Pope Here!’ Says McCrea,” stated:

“I am opposed to any possibility of a visit to Northern Ireland by the Pope of Rome and I believe a visit from the Pope should be vigorously opposed for a number of reasons, first of all the majority of people in Northern Ireland are Protestant and belong to denominations that hold to the belief that the Pope is the Antichrist and by his titles and claims he blasphemes Almighty God.

A visit from the Pope should also be opposed as many Roman Catholic people feel that the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic church have been complicit in abuse cases over many years and in light of the recent inquiry into child abuse in Roman Catholic institutions, such a visit would be very insensitive not only on the part of the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State who arrogantly issued an invitation for a Papal visit to Northern Ireland, but also on the part of the Pope himself.

I have been made aware, that should there be a visit from the Pope to Northern Ireland it will face the vent of Protestant opposition and therefore I believe that it would be detrimental to community relations and, on those grounds alone, I would urge the Pope of Rome not to come to Northern Ireland.”

Former First Minister Ian Paisley on 12 October 1988 interrupted a speech being given to the European Parliament by then-Roman Catholic Pontiff Pope John-Paul II, by holding up a sign reading “Pope John-Paul II – Antichrist,” and shouting, ''I renounce you as the Antichrist!'' Paisley was then ordered out of the proceedings.

+ Ian McCrea, 34 Fairhill Road, Cookstown, Tyrone, Northern Ireland BT80 8AG, 028-867-64952, Fax: 028-867-64952, Contact Form

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


[16] U.S. Presidential Appointment for School Safety Czar was Thirteen-Year Leader of Largest Activist Group in U.S. Promoting Homosexuality to Children

U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama’s Safe Schools Czar appointee Kevin Jennings was for thirteen years the leader of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which is the largest homosexual advocacy group in the U.S, devoted entirely to promoting homosexuality to children. Under the guise of "safe schools," GLSEN promotes classroom activities that give biased portrayals of Christian and socially conservative viewpoints, and additionally works to turn students into lobbyists for its extreme left causes,
including the suggestion that students ask for a "queer-friendly prom" and to "launch a campaign to create a gender-neutral, all-genders or multi-gendered bathroom at their school."

Jennings is also under fire for, when a school teacher, failing to report the statutory rape of a fifteen–year-old male student who confided to Jennings that an adult male had picked the student up in a bus station men’s room, then engaged in sexual activity with the student at the adult’s home. Jennings encouraged the student in the student’s continuing sexual relationship with the adult, and threatened to sue another teacher who called his failure to report the statutory rape "unethical."

+ Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80995, 800-232-6459

+ The Washington Times, 3600 New York Avenue Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-636-3205


[17] Gambling Referendum in Taiwan Fails Thanks to Coalition of Groups and Individuals including the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan

The efforts of a coalition of small groups including the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, and individuals to defeat a voter referendum to bring casino gambling to the Penghu islands of Taiwan met with success when the referendum was defeated by a significant margin in 19 September 2009 voting.

PCT churches in the Penghu islands were supported by their presbytery when the presbytery urged its member churches to pray for the referendum during 18 September 2009 prayer services and family gatherings. Christians were encouraged to make phone calls to their friends and relatives who live in the Penghu islands to advise them to vote against the referendum.

+ Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, 334 Youth Road, Tainan City, 70144 Taiwan, 886-6-235-6277, Fax: 886-6-237-8882, enews@pctpress.org


[18] WARC Hosts Accra Confession Dialogue

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) hosted a 3-8 September 2009 conference of fifty-nine church leaders brought together to discuss the 2004 Accra Confession on economic justice and ecology.

The conference wrote that one of its purposes was “to reaffirm that the struggle for global economic justice and sustainable Earth communities is essential to the integrity of our faith in God and our discipleship as Christians. [Psalm 24:1]”

Conference conclusions included “We hold Trinitarian communion and Christian Justice as indivisible entities in the providential unfolding of God’s purpose for humankind,” the world economic crisis “…is a spiritual crisis of a
civilizational model that is economically unjust, ecologically unsustainable, and structurally violent and socially degrading of humanity,” and the conference called for a global ecumenical conference, including the Roman Catholic Church that could propose a new international financial structure.

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

+ 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


[19] All Saints Sisters of the Poor of Catonsville, Maryland, Leave Canterbury for Rome

All Saints Sisters of the Poor of Catonsville, Maryland, founded in England and moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1872, has left The Episcopal Church (TEC) and joined the Roman Catholic Church. Mother (Superior) Christina Christie, explains, “We were drifting farther apart from the more liberal path the [TEC] is travelling. We are now more at home in the Roman Catholic Church.”

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

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

+ The Vatican


[20] PCUSA GA Committee Recommends Adoption of Belhar Confession

Following in the footsteps of two other denominations, the Reformed Church in America (RCA) and the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA), a special committee to the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) General Assembly (GA) has recommended the PCUSA add the Belhar Confession to the PCUSA Book of Confessions.

A two-thirds vote by two successive PCUSA GA’s plus a two-thirds ratification vote by the denomination’s presbyteries is required for amending the PCUSA Book of Confessions.

The Belhar Confession was written in South Africa in response to the apartheid system of that nation, declaring apartheid to be a sin and the church justification of apartheid to be a heresy. Proponents of the Belhar Confession believe that the confession holds a value deeper than apartheid in how it addresses the fundamental themes of the unity of the church, reconciliation, and a commitment to justice.

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

+ 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

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


[21] "Pastoral Care and Discipline in Calvin's Geneva" is Subject of Calvin’s 500^th Birthday Celebration at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa on 15 October 2009

In celebration of John Calvin’s 500^th birthday, Dr. Scott Manetsch will speak on "Pastoral Care and Discipline in Calvin's Geneva" at a 7:00 p.m. 15 October 2009 lecture in Christ Chapel on the campus of Northwestern College (NC) in Orange City, Iowa.

The service will include two selections from the Genevan Psalter sung by the NC A cappella Choir, and a question-and-answer session will follow Dr. Manetsch's lecture. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Manetsch is a Reformation history expert, a former professor at NC, and is currently on the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

+ Sioux City Journal, 515 Pavonia Street, Sioux City, Iowa 51102, 712-293-4250, 800-397-9820, Contact Information

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


[22] Reformed Theological Seminary Events at McLean Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia

The Washington DC campus of Reformed Theological Seminary is sponsoring two upcoming events at the McLean Presbyterian Church in McLean, Virginia.

On 20 October 2009 at 7:30 p.m., Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo will present “The Challenge of Islam to Our Church and Our Society in the 21st Century.” Dr. Sookhdeo is the author of “Islam: The Challenge to the Church,” Director of the Barnabas Fund, founder of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity, and recipient of the 2001 Coventry Cathedral Prize for Peace and Reconciliation.

“Transform ’09: Pushing Back the Darkness: How Your Daily Work
Advances the Kingdom,” cosponsored by the MPC Board of Women, will be held 30 October – 1 November 2009, and will feature Os Guinness speaking on “Serving God’s Purpose,” Paige Benton Brown speaking on “Kingdom Matters: Laying the Foundation,” Hugh Whelchel speaking on “Resolving Our Problem with Work,” and Steve Garber speaking on “Transforming Our Culture.”

+ Reformed Theological Seminary - Washington DC, 1028 Balls Hill Road, McLean, Virginia 22101, 703-448-3393, hwhelchel@rts.edu

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


[23] 17^th Annual Reformation Celebration 30 October to 1 November 2009 at Audubon Drive Bible Church in Laurel, Mississippi

The 17^th Annual Audubon Drive Bible Church (ADBC) Reformation Celebration will be 30 October to 1 November 2009 at the ADBC in Laurel, Mississippi.

D.A. Carson and Joel Beeke are the featured speakers.

Refreshments and some meals will be provided. Please RSVP by calling ADBC at 601-649-8570 no later than Friday, 23 October 2009. This will assist ADBC in their food preparation. There is no charge for attending this conference. However, ADBC asks that attendees prayerfully consider making a private donation toward the conference expenses (Galatians 6:6).

Conference information is available at:

http://www.sermonaudio.com/event_details.asp?eventID=ad93009191326

and at:

http://www.audubonchurch.org/news.php?id=42.

+ Audubon Drive Bible Church, 2601 Audubon Drive, Laurel, Mississippi 39441, 601-649-8572, Fax: 601-649-8571, churchoffice@audubonchurch.org

+ Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals, 419-882-0424, info@firefellowship.org