Wednesday, January 27, 2010

27 January 2010

Presbyterians Week Headlines


[1] Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church August 2009 Expulsion of Six Dissident Members Ruled Improper by PCA Presbytery of South Florida

[2] Presbyterian and Reformed Ministries Helping Earthquake Victims in Haiti

[3] Willow Grove Presbyterian Church to Hold Mardi Gras Jazz Worship Service 14 February 2010

[4] Canadian Immigration Minister Labels Eleven Denominations as Anti-Semitic

[5] Counterpoint Press Publishes Memoir of Son Who Assisted Parents’ Suicide

[6] Life Bible Presbyterian Church Sues to Expel Far Eastern Bible College from Singapore Premises Shared for Forty Years

[7] Hungarian Reformed – Ulster Connection Remembered on Impala Publishers Blog Page

[8] Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and Roman Catholics Hold 17 January 2010 Joint Prayer Session

[9] Four White Zimbabwean Farmers Given Twenty-Four Hours to Vacate Farms by Magistrate Court



[1] Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church August 2009 Expulsion of Six Dissident Members Ruled Improper by PCA Presbytery of South Florida


A 21 January 2010 Sun Sentinel article by James D. Davis titled “Denomination Sides with Six Dissidents Banned from Coral Ridge,” reports that the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)’s Presbytery of South Florida (PSF) has ruled that in the August 2009 expulsion from the property of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (CRPC) in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, of six dissident church members, CRPC had “acted impulsively, improperly, prematurely, and without warrant," and thus the expulsion order was reversed by PSF.


The six dissident church members, in July 2009, mailed 1600 petitions to CRPC members calling for the Rev. W. Tullian Tchividjian’s ouster as CRPC senior pastor. The constitutionally required number of petition signatures was obtained, and a subsequent CRPC congregational meeting voted to retain Tchividjian as senior pastor.


New Presbyterian Church (NPC) of Pompano Beach, Florida, is attended by 700 people that formerly attended CRPC, most of whom remain CRPC members in good standing. Among the NPC staff is Minister of Congregational Life the Rev. Dr. James M. Garretson, an ordained PCA teaching elder and member of PSF.


The NPC pulpit is being supplied by speakers including Dr. Peter Lillback, President and Professor of Historical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania, scheduled for 28 February 2010; and the Rev. Dr. Michael A. Milton, President and Professor of Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte, in Charlotte, North Carolina, scheduled for 7 March 2010 and 30 May 2010.


Please read Presbyterians Week for 12 August 2009 and 30 September 2009 for further background information.


+ Sun Sentinel, 200 East Las Olas Boulevard, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33301, 954-356-4000, afins@sun-sentinel.com


+ New Presbyterian Church, 1000 West McNab Road, Suite 201, Pompano Beach, Florida 33069, 954-946-4380, Fax: 954-333-3690, Contact Page


+ Presbytery of South Florida, 305-323-7495, sfpresbytery@gmail.com


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


+ Westminster Theological Seminary, 2960 West Church Road, Glenside, Pennsylvania 19038, 215-887-5511, Fax: 215-887-5404, communications@wts.edu


+ Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte, 2101 Carmel Road, Charlotte, North Carolina 28226, 704-366-5066, Fax: 704-366-9295,

rts.charlotte@rts.edu



[2] Presbyterian and Reformed Ministries Helping Earthquake Victims in Haiti


In addition to the Presbyterian and Reformed organizations assisting the earthquake victims in Haiti listed in Presbyterians Week for 20 January 2010, are the following agencies:


-- Ministries in Action – contributions designated for Haiti earthquake relief can be made at: http://www.mia.org/GatewayTest/donate.php


-- Double Harvest - contributions designated for Haiti earthquake relief can be made at: http://www.doubleharvest.org/contact/donate.html


-- Word and Deed North America - contributions designated for Haiti earthquake relief can be made at: http://wdhome.blogspot.com/


+ Miami International Seminary, 14401 Old Cutler Road, Miami, Florida 33158, 786-573-7000, Fax: 305-238-2045, mints@ocpc.org



[3] Willow Grove Presbyterian Church to Hold Mardi Gras Jazz Worship Service 14 February 2010


A 25 January 2010 NJToday.net article titled “Church To Reclaim The Spiritual Roots Of Mardi Gras” reports that Willow Grove Presbyterian Church (WGPC) (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, on 14 February 2010, will hold its forth annual Mardi Gras Jazz Worship Service beginning at 10:00 a.m.


WGPC pastor the Rev. Cynthia Cochran-Carney described the service, saying: “Although the current traditions of Mardi Gras in New Orleans [Louisiana] seem far from a Christian celebration of God’s love for humanity in Jesus Christ, we can reclaim those religious roots and enjoy the rich musical traditions of jazz, gospel and spirituals that give voice to our faith.”


The service will be followed by a light brunch featuring “Kings Cakes,” which honor the three wise men or Magi. A small doll is inserted into the cake to symbolize the baby Jesus, and a prize is awarded if the doll in the cake is found.


The History Channel describes the pre-Lenten Mardi Gras celebration originating “as one of the series of carnival days held in all Roman Catholic countries between Twelfth Night, or Epiphany, and Ash Wednesday; these carnivals had their origin in pre-Christian spring fertility rites.”


+ CMD Media Editorial Office, 1139 East Jersey Street, Suite 503, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07201, 908-352-3100


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


+ A&E Television Networks, 235 East 45th Street, New York, New York 10017, 212-210-1400, Contact Page


+ The Vatican



[4] Canadian Immigration Minister Labels Eleven Denominations as Anti-Semitic


Campbell Webster’s 22 January 2010 And Another Thing column titled “It Seems Most Islanders are Anti-Semites” in The Guardian of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, describes how Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, in a mid-December 2009 speech at an Israeli anti-Semitism conference, announced that Canada has a zero-tolerance policy toward anti-Semitism, and thus the human rights organization KAIROS, a coalition of eleven Christian denominations, would no longer receive partnership funding from the Canadian International Development Agency because of KAIROS being “a leader in boycotting, disinvesting, and sanctioning Israel.”


Webster said in response: “This is completely false, of course, and, in fact, KAIROS is on record as being against the promotion of such an idea,” and described KAIROS as “a human rights champion, dedicated to the agenda of the poor, and to eradicating poverty amongst the world's marginalized peoples. They are, simply put, akin to liberation theologists: complex, compassionate thinkers and actors in pursuit of social justice.”


Webster additionally cited the KAIROS website as saying: "KAIROS seeks to promote a peace that is just for both Palestinians and Israelis and for people of all religions, particularly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam."


Presbyterian and Reformed-related denominations in Canada belonging to KAIROS include The Christian Reformed Church in North America, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the United Church of Canada.


+ The Guardian, 165 Prince Street, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A 4R7, 902-629-6000, 902-629-6061, d.brander@theguardian.pe.ca


+ Canadian International Development Agency, 200 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada K1A 0G4, 819-997-5006, Fax: 819-953-6088, info@acdi-cida.gc.ca


+ KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, 310 Dupont Street Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 1V9, 416-463-5312, Fax: 416-463-5569, mcorkery@kairoscanada.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


+ The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 50 Wynford Drive, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3C 1J7, 416-441-1111, Fax: 416-441-2825, Contact Page


+ United Church of Canada, 3250 Bloor Street West, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M8X 2Y4, Canada, 416-231-5931, Fax: 416-231-3103, info@united-church.ca



[5] Counterpoint Press Publishes Memoir of Son Who Assisted Parents’ Suicide


Counterpoint Press, on 10 January 2010, published The Last Goodnights John West’s memoir of assisting his elderly parents, psychiatrist Louis Jolyon West, MD, age seventy-four, and clinical psychologist Kathryn West, PhD, age seventy-five, to commit suicide.


John West is quoted as saying “"I respected my father and mother, and I loved them. And I believe, as they did, in freedom of choice, the right to personal privacy and self-determination . . . the right to choose death with dignity."


+ Counterpoint Press, 2117 Fourth Street, Suite D, Berkeley, California 94710, 510-704-0230, Fax: 510-704-0268, publicity@counterpointpress.com



[6] Life Bible Presbyterian Church Sues to Expel Far Eastern Bible College from Singapore Premises Shared for Forty Years


A 26 January 2010 article by Zul Othman of ChannelNewsAsia.com titled “Church Seeks to Expel Bible College from Premises,” describes how Singapore’s Life Bible Presbyterian Church (LBPC) and Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) have shared the same premises for the past forty years, but that due to a doctrinal disagreement between the two bodies, LBPC has sued FEBC in Singapore’s High Court seeking to have FEBC expelled from their heretofore shared property.


Othman describes the doctrinal dispute as dating from 2002 when FEBC began promulgating a doctrine called Verbal Plenary Inspiration (VPI) “which sought to limit the veracity of the Bible to certain Hebrew and Greek sources.” The effect of the doctrine is to deny the validity of Chinese and Indonesian translations of the King James Version of the Bible.


LBPC rejected the VPI doctrine "because there is no scriptural or other basis for the assertion". FEBC subsequently formed a breakaway group and a new church called the True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church.


+ ChannelNewsAsia.com, Caldecott Broadcast Centre, Andrew Road, Singapore 299939, 65-6333-3888, Fax: 65-6252-6987, newseditor@channelnewsasia.com


+ Life Bible Presbyterian Church, 9A Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063, 65-6594-9399; Fax: 65-6250-6955, Contact Page


+ Far Eastern Bible College, 9A Gilstead Road, Singapore 309063, 65-6256-9256, Fax: 65-6251-3891, febc@pacific.net.sg


+ True Life Bible-Presbyterian Church, Post Office Box 141, Newton Post Office, Singapore 912205, 65-6254-1287, febc@pacific.net.sg



[7] Hungarian Reformed – Ulster Connection Remembered on Impala Publishers Blog Page


A 25 January 2010 article titled “Hungarian Connection” by James O’Fee on the Impala Publishers Blog Page describes O’Fee’s 22 January 2010 visit to the North Down Museum in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, where O’Fee described a pair of plaques, in Hungarian and English, upon which the Hungarians thank the people of Northern Ireland for welcoming refugees fleeing the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.


O’Fee references another of his articles titled “Hungarian Refugees,” from 26 September 2007, where the Hungarian émigrés to Northern Ireland are discussed in more detail.


O’Fee additionally relates that Union College in Belfast, Northern Ireland, hosts two students each year from the Reformed Church in Hungary, and explains how a relationship between Bangor First Presbyterian Church (BFPC) and Telkibánya, Hungary, developed when a Union College Hungarian exchange student was posted at BFPC and later became a pastor in Telkibánya.


+ Impala Publishers, 30 Old Burlington Street, London W1S 3NL, England, office@impalapublications.com


+ Reformed Church in Hungary, MRE Zsinata1146 Budapest, Abonyi u. 21., Hungary, 30-3361-666, info@reformatus.hu


+ Union Theological College, 108 Botanic Avenue, Belfast BT7 1JT, Northern Ireland, 028-9020-5080, Fax: 028-9020-5099, admin@union.ac.uk



[8] Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and Roman Catholics Hold 17 January 2010 Joint Prayer Session


Lydia Ma and Lin Yi-ying report in the 18-24 January 2010 Taiwan Church News that a 17 January 2010 joint prayer session was conducted by church leaders including Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) General Assembly Moderator Leonard Lin and Roman Catholic Archbishop John Hung.


PCT Moderator Lin said “All Christians in the world have the same master and it is the same with all Taiwanese churches. We have one Lord,” and went on to say that God desired to see His children loving one another and brought to unity. He emphasized that Taiwanese churches had long been waiting for a spiritual revival to sweep across the nation, but this would only come through unity, worship, thanksgiving, and confession.


Archbishop Hung said that with more interaction, Roman Catholics and Protestants would get to know each other, opening the way for more opportunities to cooperate and pray for unity. However, Hung was also well aware that four hundred years of division or conflict among Roman Catholics and Protestants wouldn’t be resolved in a day, and said that without conscious effort, there will never be reconciliation or ecumenism among Christians either.


At the end of this prayer meeting, Hung, Lin and the congregation recited the Lord’s Prayer together before a closing prayer. Lin and Hung then embraced each other, and Roman Catholic and Protestant leaders shook hands as a gesture of unity and reconciliation among churches.


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


+ The Vatican



[9] Four White Zimbabwean Farmers Given Twenty-Four Hours to Vacate Farms by Magistrate Court


ZimOnline reports in a 27 January 2010 article titled “Zim Court Gives White Farmers [Twenty-Four Hours] to Vacate Land,” that a Zimbabwean magistrates court in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 27 January 2010, gave four white farmers twenty-four hours to vacate their farms, else be jailed for two years. The farmers additionally were fined $US800 each after being convicted of “refusing to vacate their properties.”


The farmers being evicted have been moving their property, as best they can, to a local Dutch Reformed Church.


The vacated farms are taken over by officials of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front, which include police and judicial officers charged with enforcing laws that are supposed to protect the farmers from confiscation of their land.


+ ZimOnline, Contact Page


+ Reformed Church in Zimbabwe




Wednesday, January 20, 2010

20 January 2010


Presbyterians Week Headlines


[1] Called Meeting of ARP Synod 2-3 March 2010 to Receive and Act on the Findings and Recommendations of the Moderator's Commission on Erskine College and Theological Seminary


[2] Death of Erskine Theological Seminary Professor of Christian Education Emerita Dr. Mary-Ruth Marshall 12 January 2010


[3] byFaith Magazine Publishes Testimonial Article for Recently-Deceased Korea Missionary Dwight Linton


[4] United Kingdom Treasury Committee Visits Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Investigate Presbyterian Mutual Society Financial Collapse


[5] Jihad Watch Director Reports on Unsuccessful Court Appeal by Seven Texas-Based Islamic Organizations Trying to Silence FrontPage Magazine Writer Joe Kaufman


[6] Minority of PCUSA Pastors, Elders, and Members Believe Salvation Exclusively through Jesus Christ


[7] Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches Acknowledges Persecuted Christians, Welcomes a New Denomination, and Endorses Women’s Ordination to Ministry in Member Churches


[8] Ponds Reformed Church of Oakland, New Jersey, Celebrates Tercentenary


[9] Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, Florida, Campus Appoints the Rev. Dr. Don Sweeting as President and Church History Professor beginning 1 June 2010


[10] EPC Small Church Leaders Conference 3-5 March 2010 in Lakewood, Colorado


[11] U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama’s TSA Head Nominee Says “Anti-Abortion” Groups and Groups with a “Christian Identity Oriented” are Domestic Security Threats


[12] Presbyterian and Reformed Communities Providing Disaster Relief to Haiti



[1] Called Meeting of ARP Synod 2-3 March 2010 to Receive and Act on the Findings and Recommendations of the Moderator's Commission on Erskine College and Theological Seminary


Moderator of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) General Synod the Rev. John R. de Witt, Th.D., D.D., and several ARP presbyteries have called a special meeting of General Synod 2-3 March 2010, beginning at 4:30 p.m. on 2 March, with an expected conclusion at 3:00 p.m. on 3 March, at the Bonclarken Conference Center in East Flat Rock, North Carolina, to receive and act on the findings and recommendations of the Moderator's Commission on Erskine College and Theological Seminary.


The ARP Form of Government, Chapter XIII: “Concerning The General Synod,” C. “Its Composition and Organization,” 3. [p. 235], specifies: “A special meeting of the General Synod may be called only at a time of emergency…,” and lists the additional requirements and procedures for said meeting.


Background information about the ARP Moderator's Commission on Erskine College and Theological Seminary can be found in the Minutes of the 205th Annual Meeting of the [ARP] General Synod [pdf p.47, minutes p. 44], article [12] ARP Synod Moderator Appoints Erskine College and Seminary Commission in the 2 September 2009 Presbyterians Week, and in several articles on the ARPTalk blog, including article 26.5, “Called Meeting of Synod” in ARPTalk Issue 26 dated 14 January 2010.


+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Center, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729



[2] Death of Erskine Theological Seminary Professor of Christian Education Emerita Dr. Mary-Ruth Marshall 12 January 2010


Professor of Christian Education Emerita at Erskine Theological Seminary Dr. Mary-Ruth Marshall, 76, died 12 January 2010 at the Self Regional Hospital in Greenwood, South Carolina. A funeral for Dr. Marshall was held at the Greenville Presbyterian Church in Donalds, South Carolina, on 15 January 2010.


Dr. Marshall received a BA in English and Music from Montreat College in Montreat, North Carolina in 1954, an MRE from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education (PSCE) in Richmond, Virginia in 1958, and a PhD from PSCE, upon which Dr. Marshall began studies in 1984.


Dr. Marshall served as the Director of Christian Education at churches in Birmingham, Alabama, and Lynchburg, Virginia, and in several capacities for the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand and the Joint Board of Christian Education of Australia and New Zealand.


After several years of teaching at PSCE, Union Theological Seminary, and School of Theology of Virginia Union University, Dr. Marshall came to Erskine Theological Seminary in 1988 where Dr. Marshall taught courses in Christian Education and developed the Master of Arts in Christian Education degree program. Dr. Marshall retired from teaching in 2003, and thereafter served in several administrative roles for Erskine College and Theological Seminary.


Dr. Marshall was a member of the Greenville Presbyterian Church in Donalds, South Carolina, and taught the Seekers Adult Sunday School Class.


Dr. Marshall is survived by two sisters, a brother, two nieces, and one nephew.


+ Erskine Theological Seminary, Post Office Box 668, Due West, South Carolina, 800-770-6936, gaston@erskine.edu


+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Center, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729



[3] byFaith Magazine Publishes Testimonial Article for Recently-Deceased Korea Missionary Dwight Linton


Richard Doster of byFaith Magazine has published a testimonial article dated January 2010 for the recently-deceased Korea missionary Dwight Linton at:


http://byfaithonline.com/page/pca-people/dwight-linton-had-a-place-in-his-heart-for-the-korean-people


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



[4] United Kingdom Treasury Committee Visits Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Investigate Presbyterian Mutual Society Financial Collapse


Francess McDonnell writes in a 19 January 2010 article in the Irish Times titled “Treasury Visit over Presbyterian Scheme,” about the 18 January 2010 visit of a United Kingdom financial committee chaired by former Northern Ireland minister John McFall to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to enquire of several current ministers as to why a solution to the crisis caused by the financial collapse of the Presbyterian Mutual Society (PMS) had not been found.


Ms. McDonnell further described how McFall “demanded to know from the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Dr. Stafford Carson, if it felt any responsibility to the 10,000 savers left unable to access their funds by the sudden failure of the [PMS] scheme.” Dr. Carson answered in the affirmative, and two of the current ministers “told the treasury committee that they both were determined to find a solution that would be in the best interests of all concerned.”


Presbyterians Week for 19 November 2008 article “[1] Presbyterian Church in Ireland Publishes Insolvency Statement from the Directors of the Presbyterian Mutual Society” and 3 June 2009 article [13] Presbyterian Mutual Society Losses to be Main Topic at Presbyterian Church in Ireland General Assembly” provide further information about this issue.


+ The Irish Times Limited, The Irish Times Building, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2, Irish Republic, 353-1-675-8000, newsdesk@irishtimes.com


+ Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Church House, Belfast BT1 6DW, Northern Ireland, 028-9032-2284, Fax: 028-9041-7301, Info@PresbyterianIreland.org



[5] Jihad Watch Director Reports on Unsuccessful Court Appeal by Seven Texas-Based Islamic Organizations Trying to Silence FrontPage Magazine Writer Joe Kaufman


In an 18 January 2010 article on FrontPageMag.com, Jihad Watch director and Islamic scholar Robert Spencer reports that the Texas Supreme Court has denied the appeal by seven Texas-based Islamist groups seeking to silence FrontPage Magazine writer Joe Kaufman from publishing truths about Islam, of which the Islamic groups would prefer non-Muslims not be made aware.


Spencer writes: “The Islamic groups’ suit against Kaufman is a cynical attempt to silence him and prevent his dissemination of truths about them that they would prefer unwary Infidels didn’t know – specifically, the terror ties of Islamic groups in the U.S….Leftists and their Islamic supremacist allies, unable to refute the evidence and arguments their opponents present, are resorting to intimidation both legal and physical.


“Both of these forms of intimidation are being directed now at Geert Wilders, the Dutch Parliamentarian who produced the film Fitna, which shows how Islamic jihadists use violent passages of the Qur’an to justify violence and supremacism. For this and other alleged acts of “hate speech,” Wilders goes on trial in the Netherlands on January 20, for charges including having “intentionally offended a group of people, i.e. Muslims, based on their religion….””


Spencer concludes: “Joe Kaufman has won another victory this week, but the Islamic supremacist machine in the United States has by no means given up its larger jihad against free speech and free thought. Those who are determined not to be silenced must settle in for a long, hard fight.”


+ FrontPage Magazine, Post Office Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, California 91499, Contact Page



[6] Minority of PCUSA Pastors, Elders, and Members Believe Salvation Exclusively through Jesus Christ


The Presbyterian Panel of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) has published “A Presbyterian Panel - Snapshot Characteristics of Presbyterians 2008,” which shows that only thirty-nine percent of PCUSA members agree or strongly agree that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. Forty-five percent of elders, thirty-five percent of pastors, and twenty-two percent of specialized clergy agree or strongly agree that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.


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



[7] Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches Acknowledges Persecuted Christians, Welcomes a New Denomination, and Endorses Women’s Ordination to Ministry in Member Churches


The Sixth General Assembly of the Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC), a consortium of Anglican, Lutheran, and Reformed Churches, met in Bethanya, Harissa – Lebanon, 11-13 January 2010.


The assembly opened with expressions of concern for and honor being given to the victims of Muslim persecution of Christians in the Middle Eastern countries of Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, and the Sudan.


The assembly voted to welcome the Presbyterian Synod of Iraq as a new member in the FMEEC.


The assembly additionally approved a recommendation to member churches in support of ordination of women to ministry, and called on member churches to ascertain the full role of women in the ministry in church and society.


Presbyterian and Reformed members of FMEEC include the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt Synod of the Nile, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Iran, the Presbyterian Church of the Sudan, the Protestant Church of Algeria, and National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon.


+ Community of Protestant Churches in Europe - Leuenberg Church Fellowship, Severin-Schreiber-Gasse 3, 1180 Vienna, Austria, 4791523-900, Fax: 4791523-110, office@leuenberg.eu


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



[8] Ponds Reformed Church of Oakland, New Jersey, Celebrates Tercentenary


Ponds Reformed Church (PRC) (Reformed Church in America) of Oakland, New Jersey, began its 300th anniversary celebration on 17 January 2010 with a colonial-style worship service, historical reenactments, and a concert by the Ramapo Valley Chamber Ensemble.


PRC will continue their Tercentenary celebration 13-14 March 2010 with an encampment on the church grounds demonstrating 18th century commerce, industry, cooking, and weaponry.


PRC was founded in 1710, and during its history has established five daughter churches, built a social hall for Oakland, New Jersey, and worked to racially integrate Oakland in the 1960s.


+ Ponds Reformed Church, 341 Ramapo Valley Rd, Oakland, New Jersey 07436, 201-337-6744, Fax: 201-337-7255, Contact Page


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



[9] Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, Florida, Campus Appoints the Rev. Dr. Don Sweeting as President and Church History Professor beginning 1 June 2010


Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) has announced the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Don Sweeting as president and professor of church history at the RTS Orlando, Florida campus, beginning 1 June 2010.


Dr. Sweeting is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and has been the senior pastor of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Englewood, Colorado since 1998. Dr. Sweeting previously served as a church planter and senior pastor of Chain of Lakes Community Bible Church in Lake Villa, Illinois for eleven years.


Dr. Sweeting holds a B.A. in history from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, an M.A. from Oxford University in Oxford, England, studied at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, and received a doctorate in church history from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.


+ Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, 1231 Reformation Drive, Oviedo, Florida 32765, 407-366-9493, Fax: 407-366-9425


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



[10] EPC Small Church Leaders Conference 3-5 March 2010 in Lakewood, Colorado


The 2010 Evangelical Presbyterian Church Small Church Leaders Conference with the theme "Small Church, Significant Ministry" is scheduled for 3-5 March 2010 at the Bear Creek Church in Lakewood, Colorado. The cost of the conference, including three meals and refreshments, will be US$50.00. Registration details will be provided later.


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



[11] U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama’s TSA Head Nominee Says “Anti-Abortion” Groups and Groups with a “Christian Identity Oriented” are Domestic Security Threats


Erroll Southers, nominated by U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama to head the Transportation Security Administration, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, has lumped “anti-abortion” groups and groups that are “Christian-identity oriented,” into the same category as white supremacist groups and other racial-supremacist groups such as prison gangs, describing them all as domestic security threats. Southers believes that the most dangerous groups are the white supremacist groups, which Southers describes as “anti-government and in most cases anti-abortion.”


Southers’ linkage of white supremacist groups with the anti-abortion movement is disingenuous at best, as about one-in-three black American pregnancies are ended by surgical abortion, the highest percentage of any racial group; and Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S., was a eugenicist who worked to eliminate what Sanger considered to be the inferior races, which in Sanger’s racist mindset included black Americans.


Planned Parenthood is getting ready to open its largest abortion clinic ever built, 78,000 square feet, in the predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhood of southeast Houston, Texas.


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


+ Transportation Security Administration, 601 South 12th Street,

Arlington, Virginia 20598, 866-289-9673, TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov


+ Fox News, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, 888-369 4762, Fax: 212 462 6127, yourquestions@foxnews.com


+ Planned Parenthood Federation of America, 434 West 33rd Street, New York, New York 10001, 212-541-7800, Fax: 212-245-1845



[12] Presbyterian and Reformed Communities Providing Disaster Relief to Haiti


Many efforts are being undertaken within Presbyterian and Reformed communities to provide relief to the earthquake-ravaged people of Haiti.


The Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)’s Presbyterian Global Fellowship (PGF) says that volunteer teams cannot currently travel to Haiti, but will be needed for future rebuilding and relief efforts. Potential volunteer teams can get information here:


https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1403964.6581392758/rid:20f26c27e75b8434a101f9e58d995bab


PGF additionally has provided links for contributions for Haiti earthquake relief:


-- Medical Benevolence Foundation


-- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance DR000064 Fund for Haiti


-- The Outreach Foundation of the PCUSA


The Presbyterian Church in America’s Mission North America (MNA) is determining what type of disaster response will be needed for Haiti, and is asking potential volunteer teams to register here:


http://processor.pcanet.org/mna/events/signin.cfm?eventid=2


Additionally, MNA is asking that contributions to be designated for Haiti 2010 Earthquake Relief be given through:


https://processor.pcanet.org/mna/donationsII/donation.cfm?MinistryTypeID=48


Photos and dispatches about the earthquake aftermath from a Canadian Reformed mission in Haiti are available on the Haiti – Coram Deo blog at:


http://haiticoramdeo.blogspot.com/


and contributions designated "Haitieen Project Coram Deo" can be made at:


http://www.missionoftears.ca


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


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


+ Mission of T.E.A.R.S., 50 Gervais Drive Suite 504, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3C 1Z3, 416-449-0018, Fax: 416-449-0243, Contact Page