12 May 2010

Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Free Church of Scotland Considers Adding Hymns and Instrumental Music to Current Exclusive Psalmody

[2] Church of Scotland Ecumenical Committee Recommends Joint Baptismal Renewal Liturgy with Roman Catholics

[3] Church of Scotland Protests Loss of Value Added Tax (VAT) Exemption for Repairs to Houses of Worship

[4] Internet Archive Publishes The Book of Common Prayer as Amended by the Westminster Divines , A.D. 1661

[5] Hope College Board of Trustees Affirms Existing Policy on Homosexuality

[6] PCA Publishes Frequently Asked Questions List for 2010 Strategic Plan

[7] Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba Adds Tenth Church and Expands Outreach Ministries

[8] “Answering the Call: New Life In The Mainline Church” Conference Scheduled 6-8 August 2010 at Elmhurst College in Chicago, Illinois

[9] "Dracula's Shadow: The Real Story Behind the Romanian Revolution" Documentary on May 2010 Fundraising Tour

[10] AU and the ACLU File Suit against Enfield, Connecticut Public Schools for Conducting Graduation Ceremony in a Church

[11] Texas Third Grader Given Week of Detention after Schoolmate Gave Her Piece of Hershey’s Jolly Rancher Hard Candy

[12] John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute Publishes “American Police State: Secret Prisons in the U.S.”


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[1] Free Church of Scotland Considers Adding Hymns and Instrumental Music to Current Exclusive Psalmody

A 5 May 2010 article by Cameron Brooks in the Press and Journal titled “Free Church of Scotland Considers Lifting 110-Year Ban” reports on a proposal by several Free Church of Scotland (FCS) ministers to give individual congregations the option of adding hymns and instrumental music to the current requirements for exclusive psalmody. The potential changes could make it easier for Church of Scotland congregations disagreeing with the Kirk’s appointment of a homosexual minister to Queen’s Cross Church in Aberdeen, Scotland, to change their denominational affiliation to the FCS.

A 6 May 2010 press release from the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (FCSC) reports on “dramatic increase in interest in Psalm-singing within the [FCSC],” and explains a twelve-year cycle program for FCSC churches for instruction in singing the metrical psalms, which has had a twenty-eight percent increase in participation during the past year.

+ Press and Journal, Lang Stracht, Mastrick, Aberdeen AB15 6DF, Scotland, 01224-343311, pj.newsdesk@ajl.co.uk

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

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

+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, principalclerk@fccontinuing.org


[2] Church of Scotland Ecumenical Committee Recommends Joint Baptismal Renewal Liturgy with Roman Catholics

An 11 May 2010 article in Ekklesia titled “Scottish Presbyterians Encourage Joint Reaffirmation of Baptism Vows with Catholics” reports that the Ecumenical Committee of the Church of Scotland (COS)’s report to the 2010 COS General Assembly (GA) will recommend adoption of a special liturgy for baptismal renewal to be celebrated jointly with the Roman Catholic Church (RCC), which was devised by the COS Joint Committee on Doctrine that consists of both COS and RCC representatives.

An 11 May 2010 Press and Journal article titled “Closer Inter-Church Links Urged” reports on another COS Ecumenical Committee report to the COS GA lauding the joint talks between the COS and the Church of England, which may soon include the Scottish Episcopal Church, which are designed to improve cooperation between the denominations and allow three-way working on doctrine and theological matters.

Another report to the COS GA recommends support for creating artificial living organisms in the laboratory as long as the research is done in an ethical manner.

+ Ekklesia, 2nd Floor, 145-157 St. John Street, London EC1V 4PY, England, 0845 056 5445, press@ekklesia.co.uk

+ Press and Journal, Lang Stracht, Mastrick, Aberdeen AB15 6DF, Scotland, 01224-343311, pj.newsdesk@ajl.co.uk

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

+ The Vatican, Città del Vaticano, Rome, Italy, 39-6-69-88-35-11, Fax: 39-6-69-88-54-47, Contact Page

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

+ Scottish Episcopal Church, 21 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh
EH12 5EE, Scotland, 0131-225-6357, Fax: 0131-346-7247, Contact Page


[3] Church of Scotland Protests Loss of Value Added Tax (VAT) Exemption for Repairs to Houses of Worship

A 9 May 2010 article by David Leask in The Scotsman titled “Church of Scotland Leaders to Fight New Tax Rules over VAT Exemption” reports that the Church of Scotland leaders are organizing opposition to a new tax rule beginning in April 2011 that lifts the ten-year-old VAT exemption for repairs to houses of worship, thus adding seventeen and one-half percent to the cost of church repairs.

+ The Scotsman, Barclay House, 108 Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AS, Scotland, 131-620-8620

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


[4] Internet Archive Publishes The Book of Common Prayer as Amended by the Westminster Divines , A.D. 1661

The Internet Archive has published The Book of Common Prayer as Amended by the Westminster Divines, A.D. 1661, edited by Charles W. Shields, D.D., with a historical and liturgical treatise, originally published by James S. Claxton of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1867.

The book is from the library collection of Princeton Theological Seminary.

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

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


[5] Hope College Board of Trustees Affirms Existing Policy on Homosexuality

A 9 May 2010 article by Nathan Black in The Christian Post titled “Hope College Upholds Gay Policy amid Protest,” reports that the Hope College Board of Trustees on 8 May 2010 announced that the institution’s existing policy on homosexuality will remain the university’s policy.

The board’s statement said: “The college’s current position on homosexuality is based on its interpretation of scripture. It is recognized that well-intentioned Christians may disagree on scriptural interpretation. Still, humbly and respectfully, the college aligns itself in its interpretation with its founding denomination, the Reformed Church in America, the orthodox Christian Church throughout the ages, and other Christian colleges and universities.”

+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street Northwest, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734, info@christianpost.com

+ Hope College, Holland, Michigan 49423, 616-395-7780, Fax: 616-395-7111, bultmanj@hope.edu

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


[6] PCA Publishes Frequently Asked Questions List for 2010 Strategic Plan

The Administrative Committee (AC) of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) has published a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list about the 2010 Strategic Plan, which is available at:

http://pcaac.org/2010StrategicPlanDocuments/FrequentlyAskedQuestions.htm

A ByFaith Online article dated May 2010 titled “Strategic Plan: AC Addresses Questions” features questions about the 2010 Strategic Plan being answered by PCA AC Business Manager the Rev. John Robertson, where in response to question number three: “Someone suggested that if a church doesn’t participate it will be penalized. Is this true?,” answers: “If a church or pastor doesn't pay the annual registration fee they’re not permitted to vote at the General Assembly [GA]. But under the current system they have to pay the registration fee to vote. I don’t see a big difference there principally. This simply requires a minimal financial commitment of leaders to secure our ecclesiastical operation. And it helps provide the connecting infrastructure of the church.”

A 6 May 2010 comment on the ByFaith Online article, posted by the Rev. Steven Shuman of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Laurel, Mississippi, responds: “Unless the language of proposed BCO [Book of Church Order] 14:2 has changed since its publication on the website, Mr. Robertson's answer to question three is incorrect. Pastors of churches which don't pay the church registration fee will be prohibited from being GA voting members even if they pay the TE [Teaching Elder] fee. There is no "or" in the proposed language. It is an emphatic TE registration fee AND church registration fee for pastors. TEs who are not pastors will ONLY pay the TE fee and vote. By the way, we are one of churches in the PCA which contribute to the AC annually and have for the past nineteen years.”

The 2010 Strategic Plan proposed changes to BCO 14.2 include: “The voting members of the General Assembly shall consist of: (1) all teaching elders who have currently paid the Annual Registration Fee for teaching elders as approved by the General Assembly and who are members of Sessions whose churches have currently paid the Annual Registration Fee for churches as approved by the General Assembly, (2) all teaching elders who have currently paid the Annual Registration Fee for teaching elders as approved by the General Assembly and who are not members of Sessions, (3) and ruling elder commissioners as elected by their Session and whose churches have currently paid the Annual Registration Fee for churches as approved by the General Assembly. Honorably Retired Teaching Elders are exempted from this Annual Registration Fee.”

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


[7] Presbyterian Reformed Church in Cuba Adds Tenth Church and Expands Outreach Ministries

A 7 May 2010 article by Jerry L. Van Marter of the Presbyterian News Service titled “More with Less” reports that in 2009, the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba’s Havana Presbytery chartered a tenth church and expanded outreach ministries including feeding programs, gardening projects, tutoring children, visiting the elderly, and ministry to victims and families of those with HIV/AIDS.

The nine existing churches are all thriving and experiencing growth. At least twenty-four Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) churches have relationships with Havana Presbytery churches, and each Havana Presbytery church has at least one PCUSA partner church.

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

+ 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


[8] “Answering the Call: New Life In The Mainline Church” Conference Scheduled 6-8 August 2010 at Elmhurst College in Chicago, Illinois

The Association For Church Renewal is sponsoring “Answering the Call: New Life In The Mainline Church,” a conference for men, women, clergy and laity concerning the future of the church, scheduled for 6-8 August 2010 at Elmhurst College in Chicago, Illinois.

Registration and further information are available at:

http://mainlinecall.org/registration/

+ Association For Church Renewal, Post Office Box 102, 182 High Street, Candia, New Hampshire 03034, 603-867-7711, Renewall.acr@gmail.com


[9] "Dracula's Shadow: The Real Story Behind the Romanian Revolution" Documentary on May 2010 Fundraising Tour

The documentary "Dracula's Shadow: The Real Story Behind the Romanian Revolution" is being screened at various sites in the U.S. and Canada during May 2010 on a fundraising tour for the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation.

The film tells the story of how one May 1989 clandestine interview by former Quebec Cabinet Minister Michel Clair and Radio-Canada reporter Réjean Roy with Hungarian Reformed (Romanian Reformed Church) minister the Rev. László Tőkés in Timisoara, Romania, changed history and led to the secret police-defying demonstrations of 15 December 1989 where hundreds of people risked their lives to defend the dissident pastor.

The Christian Observer too, played a role in this pivotal period in Romanian history by spiriting a mimeograph machine into Romania to the Rev. László Tőkés, a friend of the late Christian Observer Publisher the Rev. Dr. Edwin Elliott, who accomplished the mission with the invaluable assistance of a Dutch television crew on the ground in Romania. Tőkés used the mimeograph to have news about his plight quietly distributed throughout Romania in the months leading up to the December 1989 revolution.

+ 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

+ Radio-Canada, C.P. 6000, succ. centre-ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3A8, Canada, 514 597-4757, Fax: 514 597-5253, ombudsman@radio-canada.ca

+ Romanian Reformed Church, 410210 Nagyvárad(Oradea), Kálvin János utca 1. Szám, Romania, 259-453-286, partium@rdsor.ro

+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 20110, christianobserver@christianobserver.org


[10] AU and the ACLU File Suit against Enfield, Connecticut Public Schools for Conducting Graduation Ceremony in a Church

Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on 4 May 2010 filed suit on behalf of two high school seniors and three of the students’ parents in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut against the Enfield, Connecticut Public Schools because AU and the ACLU contend that holding graduation exercises at First Cathedral in Bloomfield, Connecticut, unconstitutionally imposes religion on students.

The suit asks for an injunction against holding the upcoming graduation at First Cathedral, a permanent injunction against holding school graduations at churches or “religious venues,” nominal damages of $US1.00 for each of the five plaintiffs, and payment of attorney fees, costs, and expenses. The suit suggests as possible alternative relief the covering up of all religious symbols inside and outside the facilities where graduation exercises are held.

+ 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

+ American Civil Liberties Union, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, New York 10004, 212-549-2500, Contact Page


[11] Texas Third Grader Given Week of Detention after Schoolmate Gave Her Piece of Hershey’s Jolly Rancher Hard Candy

An 6 May 2010 article by Gabe Gutierrez on KHOU.com titled “Jolly Rancher Lands Brazos ISD Third-Grader in Detention for a Week” reports that third-grader Leighann Adair, a student at Brazos Elementary School in Orchard, Texas, while eating lunch was given a week of school detention after a fellow student handed Leighann a piece of Hershey’s Jolly Rancher hard candy, purportedly in violation of a state guideline that bans “minimal nutrition” foods.

Brazos Independent School District Superintendent Jack Ellis defended the punishment, pointing out that violation of state nutritional guidelines could put the school district in danger of being denied federal funds and saying” “Whether or not I agree with the guidelines, we have to follow the rules.”

A 7 May 2010 article by Tiffany Craig of KHOU.com titled “State Says School Went Too Far in Giving Child Detention over Jolly Rancher ” reports that the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) on 7 May 2010 wrote a letter to the school, saying: “This particular incidence of candy possession as it has been reported by KHOU-TV would not be considered a violation of the state or federal nutrition program and therefore would not have jeopardized your district’s food service funding.” TDA further explained that the nutrition policy is intended to improve the health of Texas youth, but not to prohibit sharing a little candy.

The school subsequently rescinded young Ms. Adair’s detention.

+ KHOU-TV Channel 11, 1945 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas 77019, 713-526-1111, Contact Page

+ Ministry of Silly Walks


[12] John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute Publishes “American Police State: Secret Prisons in the U.S.”

Constitutional attorney John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute published a 4 May 2010 article titled “American Police State: Secret Prisons in the U.S.,” which reports current abuses of police power within the U.S., including New York City, New York police officers who since 2004 have stopped three million people, mostly black and Hispanic, without probable cause, and have entered their names into a permanent police database to be used in future investigations.

Whitehead tells of a 2008 gathering of police and sheriffs where James Pendergraph, executive director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of State and Local Coordination, bragged: "If you don't have enough evidence to charge someone criminally, but you think he's illegal, we can make him disappear," referring to a network of 186 secret detention centers hidden in warehouse-like facilities in communities across the U.S.

Rutherford cites an article, [of 16 December 2009 titled “America's Secret ICE Castles”], in The Nation by law professor Jacqueline Stevens, who writes: "…with no detention rules and being off the map spatially and otherwise, ICE agents at these locations are acting in ways that are unconscionable and unlawful" and describes one of the 186 detention centers known as B-18 as where “the occupants become inventory. Inventory does not need showers, beds, drinking water, soap, toothbrushes, sanitary napkins, mail, attorneys or legal information, and can withstand the constant blast of cold air. The U.S. residents held in B-18, as many as 100 on any given day, were treated likewise. B-18, it turned out, was not a transfer area from point A to point B but rather an irrationally revolving stockroom that would shuttle the same people briefly to the local jails, sometimes from 1:00 to 5:00 a.m., and then bring them back, shackled to one another, stooped and crouching in over-packed vans. These transfers made it impossible for anyone to know their location, as there would be no notice to attorneys or relatives when people moved.”

Whitehead concludes that these facilities circumvent the writ of habeas corpus which protects against secret detention, that in trying to deal with the real problem of illegal immigrants, these facilities “risk undermining our own rule of law and rendering our Constitution null and void,” and “while something clearly needs to be done in the way of immigration reform, it must not come at the expense of Americans' right to be treated fairly and in accordance with our Constitution.”

+ The Rutherford Institute, Post Office Box 7482, Charlottesville, Virginia 22906, 434-978-3888, Fax: 434-978-1789, staff@rutherford.org

+ The Nation, 33 Irving Place New York, New York 10003, 212-209-5400, Fax: 212-982-9000, Contact Page

+ U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12^th Street Southwest, Washington DC 20536, 202-732-4242