Elected as president of Synod 2012 was the Rev. Leslie Kuiper, a recently retired pastor in Oostburg, Wisconsin, and will now serve as an interim pastor for churches in transition.

On 11 June, Synod 2012 ruled that the Rev. John Visser, senior pastor of Maranatha Christian Reformed Church in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, should be suspended from ministry for at least ninety days for abusing his role as a minister of the Word.

Synod 2012’s reason for the suspension was that “Visser abused his office for inappropriate ends and/or self-interest by soliciting and/or allowing a counselee and her husband, both of whom were parishioners, to invest in companies that he and his family owned.”

Synod 2012 additionally directed the CRCNA’s Board of Trustees to oversee a process, paid for by the denomination, to evaluate Visser’s “readiness for ministry that focuses on professional competence and personal/emotional status.” Visser’s suspension may be lifted after ninety days if the set conditions are met.

Synod 2012 also directed the council of Maranatha CRC to contract immediately for ongoing oversight of the healing ministry at the church by an independent, accredited agency. It said that a church council composed of laypersons is not capable of exercising appropriate oversight. Synod 2012 said that oversight should begin during Visser’s suspension and that Visser may not be reinstated before this condition is met.

Synod 2012 reprimanded Classis Quinte, the regional group of churches that includes Maranatha, over its handling of issues involving the church and its pastor, specifically for violating the right of Maranatha to a fair and impartial hearing and opportunity to respond to accusations. It also reprimanded the classis for not directing the dissenting members of the congregation to refrain from publicly circulating their grievances, and for giving them documents to distribute.

On 12 June, Synod 2012 for more than three hours debated the recommendation of Synod 2009 that the Belhar Confession be adopted as a full confession. Synod 2012’s decision was to adopt the Belhar Confession as an Ecumenical Faith Declaration rather than a confession.

On 13 June, Synod 2012 endorsed “Lift Up Your Hearts: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs,” the new hymnal being created in conjunction with the Reformed Church in America. The hymnal is due out in 2013.

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

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

[3] Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Opens 208^th Synod Meeting 6 June 2012

The 208^th annual synod meeting of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) opened 6 June 2012 at the Bonclarken Conference Center in East Flat Rock, North Carolina.

Retiring synod moderator the Rev. Andrew Putnam preached on Acts 20:28-31during the opening worship service in a message called “There are Wolves Among Us.”

Mr. Putnam said, “there are wolves among you – and they need to be stopped before they consume the denomination….There are wolves in this room tonight….As Christians, we need to be in prayer and hold fast to Scripture.” Putnam said that there those who are manipulated by Satan may be hard to spot, and they may not realize they are being used by Satan. Putnam counseled to look for those who have selfish ambitions – who want power, those who put themselves first and strive to get attention.

Mr. Putnam warned there are those who want to disrupt the unity of the ARP Church, and that those assembled will hear of attacks to destroy the church. Putnam continued: “Some mock us for being too ‘nice’ to one another. There was a time when we all looked forward to attending Synod – now we dread coming to Synod.”

Putnam offered three solutions:

1) Preach the Gospel – hold fast to the Gospel message – love one another;

2) “Shoot them” – don’t let them run free (Joel 3:10); starve them; ignore them; give them nothing; and,

3) Pray – for the wolves among God’s sheep; for peace and prosperity.

Mr. Putnam concluded: “If we don’t do this, we will be standing in the ruins of the ARP Church saying, ‘Oh, what used to be…’”

Om 7 June, the Rev. Jeff Kingswood of the ARP Canadian Presbytery was unanimously elected synod moderator for 2013-2014.

Mr. Kingswood commented: “What struck us here was a group that embodied confessional Presbyterianism,” he said. “The Word of God was central, preached, and used to make argument – and I felt I had come home. Thank you for welcoming the Canadian Presbytery. The fact that I’m the first Canadian to be elected to the office of Moderator of General Synod speaks highly of your welcoming spirit.”

Kingswood also asked for prayer for the Lord to give grace and guidance to him in his role as Moderator. “We have difficult issues ahead of us. We have a history that points us in the right direction, but we are not defined by our history.

“We would have the world look at us and say, ‘they have been with Jesus’ – and not only for our programs or worship services. We want others to know Jesus – and if others see Jesus in the life of our congregations, we can accomplish what we have been sent to do – to call others to a new life of repentance.”

ARP Synod 2012 additionally approved a resolution rejecting all evolutionary theories on the origin of Adam, and approved the 2012 funding recommendation for Erskine College and Theological Seminary.

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

+ Erskine College, 2 Washington Street, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 864-379-2131, 864-379-2167, norman@erskine.edu

[4] Headlines from The Christian Institute

The Christian Institute’s headlines of the past week include the following articles:

— Canadian Crackdown on Critics of Gay Marriage

— Parents in the Dark as Salford, Greater Manchester, England School Helps Girl, 15, Have an Abortion

— U.K. General Medical Council to Hold Secret Proceedings against Doctor for Sharing his Christian Beliefs

+ 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

[5] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

Articles from the past week regarding kings and rulers setting themselves against the LORD and against his anointed:

— Military Already Flying Spy Drones in US, May Give Info To Local Police

— Judge Rules against Christians Who Refused To Serve Lesbian Wedding

— U.S. Army Chaplain Performs First-Ever Military Same-Sex Nuptial Ceremony in Chapel at Fort Polk in Louisiana

— U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama Can ‘Declare Martial Law’ in Peacetime

— Armed Homeland Security Police Raid Oklahoma City T-Shirt Shop over Alleged Trademark Infringement

— TIME Magazine Advocates Removal of Feeding Tubes from the Dying Elderly

— New Surveillance Cameras to Find ‘Pre-Crimes’ by Detecting Suspicious Behavior

— U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama Removes Religious Freedom Section from Its Human Rights Reports

— Chicago, Illinois Police Taser Eight-Months Pregnant Woman Over Parking Dispute

+ American Vision, Post Office Box 220, Powder Springs, Georgia 30127, 770-222-7266, Fax: 770-222-7269, mail@AmericanVision.org