27 October 2010
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Presbyterians Week Headlines
[1] Ninety-Nine-Year-Old Daughter of Canadian Expeditionary Force Private Killed in WWI to Receive Father’s Bible Found in 2009 at the Crown Court Church of Scotland in London, England
[3] Appeal in Property Lawsuit between FCS Church Trustees and FCSC Scheduled for 26 October 2010
[7] The Presbyterian Guardian Archives Now Available Online
[10] Puritan Evangelical Church of America in Paradise Hills, California, Calls New Minister
An 18 October 2010 article by Andrew McGilligan in the Telegraph-Journal titled “A 99-Year-Old Daughter’s ‘Fairy Tale’” reports that a small version of the King James Bible was discovered 25 December 2009 in the vault of the Crown Court Church of Scotland in London, England, by Clerk of the Session Alan Imrie. On the Bible’s inside cover, Mr. Imrie found the name and military address of Pte. Samuel J. Small of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and Mr. Imrie began a search to find Pte. Small’s family.
Pte. Samuel J. Small of the Canadian Expeditionary Force 26th Battalion was killed 28 September 1916 during the attempt to take Regina Trench during World War I.
An article about Pte. Small and the Bible was eventually placed in the Telegraph-Journal, and relatives of Pte. Small’s now ninety-nine-year-old daughter Annie Small Andrews came forward to claim the Bible. Arrangements are being made between family members of Annie Small Andrews and Mr. Imrie to return the Bible to Pte. Small’s daughter Annie.
Mr. Imrie hopes the return of the long-lost and forgotten Bible will bring comfort to Annie Small Andrews, commenting:
“We were hoping, at best, to find, possibly, grandchildren and had not even considered that Annie might still be with us.
“There’s something very special about being able to reunite Annie with a relic of her father, especially one which appears to have his own muddy fingerprints. We had no expectation of finding one of his children still alive and this brings the story to a terrific climax.”
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+ Telegraph-Journal, 210 Crown Street, Saint John, New Brunswick E2L 3V8, Canada, 506-633-5599, Contact Page
+ Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 4YN, Scotland, 0131-225-5722
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[2] Is the ARP Second Presbytery’s Definition of ‘Civil Suit’ Dependent upon What the Meaning of the Word ‘Is’ Is? Or, Is the ARP Second Presbytery’s Definition of ‘The Word’ Dependent upon What the Meaning of ‘Civil Suit’ Isn’t?
ARPTalk(36), published 21 October 2010 by the Rev. Dr. Charles W. Wilson, includes two articles regarding Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) presbyterial actions concerning two ARP teaching and ruling elders who filed a lawsuit against the ARP General Synod following the synod’s March 2010 stated meeting where several actions were taken by the synod regarding the size and makeup of the Erskine College and Theological Seminary (EC/ETS) Board of Trustees.
The article ARPTalk(36.2) – “First Presbytery Meeting: Buster Didn’t Cry or Howl!” presents a modern-day parable and a detailed review of the actions of the ARP First Presbytery described in the 20 October 2010 Presbyterians Week article “[2] ARP First Presbytery Moderator’s Committee Recommends Charges against ARP Ruling Elder Plaintiff in Erskine Suit against ARP General Synod.”
The article ARPTalk(36.1) – “Second Presbytery Meeting: The Parable of Maurice the Bank Robber” presents a modern-day parable and a detailed review of the ARP Second Presbytery’s actions concerning ruling elder and Erskine College professor Dr. Jay Hering, who was listed as an Intervenor [litigate] on the 12 March 2010 Restraining Order against the ARP General Synod that forbade the synod from carrying out any of the actions voted upon at the March 2010 stated meeting.
Dr. Wilson writes:
“Interestingly, though no one seems to have gone to the Courthouse to check it out, it was reported that the secular court did not receive the above document because the suit the “intervenors” (legal term) attempted to continue had already been dropped and that the Hering/Bush/ Burnett/Chesnut motion was therefore “not filed.” Rather, it was reported that the court subsequently acted on the suit signed by Messrs. David Chesnut, Richard Taylor, and Parker Young filed the next week.”
So, on the purported basis of Dr. Herring’s et. al.’s lawsuit being “not filed,” the ARP Second Presbytery’s Minister and His Work Committee (MWC) decided that because Dr. Herring’s lawsuit was effectively handed-off to Messrs. David Chesnut, Richard Taylor, and Parker Young, that in regard to Dr. Herring: “No civil suit was accepted by the court and therefore all references to actions involving such a filing of civil suit are unfounded….” and that “…we believe Mr. Hering personally believed he was acting in a manner that best served the church and that he was not trying to subvert the decision of [the ARP] General Synod or disrupt the church.”
Dr. Wilson again writes:
“According to Second Presbytery, the filing of a document to sue one’s brothers in civil court is not a violation of one’s ordination vow to submit to the courts of the church if the civil court does not respond. Something in the logic seems to get lost here!”
Dr. Wilson reports that the motion to accept the MWC’s recommendations to not take any action against Dr. Herring was made by Mr. H. Neely Gaston, Executive Vice President of ETS, and seconded by Mr. Randy Ruble, former President of EC, both of whom were Dr. Hering’s superiors at the time he filed in civil court against the ARP Church.Dr. Wilson closes:
“These are the words of Matthew 5:28:
“But I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
“Do you suppose that one’s intentions are as important to Jesus as one’s actions? Well, Second Presbytery answered that with NO!
“Oh, an afterthought: Do you think that if John Wilkes Booth had missed Mr. Lincoln at Ford’s Theater and been captured, he would have been excused and dismissed with the court’s blessing?”
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+ ARPTalk Blog, 864-882-6337, wilson6114@bellsouth.net
+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729
+ ARP First Presbytery, c/o Rev. Robert C. Wilson, D.Min., 4784 Styers Ferry Road, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27104, 336-624-9529
+ ARP Second Presbytery, c/o the Rev, John D. Cook, 606 Arnall Street, Thomson, Georgia 30824, 706-595-4652
+ Erskine College, 2 Washington Street, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 864-379-2131, 864-379-2167, norman@erskine.edu
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[3] Appeal in Property Lawsuit between FCS Church Trustees and FCSC Scheduled for 26 October 2010
A 19 October 2010 article in the Stornoway Gazette titled “Free Church Dispute Goes to Court” reports that an appeal of the August 2009 ruling by the Hon. Lord Uist, a Judge of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, that found in favor of the Trustees of Strath (Broadford) Free Church of Scotland (FCS) in Skye, Scotland, and against the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) (FCSC), in a dispute over ownership of the Strath (Broadford) FCS property.
At the FCS Commission of Assembly in 2000, the majority of ministers and elders in attendance chose not to carry out their responsibilities as defined in the FCS Constitution in a matter regarding church discipline. Several of the ministers and elders disagreeing with the refusal of the majority to carry out their church court responsibilities signed a ‘Declaration of Reconstitution’ in which they pledged themselves to continue the Free Church in a constitutional manner, and thus began the FCSC.
The FCSC then claimed the assets of the breakaway churches, reasoning that their exit from the FCS was justified. A 2005 Court of Session decision rejected the FCSC position and awarded all of the disputed assets to the FCS. The August 2009 decision, concerning the unique circumstances of the Strath (Broadford) FCS property, reiterated the 2005 decision and again rejected FCSC arguments and awarded the Strath (Broadford) FCS property to the FCS.
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+ Stornoway Gazette, 10 Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS12XE, Scotland, 01851-702-687, newsdesk@stornowaygazette.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
+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, mailto:principalclerk@fccontinuing.org?subject=
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[4] PCA Church in Matthews, North Carolina, Denies Sponsored Cub Scout Pack Leadership to Mormon Parents of Two Pack Members
A 19 October 2010 article by Tom Breen in the Charlotte Observer titled “No Scout Leadership Post in NC for Mormon Parents” reports that the parents of two members of the Cub Scout Pack chartered by Christ Covenant Church (CCC) (Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)) in Matthews, North Carolina, Jeremy and Jodi Stokes, were denied leadership roles in the Cub Scout Pack because the family members belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a.k.a. the Mormons, because the sponsoring church does not consider Mormons to be Christians. The Stokes boys were allowed to remain in the Cub Scout Pack if the parents desired.
Mrs. Stokes commented: “I can’t believe they had the audacity to say, ‘You can’t be leaders but we want your boys. Are you kidding me? Do you really think I’d let my boys go there now?”
A spokesman for CCC said in an 18 October 2010 e-mail that CCC was taking action to “assure that our parameters for leaders are clearly defined and well-communicated to volunteers and those interested in leadership roles for church sponsored programs such as the Boy Scouts.” The CCC e-mail message included a link to a site explaining the differences between Mormon and historical Christian doctrine.
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+ Charlotte Observer, 600 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202, 704-358-5000, acaulkins@charlotteobserver.com
+ Presbyterian Church in America, 1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30043, 678-825-1000, Fax: 678-825-1001, ac@pcanet.org
+ Boy Scouts of America, 1325 West Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, Texas 75015, 972- 580-2219, Fax: 972-580-7823, cfrench@netbsa.org
+ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 50 East North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150, 801-240-2640, Contact Page
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[5] PCUSA Israel/Palestine Mission Network Calls for Boycotts on Goods Produced in “Illegal Israeli Settlements” in “Occupied Palestinian Territories”
The Israel/Palestine Mission Network (IPMN) of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) voted at its recent annual meeting to join the international boycott of goods produced in what the IPMN terms “illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT).”
The first targeted products for the boycott are Ahava Cosmetics, King Solomon Dates, and Jordan River Dates, imported into the United States from what the IPMN terms “illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.”
The IPMN also voted to identify companies profiting from what they call the “illegal military occupation,” and initiate dialogue with them and expand the boycott list if needed, at a later date. This action would include companies doing business in what the IPMN terms “the OPT or contributing to the building of infrastructure of illegal settlements.”
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+ Israel-Palestine Mission Network, c/o Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
Post Office Box 643700, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15264, info@israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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[6] Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP) and the Reformed Churches in Argentina (IRA) Merge on 9 October 2010 at the IERP 39th Synod Conference
Before 200 delegates at the 39th Synod Conference of the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP) in Crespo, Entre Ríos, Argentina, the IERP and the Reformed Churches in Argentina (IRA) merged into a new denomination that will continue to be called the Evangelical Church of the River Plate (IERP), with IRA churches conserving their identity as a group within the new structure.
The IERP, present in about 250 communities and with 25,000 members, was founded in 1899 by German-speaking immigrants. The IERP has churches in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
The IRA, founded in 1893 by Dutch-speaking immigrants, has 13 congregations and about 2,500 members.
The new denomination continues as a mission partner of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), as were the two merging denominations.
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+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ La Iglesia Evangélica del Río de la Plata, Sucre 2855 3º, Piso (1428), Buenos Aires, Argentina, 5411-4787-0436, Contact Page
+ Iglesias Reformadas en Argentina, 9 de julio 8267, Mar del Plata, Argentina
B7606DAQ, 0223-4700130, Fax: 0223-4786568, Contact Page
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[7] The Presbyterian Guardian Archives Now Available Online
The Presbyterian Guardian (1935-1979) was an important voice in the early years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in its vigorous opposition to modernism and its proclamation and defense of Reformed orthodoxy. Established on the eve of the founding of the denomination, it was closely associated with the OPC, although it remained an independent magazine.
Editors of the Guardian during its forty-four-year publishing history included H. McAllister Griffiths, J. Gresham Machen, Ned B. Stonehouse, Charles J. Woodbridge, Paul Woolley, Leslie W. Sloat, Robert E. Nicholas, John J. Mitchell, and J. Cameron Fraser.
The Presbyterian Guardian Archives are available at:
http://www.opc.org/guardian.html
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+ The Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 607 North Easton Road, Building E, Box P, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090, 215-830-0900, Fax: 215-830-0350
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[8] James Madison University Sociology Professor Publishes The United Church of Christ in the Shenandoah Valley: Liberal Church, Traditional Congregations
James Madison University Professor of Sociology Hilquias B. Cavalcanti in August 2010 published The United Church of Christ in the Shenandoah Valley: Liberal Church, Traditional Congregations, which publisher Lexington Books describes as follows:
“While congregational studies have expanded our understanding of American religion, little is known about the local practices of a single denomination at its smallest jurisdiction. This book explores how national denominational commitments are affecting the practices of local United Church of Christ congregations inside a single association in the Shenandoah Valley. Nationally, the UCC defines itself as a united and uniting church in its ecumenical work; as multiracial and multicultural in its diversity; as accessible to all in welcoming those with disabilities; as open and affirming for its [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual] members; and as a just peace church in its support of social justice. So, how fully have local congregations embraced these commitments? Might congregations be more attached to their older identities, particularly in areas where the church’s predecessors were strongly rooted? Or are the national church’s commitments being lived out at the grassroots level? The book measures congregational life in one of the UCC‘s oldest and smallest associations. Books on congregational studies either focus on a case study of a particular congregation, or large-scale surveys of U.S. congregations that explore aggregate data to explain their work. This book looks instead at a group of local congregations inside a small judicatory (the Shenandoah Association) of the United Church of Christ to explain religious life at the grassroots level.”
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+ Lexington Books, 4501 Forbes Boulevard Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706, 301-459-3366, Fax: 301-429-5748, lexingtonbooks@rowman.com
+ James Madison University, 800 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807, 540-568-6211, Contact Form
+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org
+ Shenandoah Association of the Central Atlantic Conference – United Church of Christ, 358 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801, 540-432-0973, Fax: 540-432-6291, shenucc@aol.com
+ Central Atlantic Conference, 916 South Rolling Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21228, 410-788-4190, Fax: 410-788-9485, ajones@cacucc.org
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[9] Hungarian Reformed Church of Lorain and Hungarian Council of Lorain County [Ohio] Collecting Donations for ‘Red Sludge’ Victims in Hungary
A 22 October 2010 article by Ron Vidika in The Morning Journal titled “Lorain Hungarian Leaders Set Up Victims’ Fund” reports that the Hungarian Reformed Church of Lorain and the Hungarian Federation of Lorain County [Ohio] have created a fund for helping the victims of the 4 October 2010 ‘Red Sludge’ disaster in Hungary that killed nine persons and caused chemical burns to another 150 persons. Other persons have been left homeless by the flow of caustic red sludge from a metals plant explosion that engulfed the towns of Kolontar, Devecser and Somlovasarhely, located about 100 miles west of the capital city of Budapest, Hungary.
Donations can be sent to the “Sludge Flood Relief” at the Hungarian Reformed Church, 1691 East 31st Street, Lorain, Ohio 44055, USA.
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+ The Morning Journal, 1657 Broadway Avenue, Lorain, Ohio 44052, 440-245-6901, tskoch@morningjournal.com
+ Calvin Synod, C/O Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, General Secretary, 7319 Tapper Avenue, Hammond, Indiana 46324, 219-931-4321, kkludwig@aol.com
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[10] Puritan Evangelical Church of America in Paradise Hills, California, Calls New Minister
The Puritan Evangelical Church of America [Independent] of Paradise Hills (San Diego), California, recently called Grant Van Leuven as pastor. Mr. Van Leuvan will be ordained and installed as minister of the Word and sacraments at a 6:30 p.m. service on November 5, 2010, to be followed by a dinner reception.
Mr. Van Leuven graduated in May 2010 from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with a Master of Divinity degree.
Preaching for the ordination service will be the Rev. Jeffrey Stivason of Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church (Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America) in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Van Leuven did his year-long pastoral internship.
The ordination service is open to the public. Registration is required for the dinner reception.
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+ Puritan Evangelical Church of America, 6374 Potomac Street, San Diego, California 92139, 619-479-5053, pastor@puritanchurch.com
+ Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 7418 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-731-8690, Fax: 412-731-4834, info@rpts.edu
+ Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), 7408 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-731-1177, Fax: 412-731-8861
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[11] Michigan Woman Charged with Housing Discrimination for Posting Ad Specifying a Christian Roommate on Church Bulletin Board
A 22 October 2010 article by Nathan Black in The Christian Post titled “Christian Roommate Seeker Accused of Discrimination” reports that a thirty-one-year-old, single Michigan woman was charged with housing discrimination by the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan after she posted an ad for a “Christian” roommate on the woman’s church bulletin board. The civil rights complaint, filed in July 2010, accuses the woman of posting “an advertisement which contained the following sentence: ‘I am looking for a Christian roommate.’”
Alliance Defense Fund Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster, who is representing the woman, said in a 21 October 2010 statement:
“It is completely absurd to try to penalize a single Christian woman for privately seeking a Christian roommate at church – an obviously legal and constitutionally protected activity.
“Not content to just lock Christians and their beliefs into the four walls of their church or home, some groups also want to invade those walls and force their own ideas upon them by force of law.”
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+ The Christian Post, National Press Building, 529 14th Street Northwest, Suite 420, Washington DC 20045, 202-347-7734, info@christianpost.com
+ Alliance Defense Fund, 15100 North 90th Street, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260, 800-835-5233, Fax: 480-444-0025
+ Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, 20 Hall Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49507, 616-451-2980, Fax: 616-451-2657, contact-us@fhcwm.org
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[Correction]
In the 20 October 2010 Presbyterians Week article “[11] Crystal Cathedral Files for Bankruptcy Protection,” the date of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller’s sermon occurring two days after the senior Schuller removed from the pulpit son the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, who had been preaching Scripture-laden sermons, and where the senior Schuller said:
“I was called to start a mission, not a church…You don’t try to preach…what is sin and what isn’t sin. A mission is a place where you ask nonbelievers to come and find faith and hope and feel love.”
was 27 October 2008.
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