Category Archives: Moderator

Second Moderator Candidate For PC(USA) 221st GA (2014) – TE John Wilkinson

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After a pause of almost seven months from the endorsement of the first moderator candidate we now have a second candidate endorsed and standing for the position of Moderator of the 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This past Tuesday, 26 November, the Presbytery of Genesee Valley endorsed Teaching Elder John Wilkinson to stand for Moderator of the General Assembly.

TE Wilkinson has been the pastor and head of staff at Third Presbyterian Church of Rochester, New York, for the last dozen years and he previously served as Executive Associate Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago and as pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church, also in Chicago. The Chicago connection continues back to his M.Div. from McCormick Seminary as well as a Ph.D. from Northwestern.

He currently serves as the Moderator of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley and he is on the leadership teams of the Covenant Network and Next Church. His Moderator curriculum vitae shows extensive service to the denomination at all levels including current service on the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly and his recent service as moderator of that committee, as well as his past service on the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church.

Rev. Wilkinson has his official moderator candidate web site up and running and from that we learn that his theme is “With an urgency born of this hope…”, a phrase taken from the second to last paragraph of the Confession of 1967. For context, the full paragraph is:

With an urgency born of this hope the church applies itself to present tasks and
strives for a better world. It does not identify limited progress with the kingdom of God
on earth, nor does it despair in the face of disappointment and defeat. In steadfast hope
the church looks beyond all partial achievement to the final triumph of God.

He speaks to this theme in one of the three posts currently on the blog section of the web site. Among other things he says “And urgency. Not fear, not anxiety, not panic, but urgency. The work to which we are called matters, and is important.”

On the web site you will also find a narrative bio section and a section called A Shared Vision that includes some links to his writing as well as a Presbyterian News Service article about a linkage of city churches in Rochester. And there is a section called Prayers for the Journey that in addition to the prayer printed there invites you to submit your prayers. And I did take note of the fact that the design was by Cleave Design – another Chicago connection but also a Third Church connection.

If you want to follow along with Rev. Wilkinson’s stand for Moderator, besides the web site he invites you to follow his Moderator page on Facebook. If you are interested he also has a personal Facebook page and a LinkedIn profile. I did not see an RSS feed on the site and there is no mention of a Twitter, or any other social media, account.

Coverage of his endorsement for Moderator has included an article in the local media, the Democrat and Chronicle, as well as the Presbyterian Outlook.

As I read through his material what may be the most unique aspect, in my experience, of his candidacy is the letter the session of Third Presbyterian Church sent to the congregation announcing and explaining his candidacy. In the letter is a paragraph linking this possible election as Moderator to the church stewardship campaign:

In a few days you will receive your annual Stewardship mailing, giving you an opportunity to support the staff and programs of Third Church. Given the potential we now have of national, and even international recognition, we encourage you to think carefully and prayerfully about the support you can provide to your Church.

Well, that is a bit of a unique hook for the annual stewardship campaign.

And so we wish Rev. Wilkinson well as he joins the field of candidates standing for Moderator of the General Assembly. Our prayers are with him as well as all the others currently endorsed and those that are still discerning the call.

Having said that, I will finish up for this evening but will note my eager anticipation of word of more Moderator candidates that should be arriving within the next day or two. Stay tuned…   (UPDATE: And if you are curious here they are)

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending November 24, 2013

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Here are a few of the things that caught my attention this week.

The first are the multiple articles about church buildings being re-purposed for other uses. Here is one in Scotland to be a residence:

Historic church building to be converted into home – from Kirriemuir Herald

From Northern Ireland a new restaurant:

Former Ulsterville Presbyterian Church ready for new lease of life as upmarket eatery on Belfast’s Lisburn Road – from Belfast Telegraph

And from Maryland, a deal that would convert a Presbyterian church into the new town hall:

University Park negotiating for heavenly home – from Maryland Community News Online

In one of the bigger headlines of the week, the Catholic Church of Scotland has begun releasing information about abuse allegations in the church. Associated with this, they have asked Dr. Andrew McLellan, the former chief inspector of prisons for Scotland and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland 2000 General Assembly, to conduct an external review.

Roman Catholic Church in Scotland reveals abuse case details – from BBC News

There seems to be a number of crime reports associated with Presbyterian churches this week including embezzlement in Ghana:

Ghana: Stealing in the House of God Two Billion Presby Cash Looted – from allAfrica

Missing handbells in Wisconsin:

Wisconsin man accused of stealing, pawning bells from Sheboygan church where he was elder – from Minneapolis Star Tribune

And an unknown woman trying to pick up children from a church Sunday School:

River Forest cops investigating attempted abduction at First Presbyterian Church – from Forest Leaves

Continuing stories from the Mizoram, India, elections, which were held this week:

Presbyterian Church holds key to campaign in Mizoram – from Hindustan Times

On Sunday, politics in Mizoram mingles with spirituality – from DNA India

Lalzirliana rapped for church ‘ploy’ – from The Times of India; complaints by the opposition that a candidate received endorsement by the church

There were two obituaries of note for pastors in the PC(USA):

Rev. Ben Martin dies at 82; worked to heal Kirkwood’s racial divides – from St. Louis Post-Dispatch (who attended a presbytery meeting the day before his death of a stroke)

Central Presbyterian pastor dies – from Merced Sun-Star (The Rev. Henry B. Greene III, who died of a heart attack while hiking in Yosemite.)

Finally, while I could note that a “son of the manse,” actor David Tennant, was voted “the nations’ favourite Dr. Who” in the UK as part of the 50th anniversary of that Sci-Fi series (and I would note that I am personally partial to the fourth Doctor), Mr. Tennant made news in another area this week as he is lending his support to fighting cystic fibrosis. He endorsed the book The Magic of Words: Humorous and Serious written by Dr. James A. Simpson and dedicated to the author’s granddaughter who died of the disease shortly before publication. Dr. Simpson served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland three years before David Tennant’s father, the Rt. Rev. Sandy McDonald, held that same position.

And so for my American readers, I wish you the best of Thanksgivings tomorrow. To all the liturgical out there a “happy new church year” and wonderful First Sunday in Advent this weekend. And to all, a good rest of the week and blessings this coming Lord’s Day.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending November 17, 2013

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Let me begin this week with information about the response to the typhoon that hit the Philippines:

Bruce Reyes-Chow, the Moderator of the 218th GA of the PC(USA) was in the Philippines when the typhoon hit and has been blogging about it on his personal blog and then his Patheos blog. In addition the PC(USA) Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is collecting relief money and the leadership of the church have issued a call to prayer.

In the Presbyterian Church in Canada their Presbyterian World Service & Development has issued an emergency appeal.

The Presbyterian Church in America is responding through their Mission to the World branch.

Similarly the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is reaching out through their Mission Overseas agency. The Belfast News Letter carries an article, “Superb Generosity of our Ulster Churches“, with comments by the Moderator of the General Assembly.

The Orthodox Presbyterian Church has no direct mission in that country but is collecting funds to partner with similar Reformed bodies that are present there.

The Church of Scotland and others in the UK are directing donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee or the Tearfund. In the US some, like the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, are directing donors to World Relief.

In other headlines…

A determined woman leads Tripoli church – from The Daily Star (Lebanon); “TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Rola Sleiman never planned on running a church. But
when the opportunity came along five years ago, she embraced the chance
to serve a small Presbyterian congregation in Lebanon’s second city.”

Moderator: War on slavery ‘best way to honour Livingstone’s legacy’ – from STV News; Comments by the Church of Scotland Moderator of the General Assembly at a service marking the bicentennial of David Livingstone’s birth

Hillsdale Train Depot to experience new life as Presbyterian church – from Hillsdale Daily Times; “Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church will hold its first worship service at the Old Train Depot at 44 Monroe Street Sunday.”

Anger Management Class Robbed At Spartanburg Church – from WSAV

And finally, to send you off into this coming week, how could I not conclude with this headline:

Cameroon: Christians Celebrate Presbyterian Church Day – from allAfrica

Moderator Designate Of The Church Of Scotland 2014 General Assembly

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A couple of weeks ago the Church of Scotland completed their selection process and announced that the Moderator Designate for their 2014 General Assembly will be the Rev. Dr. Angus Morrison, pastor of the Orwell and Portmoak Parish Church.

The press release tells us that Mr. Morrison moved around as a child as his father tended different lighthouses. His college career began at the University of Glasgow with further studies at Pisa University and London University. He completed his Ph.D. at Edinburgh University’s New College. He was ordained by the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland in 1979. (Note – not the Free Church as was originally reported in some accounts, although the branches share some of the same lineage.) He later transferred to the Church of Scotland. With the Free Presbyterians he served churches in Oban and Edinburgh. Before his current position he was at St. Columba’s (Old Parish) Church in Stornoway.

Beyond the parish he has served the church in several ways including as Moderator of the Presbytery of Lewis, member and Vice Covener of the Panel on Doctrine, Queen’s Chaplain, Covener of the Mission and Discipleship Council and as a member of the Special Commission on Same-sex Relationships and the Ministry.

He and his wife Marion have four children between the ages of 16 and 27.

Upon his selection he is quoted as saying “It is my great desire to encourage the Church in its vital God-given
mission to the people of Scotland and beyond. In these troubled times
the peace and unity of the Church are dear to me and I shall endeavour
to promote them in every way I can.”

So our congratulations to Rev. Morrison. We wish him well for the six months leading up to the Assembly and our prayers for him and the Kirk as he moderates and for his moderatorial year.

UPDATE 18 March 2014: Today it was announced that due to health issues Rev. Morrison would be stepping down as Moderator Designate. A new Moderator Designate will be announced shortly.

Moderator Designate Of The Free Church Of Scotland 2014 General Assembly

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About a month ago at a meeting of the Commission of Assembly, the Free Church of Scotland announced that their Moderator Designate for the 2014 General Assembly is the Rev. David Miller, pastor of Cobham Presbyterian Church.

The Rev. Miller is the child of missionaries, born in Korea and spending most of his childhood in Tasmania, according to the Free Church news item. He was trained by the Free Church and ordained to missionary work in South Africa in March 1989. While in South Africa he worked with the Free Church of Southern Africa including teaching at its school, Dumisani Theological Institute and Bible School. Upon his return to the UK he was appointed as the first pastor of the extension Cobham congregation where he continues to serve today.

He is married to Margaret (Meg) and they have three teen-age children.

Two interesting things caught my eye about Pastor Miller and his background. The first is that the Cobham Church is not in Scotland but is in a district southeast of the center of London. As mentioned above, it is an extension, a church plant, of the London City Presbyterian Church. And upon the announcement they carried the news in a piece on their Facebook page.

The second item was included in the Free Church announcement but was the lede in the article from the Stornoway Gazette: “The brother-in-law of Point Free Church Minister Rev ID
Campbell is to become the Moderator Designate for the 2014 General
Assembly.” Yup, Rev Miller was upstaged by his wife’s brother. It is noted in both articles that the marriage of Meg and David was the first wedding that Rev. Campbell preformed. And if the name sounds familiar, the Rev. Iain D. Campbell was the Moderator of the 2012 Free Church General Assembly.

And so our congratulations and prayers for Rev. Miller as he prepares to assume this role and our best wishes for his work at the Assembly and his moderatorial year.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week (Plus Some) Ending August 4, 2013

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This past week was an eventful one for Presbyterians and here are some of the relevant news headlines that caught my attention. I have added a couple of days since I am about to become preoccupied with a family event and may not get this post out next week. There is also one headline not included that I am hoping to blog on separately.

The PC(USA) held their Big Tent event and there were a couple of headlines that came out of that, at least in the hometown paper.

Presbyterians in the ‘Big Tent,’ thinking out of the box – from the Louisville Courier-Journal

Faith & Works | Presbyterians talk renewal – from the Louisville Courier-Journal

At the same time a discussion in the PC(USA) — a discussion that actually started a few months ago — went viral and hit the mainstream media. The discussion is about one particular hymn, In Christ Alone, not appearing in the new hymnal because the authors would not agree to an alteration in one line.

Presbyterians’ decision to drop hymn stirs debate – from USA Today

Mainline Protestants Abandon Orthodoxy, Exhibit XXXVI – from National Review Online

And news about a PC(USA) affiliated school

Montreat College plans merger with Point University – from Asheville Citizen-Times

Across the pond a headline concerning the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland visiting a now-closed infamous prison as development of the site is considered:

Top Presbyterian set to visit Maze site – from News Letter

And next door – the Moderator of the Church of Scotland begins tweeting and quickly has something to tweet about from her holiday in Spain:

Moderator’s tweet success on first day – from Herald Scotland

Holidaying Moderator tweets about bag theft on Barcelona beach – from Herald Scotland

Finally, three headlines about African Presbyterians:

Ghana: Let’s Seek God’s Face On National Challenges – Moderator – from allAfrica

CCAP Nkhoma Synod warns Malawi govt. against legalizing abortion – The Maravi Post

Nigeria: Presbyterian Church Lauds National Assembly for Criminalising Same-Sex Marriage – from allAfrica

That’s it for now. Have a good week.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending July 27, 2013

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Getting caught up on reading, and I may post a summary of a few of the earlier articles of interest, but here is the summary for the past week.

Claremore’s Christ Presbyterian Church burns to ground – from Tulsa World

Just one week after Claremore church burned down, Christ Presbyterian Church comes back together – from KJRH

Presbyterian Group Appoints First Openly Transgender Director of Mainline Protestant Organization – from Sojourners

Ghana: Women Challenged to Take Leadership Roles – from allAfrica; “The Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana
(PCG), Rev. Dr. Samuel Ayete-Nyampong, has called on women in Africa,
with specific reference to Ghana, to challenge themselves to take up
leadership positions in the running of the country.”

Clergyman urges Ghanaians to accept Supreme Court ruling – from Ghana Web;
the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ghana urged the country to accept the soon to be announced court ruling regarding the presidential election following the death a year ago of President Mills.

Kirk joins forces with CofE to take on payday loan firms – from Herald Scotland

Petition calls for chaplains move at Antrim hospital to be scrapped – from the Belfast News Letter; the plan to assign hospital chaplains to wards and work with patients across denominations is protested

This seemed to be a busy week for church demolition stories, although one is also an expansion

Klondyke Welsh Presbyterian Chapel can be demolished, High Court rules – from Liverpool Echo; the Court has cleared the way for development on the site

End of an era – from Price County Daily; “The First Presbyterian Church in Phillips will soon be demolished to
make room for a new multi-purpose building that will serve a variety of
needs for the community.”

Demolition and expansion at Milwaukee’s oldest congregation: Slideshow – from The Business Journal; old offices of Immanuel Presbyterian Church to add parking and two new wings on the church

2013 General Assembly Of The Presbyterian Church Of South Australia

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Coming up on Monday 27 May 2013 the Presbyterian Church of South Australia will convene their Assembly. More on that in a minute, but first a few notes on the history and polity of that church.

I have not covered the Assemblies in Australia before, especially the state Assemblies. But after some gentle prodding I have added them to my list. Part of it was my own lack of knowledge of the structure of the church there and not realizing the significance of the state meetings. Yes, there is a national Presbyterian Church of Australia which has General Assemblies every three years, the next one coming up this September. But one of the things that allows the Assembly to meet that infrequently is the high degree of autonomy accorded to the six state churches. Each state church is separately incorporated in its state and many have long histories there. The state churches came first and federated nationally in 1901. In 1977 two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia congregations joined in the formation of the Uniting Church and the congregations that remained formed the foundation for the current continuing church. (This was one of the 70:30 partition examples I talked about in another post a while back.)

So on the national level decisions are made about doctrine, practice regarding worship, minister transfers from other denominations, world missions and some unified ministries. The state Assemblies handle the local specifics, create and manage presbyteries and ministerial preparation and calls.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Tasmania met last week and I have not yet seen any reports or highlights from that meeting.

This meeting is a different matter…

It gives me great pleasure to congratulate The Rev. Gary Ware on his selection as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South Australia for the upcoming year. Rev. Ware is the pastor at Mount Gambier Presbyterian Church and one of the more prominent, prolific and entertaining Presbyterian bloggers in Australia. For reflections on the Assembly keep an eye on his blog – mgpcpastor’s blog – as well as his Twitter handle @gjware. (With the caveat that as Moderator your time for other things during the meeting is limited.)

The Assembly convenes on Monday 27 May 2013 and will adjourn when they have concluded the business. This was a much more common practice in the Presbyterian world but with the modern need for reservations and taking time off from work most assemblies now have tighter dockets and planed adjournment dates and times. This Assembly will probably adjourn the next day if I understand correctly.

After the Assembly check the PCSA News for a report on the Assembly.

For the Presby Geeks and Polity Wonks you can check the PCSA Rules and Regulations as well as the Presbyterian Church of Australia Code Book.

I will update if further sources of information appear.

So our best wishes and prayers to Gary and the whole Presbyterian Church of South Australia for their Assembly this week.

UPDATE: It finished up earlier today, Tuesday, as anticipated. During the meeting Gary posted both a lunch shot as well as word the meeting had concluded.

UPDATE 2 (30-May): Gary posted his review and reflection on the Assembly.

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Week Ending May 18, 2013

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No, I did not get this out on Monday. Between two GA’s live streaming and a nice session with some folks from Los Ranchos Presbytery yesterday I have been a bit preoccupied. But now with a lull in the action let me get caught up on what happened a week ago.

News leading up to the Church of Scotland General Assembly:

Next Church of Scotland moderator mistaken for thief – from The Scotsman (the Moderator’s ring was in a stolen suitcase a little earlier this spring and when the Rev. Lorna Hood walked into a jewelers to get the backup ring resized the local police were called)

Church of Scotland revises controversial Israel report – from the BBC (the revised report was released ahead of the GA)

In Ghana news of child abuse allegations against a pastor in the Presbyterian Church

Gay scandal rocks Presby Church; Pastor to be investigated – from Vibe Ghana

Gay case has marred our reputation – Presby Church – from GhanaWeb

And in other news…

French Reformed and Lutheran Christians unite in one church – from Ecumenical News

First Moderator Candidate For PC(USA) 221st GA (2014) – RE Heath Rada

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Got to admit, this was a bit of a shocker — no sooner had I posted the line up for the 2013 GA season than I see the Presbyterian Outlook’s announcement of the first candidate standing for Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 221st General Assembly in 2014.

I’m not ready for this yet! There is still way too much good stuff this year to be distracted by an Assembly next year.  But Oh Well, here it goes…

Ruling Elder Heath Rada has been endorsed by the Presbytery of Western North Carolina to stand for Moderator of the 221st General Assembly (2014). He is a member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church of Asheville which, on one directory site, describes itself as “A progressive Presbyterian congregation in
Asheville, NC, inclusive, welcoming, focused on Jesus Christ and
reaching out in service to our community.”

On his About page there is a long list of his professional and volunteer activities. For the Presbyterian crowd maybe his most prominent position is as President of the Presbyterian School for Christian Education (PSCE) from 1980 to 1992. (I am supplementing the press release information with dates and details from his LinkedIn profile and posted CV.) The school merged with its neighbor, Union Seminary, in 1997 and was later renamed Union Presbyterian Seminary. In addition he has served on the presbytery and national level including being a current board member of the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Montreat Conference Center.

Professionally, besides the time at PSCE he was the CEO of the American Red Cross Greater Richmond Chapter and currently is the Major Gifts Campaign Director for Montreat.

His education includes an M.A. in Christian Ed from PSCE and a Ed.D. in Adult and Community College Education from N.C. State. He did post-doctoral work at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Leadership Studies.

The press release gives mostly biographical information and not much about sense of call and in the short YouTube video he explains how after being asked and praying about it he agreed to serve. His Vision page on his web site has a bit more. Here is a substantial part of that explanation:

At this time in our denomination’s history, I feel called to try to
continue my life-long commitment to help assist its efforts for service
and showing the love of Christ to all of God’s children. We should build
on our long tradition of caring for others with the help of the Holy
Spirit. Within our church family we have different interpretations and
understandings of God’s word, and of the ways we are to follow. Learning
from each other even when we disagree can be a gift from God.

My vision is that we incorporate Christ’s encompassing love for all
of our sisters and brothers, be open to and learn from one another, and
enable our denomination to be a beacon of peace and love in a world torn
apart by hatred and anger.

He has most of the usual social media in place: The web page and blog at his personal domain heathrada.org, and the YouTube video. Have not found a Twitter presence yet and no public Facebook page.

And so, as we begin this ramp-up to the 221st General Assembly we wish him the best and pray for him, his family and the commissioners of the next GA.

And on a lighter note – how often do you see it that all the candidates for Moderator are ruling elders. But that will change for sure.

And now a few polity wonk thoughts…

As you may suspect this is the earliest announced candidacy for a GA moderator, 14 months before the Assembly and four months before the first nominee usually starts popping up.  Is this a sign of creep in the schedule? Do Dr. Rada and his advisors think there is value to being ahead by so much? Are we now waging political style campaigns where the next one begins the day after the previous one ends?  I am not sure but will be watching if this early announcement makes a difference to the Moderator nomination process as a whole. (And how many of us are wondering it we should seek endorsement soon if we are being encouraged to stand for Moderator at a far off GA? )

At this point there has been no announcement from the Office of the General Assembly about Dr. Rada’s nomination. (UPDATE: Shortly after I posted this the PC(USA) issued their article.) In fact, the GA 221 page (expected to be at http://oga.pcusa.org/section/ga/ga221/ ) does not exist yet. We will see here as well how soon they want to begin the ramp-up to the 221st General Assembly. With three constitutional amendments still undecided we are not really done with the 220th yet, are we?

Don’t know what to expect, but this could get interesting. Stay tuned…