The New Wineskins Association of Churches (NWAC) Winter Convocation began yesterday in Orlando, Florida.  The main text of these meetings has been “are we called to remain faithful within or apart from the PC(USA)?”  For this meeting the sub-text is whether the churches that feel called to leave the PC(USA) are called to transfer to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.  This story developed in both the EPC and the Strategy Report that the New Wineskins Task Force prepared. (Note: The link to the Strategy Report is broken and it has apparently been removed or moved on the NWAC web site.  I will leave the link in the hope it returns and will fix it if I find the correct current link.)

At this time I have not found too much about the meeting that has been written.  Toby Brown of the blog “A Classical Presbyterian” is at the meeting and he reports on the good spirit and the power present in the convocation.  I don’t see anything yet about decisions at the business sessions but he is enthusiastic about the convocation’s business of worship, nurture, and prayer and promises much more after today’s session.

The PC(USA) has just issued a press release but as of this moment their news page does not list it.  (Their lead story is still the ecumenical gathering in Pasadena, CA, on Wednesday.)  The PC(USA) press release has gone out by e-mail and has already been picked up by the Worldwide Faith News.  I am a bit disappointed that Toya Richards Hill, the author of the piece, refers to churches at the New Wineskins Convocation as “dissident Presbyterians.”  It must be remembered that while many in the NWAC are considering leaving, there are still many, like Toby Brown, who are looking at remaining faithful in the PC(USA).  This is mentioned at the end of the article however.  Much of the article contains historical background and the EPC and Strategy Report news that I have discussed previously ( Strategy Report and EPC Transition plans).

I will post updates as more news becomes available.