Let me begin today with a bit of the follow-up news to the election of the Moderator for the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. First, concerning the successful nominee, the Rev. Dr. Michael Barry:
New Presbyterian Moderator vows to reach out and serve – from Belfast News Letter
Presbyterian moderator says politicians must find way of dealing with past – from The Irish Times
Just a day after his election, new Presbyterian Church Moderator sparks row by telling gay people to stop having sex – from Belfast Telegraph
And the presence of the Rev. Liz Hughes in the final vote, and falling one vote short, has grabbed some significant media attention as well:
Town-born Liz just misses out in historic bid to become Moderator – from Portadown Times
A female Moderator is surely inevitable – from Portadown Times
In Scotland, the Scottish Parliament approved a same-sex marriage bill with corresponding reaction from the various Scottish churches including the Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland:
Scotland becomes seventeenth country to approve same-sex marriages – from Reuters
Same-sex marriage vote prompts church concerns – from Daily Record
Churches denounce law that legalizes same-sex marriage in Scotland – from Ecumenical News
Although individual pastors are speaking out in favour of the legislation:
Cambuslang minister goes against own church’s view on same sex marriage – from Daily Record
Also from Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland confirmed they had settled a lawsuit a few months back related to the death of a visiting Peruvian boy almost eight years ago. The lawsuit was brought by the boy’s parents:
Free Church of Scotland settles with crash boy’s parents – from the BBC
Finally, it was also announced that the jewelry – ring and cross – that are the signs of the office of the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, have been replaced after they were stolen with a bag at an airport last year:
New ring and cross for Kirk’s Moderator after originals stolen – from STV News
And in Illinois the long-running story of the fate of a Presbyterian camp on Lake Michigan has apparently been settled. While there was hope of saving the camp, with the vote of the Presbytery of Chicago the land was sold to the developer:
Presbyterian group’s plan to sell Michigan campsite meets opposition – from Chicago Sun-Times (Feb 5)
Church votes to sell Saugatuck campground property to developer for $10M – from The Grand Rapids Press (Feb 10)
Sale of 130-acre Presbyterian Camps completed – from Holland Sentinel (Feb 18)
In Mississippi, a celebration and update on a church damaged by a tornado last year:
Year after tornado, damaged Hattiesburg church holds communion – from the Clarion Ledger
From Africa, we first have an op-ed piece the decries some of the steps pastors are taking, including at least one Presbyterian one, to get around laws so they can accumulate more wealth for them and their churches:
Kenya: The Terrorism of Our Modern-Day Pastors – from allAfrica
There were also comments about the economy from the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and suggestion that spending be cut instead of taxes raised:
Imposition of taxes is not the answer – Presby Moderator – from Graphic Online
While from the island of Trinidad a problem at a Presbyterian school has parents and students protesting:
Rats close Erin Road Presbyterian – from Trinidad Express
Also in this time period we had news that Joan Mondale initially entered hospice and died a few days later. Her service was held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis with music provided by the Macalester College Concert Choir. She was a daughter of the manse and her father, the Rev. John Maxwell Adams, was the chaplain at Macalester for a number of years. One reason that her passing caught my attention is that my father was a student at Macalester at the same time she was and worked closely with Rev. Adams in connection with the chapel services. I believe I had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Adams, probably at the 183rd General Assembly in 1971.
At this point there is a lot of news out there and you may notice a couple of high-profile items missing from this list. I do hope to make time to blog those individually in the next few weeks. In addition, as GA season approaches the news volume will probably be increasing as well. Stay tuned…