Incarnation

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Happy Twelfth Day of Christmas! While I initially targeted this reflection for Christmas Day – or the First Day of Christmas – I ran a few
days late and then realized that the tie-in to the end of the Christmas season was a bit more powerful. So here are some brief and selected thoughts around an issue that has gotten a lot of press and verbiage this past month.

It has been an interesting time in the American popular media this year leading up to Christmas. Certain widely-publicized comments have opened up a wide-ranging discussion of race and popular perception.

Concerning one of those points I will only touch on the cultural discussion around Saint Nicholas far enough to comment that our modern perspective is built upon several layers of tradition so that it has grown in proportion by the compounding of multiple cultural influences. Far from the third century monk in Asia Minor upon whom the legend is based, our American concept of Santa Claus today is probably shaped most by Clement Moore instead of the historical person in much the same way as our concept of the Afterlife has been shaped not by Scripture but by Dante Alighieri.

So that brings me to the second historical character up for discussion: Jesus of Nazareth. In reflecting on this and reading some of the discussion what struck me is that we have no substantial physical description of Jesus as an historical figure. We have descriptions of his cousin John the Baptist (e.g. Matthew 3:4), although that is admittedly his dress and not physical appearance. We have messianic descriptions (e.g. Isaiah 52:13-53:12) and apocalyptic visions (e.g. Revelation 19:11-16 ). But when it comes to the basic aspects of Jesus’ appearance we have almost nothing to go on.

From the biblical account and genealogy we know that he was of the Tribe of Judah that his family seemed comfortably situated in Nazareth. We have no reason to think that he was not a typical first century Jew of Middle-Eastern or Mediterranean appearance. Exactly what he looked like I don’t know but I am pretty sure that in skin color and facial features he did not look like me.

The temptation we have is to see Jesus like ourselves and in one sense he is like each of us. Despite the Fall we each still carry something of the Image of God and we share that with Jesus. Taking that a step further, Jesus also suffered some of the same trials we do. In these commonalities there is a basis for our spiritual relationship as we pray and reflect upon his life and example. But there is a tension here as well — while we can see Jesus as like us as far as his being fully human, we need to avoid the trap of making Jesus in our own image. Jesus of Nazareth, as a historical figure, was a distinct individual with particular characteristics even if we don’t really know what they are.

So in this respect it is equally important to see Jesus as not like us. Just as we carry the Image of God the other members of our diverse human family do as well. If we are not careful when we make Jesus in our image we could implicitly say that he becomes exclusive and he is our own personal Jesus, not the savior of the whole world.

Which brings me to the 12th Day of Christmas…

Tomorrow is Epiphany when we remember the visit by the magi. In their visit the magi symbolically remind us of two important aspects of Jesus. The first is the role of Jesus as prophet, priest and king. The second is that in this visit he was worshiped by those who were not of his own people. The magi were gentiles from afar and in their visit two worlds collided in a variety of interesting ways. Epiphany is a celebration of Jesus as a savior of many nations and not just one people.

And so I encourage you to also let your world collide with others for the sake of the Gospel.

Merry Christmas. Happy Epiphany and best wishes for the coming year.

Top Ten (Plus) Presbyterian News Topics of 2013

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As we spend this day looking back I thought I would once again post my personal list of the top ten news topics related to Presbyterians around the world from 2013. In this list I deliberately use the term “topics” because, as you will see, there were a number of parallels in the different branches when it came to certain items.

And so here, in no particular order, are my picks for the top ten news topics of 2013…

Elections, Elections, Elections and a Referendum

This fall it seemed that various Presbyterian branches were regularly linked with elections happening in their state or country. The list includes the Presbyterian Synod in Mizoram state in India asking for – and getting – a change in polling dates, CCAP synods defining the terms for political involvement of clergy running for office and commentary from the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on election decisions.

Falling into this category is the work of the Church of Scotland running forums and debates ahead of next year’s Scottish independence referendum.

Disasters

Somehow the natural disasters, and the global Presbyterian response, for this year stick out more than in previous lists and it includes damage done in a tornado outbreak in the central U.S. in May and typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in November.

World Hotspots

The variety that could be included here is pretty large but let me mention Presbyterians speaking out to two of them – the response against attacks on Syria (e.g. PC(USA) ) and those speaking out about the violence in South Sudan (e.g. Presbyterian Church in Ireland).

In a particularly moving story, a Church of Scotland pastor lost many members of his family in an attack on a church in Pakistan and spoke of forgiving the attackers.

New Presbyterian Leaders at Seminaries

Four Presbyterian teaching elders were named, approved and/or installed at seminaries in the Presbyverse: Rev. Dr. Stafford Carson at Union Theological College, Belfast; Rev. Dr. M. Craig Barnes at Princeton Theological Seminary; Rev. Dr. Mark Labberton at Fuller Theological Seminary; Rev. Dr. J. Ligon Duncan at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Church of Scotland General Assembly Middle Way on Same-sex Issues

The Church of Scotland General Assembly dealt with ordination and marriage issues and rather than adopting one of the two options presented by their Special Commission chose a middle option that affirmed past teaching while opening the door to congregations being able to dissent. This led to their speaking against the proposed legislation in the Scottish Parliament that would permit same-sex marriage and asking for robust religious protections. In addition, the compromise solution was not completely satisfactory to the whole church and a few pastors and congregations have left.

Congregational Loss in the PC(USA) and Gracious Dismissal

In the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 2012 Membership Statistics for the first time ever the number of churches transferred out of the denomination (110 churches) was larger than the number of churches dissolved (86 churches).

Associated with this was the emphasis on presbyteries having Gracious Dismissal Policies and fairly generous allowances to be dismissed with property, although there was at least one PJC case and some civil litigation, e.g. Caldwell and Highland Park.

Re-purposing Church Buildings

Along with the dissolution of churches comes the question of what to do with the property? Although to be fair this also may be a question if the church outgrows their existing property. Answers this year include a residence in Scotland, a restaurant in Belfast, and maybe a town hall in Maryland. In addition, there were several, at least, demolished and controversy down under with a presbytery of the Uniting Church proposing to close churches and sell off the buildings to satisfy debts.

With that I have hit all the cross-branch and big-topic themes that I ranked highest and have to decide on the last three from a field of several worthy and interesting candidates. Well, this is my blog and I can adjust the rules so here are five more…

The BBC Northern Ireland produced a documentary on Irish Presbyterians called “An Independent People”

Also from Northern Ireland, there was an agreement that the leaders of the failed Presbyterian Mutual Society would be ineligible to head up other companies and word of at least one bank that declined the offer to take over the failing institution.

The work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission regarding the dark history of native residential schools continues in Canada and this year the Commission was addressed by the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the church issued a formal apology to Kenora residential school survivors.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last year issued guidelines on what was required to be included in employee health care plans and several Presbyterian-affiliated organizations objected to the contraception mandate. This year at least two, Geneva College and Westminster Theological Seminary, won court cases exempting them from the HHS mandate. Review by the U.S. Supreme Court is expected so this may come back again next year.

And the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation issued a new hymnal, “Glory to God”, but not without a little controversy about one hymn that was originally to be included but deleted when a slight word change was not approved by the authors.

And there you have my suggestions for the top ten twelve Presbyterian news topics of 2013. Your mileage may vary.

So as we look ahead to 2014 – and many of my friends around the world are already there or now busy celebrating Hogmanay – I wish all of you a very Happy New Years and best wishes for the coming year.

Looking Ahead To The 221st General Assembly Of The PC(USA)

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Tomorrow we will reach the six-month point ahead of the meeting of the 221st General Assembly (2014) of the the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). As we look ahead to the meeting of that Assembly a number of things are already in place but so much more is to come.

The GA will meet from June 14-21, 2014, in Detroit, Michigan, and while the city has had some highly publicized problems all concerned with the Assembly are assuring us that the issues will not affect the Assembly. The Office of the General Assembly (OGA) issued a statement of support following the city’s bankruptcy filing and the Committee on the General Assembly (COGA) visited the site this fall and was satisfied with the preparations and location. Regarding the situation with the city, the Rev. Tom Hay, OGA’s associate for assembly operations, made the following analogy in the article:

Detroit has much to teach the church, Hay said. The city is an
institution that trusted in old patterns after they stopped working.

“In many ways, that’s something like us,” he said.

In addition, in a bit of a test run, the Fall Polity Conference was held in Detroit in October. However, that was a much smaller gathering and so was held in a hotel and not in the conference center.

The Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA) is up and running and has a web page on the Presbytery of Detroit site, a Facebook page and a Twitter feed (@DetroitCOLA). They have a 23 minute video, Abound in Hope, that introduces the church to Detroit and the PC(USA) ministries and history of the area.

“Abound in Hope” is the theme of the Assembly and will be reflected in the worship. One of the more interesting and significant changes this year is that the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper will be a part of each daily worship service. In addition, GA Moderator Neal Presa has announced on Facebook the individuals who he has invited to preach at these services:

Delighted that Mark Labberton (President of Fuller Theological Seminary), Anne Emile Zaki (Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt & Calvin Institute for Worship), Luke Powery (Dean of the Chapel, Duke University), and Martha Moore-Keish
(Associate Professor of Theology, Columbia Theological Seminary) have
accepted my invitation to serve as the preachers and presiders at the
daily celebration of the Eucharist at the 221st General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) next June 2014 in Detroit, MI.

The
five of us will preach from the Assembly gathering text Romans 15:13
and theme “Abounding in Hope” with each of us connecting that text to a
Gospel reading.

Jazzed!

Including Mr. Presa, it appears that the list is all Teaching Elders in academia, but it should be good preaching.

The business is accumulating and the PC-Biz system is up and running. It currently lists 31 overtures on the usual wide variety of topics that includes boycotting HP, to a study of drug control policy, to the consultation before redrawing presbytery boundaries. I have so far spotted four overtures related to the definition of marriage in the Directory for Worship and two regarding divestment in companies – one related to involvement in the Middle East and another for fossil fuel producers. There are also those of the “blood on every page” nature suggesting changes to the Book of Order that originated from particular polity issues that have arisen over the last couple of years. I hope to have a closer look as some of those soon.

Along with the overtures the affinity groups are starting to get their priorities together. The one that I have seen published so far is from the Covenant Network. More are sure to come (or I have missed them).

At the present time there are two announced and endorsed candidates standing for Moderator of the 221st General Assembly – RE Heath Rada and TE John Wilkinson. If typical patterns hold there are one or two more waiting in the wings.

A number of special committees and task forces are trying to wrap up their work. Maybe the most closely watched is the Mid-Councils Commission (Continuing) that the last GA rearranged a bit but as of the September meeting it looked like they would be recommending fewer/larger synods but their additional recommendations were still being considered. Likewise, the Special Commission on the Belhar Confession has still not decided on a formal recommendation whether the church should again consider it’s inclusion in the Book of Confessions. It has however produced a study guide, The Bible and Belhar, for the church to look at. In addition, a study document on marriage has been produced and congregations and other groups in the denomination are encouraged to participate in this six-week study ahead of the Assembly. A special committee looking at the Preparation for Ministry Process has released an interim report. These, and a couple other groups, have until February 14 to submit their final reports and recommendations.

Finally, there is a unique video project called Were You There? being curated by Andrew Yeager-Buckley. It is a bit more than Snapchat in that all of us who have been to previous GA’s are invited to share our experiences in up to 60 second videos. As the web site says:

Record a short video on your cell phone or video camera – no more than
60 seconds – that tells what lessons you learned as a commissioner or
advisory delegate. What do you wish someone had told you before the
Assembly, or what would you have done differently during the gathering?
And, don’t forget to tell us your name, presbytery and the Assembly you
attended.

(And the Assembly we attended? For some GA Junkies that could be all 60 seconds. )

Finally, for those of us thinking of going it looks like registration and housing info is not up on the sites yet, but there is a handy link to the tourism site at VisitDetroit.com.

I am personally still mulling over whether I will be there in person but I will certainly be watching as the business and news items build up.  Stay tuned…

UPDATE (12/29/13): An interesting article from the LA Times about Detroit becoming a tourist destination to view the decline and abandoned buildings.

Moderator Candidates For The 2014 General Assembly Of The Presbyterian Church In Canada

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As I anticipated in my last post, early this week we got word of the nominees for Moderator of the 140th General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. And in the nominees we have three distinguished ministers from across the country and each from a different type of ministry setting.

In alphabetical order, the first is the Rev. Calvin Brown, currently serving as stated supply pastor of a two-point, or yoked, parish that includes Knox Presbyterian Church in the town of Palmerston, Ontario and Knox Presbyterian Church in Drayton, Ontario. That much was given in the press release and I have to admit that I was stumped for a bit in researching his background, but thanks to some pointers from Al Clarkson I am able to provide significantly more background. From Mr. Brown’s LinkedIn page we know that he has been at his current position for about three years now and before that he was the the Executive Director of Renewal Fellowship within the Presbyterian Church in Canada for over 16 years. In that position he regularly contributed the Renewal column in the Presbyterian Record, a publication of the PCC. He has his M.Div. from Knox College of the University of Toronto and his undergraduate degree in English and Psychology from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. He began his ordained ministry with 20 years in a missionary parish in British Columbia. He does have a Facebook page and there are a number of photographs on Flickr from the transition when he stepped down as executive director.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris is currently the dean of St. Andrew’s Hall, the Presbyterian school at the Vancouver School of Theology, and a professor of homiletics at VST. He holds a B.A. from the University of Toronto, an M.Theo. and D.Min. from Union Theological College in Virginia, and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University. He served five years of service in parish ministry at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Amherstview, Ontario, and then taught for 17 years at Knox College of the University of Toronto before moving to Vancouver. He is the author of numerous books and articles ( example 1, example 2 ) including the Bible Studies for the 23rd General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

The third nominee is the Rev. Stewart Folster the director of the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry. The Presbyterian Record has numerous stories on this ministry, but one in particular – The Path to Healing: Native Ministries – Relating in Saskatoon
– profiles Rev. Folster. There is another extensive section in The Path to Healing: Sharing the pain of residential schools where he talks about his family’s experience and his ministry now.
He and the SNCM were also profiled in the PC(USA) Mission Yearbook this year. When he was ordained in 1996 he was the first aboriginal minister in the PCC. He has been active in part with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process that has been happening within the church and around the country and the SNCM is mentioned in the special Path to Healing articles and resources from the Presbyterian Record.

To the three nominees we offer our congratulations and best wishes and prayers as they begin on this journey. We will find out in early April who the church elects as it’s next General Assembly 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

Presbyterian News Headlines For The Two Weeks Ending November 11, 2013

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Well, I started out thinking I would do the one week version and then looked at how little I had flagged and decided it was probably just as well to consider them all in a two-week block.

Let me begin with the extra day here, November 11, and note that for those in Europe, and even in Canada, this is a much, much bigger day of Remembrance than our American observance of Veterans’ Day. For those of us in the U.S. we observe something similar on Memorial Day in May which has ties to our own Civil War about 150 years ago. However, in my own congregation our Veteran’s Day observance was marked by prayers over one of our members who is about to be deployed with the Marines to Afghanistan. But from other parts, here are a few of the headlines for Remembrance Day:

Fallen remembered at Sunday services – from Portadown Times

A tribute to all victims of war – from The News of New Glasgow, Canada

Scotland marks Remembrance Sunday – from BBC News

Remembrance Day – from Stornoway Gazette

Some other headlines…

Some details came out about the failure of the Presbyterian Mutual Society in Northern Ireland and its attempts to find another financial institution to take it over:

Co-op bank refused the PMS – from Belfast News Letter

In Ghana the calls for the church to help straighten out the state continue

Ghanaian youth must demand accountability – Kufuor – from GhanaWeb

Christians urged to support the government – from Ghana Business News

Otumfuo appeals to the church to fight against corruption – from Ghana Business

And while we are on church and  state issues, pieces about Mizoram state of India and the strong influence of the church in the elections:

Mizoram: Church imposes rules, controls poll – from Deccan Chronicle

Church-backed watchdog body has its own poll rules – from The Morung Express

And finally, the second Presbyterian installed as a seminary president in as many weeks. In Pasadena, TE Mark Labberton was installed as the new President of Fuller Seminary:

‘Renaissance man’ elected as fifth Fuller president – from Pasadena Star-News

So that is it for now. Take care

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.