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Two Weeks At
Your Staff Reverend Charlie Smith Pastor and Head of Staff Christian Education from Nursery thru College Richard Black, Organist and Music Adm. Interim Youth Music Director Lew Mounts, Treasurer George Wentworth, Assistant Sexton Paige Rhodes, Kelsey Schuler, and Ashley Lemons Child Care Providers Regular Office
Hours Monday – Thursday; 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Missionaries Mike & Nancy Mahon, Mark & Jenny Hare, The Reverends Greg &
Christine Callison Listen to our Sunday
Worship Service on WCLT-AM, 1430 at 11:15 each Sunday
We
still have additional As
we leave for the New Wilmington Mission Conference our team will be taking
with us all of the school supplies that you donated for children in
need. The Jr. High students will be
organizing these items into packets that will be distributed in Thank you to those who have volunteered to teach one of our elementary Summer
Sunday School classes. I am sorry to
say there have been weeks with no children attending, but we continue to be
faithful in providing God’s Word to those who have come. The teachers using this year’s material
have given it great reviews as being easy to use, fun, and good solid
teachings. So don’t hesitate to sign
up for one of the remaining weeks.
Just sign the poster in the dining room and pick up your packet on the
little table beside the poster.
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“The assembly also engaged in discussion about significant matters of
faith and life – ordination standards, justice and peace in the “While the content of the
assembly’s decisions is important, what may be of equal or greater importance
is the manner in which commissioners and advisory delegates did their work.
They debated, but did not fight. They tackled tough issues while refraining
from tackling each other. They placed great value on finding common ground as
they displayed gracious, mutual forbearance toward one another. They sought
the will of God within their actions, rather than regarding their decisions
as the will of God. One commissioner called the experience of seeking – and
finding – common ground truly ‘miraculous.’” “In short, this assembly
exhibited to the whole church and, indeed, to our society and the world a way
to engage in difficult issues while maintaining respect for one another. To
put it another way, they exhibited well what it means for the church to ‘a
provisional demonstration of what God intends for the world’ (Book of Order, G-3.0200).” Regarding
specific issues: Civil General Assembly commissioners approved both a
committee’s “final report” and a second, dissenting “minority report” to be
sent out for study on the issue by the wider church. By sending both reports
out for study, the Assembly maintained the definition of marriage in the Book of Order as “a man and a woman.” With the
action to send the reports for study, no change has occurred, or is pending. The General Assembly approved a comprehensive
report on the The paper calls for: - An immediate cessation of all violence, whether
perpetrated by Israelis or Palestinians. - The reaffirmation of internationally recognized borders. - The end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian
territories. - An immediate freeze on the establishment and
expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and
on the Israeli acquisition of Palestinian land and buildings in The General Assembly also approved the report of
the Mission Responsibility through Investment committee, which: -
Provides an update on all corporations that the committee has engaged
as a result of the 2004, 2006 and 2008 General Assemblies; Acknowledges that the
Caterpillar Corp. “has in many ways provided positive leadership to its
community, its state, and the nation. It has donated considerable resources
and equipment in support of local development and disaster relief at home and
overseas. It has significantly improved workplace safety, acted aggressively
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and pursued environmental conservation
within its production processes. In recognition of these accomplishments,
Caterpillar has been listed for seven consecutive years in the Dow Jones
Sustainability World Index;” -
Strongly denounces Caterpillar’s continued profit-making from
non-peaceful uses of a number of its products on the basis of Christian
principles and as a matter of social witness; -
Calls upon Caterpillar to carefully review its involvement in
obstacles to a just and lasting peace in Israel-Palestine, and to take
affirmative steps to end its complicity in the violation of human rights. (Continued
on back) (A Word from Our Pastor - Continued from inside) The General Assembly
rejected immediate divestment from Caterpillar in favor of continued corporate
engagement with Caterpillar and other companies profiting from the sale and
use of their products for non-peaceful purposes and/or the violation of human
rights. A Monitoring Group for the
Middle East will now be formed to assist the appropriate General Assembly
Mission Council offices and the New Form of Government The General Assembly voted to recommend a revised
Form of Government to the presbyteries. The new Form of Government includes: -
Foundations of Presbyterian Polity – the principles that are
foundational to government, worship and discipline for the PC (USA). It
preserves the vast majority of the material in the first four chapters of the
current Form of Government. -
Form of Government – In six chapters, which spells out the
constitutional framework for government of the PC(USA)
as it seeks to respond to God’s call to life in mission. -
Advisory Handbook for Councils for the Development of Policies and
Procedures Required by the Form of Government – An aid to councils (governing
bodies) of the church for developing the policies and procedures to carry out
their mission. Nothing
has changed until a majority of presbyteries vote to approve
this new Form of Government. Middle Governing Bodies The General Assembly created a Middle Governing
Body Commission with the power to act as the General Assembly, upon request
of presbyteries and synods. The commission has the power “to organize new
synods and to divide, unite, or otherwise combine synods or portions of
synods previously existing” and “to approve the organization, division,
uniting or combining of presbyteries or portions of presbyteries by synods” — upon the request, by a
majority vote, of the affected presbyteries and/or synod. The formation of the commission means
that presbyteries and synods wishing to realign their structures or
boundaries may request such actions from the commission and make those
changes without having to wait until the next General Assembly, in 2012. Ordination Standards General
Assembly commissioners proposed a change to the PC (USA) constitution
regarding ordination standards. This action does not change the Constitution.
It is a first step in the process. A majority of the 173 presbyteries would
have to vote in the affirmative (or for the change in the standards) to
approve the replacement wording. A current provision in the PC
(USA) Book of Order (G-6.0106b)
provides the following standards for persons ordained as church leaders
(deacon, elder or minister): “Those who are called to office in the
church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the
historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the
requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage
between a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to
repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall
not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word
and Sacrament.” The 219th General Assembly (2010) recommends deleting the above
provision and replacing it with the following language: “Standards for
ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the
Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life. The governing body
responsible for ordination and/or installation shall examine each candidate’s
calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of
office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination
of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as
expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation.
Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying
standards to individual candidates.” This proposed change would focus ordination examinations on the
individual calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability of candidates for the
responsibilities of the office, in joyful submission to the Lordship of Jesus
Christ in all aspects of life. Presbyteries will study this recommendation and vote over the course
of the next year. If a majority of the 173 presbyteries approve the change,
it will replace the previous provision in the Book of Order. The deadline for presbyteries to vote is July 10,
2011. When we Presbyterians talk about worship,
we often use the word liturgy to
describe what it is we do when we gather here on Sundays. Liturgy means “work of the people,”
and that aptly describes the participation of many who take part in worship. One of the vital behind-the-scenes roles
in worship is that of audio-visual and technical support. We owe a great deal
of thanks to Rick Nabors, who runs the board at the 9:30 a.m. service, and
Jim Hutchinson, who juggles the same duties in a different format at 11
o’clock. (I well know the integral nature and sensitivity of our equipment;
know that your concerns about sound quality and volume are being addressed.) Those who attend the 11 o’clock service
got a glimpse of life without the technological equipment a few weeks ago,
when the All of that is to say that there is an
urgent need for other volunteer technicians to assist with the service.
Recruitment efforts are under way, with job descriptions readied. I earnestly
pray that if you are comfortable with such technology and feel that you might
lend a hand, you will step forward, respond positively if asked to volunteer,
or aid in the search by perhaps providing the name of a suitable candidate.
CHOICE FOOD PANTRY Thank you for your support of our food pantry! We currently are in need of personal items,
canned vegetables and canned fruit.
Thanks to the generosity of the Coalition of
Churches of which 2nd Presbyterian was very much a part, another
home has been completed at Kandi Cook
FINANCIAL REPORT
FOR THE 2010 THRU JUNE Year to Date Budget $143,364.96 Year to Date Income $133,967.83 Year to Date Expense $135,885.59 |
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