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Witherspoon
Society's Annual Report
By action of the 212th General Assembly, the Stated
Clerk asks each "affinity group" related to the Presbyterian
Church to submit an annual report of its purposes, activities, funding,
and so on. Among the minority of groups to send such a report was
the Witherspoon Society, and we share our report here.
[7-13-01]
The
list of groups which have and have not responded
to the request is interesting.
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Presbyterian Church (USA)
Office of the General Assembly
100 Witherspoon Street
Louisville, KY 40202-1396
To Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Clifton Kirkpatrick
In response to the 212th General Assembly request for information about
Presbyterian affinity groups, the Witherspoon Society submits the
following information:
1. The Witherspoon Society, founded in 1973, is a Federal Tax Exempt
organization (ID #23-7317031), registered in Ohio. It has no office nor
paid staff. Membership at the end of year 2000 numbered 802 home
addresses, 24 institutional memberships (churches, seminaries,
libraries), and 10 overseas memberships.
The official publication of the Witherspoon Society is Network News,
a quarterly newsletter sent to each active member, and 120 copies to the
24 institutional members. An extra 700+ copies of the Spring issue are
sent each year to GA commissioners and advisory delegates. An additional
number, which varies, are sent in response to special orders. With few
exceptions, all recipients of Network News are members of or
congregations related to the Presbyterian Church (USA). (Enclosed is a
copy of the latest circulation report to the U.S. Postal Service.)
2. Enclosed is a copy of the Treasurer's report of as December 31, 2000.
Also enclosed is a copy of the organization's bylaws.
3. The goal of the Witherspoon Society is to support the social justice
ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA) at the congregational,
presbytery, synod and national levels by building a network among
Presbyterians committed to building a more just and peaceful world, and
a more open church. It is the intent of the Society to promote the
prophetic voice of the church, addressing issues of systemic injustice
within both church and society.
The Witherspoon publication, Network News, communicates to
members news of the Presbyterian Church USA, regional activities,
advocacy for social issues of concern to members, theological
perspectives, events calendar and a pre-Assembly issue covering matters
to be considered at the General Assembly. A website provides up-to-date
information.
Most of the activity of the Witherspoon Society takes place during the
annual meeting of the General Assembly. We have a booth in the exhibit
area where people can receive information about the Society and its
issues of concern, meet and find friends, connecting with others working
to promote peace and justice.
The Society has been providing a pre-assembly orientation the past
several years for interested commissioners wishing to learn how to
navigate Assembly procedures. We host a luncheon with a major speaker,
and honor congregations and individuals who exemplify our mission. The
annual Witherspoon Party and Dance has become a popular time for friends
to relax and have fun in the midst of the busy assembly week.
Each year we sponsor a seminary intern, an opportunity for a seminary
student to experience a General Assembly. For the past several years we
have sponsored a seminar at Ghost Ranch.
There are several regional groups that meet periodically through the
year for fellowship, worship and to address issues of the churches in
their locales. The Witherspoon Society does not operate on boards or
agencies of the denomination.
4. The Witherspoon Society is a national group of Presbyterian
laypersons and clergy. We confess our loyalty to God in Jesus Christ by
witness to him through the Presbyterian Church USA. We are committed by
the gospel to peace, justice and the well being of all creation to
witness on a broad range of local, national, international and
ecclesiastical issues. Our witness in both church and society aims for
renewal of the church's life and focus, that it may always be biblically
and confessionally faithful in the world.
We seek to develop a network of concerned Presbyterians who are willing
to work within the church to equip Christians for communicating our
faith, resisting systems of injustice, and exploring new ways to express
the gospel as a liberating word. We work to implement the more urgent
concerns of the General Assembly, developing new ways for communication,
reflection, mutual support, and action within the network.
Our mission is to nurture the prophetic voice of the church through
study, action and reflection. We want to equip faithful Presbyterians
for responsible participation at all levels of the church to advocate
for peace, justice, the integrity of all creation, and the full
inclusion of all God''s people in church and society.
We believe that our faith should be lived in our society, that God alone
is Lord of the conscience, and that "Truth is in order to
Goodness." We seek effective ecumenical connections for mission and
encourage theological inquiry and education to equip us for mission in a
changing world. We seek appropriate expression of our concerns within
common worship, exploring more effective inspirational worship.
We are a network of justice-seeking Presbyterians responding to the God
who calls us through the power of the Holy Spirit into wholeness,
desiring to live the radical vision of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a
broken world.
Sincerely,
Jane Hanna, President
Witherspoon Society
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Visit
our lively
new website! |
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GA actions
ratified (or not) by the presbyteries
A number of the most important actions of the 219th
General Assembly have now been acted upon by the presbyteries,
confirming most of them as amendments to the PC(USA) Book of Order.
We provided resources to help inform the
reflection and debate, along with updates on the voting.
Our three areas of primary interest have been:
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Amendment 10-A,
which removes the current ban on
lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender persons being considered as
possible candidates for ordination as elder or ministers.
Approved! |
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Amendment 10-2,
which would add the Belhar Confession to our Book of
Confessions. Disapproved, because as an amendment
to the Book of Confessions it needed a 2/3 vote, and did not
receive that. |
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Amendment
10-1, which adopts the new Form of Government
that was approved by the Assembly. Approved. |
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If you like what
you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep Voices for Justice going ... and
growing!
Please consider making a special
contribution -- large or small -- to help us continue and improve
this service.
Click here to send a
gift online, using your credit card, through PayPal.
Or send your check, made
out to "Presbyterian Voices for Justice" and marked "web site," to
our PVJ Treasurer:
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ's
Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where
Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and
views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both
personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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