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Two "Whole Gospel
Congregations" |
| Two Columbus congregations to be
honored by Witherspoon at General Assembly
from Gene TeSelle
[4-12-02]
Each year at its General Assembly luncheon, the Witherspoon Society
seeks to honor an area congregation that embodies the values and mission
of the Society. This year for the 214th General Assembly in
Columbus, Ohio, we have chosen to honor two congregations: Bethany
Presbyterian Church and Broad Street Presbyterian Church, both in
Columbus.
Here is a little more about the churches; if you come
to the Witherspoon luncheon you'll learn more, and get to meet some of
their members and leaders.
The Bethany Presbyterian Church is
one of the historic African-American congregations, producing many
national leaders. Among them are Mary Jane Patterson, former director of
the PC(USA) Washington Office, and Robina Winbush, director of the
Department of Ecumenical and Agency Relationships for the PC(USA). We
are pleased to add our recognition to the many others that have come to
this church.
The Broad Street Presbyterian Church,
founded in 1887, now has more than 1100 members and a staff of over 25.
Four pastors of the Broad Street Presbyterian Church have served as
moderators: Samuel Palmer, Harry Cotton, Ganse Little, and John
Buchanan. That distinction is shared with only one other church, Fourth
Presbyterian in Chicago. The current pastor is David A. VanDyke, who was
educated at Hope College, Western Theological Seminary, and Edinburgh
University; he has been an active leader in many community and
interfaith organizations, including efforts to end capital punishment in
Ohio.
In addition to its commitment to preaching, worship,
and education, Broad Street is known for its participation in ecumenical
activities and its innovative programs of social outreach. It was
recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the five
"outstanding congregations" in the United States. The recent
book Presbyterians: A Spiritual Journey features the
partnership between Broad Street and Bethany in outreach ministries.
Bethany and Broad Street cooperate in
the COMPASS Program for those needing assistance and the ASAP (After
School Academic Partnerships) program which tutors forty inner-city
young people. During the summer the Rainbow Program offers education and
enrichment to about 125 neighborhood children. |
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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
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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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