The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship has issued a paper listing the issues it will be focusing on at the 214th General Assembly.

The issues include:

On May 25 we posted a report from the Presbytery of Yellowstone, regarding the presbytery's finding that the statement of conscience by the session of First Presbyterian Church of Anaconda is not in error. 

The Rev. John Shuck, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Billings, has sent this letter to correct what seems to be a clear misinterpretation of the story in the headline on Presbyweb, calling it a "noncompliance statement." The PresbyWeb editor has not changed the headline, but here's the letter questioning its accuracy.

Dear Editor,

I wish to call your attention to the posting of the Witherspoon Society article regarding the recent action of the Presbytery of Yellowstone. Presbyweb erroneously states that the session is in "non-compliance."

This is not the case. The session of the First Presbyterian Church of Anaconda is in full compliance with the PC(USA) constitution. The statement of conscience with which the presbytery correctly has found not in error, challenges a particular interpretation of the constitution. A careful reading of this statement will show that the session of the First Presbyterian Church of Anaconda, Montana is fully within the bounds of our constitution.

Sincerely, Rev. John A. Shuck, Pastor
First Presbyterian Church
Billings, Montana
Yellowstone Presbytery

We recently posted Gene TeSelle's survey of "the issues at the 214^th General Assembly," which included concerns about the effort by some very well-funded groups to "manipulate and control the decision-making process." Dr. Harold A. Franch of Atlanta responded with observations about what he views as inappropriate efforts to influence decision-making in favor of more open ordination policies and other more progressive positions - both in his presbytery and (by national staff) in General Assemblies.

We recently posted some reflections on "restorative justice," a growing movement to deal with violators of the law through more positive approaches than just more prison time.

Since a report will be coming to the General Assembly on the subject, you may want to check out a very helpful (not to mention somewhat massive) index of web sites dealing with restorative justice. It includes sites representing organizations around the world, some church-related, some government or academic in their sponsorship, others apparently independent.

Jim Wallis of Sojourners reports on Call to Renewal's Mobilization in Washington, DC, which focused on "Speaking the Truth About Poverty." The gathering featured visits to senators from 42 states, to urge "a compassionate and just reauthorization of welfare reform."  

All human evil comes from this: a man's being unable to sit still in a room.

- Blaise Pascal

Sixty members of Tucson's largest Presbyterian Church (USA) congregation, St. Andrew's, have resigned their memberships because they say a culture of secrecy and homophobia has taken over their once tight-knit congregation.

After the session voted last June to join the "Confessing Church Movement," a number of members urged a reconsideration, partly because the action had been taken without the congregation's being informed.

The session has now voted to withdraw from the Confessing Church movement, but a number of members have said it's too late: their trust in the pastors and the session's leadership has been so badly damaged that they feel compelled to seek new church homes.

Diana Logan, one of the leaders in the effort to have the CCM decision reconsidered, comments:

"At long last, our session has reversed its CCM decision. Too bad it had to happen after the church has become so divisive it was impossible for many of us to stay. Perhaps those who are staying will continue to ask the questions we have been asking for a year."

We recently received a thoughtful comment about references to Christopher Columbus in relation to the coming General Assembly, which will gather in the Ohio city that bears his name.  The writer is concerned about what these references will communicate to "some of the people we are trying to include in our Presbyterian family: Native Americans."

The Presbytery of Yellowstone has refused to name an administrative commission to persuade Anaconda Presbyterian Church to modify its Statement of Conscience.  

Allegations were not specific enough to meet new, higher standard, it rules  

Two Presbyterian Church (USA) pastors are among 43 protesters indicted in federal court last month for trespassing on a military base in Georgia, in the protest action at the School of the Americas reported below.

The Rev. Chuck Booker-Hirsch, of Ann Arbor, MI, and the Rev. Erik Johnson, of Maryville, TN, were arrested during the annual School of Americas Watch (SAW) protest last November.

We have posted two reports:

Marilyn White, past chairperson of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, puts the protests in a wider context of actions against US militarism.

While President Bush has been insisting on a continued embargo against Cuba, Christians in that nation welcomed the visit of former Pres. Jimmy Carter.

The Rev. Hector Mendez, a member of the central committee of the World Council of Churches, said, "We have been saying for many years that one of the main tasks of the churches in the U.S. and Cuba is to build bridges of reconciliation between our countries. The visit of former President Carter is one of those bridges."

Going to GA?
Want to eat?
Act soon!

If you want to attend any of the special events held by many different Presbyterian-related groups (including the Witherspoon Society!) you have until May 31 to order your tickets.

Check out our own information about Witherspoon events, and if you wish, you can order tickets for those events directly from Ray Kersting, 305 Loma Arisco, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Phone (505) 982-4548. Or send him an e-mail note. sfkerst@rt66.com

You can download the full information booklet about the Assembly, in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, from http://www.pcusa.org/ga214/registration.htm

And speaking of Creation, the Rev. Bruce Gillette (spouse of the author of the hymn) suggests that a recent column by New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman provides a very current comment on our president’s failure of imagination. The President, says Friedman, has failed to imagine the good that might have come out of the nation’s struggles with the terrorism of September 11. A real leader could have built on the unity of the nation to move us toward greater conservation of energy, enlisting young people in the work that will require.

And, notes Gillette, the churches have generally been as lacking in imagination for a new level of stewardship of the creation.

The reports that have been submitted are available on the PC(USA) web site. Unfortunately, they are in .pdf format, which means each one must be downloaded (which takes a while!) and read with Acrobat Reader.

McNeese has reviewed the reports, especially from "the groups which actively lobby for their particular theological or political positions." He expresses disappointment at the lack of detail in their financial reporting, adding the interesting observation that "the more 'liberal' the group, the more information the General Assembly got about donors (Shower of Stoles Project and the Witherspoon Society)."

On the other side of the spectrum, he adds that "several of the 'conservative' groups maintaining their literal interpretation of the phrase 'affinity groups that use the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in their name', gave no information (Voices of Orthodox Women, Presbyterians Pro-Life and, of course, the Presbyterian Lay Committee.)."

His own suggestion is that the General Assembly should "require audited financial statements along with a detailed list of donors over $1,000 which includes names and addresses."

Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle, in the latest issue of Network News, offered this further information:

The Witherspoon Society has regularly filed reports on its finances. Our total income in 2001 was $56,953. What about some leading conservative groups? Presbyterians for Renewal reports that it anticipates a budget of about $5,300,000 in 2002. The Presbyterian Coalition reports an income of $259,000 in 2001. The Presbyterian Lay Committee has declined to report its income to the PC(USA), but in 2000, according to Guidestar, a public database, the Presbyterian Lay Committee reported to the IRS revenues of $2,092,397, and assets of $4,278,809.

The Presbytery of Tampa Bay has submitted an overture calling for support of a boycott of Taco Bell restaurants on behalf of Immokalee agricultural workers in Florida.  

For more information, check out the web site of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

by Teresa Watanabe

Marty E. Coleman, a longtime member of All Saints Church in Pasadena, now grows her own vegetables, shops at Vroman's independent bookstore instead of national chains, and recycles her clothes. The transformation of her personal consumer habits started with a book that, at first glance, seems to have nothing to do with religion.

But Coleman and a core group of friends have launched a new ministry called Sustainable World to bring these issues to a wider audience. They are part of a growing movement among people of faith to challenge corporate globalization, which some predict may eventually rival the impact of religious-based civil rights work more than three decades ago.

To read the entire feature, go to the LA Times web site.   [Free registration required]

Ooops.  This link isn't working any more -- but you can visit the congregation's own web site: http://www.allsaints_pas.org/home.htm

Prof. Douglas Ottati, in one of the main presentations at the conference on the Confession of 1967 last February, suggested that our affirmation of a "Book of Confessions" leads us to see those documents as "particular, ecumenical, and living our dynamic standards."  Check out the full text of his talk.

Hugh Halverstadt, professor of ministry at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, recently joined with others in the annual George and Jean Edwards Lecture at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, looking at ways of dealing with conflict in congregations. Affirming that "conflict is part of the life and the work of the church," Halverstadt offered some "rules of fair fighting," including "being assertive rather than aggressive; showing respect; being accountable for one's actions and keeping the larger good in mind. Things not allowed are name-calling; gossip; interrupting; personal attacks; and the certainty that God's on your side only."

This report, by Leslie Scanlon of The Presbyterian Outlook, appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. 

Your WebWeaver is interested to note how closely these "rules" resemble the ground-rules used in victim-offender conferencing and other processes for "restorative justice." Can our Presbyterian Church learn anything here?

Restorative justice will be on the agenda of the 214th General Assembly, and the practice of this growing approach to crime and justice might even help us deal with the stresses in our own denomination.

"Why Hope" 

These new pages have recently been opened on the PC(USA) site:

Arch Taylor, a former Presbyterian missionary in Japan, along with a Palestinian-American and a Jewish-American, published an open letter on May 4 in the Louisville Courier-Journal, with the headline: AN END TO PALESTINIAN DEVASTATION.

The writers place much of the responsibility for the current violence on Prime Minister Arial Sharon, under whose leadership "Israel is systematically destroying not only the Palestinians' present but also their future."

But US policy (or lack of policy) is also responsible: "Mere words calling for Israeli withdrawal and eventual establishment of a viable Palestinian state will avail absolutely nothing so long as unconditional support for Israel and Sharon continues."

Citing the example of the 435 Israeli combat officers and soldiers who have refused to fight beyond Israel's1967 borders, the three authors call on people on both sides to "take risks for peace." They conclude: "We believe that peace can come only when both Israel and Palestine co-exist as viable, independent states side by side, each with recognized and secure borders."

Hate crimes legislation has once again been introduced in both houses of the US Congress. The Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act of 2001 (S.625/H.R.1343) is enjoying broad bi- partisan support, and Senator Daschle has pledged that he will bring the LLEEA to the Senate floor for a vote before the Memorial Day recess.

The Faith Action Network, a project of People For the American Way, is encouraging ministers to add their names to a letter supporting this step against hate crimes.

NOTE:  One visitor has commented that the proposed laws would mandate "enhanced penalties" for some hate crimes.  The Presbyterian commitment to restorative justice urges less reliance on harsher penalties, so questions might be raised about this aspect of the bills now in Congress.  [5-14-02]

Witherspoon Issues Analyst Gene TeSelle looks at implications of the Confession of 1967 for current concerns about the "Confessing Church" movement, and about confessing the faith today.

We recently posted a "confession of faith" written by Jews in hiding during World War II.

In response we received this note:

Doug,

Thanks for the confession of faith from Sojourners.

I'd like to add a credo that I heard in a song that I cannot locate:

"I believe that Jesus is going to make it all right ...
But it's gonna take a while."

Peace,

John Shuck, First Presbyterian Church, Billings, MT

If you have thoughts, comments, additions --- 
please send us a note!

Presbyterian News Service has announced the names and positions of 43 national staff of the PCUSA whose jobs have been eliminated in the latest round of "downsizing."

A delegation of US church leaders has returned from a 12-day visit to Israel, Palestine, and neighboring countries, under the auspices of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Calling on both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to agree to an immediate ceasefire, they "condemn equally and unequivocally both the suicide bombings and Palestinian violence against Israeli society and the violence of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories."

Among other steps toward a resolution of the conflict, they call for:

Says Book of Order isn't meant to be a rulebook or operations manual

Presbyterian News Service reports on a one-day conference in Atlanta, where Stated Clerk the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick suggested that the church should treat its constitution as a "basic covenant for our church life" -- not as a "manual of operations" or a list of specific rules governing what he called "matters that can and should be decided by a session or presbytery."

Today is indeed our official National Day of Prayer.

Here are three items that will tell you more.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State has issued a press release detailing the background of the occasion, and the extent to which is has become the property of the Christian Right. The occasion is directed by the NDP Task Force, a private nonprofit group headed by Shirley Dobson, wife of Religious Right broadcaster James Dobson.  The Task Force's events have reflected a fundamentalist Christian view of the world and advanced the claim that America is a Christian nation.

And hey -- please note that Minnesota's Gov. Jesse (The Body) Ventura rates special mention!

In Ventura County, CA (which is not named after Minnesota's governor), there will be two prayer gatherings - one exclusively evangelical Christian, the other interfaith.

One example is found in the Layman Online, reporting on a letter sent by the Presbyterian Coalition to all church sessions "correcting" the Stated Clerk.  You can read the full text of the Coalition's letter on their own web site.  We can't find the word "correct" in the Coalition letter, as implied by the Layman headline, but then ...

Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick has stated that his role is not as a prosecuting attorney, an "enforcer" of the laws of the church.

This view has been articulated well by Mr. Frank B. Baldwin, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Philadelphia, in an open letter which he recently sent to all presbytery and synod stated clerks. We share it here with his kind permission.

In response to the criticisms from the Right, the executive committee of the Witherspoon Society recently sent a letter of support to the Stated Clerk.

Some folks seem terribly concerned about people having the right beliefs.

This affirmation of faith just appeared on the Sojourners web site. One wonders if some would find it to be seriously deficient.

I believe...

I believe in the sun, even when it doesn't shine.
I believe in love, even when I don't feel it.
I believe in God, even when He is silent.

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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!

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive

Got more blogs to recommend?