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I recommend Sallie Watson's blog, Regional Ponderings, on the General Assembly.
Sallie has life-long ties to the Synod of the Sun and is now the 'regional presbyter' in neighboring Synod of the Southwest. Her region covers about 90% of New Mexico. She has to leave before the Assembly is finished, but visit the blog. She's a good writer. —Shane Whisler
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After a long trial run as an attempt to serve as a news source for all Presbyterians, Presbyterian Neighbor News (PNNews.org) narrows its focus to serve a "smaller" audience — the 180,000 church members in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
I do hope readers outside those four states will remain on the mailing list as many articles will be of interest to every PC(USA) member. News and photos for everyone will include earthquake and hurricane recovery efforts from Haiti to the Gulf Coast. This summer we will also carry news of the 2010 General Assembly and share word of Presbyterian response to the oil spill in the Gulf.
So those who are interested need only wait for the change in next week's news digest delivered by email and home page of PNNews.org. Anyone who wants to be removed from the list can click "view/change your profile" in the upper left box. or send email to editor@pnnews.
We at the Synod of the Sun give thanks for the valiant effort and the thousands of dollars contributed by several partner synods to launch PNNews.org during the first two full years (2008-2009) of this complicated electronic news delivery system. Synod of the Sun initiated the project and has paid for the 2010 service contract to continue the news connection.
PNNews.org was initially envisioned in 2007 as a future replacement of the Synod of the Sun newspaper. Then, inspired by the growth of the Presbyterian Communicators Network, PNNews.org became an active project among a partnership of synods named below. Now it returns to the original scope.
The project became unwieldy for a primary staff of one person. The online training curve was too steep to make it easy for more than a couple of other editors to post their own news for their own synods. The funding merely supported the expansive hardware and software contract behind the scenes.
So we're back to the drawing board with the long-standing support of the Communications Working Group of Synod of the Sun. A very simple and inexpensive infrastructure is expected to replace this one in 2011.
However, I am also grateful to the company, black white read, inc., for their support and adjustments of their newspixel publishing system we licensed for this big vision to serve the entire PC(USA). It was a network of 16 websites with customized syndication and email list management. It's been a tremendous experience.
Ironically, the demise of The Presbyterian SUN with the December 2009 issue, freed me to do more with the synod partnership, but the partners had reached the end of their efforts. But they hope networking can redevelop in the future for the good of the church. In the meantime, this drawing board is still a very big one: 11 presbyteries of Synod of the Sun and beyond.
Again, you don't need to do anything but read the news when it comes and when you like the effort, please forward it. Encourage others to sign up for the weekly email digest or find our page on Facebook. As the Oklahoma native, Paul Harvey used to say, "Hello, Americans. Stand by... for news!"
Peace,
Shane
Rev. Shane Whisler
Communications Director, Synod of the Sun
Managing Editor, PNNews.org
The contributing partners for this project (2007-2009) were these synods: Living Waters, Lakes and Prairies, Southwest, Lincoln Trails, Alaska-Northwest, Covenant, Northeast, Mid-America, Mid-Atlantic and Pacific with moral support from Rocky Mountains and Trinity.
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Editor's note: General Presbyter Greg Coulter's column below was first published on eokpresbytery.org for Eastern Oklahoma Presbytery.
General Reflections by the General Presbyter
MARCH 2 — Are we prepared to die? Are YOU prepared to die? These are more than just academic questions. Neither are they apologetic gimmicks designed to bring you closer to a saving relationship with our Lord. Bonnie and I spent the last four months of 2009 on a journey with close family friends as the wife and mother of the family finally succumbed to a rare form of brain cancer. So our thoughts at home have very much included the reality and immediacy of death for us all.
But that is not what I am asking this morning. Are we, as Christians, as congregations, and as a presbytery, prepared to die?
On Feb. 11, Methodist conference president in England, the Rev. David Gamble addressed the Church of England's General Synod. Speaking on behalf of the Methodist Church, he said, "We are prepared to go out of existence not because we are declining or failing in mission, but for the sake of mission."
The headline, posted online that very hour, read: "Methodist Church ‘prepared to go out of existence' for mission."Now that's a Church where I want to serve!
Just looking busy doing the same things?
We talk a lot about being "missional." It's a great word. It sounds like, if we just look busy when Jesus returns (or maybe when the world is watching), then we are doing mission. And that has translated, over the last fifty years, into a corollary. If we just keep doing what we have done so well in the past, and maybe do it a little harder, then the glory days will return. How's that working for us? How many of our congregations have returned to the membership, the worship attendance, the Sunday School enrollment, and the number of baptisms that you saw in the 1950's and 60's?
Maybe that's unfair. That was then and this is now. Okay — when we get in all of the data for the 2009 GA statistical reports, how many of you have the same or better membership, worship attendance, Sunday School enrollment, and baptisms when compared to 1999, just ten years ago? How about five years ago? I know. Now I'm meddling. Sorry.
Or am I sorry? Maybe, if I am sorry, it is because we haven't talked more frankly about these realities. I've visited too many congregations and Sessions where timid voices finally admit, "We're not too sure we really want to grow. We're comfortable just the way we are."
Some go so far as to admit, "I just want the church to be around long enough for my funeral." Now that's a mission statement to be proud of!
Turn the Titanic
Dr. Paul Hooker is going to speak to us today about how it feels to turn the Titanic. Maybe there are some not quite ready to admit that denominational structures are like a ship on a collision course with an iceberg. But there are plenty of people like the architect of the Titanic, willing to bet their lives on the fact that their denomination (whether it's Presbyterian, or Episcopal, or Baptist, or Methodist) is "unsinkable." Paul is going to talk to us about how to maybe lighten the ecclesiastical load and make the ship more responsive. I have appreciated the work his task force has put into this project and wish them well as we move to the General Assembly this summer.
But I want to return to the primary question - are we ready to die? Are we, as a denomination, ready to die to ourselves, to our structures, to our favored seats at ecumenical tables, to our cherished projects and programs and endowments, in order that our mission might move forward? I don't know.
Closer to home, is this presbytery prepared to die? Our budget has been shrinking consistently over the last ten years, as has our membership. We have tried different staffing patterns, new programs, regional clusters, guest speakers, and presbytery-wide workshops. How are we doing as we face a serious budget deficit for 2010? Will we just work harder at doing what we have always tried to do and hope that this year we will turn things around?
Look where we ought to go
Or is this the year we begin to look at who we are as a presbytery and ask where we are going or, better yet, where we ought to be going? I'll tell you that the Council intends to look at our budget. They intend to look at our staffing design. They intend to look at how we relate to our congregations, with a more holistic approach and intentional expectations of Sessions. We want to live into our own mission statement in a new way, one in which we take more seriously what it means to "glorify God by serving congregations as they make and equip disciples for Jesus Christ, and by linking congregations of the Presbyterian Church (USA) within the diversity of Christ's larger mission."
That's the good news! Now for the bad news. We are going to ask each of our congregations to join with us in those expectations. We have not served one another well within the larger community of faith when we have not challenged one another to rise, take up our Cross daily, and serve God. We have tolerated mediocrity and indifference. We have not been prepared to die for the sake of mission.
That must end. When presbytery staff visit you in worship or attend a Session meeting, welcome them, talk with them, get to know them. Ask how it is they might be partners with you in mission. When a visitation team tries to schedule a visit, let them in. Let them help by asking questions which might move us forward together. They, too, are there to serve with you, to walk along side of you, to give visible witness to the best of what it means to be a connectional church.
Give up what we have for larger mission
Most of all, as we travel through Lent, may we be honest with ourselves. Are we ready to give up who we are and what we have in order that Christ's Church and the larger mission of the kingdom of God might advance? Where are the obstacles in your own life which prevent you from accepting a larger and more robust call to discipleship? Which step forward will you take this day on that journey and to what must you be willing to die in order that the mission of Christ may move forward in your life and your congregation?
Peace to us all on that journey, for we know to what hill it takes us. But we also know what lies beyond, for those who are faithful.
3 responses to this post
Aida Faris [Sun] said at 4:55 p.m. on March 24, 2010, 4:55 p.m.
Greg
Thank you for this article. You brought us much closer to reality. I serve on the session of my church, on ACREC and I moderate Women of Color. People serving on the 3 entities I mentioned feel that there something wrong, things are not working. But none of us defined the problem the way you did. I really like your vision and hope that the church will recognize that we have a problem and try to consider your as well as others' visions and start acting towards a solution
JLangston [Sun] said at 12:48 p.m. on March 30, 2010, 12:48 p.m.
I join Ms. Faris in thanking you for bringing out in the open what many may have only thought about. Personally speaking, the church I attended as a teenager (and which largely shaped my faith) no longer exists as a congregation, and the church I have attended for most of my adult life has been on the brink a time or two, although we currently have more mission energy -- a new community garden, an expanding food pantry, recent baptisms from our immediate community -- than we've had for a while.
During one past crisis, a representative from presbytery told us something to the effect that if the Lord still had work for us to do in this place, we would survive. That was about 20 years ago, so apparently our work is not finished!
Sometimes organizational structures have served their purpose, however, and I don't think we should be hesitant to let them go. In the natural world, death is unsentimentally a part of life. One reason I love gardening is that one sees today's compost becoming tomorrow's fertilizer, and the "volunteers" that grow out of the compost are often the most hardy! As it says in Ecclesiastes 11:6, "In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hands be idle; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good." And from John 3:"The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." May we Presbyterians be blown by the Spirit in ways we cannot now imagine!
parrot 2003 [Sun] said at 9:01 a.m. on March 31, 2010, 9:01 a.m.
this is a very heart felt word. I have been feeling this way for awhile. We need to keep telling people this message. This is the message that God has laid on my heart for the last few years. Just keep on tell the message. together we can spread the word. I serve on the session of my church in Jonesboro AR. and this is a message that we need to hear here. I have found that people are not so eager to hear it. I just keep on telling the message. Thanks abunch.
St. Giles Cathedral. Offical website photo.
James S. Currie is the executive secretary of the Presbyterian Historical Society of the Southwest. MAKING HISTORY TODAY is his regular column.
St. Giles Cathedral. Offical website photo.
St. Giles Cathedral. Offical website photo.
We are often reminded that the church is the people; it’s not bricks and mortar. That is absolutely true, but it is also the case that the building is not unimportant. It is a sacred space where we are baptized, where we are married, where the Word is proclaimed and heard, where bread is broken and the cup is shared, where, week-in and week-out, the people of God gather, tears are shed, laughter is freely offered, where lives are shaped, where we bear witness to the resurrection.
Several years ago I attended a baseball game in Yankee Stadium. As I sat there, I considered the fact that this is where Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Tommy Henrich, Bobby Richardson, Whitey Ford, Tony Kubek, among many others, played. In our own day it’s where Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez play. That stadium is now gone, and a new one has been constructed.
Space is important. Buildings – bricks and mortar – do not last forever any more than you and I will live in these mortal bodies forever. But one way history comes alive and can become meaningful is to remember who passed through this space, what happened here, and the various forms of ministry that graced this space.
One could say that the twelve stones that Joshua had the leaders of each of the twelve tribes of Israel erect by the Jordan were only stones. But they were much more than that, weren’t they? Joshua says to the Israelites, “When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground’” (Joshua 4:21-22).
As we make history today, may we not make idols of buildings, but may we also honor the ministry that has taken place there and point, as they do, to the life, death, resurrection, and kingdom of Jesus Christ. Will we tell the next generation what these stones mean?
Editor's note: To learn why St. Giles is referred to as a cathedral (which Presbyterians do not have), read the history portion of the official website.
3 responses to this post
rfortneymail [Sun] said at 1:16 p.m. on March 9, 2010, 1:16 p.m.
I was skeptical about how much importance we give to "place." I remained that way until the end of the article until I was reminded of the stones of Joshua. After that powerful conclusion, was able to give up my skepticism and regain some balance on that issue.
Thanks,
Robert Fortney,
APTS, Class of '89
Frank [Sun] said at 9:12 p.m. on March 9, 2010, 9:12 p.m.
Thanks for the information and reminder, Jim. Glad you got to visit the "Mother Church" of Presbyterians.
Bill [Sun] said at 10:22 a.m. on March 10, 2010, 10:22 a.m.
The reformed tradition revolts against symbols, and, in so doing, can undervalue the importance of sacred spaces. Its genesis may have been justified, as we are taught, but it goes against man’s nature which seeks to identify symbols that are outward signs of an inner manifestation. Even religions which try to eliminate depictions come to accept the strong emotional drive to express deep feelings through various forms of symbolic representations.
To me, a powerful tool for understanding the faith of a people is to look at the common religious symbols that they find important and try to understand their deeper meaning. Religious rituals, official and spontaneous serve a similar purpose.
I asked a group of high school students in a Sunday School class whether, if deeply troubled, they would seek out a church to pray and reflect. There answer was “no.” Pressed further, I gave them cameras to seek out religious symbols that they could identify around their Presbyterian church and in their daily life. The results were equally depressing.
Some suggest that Hermann Hesse escaped the austerity of Western faith to find meaning in Eastern religions. For me, I seek out a good, old fashion Catholic or Anglican church. Despite the austerity of Calvin, I could probably could feel comfortable sitting there and study his other profound insights.
The art, architecture, and the atmosphere evoke religion’s powerful, rich tradition absent from so many other hollow meeting spaces. When traditional religious symbols are eliminated, people seek out untraditional or alternative symbols to find strength and emotional comfort. This is one reason why syncretism is an important component of believers in transition.
‘In Touch’ is the regular column by General Presbyter William F. Galbraith published in ‘The Banner’ by the Presbytery of Arkansas.
Invictus, the recently released movie starring Morgan Freeman, depicts Nelson Mandela's governing of post-apartheid South Africa in the early 1990s. A particular focus is Mandela's wisdom in bringing unity to a country long-divided over race, economics and power. The film invites us to consider Mandela's approach in dealing with adversaries through the lens of the South African national rugby team, the Springboks.
To many of Mandela's supporters, the Springboks and their green and gold uniforms represent the old South Africa and its unjust practices. They argue that a new day calls for change, particularly with the Springboks, who have an undistinguished record in international competition. The effort to change this national athletic symbol gains traction, but Mandela is convinced that the change will do more harm than good.
He expends considerable political capital in opposing the change of the Springbok colors. His closest aide thinks it an unwise political move to invest so much in what she believes could be political suicide. Other, more pressing issues need Mandela's attention: the infrastructure, the economy, etc.
Mandela, however, realizes the symbolic power of the green and gold for opponents with whom he must now work in the new government. If they are not included, he reasons, the effort to create a new and more open South Africa will not succeed. He argues, "Without them, we fail." Mandela carries the day and the Springboks, clad in their traditional colors, go on to win the World Cup of Rugby, bringing acclaim to all of South Africa.
He succeeds in getting the Springboks to be better than they think they can be. In so doing, he helps South Africa become a nation in which "all exceed our own expectations."
Dealing with opposition and long-standing tradition is a challenge to any leader. Certainly it has implications for church leaders. How shall we deal with those who oppose new approaches to mission and ministry? How is change best instituted? Which traditions need to be honored and which need to be altered or expanded? How can we work together with those with whom we disagree? How can we, too, exceed our own expectations?
Seeing the big picture is critical. Mandela's vision was bigger than throwing out the old to get on with the new. It was to create something new in which everyone had a place, everyone mattered. His was an audacious conviction that enemies could become friends, that truth can lead to freedom.
"Reconciliation starts here. Forgiveness starts here. It liberates the soul," Mandela said.
Jesus seemed to see things similarly.
In faith,
Bill
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