Change of Leadership at PCA Foundation
Effective June 30, 1997, RE John W. S. Hudson resigned as President of the PCA Foundation, completing sixteen years of service in that capacity to the denomination. In a written report to the General Assembly contained in the Commmisioners' Handbook, "Jack" Hudson stated that during 1996, "I have come to believe that the Lord is calling me out of this familiar role . . . into a broader role involving the stewardship of life rather than exclusively the stewardship of assets."
In this, his final report to the Assembly, Hudson noted that last year "the Foundation received in excess of $3,000,000 in new gifts. Much of these gifts would otherwise have found their way into gift, capital gain and estate taxes. At the suggestion of the donors themselves we distributed over $2,300,00 to various Christian ministries. Since [the receiving of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod by the PCA in 1982,] our distributions have been consistent: 75% directed to the PCA, 48% to PCA Committees and Agencies, another 27% to local PCA churches and finally 25% to non-PCA ministries."
A Board member who was rotating off, RE Stanley J. Riordan, has been serving since mid-May as Interim President of the Foundation. In a recent interview, Riordan stated that "Jack" Hudson had approached the Board in August 1996 about the possibility of his doing something else. At the end of the year, he gave the Board six months' notice. Mr. Riordan then volunteered for the position on an interim, and unpaid, basis. In his words, "I'm just standing in the gap."
While the search for a new President goes on, Riordan is living in both Atlanta, GA, and Asheville, NC. He joked that his car can now automatically pilot the three and a half hour journey.
The General Assembly thanked him and commended "his staff and the Board of Trustees for their diligence in carrying out the work of the PCA Foundation."
Introduced to the Assembly was Mr. Paul Curnow, who had been called by the Foundation to a second level executive position, that of Vice President. Until recently a member of the Salvation Army, Mr. Curnow is not ordained. He was examined and approved by the Theological Examination Committee, with the notation that he "was encouraged to continue his growth in all these areas" of examination. In a brief address to the Assembly, Mr. Curnow stated that he is not in the business of competing for funds: "Competition implies limited resources. Our resources are not limited. We believe that God is sovereign."