26th Assembly Hears Call to Faith and Obedience
The 26th General Assembly, meeting in St. Louis, MO, June 30-July 3, 1998, heard retiring Moderator Sam Duncan urge faith and obedience.
Kennedy Smartt Elected Moderator
The court elected Kennedy Smartt as Moderator.
Chair of Evangelism Named for Kennedy Smartt
Covenant Theological Seminary names a Chair of Evangelism
in Dr. Smartt's honor.
25th Anniversary Celebrations
The silver anniversary of the founding of the Presbyterian
Church in America was celebrated in a variety of ways at the 1998
General Assembly. A special address by Paul Settle detailed the
history which led up to the formation of the denomination.
Being True to the Scriptures
Three messages at evening worship services highlighted
the three themes of the original PCA motto. James Boice preached
on "True to the Scriptures".
Holding to the Reformed Faith
Morton H. Smith preached one evening at the 1998
General Assembly on "The Reformed Faith"
Committed to the Great Commission
Frank Barker preached on being "Faithful to
the Great Commission".
Assembly Approves Creation Case
The General Assembly approved a controversial case
regarding Creation.
Votes to Study the Matter
The General Assembly also resolved to study the matter
of Creation.
Assembly Accepts Assurances of MNA Regarding Controversy
The General Assembly accepted the assurances from
its Mission to North America Committee regarding the controversy
over church planting policy, particularly in Utah. Meanwhile,
there are subsequent developments regarding New Song-Salt Lake,
a PCA mission work.
Central Georgia Makes Inquiries
Central Georgia Presbytery continues its pursuit
of answers to its questions regarding MNA church planting policy.
Assembly Turns Down Request for MNA Offering on Mother's
Day
Home missions and Mother's Day are usually not a
controversial combination-but such was not the case at this year's
Assembly.
Women Not to Lead in Public Worship This year's Assembly gave its rationale for why women should not lead in public worship.
Women in Combat Committee Appointed
The 26th PCA General Assembly acceded to the request
by Philadelphia Presbytery for the appointment of a study committee
on the matter of women in combat.
Trademark Issue Raised Again
For the third consecutive Assembly, the matter of
the denominational service mark was raised.
Interchurch Relations Report Avoids Controversy
The General Assembly avoided much of the anticipated
controversy regarding the report by the Permanent Committee on
Interchurch Relations to last year's Assembly.
CRC Suspended from NAPARC; PCA Courts URCNA
The PCA voted to suspend the Christian Reformed Church
from NAPARC, and to countenance the largest group of seceders
from the CRC. IRC Chairman Rick Perrin offers his perspective
on these actions.
The Fraternal Delegates
The General Assembly heard from various fraternal
delegates and other distinguished guests.
Office Building Dispute
A dispute over the use of the denominational office
building appears headed for resolution.
A Change in Stated Clerk
The Assembly honored its retiring Stated Clerk, Paul
Gilchrist, and elected Roy Taylor to replace him.
Editorials
Read why we think this was a really good General
Assembly.
Our readers write.
Quotes from the Quorum
Get a chuckle or two from the comments heard on the
floor of General Assembly.
Things You Never Hear in Church
We trust you'll get a few more laughs from this offering.
Our Man in Charleston
What does one's Christian faith have to do with politics?
Read this exclusive interview with Rev. Mike Hall, who also serves
as a West Virginia state legislator.
Sampling the Churches of North Georgia
We take the pulse of six churches in the Atlanta
area and the type of worship being offered therein. Parkview Church
featured a baseball theme. Westminster Presbyterian
of Atlanta has a veteran pastor filling the pulpit
during a time of transition. Ivy Creek Church looks
to build its own building. Construction on the new facility for
Chapel Woods is already underway. Old Peachtree
also looks to build a new structure. Ingleside
is aiming to move its location to suburbs further
from the city.
News From the Presbyteries
Read about what's happening in Covenant ,
Eastern Carolina , Louisiana, Metro New York, New River, North Georgia, Warrior, and Western Carolina Presbyteries.
News Flash!!!
Philadelphia Presbytery makes a decision regarding
the nature of its minutes.
A Note of Thanks
As the news service makes a transition, we look back
in gratitude to the sacrifices made by Affirmation Presbyterian
Church, Somers, New York.