PC(USA) - 216th General Assembly (2004) - Media Guide - Time Line of Presbyterian History

That All May Have Life in Fullness - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 216th General Assembly; Richmond, Virginia - June 26 - July 3, 2004


	General Assembly Media Guide


	Time Line of Presbyterian History

	1562		French Huguenots, first Protestants in America, arrive in Florida and South Carolina.

	1629		Presbyterian puritan colony arrives at Massachusetts Bay.

	1630		First Presbyterian minister reaches America: the Rev. Richard Denton settles in Wethersfield, CT.

	1683		Chief founder of the Presbyterian Church in America, the Rev. Francis Makemie, arrives in Maryland and establishes Rehoboth Church, the oldest Presbyterian church in the nation.

	1706		First presbytery organized in Philadelphia.

	1717		First synod organized in the Philadelphia area.

	1789		First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. held in Philadelphia, May 21.

	1810		Cumberland Presbyterian Church separates from the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (partially reunited in 1907).

	1812		First theological seminary established at Princeton, NJ.

	1838		Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. divides into old and new schools.

	1858		United Presbyterian Church of North America established by union of Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church and Associate Synod of North America.

	1861		Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America established as offshoot of members from both the old and new schools of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

	1865		Name of Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America changed to Presbyterian Church in the United States.

	1870		Old and new schools reunited in Presbyterian Church USA.

	1907		Portion of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church reunites with Presbyterian Church USA.

	1920		Welsh Calvinist Methodist Church unites with Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

	1956		Ordination of first woman minister by the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (northern stream) – the Rev. Margaret Towner.

	1958		Consolidation of United Presbyterian Church of North America and Presbyterian Church U.S.A. into United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (Presbyterian Church in the U.S. participated in these talks but voted against union).

	1964		Rev. Edler G. Hawkins elected first African American moderator of the General Assembly of United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

	1965		Ordination of the first woman minister by the Presbyterian Church in United States (southern stream) – the Rev. Rachel Henderlite.

	1967		The Confession of 1967, a major creed written in contemporary language and touching upon contemporary issues under the overall them of reconciliation, given final approval by the United Presbyterian Church in the USA General Assembly. The same action made official a Book of Confessions as part of the church’s constitution, along with the Book of Order.

	1969		Presbyteries of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. cast necessary votes for union with the Reformed Church in America, but Reformed Church votes against the union.

	1969		Presbyterian Church in the U.S. General Assembly invites the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. to join negotiations aimed at reunion; a Joint Committee on Presbyterian Reunion is formed.

	1971		Elder Lois H. Stair elected first woman moderator of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

	1973		Some 250 churches and 50,000 members separate from the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. and form the National Presbyterian Church, later changed to the Presbyterian Church in America.

	1974		The Rev. Lawrence Bottoms elected first African American moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.

	1977		General Assemblies of the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. agree to meet in the same cities at the same time every other year.

	1978		Elder Sara B. Moseley elected first woman moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.
			The United Presbyterian Church in the USA General Assembly adopts a “definitive guidance” that “self-affirming, practicing homosexuals” are not eligible for ordination to church office.

	1979		The Presbyterian Church in the U.S. adopts a similar policy on ordination of gay and lesbian Presbyterians to church office.

	1980		Joint Committee on Presbyterian Reunion votes to send a plan for union to the General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. and the United Presbyterian Church in the USA in 1982 with ratification by presbyteries proposed during 1982-83, and final General Assembly approval sought in 1983.

	1981		Joint Committee on Presbyterian Reunion completes plan for reunion and recommends vote.

	1982		General Assemblies in Columbus, GA. (PCUS) and Hartford, CT. (UPCUSA), call for the presbyteries to vote on reunion.

	1983		Presbyteries of the UPCUSA approve reunion 151-0 and presbyteries of the PCUS approve reunion 53-8.
			Presbyterian Church (USA) born June 10 resulting from reunion ratification by the General Assemblies of the former Presbyterian Church in the U.S. and the United Presbyterian Church in the USA.
			The Rev. J. Randolph Taylor of Charlotte, NC, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Presbyterian Reunion, is elected the first moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

	1984		Elder Harriet Nelson of Napa, CA., is elected moderator.
			The Rev. James E. Andrews, stated clerk of the former PCUS, is elected first stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

	1985		Elder William Wilson of McAllen, TX, is elected moderator.

	1986		The Rev. Benjamin Weir, former hostage in Lebanon, is elected moderator.
			The Structural Design for Mission for the Presbyterian Church (USA) approved.

	1987		Elder Isabel Rogers of Richmond, VA, is elected moderator.
			Elder S. David Stoner is elected to a four-year term as executive director of the General Assembly Council.
			Louisville, KY selected as site for new national offices of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as commissioners reject a site selection committee’s recommendation that the offices be located in Kansas City, MO.

	1988		The Rev. C. Kenneth Hall of Beaver, PA, is elected moderator.
			The Rev. James E. Andrews is reelected to a second four-year term as stated clerk of the General Assembly.
			A year-long celebration of the Bicentennial of the Presbyterian Church in this country begins.
			Relocation of national offices to Louisville from Atlanta (PCUS) and New York (UPCUSA) is completed.

	1989		The Rev. Joan Salmon Campbell of Philadelphia is elected moderator.
			Meeting in Philadelphia, site of the first General Assembly, the Presbyterian Church (USA) celebrates its bicentennial.

	1990		Elder Price H. Gwynn III of Charlotte, NC, is elected moderator.

	1991		The Rev. Herbert D. Valentine of Baltimore is elected moderator.
			The General Assembly mandates a balanced General Assembly budget, beginning in 1994.

	1992		The Rev. John Fife of Tucson, AZ, is elected moderator.
			The Rev. James E. Andrews is reelected to a third four-year term as stated clerk of the General Assembly.
			The Rev. James D. Brown is elected to a four year term as executive director of the General Assembly Council after S. David Stoner declines to seek a second term.

	1993		The Rev. David L. Dobler of Anchorage, AK, is elected moderator.
			An Organization for Mission to replace the Structural Design for Mission is approved, a restructuring of the General Assembly brought on by budget shortfalls and staff reductions.
			A three-year moratorium on voting about issues related to human sexuality and the ordination of gay and lesbian Presbyterians to church office is declared and the church is urged to engage in study and dialogue about those issues.

	1994		The Rev. Robert W. Bohl of Forth Worth, TX, is elected moderator.

	1995		Elder Marj Carpenter of Big Spring, TX, is elected moderator.

	1996		The Rev. John M. Buchanan of Chicago is elected moderator.
			The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, former director of the Worldwide Ministries Division, is elected to a four-year term as General Assembly stated clerk, succeeding the Rev. James E. Andrews, who retired.
			The assembly refuses to confirm the Rev. James D. Brown for a second four-year term as executive director of the General Assembly Council. A search committee is elected by the Council to find a successor.
			Amendment B — the commonly called “fidelity and chastity” amendment — requiring “fidelity within the covenant of marriage of a man and a woman or chastity in singleness,” is approved by the assembly and submitted to the presbyteries for ratification.

	1997		Elder Patricia G. Brown of Cincinnati is elected moderator.
			“A Formula for Agreement” establishing full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ and the Reformed Church in America is approved and sent to the presbyteries for ratification.
			Amendment A, the commonly called “fidelity and integrity” amendment requiring “fidelity and integrity in marriage or singleness” rather than “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” (the constitutional language of the now-ratified Amendment B), is approved by the assembly and submitted to the presbyteries for ratification.

	1998		The Rev. Douglas W. Oldenburg of Decatur, GA, is elected moderator.
			Elder John J. Detterick, president of the Board of Pensions, is unanimously elected to a four-year term as executive director of the General Assembly Council.
			Amendment A is declared lost by a more than 2-1 margin in voting by the presbyteries. An informal sabbatical on further amendments on sexual standards for ordination is called for by a broad range of church leaders and the assembly goes along by not approving any such amendments.

	1999		Elder Freda M. Gardner of Princeton, NJ, is elected moderator.
			“Churches Uniting in Christ,” the latest COCU proposal, is adopted.
			A move to delete G-6.0106b (“fidelity and chastity”) from The Book of Order is defeated.
			Major papers on church growth strategy and racism are adopted.

	2000		The Rev. Syngman Rhee of Richmond, VA, is elected moderator — the first moderator of Asian descent.
			Amendment O — which would specifically prohibit same-sex unions in the Presbyterian Church (USA) — is narrowly approved and sent to the 173 presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes (the proposed amendment was subsequently rejected).
			The Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick is reelected to a second four-year term as General Assembly stated clerk over token opposition.
			By an overwhelming margin, the assembly defeats an overture that would have declared an “irreconcilable impasse” in the denomination over such issues as Biblical authority and interpretation, Jesus Christ and salvation, ethics, leadership, sanctification and the nature of the church.

	2001		Rev. Jack Rogers of Pasadena, CA, is elected moderator.
			By a 60-40% margin, the assembly sends a proposed amendment to the presbyteries that would delete G-6.0106b (the commonly called “fidelity and chastity” provision) from the Book of Order (the amendment is subsequently defeated).
			The assembly creates a Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church to find a way out of the theological disputes wracking the denomination. It is given four years to do its work.

	2002		The Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, of Atlanta, is elected moderator, the first moderator of Arab descent.
			The assembly votes to meet biennially in even-numbered years, beginning in 2004.
			The assembly adopts “Hope in the Lord Jesus Christ” by a vote of 497-11, resolving a two-year dispute over the denomination’s Christology.
			Elder John J. Detterick is almost unanimously reelected to a second four-year term as executive director of the General Assembly Council.

	2003		The Rev. Susan R. Andrews of Bethesda, MD, is elected moderator.
			The assembly reaffirms the previous year’s decision to hold biennial meetings of the General Assembly.
			The assembly reaffirms the PC(USA)’s participation in the World Council of Churches.
			The assembly reaffirms the PC(USA)’s commitment to and engagement in Africa.

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