Perspectives offers an exploration of issues facing the church as well as some reflective analysis of our life together as a denomination through the lens of scripture, our Reformed theology, and a constitutional and confessional framework.

Even in the midst of the slower, relaxing days of summer, much is going on in the life of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the church worldwide. We begin this issue by featuring an op-ed article by the Reverend Bruce Gillette, co-pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Pitman, NJ. Bruce was a minister commissioner to the 216th (2004) General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), where he served as moderator of the Assembly Committee on Peacemaking. In his article, Bruce is responding to the criticism by some regarding the assembly’s actions on items relating to Israel and Palestine and the church’s outreach to Jewish people. Bruce writes, “Critics of the denomination’s decisions need to consider the full context of the actions taken by the church." The actual resolutions and other helpful resources are available online.

The world’s most representative theological forum for Christian unity—the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) commission on Faith and Order—met recently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The commission’s first meeting in the 21st century was also the first time it gathered in a Muslim-majority country. The Kuala Lumpur meeting agenda included examination and appraisal of the commission’s work over the last eight years, as well as development of guidelines for future work. Among the many speakers was the Reverend Dr. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the WCC. We feature here his address to the commission, in which he reflected on the theme of the gathering, “Receive one another, as Christ has received you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7) Additional material from the gathering is available from the WCC Web site. (The Kuala Lumpur gathering will be the commission’s last meeting before the ninth WCC Assembly, to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006.)

The third installation of the Reverend William E. Chapman’ exploration of the Book of Order has just been published. Mission Symphony: Notes for the Third Millennium focuses on chapter three of the Form of Government. We share with you an excerpt from Mission Symphony entitled “Second Movement: Church,” which focuses on G-3.0200: “The Church of Jesus Christ is the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all of humanity.” [From the Mission Symphony: Notes for the Third Millennium, “Second Movement: Church” pp. 30-42 by William Chapman. Copyright 2004 Witherspoon Press. Used by permission of Congregational Ministries Publishing, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville, KY 40202.] Bill’s new book can be ordered by calling (800) 524-2612 and asking for item # 095821.

What better way for the church to demonstrate in word and deed what God intends for all of humanity than by responding to the growing crisis in Sudan? Included in this issue is a recent letter to the PC(USA) by the Moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004), the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council, and the Director of the Worldwide Ministries Division. Referring to what they call “the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today,” these church leaders “encourage you to pray for the people of Sudan and to make use of the information that we provide here to become more informed and to take action.” While the joint resolutions of Congress on this issue mentioned in the letter have since been approved, the crisis is far from over.

We conclude this issue with our continuing focus on the World Council of Churches’ Decade to Overcome Violence (2001-2010): Churches Seeking Reconciliation and Peace. The geographical focus of the Decade in 2004 is the United States, with the specific theme, “The Power and Promise of Peace.” A variety of events sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program address the concerns raised by the Decade, among which was a July seminar at Ghost Ranch Conference Center: “From Personal to International: Understanding Power for Peacemaking.” The seminar began by looking at the ways power impacts interpersonal relationships. Before it finished, participants had explored the role of power in immigration issues, relations between churches of the North and South, public policy advocacy, international relations (focusing on the National Security Strategy of the United States), and leadership in the church. The seminar also considered the spiritual dimensions of power through daily Bible study, walking the labyrinth, and considering the writings of Henri Nouwen, Michael Dwinell, and others. Among the worship leaders was the Reverend Sandra (Sandy) L. Strauss, director of public advocacy for the Pennsylvania Council of Churches. Her sermon, featured here, provides an overview of the discussions held during the seminar.

As you can see, it’s a busy summer in the life of the church! Still, may you find some quiet moments to reflect and to be re-created this month.

We always appreciate hearing from you. Simply drop us a line at OGA_Communications@ctr.pcusa.org.

Sharon K. Youngs, Editor

NOTE: Items marked with are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. For best results, right-click the link (or click and hold for Macintosh), select "save target as" and save the document to your desktop for viewing and printing.