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07661
October 16, 2007
Notes about people
Services are set Oct. 16 for the Rev. George T. Adams, 69, who served the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) as a pastor, presbytery stated clerk and for 14 years as an officer of the denomination’s Board of Pensions. He died Oct. 5 in suburban Philadelphia.
A native of Ohio, Adams was a perennial fixture at meetings of the PC(USA)’s General Assembly, where he was renowned for his blunt-spoken opinions and side-splitting sense of humor. For many years he served as stated clerk of Blackhawk Presbytery before joining the Board of Pensions in 1989, where he served as vice president and corporate secretary until his retirement in 2003.
Adams is survived by his wife, Diane; a son, Chris, and daughter Amy (Forsberg); three grandchildren; one brother and two sisters. The memorial service will be held at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.
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The Rev. John Williams, synod executive for the Synod of Mid-America, has announced his retirement, effective Feb. 29, 2008. He has led the synod since 1985.
Because of his growing interest in taking a “big picture” look at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Williams will continue in his retirement to serve on the national steering committee of the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands (MIJHH), the PC(USA)’s $40 million fundraising campaign to renew the church for mission. He says he sees the successful completion of MIJHH as essential to the health and future of the denomination.
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The Rev. Paul E. Detterman has been elected executive director for Presbyterians For Renewal (PFR). Founded in 1989, PFR’s mission is to mobilize leaders of congregations within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to be biblically faithful and mission-minded in their service to Jesus Christ.
Detterman, who was elected by PFR’s board of directors at its Sept. 26-29 meeting in Dallas, has served as interim executive director of the renewal group since February 2007. He previously served on the national staff of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as associate for worship and served as pastor of Calvin Presbyterian Church in Louisville, as well as congregations in Ohio and Kansas.
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St. John’s School of Theology-Seminary in Collegeville, MN, has awarded its annual Dignitas Humana Award to Rick Ufford-Chase, moderator of the 216th General Assembly of the PC(USA), co-founder and former director of BorderLinks, and current executive director of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship.
The award is given each year to an individual who has made significant contributions to the advancement and promotion of human dignity in the United States and around the world. It will be presented to Ufford-Chase in an Oct. 17 ceremony.
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Leith Anderson, the Minnesota megachurch pastor who has twice served as interim president of the National Association of Evangelicals, was formally named president on Oct. 11. Anderson, pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, MN, was named interim president in November 2006 following the resignation of former Colorado megachurch pastor Ted Haggard, who was brought down in a sex and drug scandal.
Anderson, 63, has been pastor of his church, which is affiliated with the Baptist General Conference, since 1977. The congregation has grown to 5,000 regular attendees during his tenure and is known for its outreach abroad, including to those suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa. Anderson also served as the NAE’s interim president from 2001 to 2003, when Haggard became president. |
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