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RP Synod 2003
RP Synod 2003: Saturday, June 28
DAY TWO: SYNOD FOCUSES ON ITS SEVEN PRESBYTERIES
The meeting room for this year’s Synod is lined with
large windows facing a panorama of the wooded Beaver Valley.
This Skye Lounge of Geneva College’s student center actually
juts out over the valley. Recalling last year’s meeting
in a large underground classroom at a college in Missouri,
Moderator Bob McFarland said he felt he had graduated “from
the cave to the cliff.”
Today was a day to focus on the work of the seven presbyteries
of the RPCNA. First, however, came a brief worship service
focusing on the devotional theme of the week, “Psalms
of Our Lives.” Pastor and Synod clerk J. Bruce Martin
of the Ridgefield Park, N.J., RPC chose to call Synod’s
attention to Psalm 35. He remembered often hearing his father
sing this and other psalms in his daily activities. Pastor
Martin emphasized that this psalm points to Christ and is
truly a reflection of His experience. He lived in faith through
injustice, even when the wicked seemed to be prevailing.
“We live through our Savior,” Martin said, and
if He had not been saved we would not be saved. He reminded
delegates that, just as the best way to go to worship is remembering
the great salvation of our God, so the best way to go to a
week of Synod is remembering His great salvation.
Synod voted on the recommendations brought in last night
by the Business of Synod Committee. These recommendations
proposed where to send four communications, or papers, that
had been presented to the Synod from presbyteries. Synod agreed
with all of the recommendations of its committee.
Communication 03-1 relates to a paper first brought to the
Synod last year. That paper raised questions about the propriety
of allowing fermented wine in communion. A judicial committee
of the 2002 Synod studying that paper and two others said
they would support a future study committee but did not have
a “passion” to see it done and did not feel it would
help resolve current issues. Synod did not form a study committee
in 2002; now Midwest Presbytery is asking that Synod do that
this year. The matter will go to a special committee that
will report back to this Synod with a proposal.
Communication 03-2 regards asks that small additions be made
to the Directory of Church Government for clarification. This
communication goes to the Judicial Committee, which will report
back this week.
Communication 03-3 regards the level of openness to the public
of session meetings and minutes. The paper, sent by Great
Lakes-Gulf Presbytery, originated in a session and then was
studied in a presbytery committee. It asked that the openness
of session meetings be understood “in a limited sense,”
and requests the deletion of a sentence in the Directory for
Church Government which states, “Ordinarily, meetings
and minutes of the session are open to members of the congregation
except when ‘executive session’ is called.”
This communication was sent to Synod’s Judicial Committee.
Communication 03-4 makes recommendations about the ordination
queries for elders and deacons, specifically addressing “the
enforcement of Ordination Query #4.” That query requires
that officers “believe in and accept the system of government
and manner of worship as set forth” in RPCNA confessional
documents. This paper originated in a session of Great Lakes-Gulf
presbytery, was studied by a presbytery committee, and has
been endorsed with recommendations to Synod.
Bruce Hemphill rose to question whether the communication
should be considered acceptable, saying it was based on an
unwarranted division in the paper’s argumentation between
“system of doctrine” and “manner of worship.”
He said that the narrow interpretation of the vow would have
disqualified a number of Reformers in the denomination like
J. G. Vos from ever taking office. Business of Synod chairman
Harry Metzger encouraged Synod to allow this communication
to go to committee and then discuss it. Barry York, chairman
of the presbytery committee that had studied the paper, asked
Synod to focus not so much on the original paper as on the
final recommendations that concluded years of presbytery study
and action. Communication 03-4 was sent to the Judicial Committee.
During the meeting of each Synod, the denomination’s
highest court, are meetings of the denomination’s intermediate
courts, the presbyteries. Their gathering at the Synod is
not only convenient, given the distances separating congregations
in some presbyteries, but also facilitates interaction among
presbyteries and Synod and between one presbytery and another
(such as forwarding pastoral calls).
Following the separate meetings of presbyteries today, the
entire Synod heard the reports from the seven presbyteries.
Here are some highlights:
Presbytery of the Alleghenies—ordained and installed
five pastors in the last year; there is now just one vacant
congregation
Atlantic Presbytery—Four members of that presbytery
entered the gospel ministry in the past year: Paul Brace,
John D. Edgar, Courtney Miller, and Steve Rockhill.
Great Lakes-Gulf Presbytery—expressed thanks for the
number of workers going into “the harvest fields”
in the last year.
Japan Presbytery—Pastor Sumito Sakai reported for the
presbytery to the Synod, his first time attending an RPCNA
Synod meeting (there were three total delegates from Japan
this year). There were 25 students at Kobe Theological Hall
last semester. There are now plans for a new building for
Higashisuma congregation. The presbytery is pleased by the
growth of youth activities.
Midwest Presbytery—This was its first year having a
regional home missionary, Bob McFarland (Synod’s moderator),
whom the clerk said has encouraged the congregations of the
presbytery. The clerk, Pastor Bruce Parnell, expressed gratitude
for Revitalization Committee work in Midwest Presbytery this
year.
Pacific Coast Presbytery—Gave praise for the healing
granted to Pastor Jon Maginn. Some congregations shouldered
the loss of some of their mature leaders. With the departure
of its church planter, Christ Our King Fellowship in Orange
County, Calif., is considering possible next steps.
St. Lawrence Presbytery—Had many congregations reporting
new growth or new fruitfulness.
Related to what is happening in RPCNA presbyteries are the
figures shown in the report of the Stated Clerk, James McFarland.
Statistics in nearly every category were close to last year’s
statistics, including for membership (about 6,200), worship
attendance (about 5,000), and number of congregations and
mission churches (82).
Assistant Treasurer Judy Linhart was recognized by the Synod
and given a gift in appreciation for her 30 years of service
in the denominational treasurer’s office.
The entire evening session was devoted to prayer for families,
churches, and nations. Beaver Falls area pastors Keith Black
and Bruce Backensto coordinated this prayer time.
Tomorrow (Sabbath), delegates will be fanning out over Western
Pennsylvania to attend morning worship services in area congregations.
In the evening, members of many of those congregations will
join the delegates for an evening worship service at Geneva
College’s Metheny Fieldhouse at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Richard
Gamble will be preaching the Word.
(Note: There will be no news article posted Sunday evening,
but the news and photos will resume Monday night.)
--Drew and Lynne Gordon, editors
with contribution from Pastor Ralph Joseph
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