Connecting From the Ground Up

Pastor Lance did a great job of examining presbytery from a minister member point of view in his series "What If...the Presbytery?". His suggestion that connectionalism comes from relationships that need to be built outside of presbytery meetings made me think further about how to build relationships between elders in different churches.

There are some ways that attendance at presbytery meetings benefits elders. Of course, participation in the larger connectional body of churches is important. But elders also discover that other churches have the same problems as theirs--and some of them are much worse! On the other hand, no matter how great your church is doing, you will hear about even better things going on at some other churches. Getting out of the "bubble" of your own congregation can be very enlightening for elders and can benefit their churches if the experience is effectively shared with the home congregation.

Pastor Lance suggests that this can happen outside of presbytery meetings. For most elders, I think it will have to. In my experience it is almost impossible to get elders to attend "equipping" opportunities provided by presbytery that encourage exchange of views and experiences scheduled outside of presbytery meetings.

But what if, as he suggests, pastors meet periodically with other neighboring pastors for relationship building and mutual support and then encourage the elders in their churches to do the same? What about meeting for before work or lunchtime Bible study together? Or just meeting occasionally for breakfast or lunch to exchange problems and joys in their work in the church? Or creating an email group to discuss problems or topics of interest?

I meet monthly with a couple of educators for lunch and chat. The relationships we have developed have been very helpful and meaningful to us. We didn't wait for presbytery to organize this, we just did it. What if some kind of "matching" service were provided at presbytery meetings for elders who are interested --a signup sheet for breakfast, lunch, Bible study or email groups, for example, with elders from other churches in the same vicinity? Could this encourage elders and pastors to build relationships and true connectionalism from the ground up?

2008 GA Theme Announced

The theme for the 2008 General Assembly has been announced, but I think the one suggested by Presbyblogger and GA General Council member Michael Kruse is more prophetic.

Close Enough

What a difference a day makes.

Yesterday we were deluged with torrential rains--over 12 inches in some areas--and streets were flooded everywhere around the Houston metro area. El Jefe sent his secretary home early and made a run for the house in between rainbands. He found the high-ish water at the end of our street. Then he called Portia and admonished her to be careful driving home from her office reminding her that years ago we were overcome by rising water in the downtown area and had to abandon our car and hike home through waist-deep waters.

Most of us down here have kept a wary eye on developments in the Gulf of Mexico during this hurricane season. Katrina and Rita really got our attention. Now we get wacked at the tail end of it--no hurricane has hit this area after October 16. So it wasn't a hurricane. Or a tropical storm. But it was close enough.

Today there is beautiful blue sky and sunshine. I'm looking forward to November 1 (the official end of the 2006 hurricane season). Stay dry!

Presbytery Imponderables

Pastor Lance ran a series of thought-provoking posts for those of us Presbybloggers interested in PresbyPolity called "What If...the Presbytery?". He invited discussion about the purpose of Synods and Presbyteries in today's world.

A recurring theme in the comments was frustration with the format of most presbytery meetings. Meetings that last an entire day, never mind the ones that span a two-day period, exclude most elders from consistent participation as commissioners because of work and family conflicts. Many pastors find the meetings tedious as well. One suggestion was that more of the business of presbytery should be done by internet, thus cutting down on the time commitment required.

That could be a good option to investigate. But presbytery meetings also serve an important purpose that requires personal attendance: the development and nurturing of personal relationships between pastors and elders. Many ministers are solo pastors in smaller congregations and do not have peers to associate with on a daily basis. Presbytery meetings offer the opportunity to develop those peer relationships that help pastors feel less isolated and provide support and mentoring. As an elder, I have also found it useful to meet elders from other churches who provide me with a wider perspective on the church than I would otherwise have.

We do need to find a way to include more of our elders and not have attendance limited to those who are retired or who have flexible employment situations. But how do we find a balance between a new, possibly electronic format, for presbytery meetings without losing the benefits of the traditional style of meeting? Or am I overstating the benefit of personal interaction between pastors at these meetings?

Bush Administration Prevents 2nd Coming

It's Friday the thirteenth, and time for another report from Houston on the doings of our local religious fringe leaders.

Houston-based evangelist Dr. (of what???) K.A.Paul , speaking at a rally in Cleveland, accused the Bush administration of delaying the Second Coming of Christ.

Hmmmm. So does K. A. Paul believe that the election of Democrats will hasten the coming of Christ? Somehow I don't think the Democratic Party will be campaigning on that platform.

Thank You

El Jefe, Babs, Portia, and DK join me in thanking our friends and QG readers who have emailed, commented or called us expressing their sympathy for the loss of Gretel The Noble Dog in the last couple of days.

We have been touched and uplifted by your prayers and kindness. Thanks to each one of you! You are also a blessing in our lives.

Gretel The Nobel Dog 1992-2006

It's a very sad day here. This morning it was clear that Gretel's tumor was growing and her condition deteriorating rapidly. El Jefe and I took her to the vet who has taken care of her since she was a puppy. He agreed with our difficult decision to release her from pain and return her to her Maker.

Let the bunnies in heaven beware! Thank you, God, for the companionship of this wonderful dog for these past 14 years.

Whither Synods?

Pastor Lance at Full Court Presby wonders why we have Synods in the PCUSA today. I've asked the same question myself. I agree with his conclusion Synods are a relic of the horse-and-buggy era that only add expense and bureaucracy to the denomination. What do you think? Join the conversation at his blog.

(Gretel update for those of you kind enough to ask: no change in her condition this morning.)

The Ministry of Skidboot

My brother sent me this video clip from a San Antonio station. It's about a cowboy in Quinlan Texas, his amazing dog Skidboot, and the ministry he didn't know he had. There are glimpses of everyday grace in this story--it's about 8 minutes long, but worth it. I'm dedicating this to Gretel The Noble Dog, who's not famous but just as beloved as Skidboot. I just took her to the vet because of a mass on the side of her head. The vet put her on antibiotics in the hope it's an inflamed lymph node. If it doesn't improve in 48 hours, then it's a tumor and bad news indeed.

No More Limbo

I almost hijacked the comments at A Church For Starving Artists this morning when I read her post "TGIF No More Limbo."

You see, Limbo is more than a theological concept for me. When I was about six years old my mother had a baby boy who had birth injuries and genetic problems. He came home for a few weeks but hemmoraged when she was bathing him. I remember this because I was watching as she did it. He was rushed to the local hospital but there wasn't any way to save him.

The hospital was run by an order of Catholic nuns. At this time the pediatric intensive care unit was staffed with many nuns who were nurses (yes, this was a long time ago--late 1950's). The nuns told my mother that they wanted to baptise him so his soul wouldn't be trapped in Limbo for all eternity. She was horrified by both the concept and their wanting to do this to a Presbyterian baby, so my dad quickly called in our minister to baptise him in the hospital. He died shortly thereafter.

Mother never got over that incident. She couldn't understand how the Catholic church could teach an extra-Biblical doctrine that punished new born babies. She resented the pressure to baptise him that she got from the nuns. This incident added a lot to the stress and depression she suffered after he died which I remember well.

So I like to think that she is in heaven today thinking, "What took you so long?"

QG Goes Cat Herding

Fellow Presbyblogger Michael Kruse compares his General Assembly General Council meetings to cat-herding. I'm starting to learn that his analogy holds for presbytery meetings as well.

This is my first week in my new life as Moderator-elect-elect. There have been lengthy meetings. The meetings are interesting enough but it's hard for me to grasp EXACTLY where we are when we've finished. This is complicated by the fact that QG is relatively new to presbytery doings and sometimes finds herself lost in the ecclesiastical Presbyspeak. Your humble correspondent is way too Type-A for this and finds herself spinning out of her comfort zone.

So today I brought my trusty I-Mac laptop and my imaginary Mom of Presbytery Hat and suggested that I act as clerk and take minutes for the "team" meeting. It worked for me. Hope it works for everyone else.

Yippee-I-O-Kay-Yeah!

MidWeek Linkin'

I came across several interesting posts today and thought that maybe you would enjoy reading them, too. So here's some Midweek Linkin'.

Pastor Lance says the PCUSA is not yet ready to die and makes a proposal for renewal of the PCUSA.

Denis Hancock has yet another example of school administrators who fell out of the stupid tree. Things like this happen so often that I guess it's not really news.

My friend Zorra, a frequent commenter on this and many other RevGalBlogPal blogs, now can be found at Red Heeler Ranch. Go say howdy.

Will Spotts wonders what in the world some former PCUSA Moderators are up to.

And finally: A Deeply Spiritual Post from Gannet Girl.

Happy Wednesday!

The Name Game

Portia finds herself caught in a classic Catch 22 regulatory web as she tries to use her new married last name. She had to travel this week under her maiden name on their delayed honeymoon because the County Clerk hadn't gotten around to producing the certified copy of her marriage license so she could apply for a new driver's license under that name, and open a joint checking account with DK, and ask the Department of State for a passport in her new name. Of course even if they had given it to her in the 2 weeks they promised her, it's unlikely all those other agencies would have sent her the new documents she needs.

It really has bummed her out to be traveling as Miss X and Mr. Y on her honeymoon.

Thinking back to the Dark Ages when I got married, the name game was so much simpler. As I recall the only agency that demanded a certified copy of my marriage license in order to change my name was the State Bar of Texas (motto: where bureaucracy rules). The Department of Public Safety and the banks just took my word for the fact that I was changing my name as the result of marriage--no questions asked.

Now with all of our concern for identifying everybody a dozen times over, your name on your driver's license or passport MUST be the same as the one on your plane ticket or hotel reservation or you're toast--or detained for questioning.

Those were the days! Just another way life has become more complicated than it used to be.

Atheist Church Member Writes Again

Here's an update on the Atheist Church Member, Robert Jensen, the guy who joined St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Austin without professing belief in God, Christ or much of anything else. Jensen is back with another internet article: "Finding My Way Back To Church...And Getting Kicked Out." (Hat tips to A Classical Presbyterian and Presbyweb for the link.)

Some of you will recall the fuss that ensued last spring when he published "Why I Am A Christian Sort of" in the Houston Chronicle (still available on the web here). The fuss resulted in an investigation by Mission Presbytery which instructed St. Andrews to remove Jensen from the membership rolls and transfer him to the "baptised" list. Jensen was baptised as an infant, apparently. Classical Presbyterian reports that the session and pastor of St. Andrews have refused to comply and filed a complaint with the Synod of the Sun to set aside that determination, so the saga continues in Central Texas.

CP has some good observations about Jensen's latest publication in the post I linked above. Now that I've read "Finding My Way etc", I would not be surprised to see it turn up again in the Houston Chronicle or another major newspaper. Recall that Jensen is a professor of journalism and knows exactly how to write and position an article in order to have it picked up by mainstream sources, just as he did with "Why I Am A Christian Sort Of ". No one can accuse Jensen or Rev. Jim Rigby, the pastor of St. Andrews, of seeking to avoid publicity.

Jensen deliberately obscures the fact that no one is asking him not to attend or participate in the life of this church. He's no fool--he's had enough background in the church to know that belief in Christ is a prerequisite for membership. Perhaps he is sincerely seeking faith and one can pray that he may find it. But it doesn't seem likely with mentors like Rigby who seems to have a martyr complex and is failing in his duty to properly teach and mentor both Jensen and the church.

Confession of belief in Christ is the historic test of church membership or of self-identification as a Christian. It's nothing new. So what is the point of this foolish ecclesiastical legal jousting? Is it to expand the "inclusiveness" of the church? Is it to test the will of presbytery and the synod to enforce the Book of Order? Is it self-dramatization?

Whatever it is, the PCUSA cannot and must not back down on this case, even at the cost of ridicule from the secular press.

King of Kings Comes To Town

Here's the latest from the religious front in Houston: Jose Luis DeJesus Miranda has come to town and opened a branch of his "learning center" Creciendo En Gracia. Miranda is not just another non-denominational Christian preacher. No! He claims that Christ "entered and integrated in him" so that he is now Christ and can teach all the mysteries of the Bible. News Flash: There is no more sin or devil! Here's the report from a local TV news station that tipped me off to this development.

Your humble correspondent will add Miranda (a/k/a King of Kings) to her local watch list that currently includes The Oasis of Love and the home of the Birthday Party.

My Last Staff Meeting

Excuse me for feeling a bit blue and nostalgic this afternoon. This morning I attended the last staff meeting at church since my resignation is effective October 1. The group took me out to lunch (Tex-Mex of course!) at a local restaurant and we got to sit outside in the beautiful fall weather and eat chips, salsa and green sauce. They gave me a beautiful Mariner's cross (our school's mascot is the Mariners) and a card filled with more than enough love, good wishes and praise to choke me up.

As I took a box full of folders containing outlines and handouts from classes I created and taught over the last five years I remembered them all: The Ten Commandments, Revelation: Unlocking the Code; Exploring the Old and New Testaments; The Bible From Scratch; The DaVinci Code; Early Christians; and Bible in 90 Days. Although I am confident that I needed to leave the DCE position in order to responsibly take on the Moderator-Elect position at presbytery, I sure will miss teaching regularly and miss the regular interaction with my friends on the staff. But we can still go to lunch!

Our Business Manager is already measuring my office to see if his furniture will fit in it. That's fair. He works full-time, but his position was created after mine (which was part-time) and he doesn't have an office, but must work out of the reception area. That is not good when you are handling all the confidential financial information of the church. So, God bless, Jack, enjoy the space!

This weekend I'll need to revise the personal description on the blog so that DCE becomes another of my "former" occupations. I wonder how many more God has in store?

Random Monday Notes

~ We had a very interesting Sunday School class discussion yesterday about the Pope Benedict's controversial remarks about Islam. Our class is using the online curriculum The Wired Word which delivers a current events based topic with supporting scripture references to our inboxes each week. We used it last May and then picked it up again this fall. Almost all of the lesson outlines have been very interesting and sparked good, thoughtful discussion. It's very affordable, too, so check it out if you are looking for new adult CE materials. We've found it a very valuable addition to our program.

~ Last night Portia and DK invited us to dinner in their new home. We got to use their new silver, china and crystal! What fun to be entertained by our kids! Even better was the conversation which continued discussion of the Pope and his speech. DK had downloaded and read the entire speech and analyzed it thoroughly. He and Portia were interested in the theme of our Sunday School class which examined the importance/intersection of faith and reason. They agreed with most members of our class that the Pope knew exactly what he was doing when he made that speech and anticipated the reaction from some Muslims that made his point for him.

~ Today at lunch I went to lunch with a good friend. The fall weather was spectacular so we got to eat our Tex-Mex outside by a sparkling lake and solve all the problems of the church and the world.

~ I got $110 from Half Price Books this afternoon from the sale of the books I culled from our downstairs collection this weekend, thus making room for the books I brought home from my church office. If you've ever sold books to Half Price you have some idea of how many books it takes to get a check like that! And no, I didn't make El Jefe part with his precious Civil War collection--just some old law school and economics texts. Now maybe next week I'll cull the upstairs shelves....

How was your day?

Next in the "Christian Faith" Series...

LEGAL WARNING: Put down that coffee or coke before reading. QG is not responsible for liquid spewed on your monitor.

Michael Kruse previews the next controversial book from the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation:

A Call To Spin Off the PPC

Kudos to Michael Kruse ( blogger at Kruse Kronicle and member of the General Assembly Council of the PCUSA) who demonstrated strength of character and fair-mindedness this week when he posted a thorough review of the controversial book Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11 by David Ray Griffin recently published by Westminster John Knox press. It takes a lot of intestinal fortitude to actually read this book and write an objective analysis of it when you are already critical of the decision to publish it. I confess that I have no intention of reading this irresponsible polemic and so am grateful to Mike for his willingness to engage the book and the issues it raises in a responsible and restrained way.

Mike followed this review up with a call to spin off the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation from the PCUSA and require it to change its name so that it will no longer be seen as a denominational publishing house. He cites not only to the 9/11 book but to another controversial book published in 2005 by the PPC, The Wide, Wide Circle of Divine Love by Eugene Marsh. I heard Marsh's presentation of this book at an APCE meeting where it was being actively promoted at a breakfast gathering. Although the Marsh book has not received the noteriety of the Griffin book, it is a refutation of the orthodox Christian belief that salvation comes only by the grace of God through faith in Christ. I was appalled at the time that the PPC would choose to publish and thereby seem to endorse the positions March advocated.

The connection between the PPC and the PCUSA is that the PCUSA appoints the board of directors of the PPC, as Mike explains in this post. The PCUSA does not have any day-to-day control over the operations and publishing decisions of the corporation.

Mike observed:

"... this book (Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11) decimates the good will between the denominational national offices and the members of our denomination.The PPC likes to draw distinctions about the various missions of their imprints and about their carefully delineated status within the denomination. That is irrelevant in the life of the church. The typical PCUSA member, much less those outside the denomination, makes no such delicate distinctions. All they know is that the PCUSA published a book calling their president a mass murderer."

This is the crux of the problem. Publishing this book has real consequences for the life of the local church. This week we learned that one of our members is transferring to a near-by PCA church because the publication of this book by the denomination's publishing house was the "last straw". Since the PPC shows no regard for the destructive effects of its choice of publications on the denomination, then it should become in fact what it is in practice: an independent publishing company which does not represent the PCUSA.

Thank you, Mike Kruse.

Looking for Shelf Space

Yesterday I was surveying the rows of books in my office at church. There are about 6 bookshelves full of my personal books--concordances, parallel Bibles, books I used for reference and classes. I was trying to make a plan for transferring all those books back home next week, but then I realized that I don't have any spare bookshelf space at home.

I gave Portia and DK the bookshelves from her bedroom, so I don't have those anymore. Babs brought home two shopping bags full of books she read this summer for me to read and I don't have room to shelve them either. El Jefe's ever-growing collection of Civil War related books continues to expand like an amoeba throughout the house. Something has to give.

I don't want to buy another set of bookshelves for Portia's former bedroom--I think the answer is that it's time for some serious weeding out of old books. Guess that will be our project for the weekend, but it's hard to get El Jefe to agree to part with books. He has a friend who built a two-story library, complete with a rolling ladder to reach the second floor. I'm worried that he'll want to borrow his friend's building plans...

Kickin' the Refomed Gangsta Rap

This one's for my Presbyblogger Posse out there: The Reformed Gangsta Rap.

And remember, "no Arminians were ACTUALLY harmed in the recording of this rap--just their theology!"

Geneva, Baby!

Hat tip: John at Locusts and Honey.

Another Jewish Good Shepherd?

The campaign for the Texas Governor's race gets curiouser and curiouser. Right-wing born-again Republican Governor Rick Perry threatens to be one-upped in the "I'm more faithful than you" sweepstakes by independent candidate Kinky

Friedman.

The Kinkster is a Jew. Remember the 70's era country western band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys? Well, I do, but maybe a lot of you don't. One of the band's more memorable songs was "They Don't Make Jews Like Jesus Anymore." Kinky's political viewpoint is more libertarian than anything else, so his latest political ad in which he quotes the Gospel of John and says he wants to be the Good Shepherd is...well...unique.

Click here to view it.

Seeing With Tourist Eyes

It's an eerie feeling. Seeing your old hometown through the eyes of a tourist.

After I married El Jefe and moved from San Antonio to the Houston area, I returned several times a year with Portia and Babs in tow to visit my parents and siblings. We always stayed with my parents, and after my Dad died, with my mother, in the close in suburban city where I grew up. Because we had so many family obligations, and the girls were so young, we seldom saw ventured outside this area when we came to town.

This weekend, I returned to San Antonio, staying in a hotel downtown with a group of friends for the Aggie/West Point game. My friends expected me to be the expert on the local area, because I used to work downtown as a young lawyer. But so much has changed in the intervening years that I found myself seeing the town through the eyes of a tourist rather than the eyes of a native.

Sure there were a few of the old familiar places: Schilo's Deli on the river and the Gunter Hotel next to the Alamo where I used to meet my Dad for lunch when I worked in the DA's office and later at a law firm; the Crockett Hotel next to the Alamo which used to contain Rosengren's Book Store is still there but Rosengren's is not; the large timepiece that was outside Hertzberg's Jewlery Store where El Jefe and I bought our wedding rings remains but the store is now a bank; the Majestic Building where my father's first business office was located has been restored; the buildings across from the Alamo that used to have Woolworth's and other businesses are now turned over to tacky tourist attractions; and then there's the Alamo Dome that wasn't there when I grew up.

I always loved downtown San Antonio. I still do, but of course it is different from my memories of many years ago. You can go home again--but sometimes you feel more like a tourist than a native.

And there are memories around every bend in the Riverwalk.

Brushes With Greatness Friday Five

Today's RevGals Friday Five meme is titled "Brushes With Greatness". Which in my case should be renamed "Brushes With Bushes". Well, that's what happens when you've lived in Texas a long time.

1. Tell us about a time you met someone famous.

I've met President George W. Bush twice --both times before he ran for President. The first time was during his first campaign for governor of Texas when he visited Sugar Land. I was just thinking about this yesterday when I heard that former Governor Ann Richards died. W defeated her in that race. We played the "do you know" game because El Jefe was at Yale at the same time he was and knew him slightly back then. W asked me if I also had gone to Yale then stopped himself and said, "no, too old"! Which was exactly right--I entered college just before Yale went coed.

A few years later I met him again when he ran for his second term at a campaign gathering at a home down the street. This time El Jefe was with me and he asked W about one of his cousins who was also a Yale classmate that El Jefe had known pretty well. It was a somber conversation because that young man had a tragic life.

I've also been introduced to Barbara Bush, senior, and President George H.W. Bush at functions in Houston.

Portia was acquainted with Barbara Bush, junior, at Yale, but didn't know her well.

Our connection with the greater Bush family continued with Babs at Sewanee. One of her good friends there was the granddaughter of the Bush 41's brother.

2. Tell us about a celebrity you'd like to meet.

I'd like to meet Condoleeza Rice. She is the daughter of a Presbyterian minister and I have read several of her statements about her faith and growing up in Birmingham Alabama during the time of the civil rights movement.

3. Tell us about someone great who's *not* famous that you think everyone oughta have a chance to meet.

Dr. Weston Fields. He is the director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation, an ordained minister, the owner/operator of a salmon canning business in Alaska, fluent in ancient Hebrew and Greek and has the most fascinating stories of anyone I ever met.

4. Do you have any autographs of famous people?

No, we don't collect autographs.

5. If you were to become famous, what would you want to become famous for?

Singing.

Bonus: Whose 15 minutes of fame was up long, long ago ?

Too easy--Paris Hilton. Arrggghhh.

If It's Saturday There Must Be Football Somewhere

Right after Portia and DK announced their engagement in January, good neighbors and friends The Old Marine and Saint Betty arranged for us to join their family and some other friends for a weekend in San Antonio, my hometown. The Old Marine said that we would NEED to get away after the wedding festivities. They were so right!

So we're off tomorrow to attend the Texas A&M vs. West Point game there, among other things. The Old Marine is a very dedicated alum of A&M.Apparently West Point sees San Antonio as home field. And with good reason since the city has long been known as "the mother-in-law of the army"! The son of friends is on the Aggie team, so we'll be watching for his number on the field. Then Sunday it's on to Austin to visit Babs and check out her new apartment which is next door to Austin Presbyterian Seminary. (Think it'll rub off???)

Coincidentally, my high school class is having a reunion the same weekend--but it conflicts with these plans which we made first so I won't be attending. Which is ok, because unlike El Jefe I'm not really very interested in reunions. Ask me about the mini-reunion for his West Texas class that we're hosting at our house in October. But I digress.

Saint Betty and I will be a sight to behold tomorrow morning as we load up my mini-van with a labrador, a Boston bull terrier, and Gretel The Noble Dog who will be spending their weekend in style at The Animal Inn. Gretel whines the ENTIRE way there (about 10 miles) and then as soon as she sees the man who works there starts wagging her tail, kissing him and goes off without a backward glance. Bye Mom!

So I've packed my Aggie polo shirt that I wear to these games and a festive San Antonio style skirt to wear to dinner. El Jefe, who rarely travels with his laptop, is bringing it this time because he hopes to catch part of the Yale vs. Whoever They're Playing game on the internet. Give me strength, Lord. Well, better to see it with streaming video on the internet than to listen to it on the telephone for several hours. Oh, yes, he's been known to do that. "Fan", remember, is short for "fanatic", after all.

It's fall and football time. Have a great weekend whatever you're doing!

One More Time for BIND

Thinking over the last five years I have spent as DCE at my church, I would have to say that the most significant thing we did, next to convincing the session to establish a dedicated Sunday School period, was the Bible in 90 Days program that we did last fall as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of the church.

It was a very exciting time. More than 125 people bought Bibles and joined one of the many groups that committed to the program. Although Hurricane Rita disrupted our schedule, about 70 finished reading the Bible in 90 (well, 97) days.

Last spring we offered BIND again and had a group of about 12 begin, with more than half of them finishing. So this fall we are offering it again. I wish that we had the money in the church's budget to do some advertising locally, because I don't think other churches in our area are offering BIND. But we don't, so this time I have a very small group--only 3--committed to meeting on Wednesday nights. I decided I missed the discipline of the daily readings so I'm leading the group myself. I also wanted to see the new videos that are part of the package Zondervan published, and so far I think they are more helpful than the "beta" version that we used last fall.

My hardy little band must make their way through Leviticus, Numbers and most of Deuteronomy this week. That's one of the tougher, less accessible parts of the Bible for most of us today. I'll find out tomorrow night how well they fared.

There's a different dynamic with a group this small. Our experience last fall was that the smaller the group, the more people successfully finished their reading. On the other hand, having just three people limits the opportunity for wide ranging discussions.

Wish us luck!

Explanation of the Audio Post Below

This belongs in the Department of Inner Geekdom, RevGalPals division.

Thanks to Little David, who started this audio blogging meme. I can't figure out how to put this explanation on the post below, so I had to write a separate entry. It's cool technology, but I'm not sure how useful it is. But it is really easy. If you'd like to play go to www.audioblogger.com and follow the instructions to post to your blog.

Because Mindy, Rach and Cheese Did It

Marking 9/11

Providentially, there is a blood drive at my church this afternoon. My appointment is at 4:45. That's how I'm remembering the events of 9/11.

Peace, friends.

Synod PJC Deadlock on Candidacy Dispute

Toby Brown (A Classical Presbyterian) reports:

"In a 5-5 tie, the Synod of the Sun PJC has refused to correct Mission Presbytery for admitting an openly lesbian woman to candidacy for ordination to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament.

After repeated deadlocked votes by the PJC that could not break the tie, the complaint against the presbytery was not upheld."

Toby first reported this controversy in Mission Presbytery on July 31, here.

What possible reason can there be for refusing to tell Mission Presbytery that a woman who admits living in a sexual relationship with another woman should not be admitted to candidacy for ordination under the current provisions of the Book of Order? How can the Synod PJC be deadlocked on this issue?

Meanwhile Presbyweb reported over the weekend that Cliff Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the PCUSA, sent a letter to the Stated Clerk of each presbytery expressing his concern about potential resolutions pending in some presbyteries relating to PUP, Per Capita and Property in which he reminded them of his recent Opinions and Musing. (Link is to Presbyweb which requires subscription or trial registration.) Apparently that letter is prompted by rumblings from Sacramento Presbytery.

Since Kirkpatrick is busy divesting himself of opinions, he should also address this case and publicly encourage presbyteries to uphold the ordination requirements of the Book of Order which he says are not changed by the passage of the PUP recommendations. How about an Idle Thought, Stream of Conciousness or even a mere Random Brain Wave of the Stated Clerk in response to this situation in Mission Presbytery?

The withdrawal of the Kirk of the Hills church in Tulsa, the recent move by First Presbyterian Church of Baton Rouge to sue the presbytery of South Louisiana and the PCUSA to remove the "trust" cloud on the title of its property, and the Sacramento resolutions are responses to the perceived denominational failure and lack of will to enforce the ordination standards. If that issue is not addressed, Kirkpatrick can expect more resolutions, overtures and lawsuits and less Per Capita and Property for the denomination.

UPDATE: Will Spotts reports that the Sacramento Presbytery passed the four resolutions that prompted Kirkpatrick's letter to the stated clerks. There may be an appeal to the Synod of the Pacific by dissenters.

Mr. Way-Too-Proud-of-Texas-Guy

!

My non-Texan readers no doubt have not had the chance to hear the Bud Light commercial, "Mr Way-Too-Proud-Of-Texas-Guy" which currently graces our airwaves. It's part of the "Real Men of Genius" series.

Click here to listen.

The first time I heard it, I laughed so hard I nearly drove off the road. Must be a Texas thing. And by the way: Go Longhorns! Beat Ohio State!

Anything Goes, Indeed

The kerfuffle over the wretched David Ray Griffin book published by Westminster John Knox press continues with an article in today's Wall Street Journal titled Anything Goes. Presbyblogger Rev. Toby Brown (A Classical Presbyterian) is quoted in the piece. PCUSA Moderator Rev. Joan Gray is also quoted saying, "the idea that the United States government engineered the 9/11 attacks is too over the top to be taken seriously."

Toby noted in a comment to the previous post that maybe at last we have found an issue that unifies the whole church. Maybe we have, but will anything be done about it? Don't hold your breath.

A Liberal Asks Why Publish This?

The September 5 edition of Christian Century magazine has an interesting review by David Heim of the now infamous book by David Ray Griffin, Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11, titled Whodunit?. Heim is no apologist for the administration. In fact he says,

" The disastrous overreach in Iraq was fueled by imperialist delusions about remaking the Middle East. But tying that critique of U.S. policy to an outlandish theory about U.S. complicity in 9/11 can only invite ridicule. The question arises: Why did a Presbyterian publishing house sign up this corrosive and monomaniacal book?"

Yeah, WJK press, WHY????? That question is still not answered satisfactorily, and now it's being asked by a liberal as well as conservatives!

P.S. On page 10 of this issue there is an article titled "RevGals Online" written by one of the members of the RevGalBlogPals webring which just happens to mention a certain " southern-lawyer-turned-Christian-educator."

As of the writing of this post the CC website did not provide any links to these articles or to this issue yet, but you can check back later and possibly they will be available.

Seeing "Churchianity" in the Church

Today I attended a workshop led by Reggie McNeal, based on his book The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church.

Our presbytery sponsored this seminar as part of our emphasis on helping our churches become more missional and transformational. (By the way, I really don't like turning nouns into adjectives like this, but those two terms have become standard ChurchSpeak, so I'm going along with it this time.) This summer the staff at my church did an overview of the book while the session and diaconate were asked to read it in preparation for their annual retreat. McNeal is a very entertaining speaker, which I never would have guessed from reading this book because I was put off by what I perceived as its angry tone. I can't remember laughing so much at a workshop.

As a Presbyterian, I had a few quarrels with the Baptist McNeal's analysis from a theological viewpoint. McNeal states in the book that he does not intend to give the reader a "blueprint" for addressing those issues, and he certainly didn't. I found that frustrating, and thought that if he had included some anecdotes that illustrated how these "tough questions" might be addressed it would have been helpful.

In the seminar, however, McNeal filled in that gap with a number of stories that made the ideas in his book much more understandable and palatable to me. The one that made the deepest impression on me relates to his point in the book that the church needs to move from being program driven to a focus on people development. We discussed this at length in one of our staff meetings because we shared a concern that the church had so many programs and committee meetings of various kinds scheduled that members had little time for mission and evangelism. We are not alone in struggling with finding a balance between doing "church work" and being missional.

McNeal told the story of a woman who wanted to help high school students in her neighborhood. She went to the principal of the high school and said that she wanted to volunteer to listen to any student who needed someone to talk to. The principal was thrilled and invited her to the next assembly. She rounded up four or five other women from her church to go with her. At the assembly she told the students that it was much harder to be a teenager today than when she was growing up. "Some of you don't know one of your parents, you don't have relatives close by, you may be having problems at home or school or with a girl friend or boyfriend." She then gave them the phone number of her church and said to call that number if they just wanted someone to talk to. The next day the church had over 300 phone calls from those kids.

McNeal then asked us to consider whether our church could answer all those phone calls if that woman had been one of our members. I don't like my answer, and neither did anyone else. Those calls would not fit neatly into any of our organizational and programmatic models for ministry, so we would not be prepared to respond as we should. McNeal is good at prodding those of us who are long-time members of churches to view "Churchianity" in a new way so that we can begin that shift from being internally to externally focused. Before we can make that shift, we need to learn how the unchurched see the church.

As Robert Burns wrote: " O wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursel's as ithers see us!"

Time For a Change

This is a copy of the cartoon our senior pastor gave me 5 years ago after I was hired as the part-time Director of Christian Education for our church. I framed it and hung it on the wall in my office. It pretty much says it all about my qualifications and experience at the time!

I’ve learned a lot these last 5 years. But now it is time for me to leave this position, which I will do as of October 1. It seems that Portia’s wedding is not the only change Chez Grace.

After being elected Moderator-Elect of New Covenant presbytery, I concluded that because of the many important issues confronting our presbytery and the PCUSA, the church needs a DCE whose focus is not distracted by responsibilities to the broader church, and the presbytery needs a Moderator-Elect who is not trying to run the educational ministry of one of its larger churches at the same time. I guess you could say that I think presbytery needs a full-time “Mom”!

It’s been an exciting and fulfilling 5 years in many ways. During this time the CE committee:

• Established a dedicated Sunday School period between our two Sunday morning services
• Expanded our Adult Sunday School classes
• Brought the Bible in 90 Days program to the church, resulting in more than 70 people successfully reading the entire Bible
• Created a midweek fellowship, worship and educational program

For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.
--Ecclesiastes 3:1

It’s time for me to pack up my books, clear out my desk and follow God's call to serve the church in a different way. I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead, but will miss the daily interaction with our church staff and the members who faithfully work in the Christian Education ministry. We are blessed to have a capable and organized CE committee chair and dedicated members of the committee who can carry on our educational mission until a new DCE is selected. I’m grateful to both of our pastors for their constant encouragement and support and to the congregation and session for the opportunity to serve.

Thank you all!

Wedding Wrap-Up

The last of the wedding guests left town late yesterday afternoon. El Jefe, Babs and I crashed--tired, but very very happy. Here's a full report for those of you who have been kind enough to ask. If you're interested in seeing the wedding announcement in Sunday's Houston Chronicle (written by El Jefe) click here.

The bride was radiant and gorgeous. The groom was handsome and glowing. The bridesmaids and flower girls could have stepped out of the pages of Bride magazine (which I am proud to report, we NEVER consulted!). The ring-bearer was so adorable in his toddler tuxedo, but he didn't make it down the aisle due to typical two year old temperment. The MOB received many compliments on her appearance and dress as well.

The wedding music was glorious! We had a string quartet accompanied by Maestro (our wonderful church organist). I had chills down my back as they finished the Pastoral Symphony from Messiah and went into Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, sung by my beloved neice, which was the opening anthem. Then the processionals followed--the bridesmaids came in to "Sheep May Safely Graze" and Portia and El Jefe entered with Trumpet Voluntary.

Our "presbyterian wedding committee" (thanks, Rev Dave!) were wonderful. The senior pastor welcomed the congregation and set the tone for the service. Then the officiating pastor gave a personal and inspiring reflection on the scriptures Portia and DK chose for the service: Isaiah 40: 6-8 and 1 John 4: 7-12, 16.

After the exchange of rings and vows, Portia's longtime friend sang "Jesus, Shepherd, Be Thou Near Them", an anthem set to the "Sheep May Safely Graze" tune. It was at this point that the bride, the sister of the bride and the mother of the bride lost it. Note to self: give the bride and the bridesmaids handkerchiefs to hold with their bouquets next time.

The third pastor, who married El Jefe and I 28 years ago, gave the charge and blessing to our couple, using the Celtic "Maker's Blessing." Then the congregation sang the hymn "Joyful, Joyful" as the strings and organ accompanied. The bridal party then recessed as the strings continued to play Beethoven's Hymn to Joy.

It could not have been a more beautiful, elegant and worshipful wedding service. The Holy Spirit was in the house. DK's parents, family and friends were very pleased and touched.

The reception was a lot of fun. I hear the food was wonderful, but neither El Jefe, Babs nor I ate enough to know. We never sat down! Portia and DK got to visit with all the guests at the beautiful Richmond House and then left in the glow of many sparklers for their wedding night. Bouquet Toss Report--Babs snagged it! As she said, "they set me up by making me be in the middle and then Portia threw it at my head!" As I said, "way to be tall, Babsy!"

Portia and DK were back Sunday morning for a brunch given by some family and friends for the out of town guests. That worked out wonderfully well as they had a chance to really visit some of these folks before they left. They are taking a delayed honeymoon trip the first week of October when DK has a week break from his graduate studies. When they return Portia begins work at the Big Law Firm Downtown.

So now it's back to everyday life. It will seem a bit strange not to be planning a wedding, after 9 months of living with it. It's been so much fun to share it with all of you who read the blog. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything!

Praise God!

Nothing But Blue Skies!

We are so blessed by the weather for this Wedding Weekend! After living 9 months with the thought, "what if a hurricane heads for Houston on Wedding Day?" and feeling my stomach knot up at the birth of the tropical Whatever Ernesto last week, today and the days ahead couldn't be better! It's unheard of to have temperatures in the 80's and low humidity in the Houston area this time of year. Amazing!

Two of Portia's bridesmaids arrived yesterday from NYC and Dallas. Last night the three of them plus Babs and several other girlfriends took Portia out for the evening. Today (in true RevGalPal style!) we're off to a spa for group mani/pedis. Then its over to SIL's to put together the wedding programs and favors. More of the wedding party arrive today for DK to entertain.

Tomorrow there is a Bridal Luncheon, the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner--never mind the arrival of the rest of the out of town relatives. Saturday morning it's hair and makeup time at our house for the bridesmaids. All the women relatives are invited to come over and visit until time to go to the church for photos.

Then the Moment of Truth arrives. Will the 3 Presbyterian pastors involved in the service manage to avoid tripping over each other? Will the 2 year old ringbearer have a melt-down? Will the 4 year old flower girl skip down the aisle? Will the 5 year old flower girl, tomboy that she is, balk at wearing the dress? How beautifully will my neice and Portia's oldest friend sing? How many handkerchiefs will the MOB go through during the ceremony? Then it's off to the reception and the chance to greet all our guests.

Sunday morning there's a post-wedding brunch for the out-of-town guests and local relatives and friends. One of the pastors can come because (ha-ha!) he's retired. The other two have to lead worship. Portia and DK plan to attend so he can visit with his parents and relatives from Florida.

The problems of the world and the church are being set aside for the time being. I'm stoked!

Wedding Whirl

It's a mere 5 days before W-day. I sent out a slew of emails at church this morning, trying to line everything and everyone up for the next week and informing them that I'll be Mother-of-the-Brideing it the rest of the week.

There are sparklers, monogramed matchbooks, wedding guest registers, toasting flutes and other stuff to round up. There are out of town guests arriving beginning the day after tomorrow. There are wedding programs and favors to be tied up with silver ribbons. There are inflatable mattresses to be blown up, airport pickups to be coordinated and...what have I missed?

I plan to enjoy every minute of it! So if there aren't very many posts this week, you'll know why.

Faithfully yours,
QG, MOB

Name That Tort*

From the BETTER LIVING THROUGH LITIGATION Department:

My dear nephew, Daddy of Annie, sent me this which he confessed to reading on his brand new Blackberry.

Never underestimate the ability of the plantiff's trial bar to create new and imaginative causes of action to clutter up the court system. What will they call this one? "Negligent creation of Blackberry Addiction"? "Tortious Blackberry Interference With Life"? "Alienation of Spousal Affection By Blackberry"? I can't wait to find out.

(* for my non-lawyerly readers, a tort is a civil cause of action for negligence)

Adventures in Inspection

~sound of teeth grinding~

Sitting in the kitchen, waiting on the inspectors from the City of Sugar Land to come and inspect work done on our air conditioning system LAST MAY. The A/C service called yesterday and told me this would be necessary and that we had to schedule it. Must be their mistake. Didn't need to waste a morning at home right now, but it's better than during Wedding Week.

Wherefore art thou, inspectors?

ARRGGGHHH!

PJ Alert

One mom thinks she has found the solution to her children's night-time fears--the Full Armor of God pj's.

Hat tip: Attention Span.

News From New Covenant Presbytery

Today's presbytery meeting was strictly business. Among other things I was formally elected as Moderator for 2008. I wondered if God would send a sign in the form of a floor nomination --but no!

The most significant action of the presbytery was the adoption of the following policy:

The Presbytery of New Covenant in its discernment of the essentials of reformed polity and for the sake of preserving the peace, unity and purity of the church does adopt the principle that compliance with the standards for ordination adopted and held authoritative in the Book of Order shall remain essentials of reformed policy and any departure from said standards for ordination will disqualify a candidate for ordination or installation by the Presbytery of New Covenant. Those provisions of the book of Order deemed to be standards and therefore essentials of polity include those statements using "shall", "is/are to be", "required", "requirement", or equivalent expressions.

This discernment of the essentials of reformed polity shall remain in effect until removed by a majority vote of the Presbytery of New Covenant.

Those of us who supported this proposal believe that it is important to make a statement to our congregations and community about what our presbytery's policy is with regard to ordination standards in light of the concerns raised by many of our congregations about the actions of the 217th GA in passing the PUP report with its "scruples" provision. Those who opposed it stressed that it was redundant because our Examinations Committee has abided by the Book of Order. It passed by an almost two to one margin.

The other significant action was the distribution of a comprehensive policy outlining a process for the presbytery to follow in working with congregations that are distressed by the actions of the last General Assembly and considering withdrawal from the PCUSA. General Council has been developing this process for several months, anticipating the problem. We distributed it today and encouraged everyone to send their comments and concerns about it to us so that the General Council can review it again at our next meeting. We don't want pastors and congregations to be afraid of talking to presbytery about their concerns. We want to encourage frank questions and honest answers.

In light of the events surrounding the recent vote by the session of Kirk of the Hills Church in Tulsa to withdraw from the PCUSA, it was very important to make it clear that our process is not secret and that it emphasizes a pastoral rather than a litigious approach. Friends, the PCUSA will not be preserved through litigation. We must find a more excellent way, and pronto.

What if congregations and pastors considering leaving the PCUSA could have open and honest conversations with representatives of presbytery about their concerns without worrying that they were opening themselves to pre-emptive legal action from the denomination? What if they knew that the presbytery was willing to work with them to resolve their concerns even if the result was their withdrawal from the denomination? What if they knew that they could discuss the property implications with presbytery in advance and negotiate that issue without fear of legal reprisal?

We hope that is what our process can achieve, and that it will build trust and thereby keep congregations from leaving or allow for a regretful parting of the ways without adding more rancor and angst. If you are interested in having a copy of the process, email me (click on the "view my complete profile" link in the sidebar and there is an email link). Maybe it would give some good ideas to your presbytery.

Random Wedding Errands

Because I'll be gone all day tomorrow at a presbytery meeting, today was filled with lots of wedding errands--really random errands.

• Took Gretel to the vet for a check-up because she had some worrying symptoms over the weekend and I wanted to get on top of the situation before next week. Now she joins Grandpa on lasix and needs bronco-dialators to reduce fluid buildup around the heart. The vet says she'll be pretty perky in a couple of days time. Look out Giant Rabbit Fu-Fu, Gretel The Mighty Huntress isn't done yet!
• Who knew that Home Depot is the source of aid and comfort for brides and bridesmaids with ~ah-hem~ bustier slippage. Apparently double-sided carpet tape will keep everything where it should be, according to SIL and friends.
  
• Mailed music to the string quartet for the service--copies of Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring and the Pastoral Symphony from Messiah.
  
• Razzlefrackzit. I created a slideshow for the rehearsal dinner with lots of pictures of Portia and DK (to the tune of "Going To The Chapel") but although it plays beautifully on my computer, when I burn it, the resulting disk isn't working. Spent a couple of hours on Apple IDVD help and finally decided to buy blank DVD's from a different manufacturer. That better work. Don't have much more time to fool with it. And it's so cute! Suggestions from any Mac geeks out there?

Keeping the faith and hanging in there! Tomorrow it's all about presbytery...

UPDATE: THANK YOU, JESUS! Changing disk types did the trick and the DVD works now!

Whoo-hoo!

Chance of Thunder and Bridal Showers

Today started with fierce thunderstorms and rainshowers that rolled across the area and continued until mid-morning when Portia, Babs and I were due at a bridal shower over at Dorothy's given by The Shower Sisters.

The Shower Sisters are a group of girlfriends from church who get together to give bridal and baby showers for their daughters and friends. (I'm a Shower Sister, too, but not for Portia's shower!).

We had a wonderful time despite the much-needed rain. It is such a blessing to be with these women who have been a special part of Portia and Babs' life for so many years, along with Portia's cousins, favorite aunt, and girlfriends.

These are the women who taught Portia in Sunday School for years. These are the women who were her youth advisors when she was old enough for youth group. These are the women who asked her to serve as an acolyte. These are the women who sat with Portia (and Babs) in church when they were little and I sang in the choir and El Jefe was out of town. These are the women who led her in Vacation Bible School and were the choir moms when she participated in children's choirs. These are the women who supported and encouraged her the year she served as youth elder. These are the women who always asked about her when she was away at school and sought her out when she came home on vacations from college. These are the women whose example helped influence Portia as she grew into the fine young woman she is today. Blessings on all of you, dear Shower Sisters!

Portia had quite a haul and Babs dutifully wrote it all down for the "thank-you" notes to come. Babs, however, is no one's fool, so she beat a hasty retreat back to Austin for the weekend while El Jefe and I helped Portia and DK fill a rented van with the goodies, along with the bookshelves from her bedroom, cases of her favorite books, and a bedroom set given to them by Saint Betty and The Old Marine. It felt like 102 degrees and the humidity was easily 100%. DK, bless his heart, remarked happily that "it feels just like Florida". (DK is from Florida.) And off they went to work on setting up their new home.

TWO WEEKS TO GO UNTIL W-DAY !!! And now for a nap....

Serious News, Indeed

I am sad and dismayed to learn that the session of Kirk of the Hills Church in Tulsa has voted to leave the PCUSA and affiliate with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Kirk of the Hills is one of the largest churches in our Synod, having over 2,600 members.

Both pastors renounced the jurisdiction of the PCUSA. A congregational meeting has been called for August 30 to discuss this action.

Tom Gray, senior pastor of the church, explains the move on his blog today, in a post titled "Serious News". This is serious news, indeed. Gray said, " The session decided that, especially in response to the recently-revealed legal plans of the PCUSA, it was time to take decisive action." So it appears that the release of Advisory Opinion # 19 by the PCUSA Stated Clerk's office created concern about pre-emptive action by the denomination and precipitated this decision.

I don't know whether or not part of the congregation will contest this decision. It's not clear from this post whether the church will seek to be dismissed with its property, because Tom Gray says the action is taken independent of whatever happens with the property. I don't know whether the powers-that-be in Louisville were planning action against Kirk of the Hills, and if they were, whether they had grounds for it. I just know I am very sorry to see Kirk of the Hills leave the PCUSA.

There is a lot at stake in this situation and Presbyterians across the country will be carefully watching the response of the Presbytery of Eastern Oklahoma, the Synod of the Sun, and the Stated Clerk's office to this announcement.

(Credit to Presbyweb, which was the first with this information. It is a subscription website, but you can sign up for a month free trial subscription with no strings attached--then you decide the amount of your donation. It's well worth it.)

Time Warp in Wedding Land

It's been a L-O-O-O-ONG afternoon and evening. The Mother of the Bride and The Sister of the Bride are totally exhausted from a six hour stint waiting on The Bride to arrive for her appointment for bridal photos AND have the photos taken. It seems it took much longer than she thought it would to restore the "natural color" to her hair.

Portia's Thought For the Day:

It's a really, really bad idea to put black in your hair two months before the wedding if you don't want black in your hair for the wedding.

Uh-Huh.

Katrina Eleven Months Later

On Monday mornings the RevGalBlogPals blog posts a Monday Mission Moment. I am one of the team members for this feature, and today I am cross-posting the article that I used so that those of you who are members of my church who read Quotidian Grace will get a chance to read it as well. Shayne Newell posted this on her blog General Thought. Shayne is an elder, a mother of two young sons, and in her "spare" time is an attorney with a law firm in Houston. Shayne kindly gave me permission to copy the post and with the first year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina coming, it is a timely reminder of the struggles of so many of the New Orleans evacuees who are still in the Houston area.

Thanks to Shayne for allowing me to share it with you.

Katrina Evacuees -- Eleven Months Later

I spent yesterday morning volunteering at a housing clinic for Katrina and Rita evacuees who had been denied FEMA rental assistance. I admit that I went into it with some skepticism. It has been almost a year since the disasters. Surely these people could have gotten back on their feet enough to pay their own rent if they really wanted to. But work is somewhat slow, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to do some pro bono legal work. I didn't know anything about FEMA appeals before I got there, but I learned fast!

After getting some on-the-job training, I was sent to a huge room where attorneys were working one-on-one with people who had been denied assistance and wanted to file an appeal with FEMA. As it turns out, FEMA had been denying people aid for ridiculous reasons. For instance, a FEMA inspector was sent to survey the damage at a particular residence in New Orleans and denied rental assistance because the resident did not show up to meet the inspector. Of course, many of them are living in Houston and many other places throughout the country and are without the means to travel to New Orleans. Sometimes FEMA didn't give any reason at all for denying rental assistance.

The appeal papers take time to fill out and were confusing, even for me. I spent a good deal of time with a man named Troy. As he filled out his paperwork, I glanced at his birthday: February 29, 1976. He's 3 1/2 years younger than I am, but I never would have guessed it by his appearance. Incidentally, in non-leap years, he celebrates his birthday on both February 28 and March 1st. I told him that sounded like the best birthday of all -- 2 days long!

Anyway, in working with him, I learned that he evacuated New Orleans literally with nothing except the clothes on his back. He was extremely nice and good natured, despite all he had been through. He doesn't appear to have much education and his income is minimal. After FEMA cut off his rental assistance and he got evicted, his ex-girlfriend was gracious enough to take him in. She had also evacuated to Houston and her FEMA assistance is still in place. I didn't ask what kind of work he did, but he said that immediately before Hurricane Katrina was the "slow season" at work, so he wasn't bringing in much money. Other than a few months' rent, which was cut off in March, he has received no FEMA assistance other than the $2000 voucher that was distributed to all the evacuees last fall.

I tried to imagine what my life would be like if I left Houston right now with nothing except the clothes I'm wearing and whatever is in my purse (at the moment, that includes no cash except a few coins) and went to Tulsa. I don't know anyone there and wouldn't know where to start -- how do I find a place to live, furnish it, find transportation, feed myself, and find a job, particularly if I have no education and few vocational skills? In what circumstances would I find myself a year from now? I think it very likely that I'd be sitting down across the table from a volunteer attorney at a housing clinic sponsored by Legal Aid and asking for help.

It's easy for those of us unaffected by the hurricanes to feel that it's time that people moved on with their lives. I think that most of them are moving on, or trying to, but it can't happen on some artificial timetable. I pray that, as the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, those of us who have not had to suffer through this particular tragedy will be reminded that rebuilding an entire life (in Troy's case, 30 years) can't be accomplished in a matter of months.

Presbyblog Firestorm

A virtual firestorm erupted in the Presbyblogs yesterday with the revelation from the Presbyterian Layman of documents purportedly written by denominational lawyers as a guide to those representing "presbyteries and true churches" in property disputes and a guide for presbyteries for processes to use in dealing with churches wanting to withdraw from the PCUSA. The Layman says these documents were mailed to its office anonymously without comment. This added fuel to the fire started by the release of Advisory Opinion #19.

Among those offering extensive analysis and commentary on these documents (and check out the discussions in the comments as well) are Classical Presbyterian, Will Spotts, and Jim Berkley.

There's been a lot of dismay expressed over the pugnacious, litigious attitude behind the recommendations and advice in these documents. What should the approach to churches seeking dismissal from the PCUSA be?

First of all, we must acknowledge that under the Book of Order church property is held in trust for the denomination and that no church has the right to withdraw from the denomination and keep its property. Although there have been challenges to denominational trust clauses recently, mostly by ECUSA churches, at this time courts are still upholding those clauses. A church could withdraw and affiliate with another reformed group and the presbytery could choose to negotiate a sale of the property to the church rather than asserting control and seeking to install a new pastor. There are so many factors that could arise in these circumstances, that it is impossible to formulate a hard-and-fast position for presbyteries as these documents seek to do.

Secondly, we must acknowledge that the denomination will not be held together by litigation. The language used in these documents contributes to a adversarial atmosphere that will undermine the efforts of presbyteries that seek to work towards reconciliation and continued relationship with disaffected congregations. Calling one part of a congregation the "true church" and another part schismatics, or threatening presbyteries with legal action from synods breeds distrust between all parties.

Presbyteries should seek to work with congregations in serious disagreement with the denomination on a pastoral level first. It is important to show trust in those with whom we are in a connectional relationship and to show that presbytery is also trust-worthy. Jumping immediately to the formation of administrative commissions that are empowered to seize control of the church and displace the elected leaders of the congregation is a sure-fire way to antagonize the members, create a litigious nightmare, and set up an ongoing atmosphere of distrust between the churches, presbytery and synod that will doubtless contribute to more attempted withdrawals from the denomination.

Tag, I'm It

I've been tagged for that book meme that's been going around by Michael Kruse.

One book that changed your life: I don't know that it changed my life, but when I was in college I was a big fan of Lord of the Rings.

One book that you’ve read more than once: The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris

One book you’d want on a desert island: Any book by Dave Barry. I'd need to laugh!

One book that made you laugh: St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies by John Bellairs.
One book that made you cry: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. As the mother of two daughters, this book creeped me out.

One book you wish you had written: Eloise by Kay Thompson. This was my daughters' favorite book. We read it over and over again for years.

One book you wish had never been written: Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler.

One book you’re currently reading: Run With the Horses by Eugene Peterson

One book you’ve been meaning to read: Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. The whole thing. It probably is not going to happen.

I'm supposed to tag 5 other people, but I've already seen this on lots of other blogs. So consider yourself tagged if you want to play and leave me a comment so I can visit you.

A Note of Appreciation

Grateful thanks to each of you who left comments on my last post for your kind words and support and to a couple of you who emailed me privately. I'm very touched and humbled --particularly by the comments from those of you who don't agree with me on all the issues before the PCUSA today--the group Cheesehead called "Flaming Liberals for Grace" (thanks, Cheese!).

I'm sure that I will refer back to these comments from time to time in the next couple of years for reassurance and comfort. I pray that I will prove to be worthy of your confidence and I ask your prayers not only for me, but for the staff and leadership of New Covenant presbytery.

Mom of Presbytery?

Some of my regular readers are aware that I currently serve on the General Council of my presbytery (New Covenant). A couple of weeks ago, I received a call from the chair of the Presbytery's Nominating Committee asking me to agree to nomination as Moderator-Elect--for the year 2008. This despite the fact that he told me he read this blog--and proved it by asking me some questions about posts that were long buried in the archives! Under our presbytery structure, that means I would serve as Moderator of General Council in 2007 and then become Moderator of Presbytery the following year.

Here are some of the things that I pondered as I made this decision.

By 2008 the denomination could be coming apart at the seams. Or not. The New Wineskins group appears to be morphing into an alternative denominational structure. It's not clear what the future holds for the newly formed Presbyterian Global Fellowship that has its first conference later this month. Is a major schism brewing? If so, we could have a nasty mess on our hands by 2008.

We have yet to see the first disciplinary case challenging an ordination in which a "scruple" was declared pursuant to the AI passed at GA. The facts of that hypothetical case and its final disposition by the GAPJC could become the flashpoint. That would put me personally, and as Moderator, in a very difficult position. Conversely, if the outcome of such a case were the enforcement of the consititution, then the disappointment of those who seek changes in ordination standards would present other issues.

New Covenant presbytery is moderately conservative. It has not been overly preoccupied with the doings on the national scene, but instead concentrates on planting new churches in the rapidly growing areas of the Houston metro and Bryan/College Station and encouraging existing churches to foster growth in membership.

The leadership has focused on bringing in nationally known experts on evangelism and church development and re-development like Glenn McDonald to speak at meetings and has offered a number of excellent training opportunities for ministers and laypeople alike. I think this emphasis is very important. If we can't look forward with confidence to the future of the church, we might as well pack it all up right now and save ourselves a lot of aggravation. We need to focus on evangelism, new church development and growth in exisiting churches.

A few years ago there was some distrust of the presbytery leadership but those attitudes are changing because a lot of people have worked hard to change that perception. I was one of those skeptics, but have been convinced there is a change of focus and attitude in the presbytery. Still, distrust of the denomination and the national staff and its policies persists, and I share some of those feelings. At this time I am not aware of any church in the presbytery seeking dismissal from the PCUSA, but events could change that. I hope New Covenant presbytery can model a new way for Presbyterians to relate to each other, even in times of crisis.

Conservatives have been urging each other to get involved in denominational governance at every level, so when I was asked to serve on General Council I agreed to do it. I don't think it's time to leave yet. There were several positive things that came out of the last General Assembly from the evangelicals' viewpoint. The PCUSA will never be perfect and neither will any new denomination that may spin off from it. So long as imperfect sinful people strive to follow Jesus there will be shortcomings. Heck, even I make mistakes!

I'm not a theologian or a minister. I'm a "cradle" Presbyterian laywoman who cherishes her heritage going back 6 generations to Scotland on one side of my family. I believe traditional Presbyterian theology and polity provide an important witness to the Church Universal with its emphasis on the soverignty of God, the authority of scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. I don't think that God is through with the PCUSA yet. I think if I want to preserve this heritage for my posterity, it is time to put up or shut up. So I'm putting up. I said yes.

So if elected, would that make me Mom of Presbytery?

P.S. El Jefe agreed to be nominated for a 6 year term on the Presbytery Permanent Judicial Commission.

Just Too Many Churches

Once upon a time it seemed like a brilliant idea to the city fathers and mothers in Stafford, Texas, a town just next to Sugar Land. Let's not levy any property tax. We'll depend on sales taxes and business fees for our municipal revenues. Businesses will flock to our town and it will reap the benefits!

It worked great for awhile. In came Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, automobile dealerships and a big "power center". Not to mention a strip of restaurants lining the highway that runs through Stafford.

But then...the churches started coming. And coming. And coming. Now there are 51 churches in an area of about 7 square miles. The Mayor is alarmed. "Our city has an excessive number of churches" Who will pay for the municipal services? Churches don't pay property tax and they don't generate sales for sales taxes and you can't make them pay business fees. Can the city prevent more property within the city limits being acquired by churches? There are some constitutional problems with that. And what Texas politician wants to seem anti-church?

A classic case of being too clever by half...or hoisted by your own petard!

Bible Follies

Inspired by the new ABS Liberty Bible, Michael Kruse designed GOP and Democrat versions. Look for candidates toting them on the campaign trail this fall!

How To Get Hat Hair

It's been a weird day, bouncing between the church, the wedding, the IRS and RevGalBlogPals, Inc. makes me feel more than a little bit schizo.

Morning--staff meeting (Director of Christian Ed hat on)

Late morning--correspondence with bank officer about corporate resolutions for RGBP, Inc. (Attorney hat on)

Noon--Lunch with Portia discussing tomorrow's closing on the townhouse and a number of wedding-related details (Attorney and Mother of the Bride hats on)

Afternoon--faxing fiesta with bank officer from my home (Attorney/RGBP Director hats on at the same time)

Late afternoon--bonding session with computer and IRS form 1023 Application for Recognition of Exempt Status (Attorney/Director hats on).

End of afternoon--decide to leave the "essay questions" on Form 1023 for tomorrow. (Hats off)

Early Evening--attend midweek dinner and worship at church. (DCE/worshipper hats on)

Late Evening--catching up on wedding details and waiting for the new episode of Project Runway. (Mother of the Bride/Couch Potato hats firmly in place).

Return to Presby-Follies

Many PresbyPolity types are anticipating the first test case regarding ordination standards to arise under the new Authoritative Interpretation and the GA-approved report of the PUP Task Force. You may want to watch the doings in Mission Presbytery, where Classical Presbyterian reports that there is a controversy over the admission to candidacy for ordination of a woman living openly in a lesbian relationship in violation of 6.0106b. This was challenged and the case will now been set for a hearing on September 9 by the Synod of the Sun's PJC. CP says that this is not the test case that has been anticipated since the GA because the case involved admission to candidacy and not ordination itself and the challenge to it came before the adoption of the PUP report and so the presbytery is not declaring a "scruple" with respect to 6.0106b. Still, the outcome of this case could be prophetic.

In the What Are They Thinking Department, see Christianity Today's book review of a new publication from the Westminster John Knox press entitled: The Christian Faith and The Truth Behind 9/11 by David Ray Griffin which advocates the view that the Bush administration engaged in a conspiracy to orchestrate the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US in order to provide cover for their plan to invade Iraq. Really. I am not making this up.

One of the readers of this blog, and an elder in my church, sent me this link. If the book review accurately depicts the contents of this book then what in the world is WJK press doing publishing a political polemic? I would say the same thing if the book was a right-wing Zionist tirade. Both Will Spotts and Classical Presbyterian have already commented extensively on this--and Presbyweb (a subscription site--but you can register for one month for free to try it out!) linked to it today as well. I can't add much to their observations.


And they wonder in Louisville why sales of PCUSA curriculum is down? This controversy sure won't help the credibility of the denominational publishers.