Digging Deeper: The Pastor's Blog
Below please find thoughts and information from FPCW Senior Pastor Stephen Hamilton Wright If you have comments or questions you would like to submit, please do so by e-mailing Pastor Wright Also, read more of Pastor Wright's thoughts at his public blog "Wrighting" on Posterous
NAOMI - April 7, 2011
In the past few days, members have raised some serious questions
about the NAOMI organization which our congregation recently joined.
I encourage anyone with questions about the process to talk to
Session members as well as to me or Joy Nelson-Jeffers. NAOMI is a
congregation-based community organizing group affiliated with
WISDOM, which is the Wisconsin state chapter of the national
organization Gamaliel. Some characterize these organizations as “far
left” and “partisan;” while they are politically concerned, those
labels overstate the case. NAOMI’s most recent activities have been
Sunday afternoon prayer services for fair and just resolution of the
state budget crisis, and hosting a HUD workshop to help local
families avoid foreclosure. Plans for the year include focus on
access to dental health and mental health services for poor and
underserved families in Marathon County, and strengthening families
through childhood nutrition programs and common pre-marital
counseling standards among local churches.
VOTING ON ORDINATION STANDARDS
- February 12, 2011
On Saturday, Winnebago Presbytery voted to support a
recommendation to change the Presbyterian Book of Order by removing
language that currently prevents lesbian and gay members from
serving as ministers and officers in the church at every level, and
replacing it with a paragraph that calls all officers to serious
Christian discipleship. The discussion was thoughtful and low key,
and the vote was about 40-15 in favor of the change. This does not
change the rules yet, for our Presbytery or elsewhere, because only
about a third of the presbyteries have voted at this point. But so
far, the votes for change are running slightly ahead, which is the
first time that has ever been true. Voting nationwide will be
complete by May; results might be clear a little sooner than that.
CHURCH WIDE VOTING ON
ORDINATION STANDARDS - February 9, 2011
The following is an excerpt from e-mail from Pam Byers, Executive
director of the Covenant Network of
Presbyterians, sent on Wednesday, February 09, regarding presbytery
votes to remove language from
the Book of Order that prohibits the ordination or installation of
openly gay or lesbian elders, deacons or ministers:
“Exciting things are happening in presbyteries all across the church
this year, on many important fronts. But today I am thinking
especially of Amendment 10-A, to reform our ordination standards.
While fewer than a third of all the presbyteries have voted on
Amendment 10-A so far, the count today stands at 27 Yes – 25 No (
including one Tie). As you know, we have tried four times in the
past 14 years to remove or replace the exclusive, divisive language
of G-6.0106b. In all the years that my colleague Tricia Dykers
Koenig and I have anxiously awaited results every Tuesday and
Saturday throughout the spring, this is the first time that more
faithful and non-discriminatory ordination standards have been ahead
in the presbytery count, even for a day. Moreover, 51.5% of all
votes cast and counted in the presbyteries so far were Yes – and
that doesn’t even count the five presbyteries that passed 10-A by
(nearly unanimous) voice votes. Those 27 Yes votes include
six presbyteries that have reversed their No vote on 08-B. (Sadly,
one presbytery changed its vote the other way.) You can read full
results on the vote chart on our website . Or “friend” us on
FaceBook and you’ll be able to follow votes virtually as they
happen.”
More information is at the Covenant Network website
http://www.covnetpres.org .
Our Presbytery of Winnebago will vote on this matter at its meeting
this Saturday, February 12, at
Covenant Community Presbyterian Church in Schofield. The debate and
discussion on this and other
constitutional amendments are scheduled to take place from 1:30 to
2:30. The meeting is open to
observers.
Presbyterian Teaching About Homosexuality
Copyright 2012 First
Presbyterian Church Wausau