Minutes of the Thirty-Second General Assembly of the Presbyterian ...

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MINUTES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY • Minutes of the Permanent Committee for December 11, 2003, and March 16, 2004 II. Statement of Major Issues Discussed The Committee addressed the IRC’s discussions of church union with NAPARC churches (Appendix G, Item 1, p. 384). After consultation with TE Irfon Hughes and TE Roy Taylor, the reasons for the statement “all but one of the NAPARC denominations offered their opinions that for various reasons they were not prepared to enter into discussions with the PCA about possible organic union at this time” were clarified: these denominations were not unwilling to discuss union. Instead, none of the representatives of these denominations had been empowered by their denominations to enter into such discussions. The Committee discussed the Communication from the URCNA. Interest was expressed in furthering our relationship with this denomination. COMMUNICATION 2 from the United Reformed Churches in North America (to IRC) United Reformed Churches in North America Committee for Ecumenical Relations and Church Unity June 2, 2004 Dr. L. Roy Taylor, Stated Clerk Presbyterian Church in America 1700 N. Brown Road, Suite 105 Lawrenceville GA 30043-8143 Esteemed brothers in Christ, We greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the occasion of the 32 nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America we of the United Reformed Churches send you warm fraternal greetings in the name of our blessed King and Lord. It is our wish and prayer that you may receive His grace as you deliberate the numerous agenda items on your docket in a manner that pleases Him and builds up His Church. May the Lord bless you abundantly. As you brothers gather in Pittsburgh on June 15-18, the United Reformed Churches also meet as synod in Calgary Alberta. The Calgary Synod faces some substantive issues: the Framework Hypothesis and Paedocommunion, to mention a few. The potential that delegates may need to focus on the justification by faith controversy is also a possibility. In addition the synod has before it the recommendation to enter into the next step of ecumenicity, Ecclesiastical Fellowship, with the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) and the 54
JOURNAL recommendation to join the NAPARC. Should the latter happen the occasion to meet as delegates would bring about greater opportunity to discuss matters of joint interest. The United Reformed Churches are a small federation of almost 90 churches totaling about 20,000 members. Most of our churches seceded from the Christian Reformed Church during the 1990s. The Committee for Ecumenical Relations and Church Unity is our synod’s means of having dialogue with other churches of like precious faith. We regret that for the last few years very little communication has exchanged between our two churches, and it is our desire to dialogue with your interchurch committee. Perhaps this could be pursued after both synods have adjourned. Now may the God of peace who brought our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Your fellow servant in Christ, Rev. Richard Stienstra, Committee Secretary III. Recommendations 1. That Fraternal Delegates, Corresponding Delegates and Ecclesiastical Observers be welcomed and invited to address the Assembly for the allotted time period (see 32-15, p. 53) Adopted 2. That visiting ministers be introduced to the Assembly (BCO 13-13). Adopted 3. That the PCA enter into fraternal relations with L’Eglise Reformee du Quebec (ERQ), now that the ERQ has been received into NAPARC. Adopted 4. That the Interchurch Relations Committee, in response to the communication of the United Reformed Churches in North America, review the issue of entering into fraternal relations with the URC, pending the URC’s determination to seek membership in, and reception by the membership of NAPARC. Adopted 5. That the PCA adopt the NAPARC approved statement of the definition of organic union (Appendix G, III, 4 p. 385): “Organic union is defined as two or more NAPARC churches joining their diverse gifts, heritage and calling on the basis of scriptural 55
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