Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1993

156 1993 MINUTES OF THE SYNOD OF THEClerk, Brace Martin; and Assistant Clerk, Jerry Milroy for their labors inleading the court of Synod. We appreciate the faithful work of LouisHutmire and Judy Linhart. We also appreciate WUlard McMillan and hissharing of the Word each moming.We thank the congregations here in Indiana for their hosting themembers of Synod on this past Lord's Day. We are thankful for the staffhere at Franklin College and their service to our needs.We are thankful for God's care for each one of us this week. We givethanks to God for being here with us at this meeting of Synod.Respectfully submitted,Mark EnglandRay JosephKarl MeekerRobert McFarland registered the following dissent to the action tochange Ordination Query #8:I respectfully express my dissent from the action of this Synod,lowering our position on the use of beverage alcohol from total abstinencefor our pastors and ruling elders. Before the Civil War, this denominationcame to the conviction that Negro slavery was wrong "unwise." They heldbefore the world a position of total abstinence of slavery (no slaves), notmoderation (few slaves). I pray that our Covenanter Church wiU continueto do no less with the use of alcoholic beverages. "Whatever you have seenin me, put into practice" (Phil. 4:9).Robert H. McFarlandDarrell Parnell, R. Bruce Parnell and Harold Faris registered thefollowing dissent to the action to change Ordination Query #8:As an expression of our love to all you brothers, but in order to indithe strength of our conviction and dissent from the action of Synodconcerning present Query #8, in all hunulity, following the example of theRechabites of old, and lest we forget what the law decrees in Proverbs 31,we stand before you as father and son to voluntarily renew our vow toabstain from alcoholic beverages and habit-forming narcotics and to soteach our families.Danell R. ParnellR. Bmce ParnellHarold Faris