Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1995 - Rparchives.org

54 MINUTES OF THE SYNOD OF THEThe roll was passed.The minutes of the previous session were read and approved.The Moderator read a portion of Samuel Miller's book on thesubject of giving careful thought before making speeches in churchcourts.The report of the Foreign Mission Board was taken up. Item 1was referred to the Nominating Committee. Item 2 was referred tothe Committee on Finance. Item 3 was referred to the NominatingCommittee. Item 4 was amended and adopted. Item 5 was adoptedand in keeping with this item, Bob Henning and Bruce Backenstoaddressed the court. The report as a whole was approved and is asfollows:FOREIGN MISSION BOARD"Thy Kingdom come!" In that petition we pray "that Satan's kingdommay be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced,ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the kingdom ofglory may be hastened." (SC. # 102) Thatis the conscious goal of ourForeign Mission program.In God's providence this year, a powerful Earthquake affected our workin Kobe, Japan, and has challenged the lives of everyone connected with ourmission there. We give thanks to God that the lives of our missionaries andof the pastors and members of the Japanese churches have been preserved.Many of our Japanese brethren suffered the loss of homes and materialpossessions, but their lives were spared, and they are in the process ofrebuilding. The Higashisuma manse required major repairs, as did themanse at Kasumigaoka. The Keiyaku church served as sanctuary to bothrefugees and workers, and has been the center of much service to those inneed. The Foreign Mission Board expresses great appreciation for theoutpouring of love and concern for our Japanese brethren in this crisis in thegenerous contributions to the Japan Relief Fund. Well over $15,000 wasreceived.The Covenanter Book Store was severely damaged and has beendemolished at government expense. Earnest study is now going on as towhether to rebuild on this site, and if so, what kind of buildingis feasible,and how it might be financed. The bookstore property is owned by theSynod, but decisions, quite obviously, must be reached in cooperation withthe Japanese Board of Directors of the Bookstore, and the JapaneseCommission's "Blue Print Committee", which has been appointed by theCommission to advise regarding the management and future of theBookstore. The distribution of books was halted for a time, and many bookswere damaged, but Shirley Wright, who found immediate sanctuary with theSterretts, is continuing to function now from an apartment across the streetfrom the Bookstore.