Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1995 - Rparchives.org

REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 57item, Chaplains Kelly Moore and Jonathan Leach were recognized andgiven an ovation by the members of Synod. Item 2 and 3 wereadopted. Item 4 was referred to the Nominating Committee. Item 5was referred to the Committee on Finance. The report as a wholewas approved and is as follows:REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVESTO THE PRESBYTERIAN AND REFORMED JOINT COMMISSIONON CHAPLAINS AND MILITARY PERSONNELWe praise God for His blessing on the lives and ministry of ourmissionaries to the uniformed services this year, and for His guidance insecuring a new Executive Director to coordinate the Commission's ministry tothe chaplains. Our Reformed Presbyterian chaplains continue to benefit fromour membership in the Joint Commission and our affiliation with the NAECommission on Chaplains.CHAPLAINSOur roster of chaplains has declined this year, with two active dutychaplains (Copeland and Moore), one National Guard (Leach) and oneReserve (Pihl). Stan Copeland is completing a period of graduate study inMarriage and Family Life Counseling at Kansas State University, and will bestationed at Fort Leavenworth, KS as Family Life Chaplain. Kelly Moore hascompleted his tour of duty at Fort Drum, NY and this summer will betransferred to the Southern Command, in Panama, for his next assignment.CH Joe Paul was at his request transferred to the Presbyterian Church inAmerica. He has completed his training for hospital chaplaincy and willreport at the end of July to the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego. As ofthe end of 1994, the chaplain forces endorsed by the Joint Commission forfour denominations include sixty-seven on Active Duty and sixty-nine in theNational Guard and Reserves, plus fifty-one in other categories (Civil AirPatrol, hospitals, police, prison, etc.), for a total of 187 chaplains.NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTORAfter a search of several years' duration, the Lord has provided a newExecutive Director to succeed Bill Leonard. CH (COL) David Peterson of thePCA has recently retired from Active Duty, and is well known and widelyrespected not only in the Chaplain corps but in US military circles generally.Beginning July 1, 1995, COL Peterson will become the Executive Director ofthe Joint Commission and Coordinator of Chaplain Ministries for thePresbyterian Church in America. To aid in the transition, Bill Leonard willcontinue as Associate Executive Director until December 31, 1996.The costs of carrying out the work of the Commission will increasesignificantly, as we have cautioned for several years. The annual expenses willgo from about $43,000 to $110,000. At this point, the Commission doesnot plan to increase the dues paid by the member denominations or theassessment paid by each chaplain, but will rely on voluntary contributionsfrom all available sources. The Director of Development for the PCA's