Officers’ Reports

Stated Clerk

• Modest growth was reported in the past year. Membership grew by about one percent, and there are 450 more members than there were nine years ago.

Boards

Education & Publication

• The board and staff highlighted web site development, including a new blog site on the mediatorial kingship of Christ, a dedicated site for RP Synod news, and sites in progress, including one devoted to J. G. Vos and one for RPCNA media.

Foreign Mission Board

• The RPCNA now has an established mission field in Africa with the commitment of Vince and Julie Ward and Heather Huizing to Sudan. Pastor Andrew Stringer and his family are also considering a call to Sudan.

• A missionary pastor is needed among the Kobe congregations in the Japan Presbytery.

• RP Missions is in its 10th year, with nearly 300 persons having participated in short-term missions through the program.

Geneva College

• The Board of Corporators reported to Synod, with Committee Chairman Paul Finley and President Kenneth A. Smith discussing progress in academics under the leadership of Vice President Ken Carson and others.

• Two recent faculty hired are Reformed Presbyterians, and the college would like to see a higher percentage of RP faculty in the future.

• The chapel program will again be mandatory for students. There was discussion on the worship style of chapel, but no motion was made.

Home Mission Board

• Reported the progress of its Resident in Training program, with three pastors who have completed their terms now involved in a church plant or congregation.

• There are seven active church planting efforts that are likely to need HMB assistance in the near future. There are more opportunities currently than church planters to fill them.

• A new web site has been launched, RPHomeMissions.org.

Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary

• A professor of New Testament is being sought for 2007.

• The board recently approved plans to offer a doctor of ministry degree.

Pension Board

• Recommended a small increase in the per-member contribution toward the denominational pension fund. The Finance Committee recommended that this be combined with the other annual assessment, which is for Synod travel and operations, and that the $30-per-member assessment be called “Synod’s Assessment.”

Standing Committees

Church Revitalization

• This committee has sponsored programs and provided funds in three presbyteries over the past several years, and will complete work among Pacific Coast Presbytery congregations next January.

Church History

• Announced a project to begin digitizing archives, and Synod approved an initial grant.

• A motion to research the possibility of a bicentennial celebration in Philadelphia in 2009 failed.

Youth Ministries

• The committee puts its focus on three major areas: the Theological Foundations for Youth program, an intensive three-week course at the RP Seminary; the International Youth Leadership Training Conference, a weekend event that encourages youth toward service in the RPCNA; and the Youth Leadership Training Seminar. The first two were held this July, the last will be held in the Great Lakes–Gulf Presbytery next spring or summer.

Finance

• Gave thanks for God’s provision through good congregational giving to Reformed Presbyterian Mission & Ministry (RPM&M) in 2006. Also, there were some gracious bequests to the denomination from RPs in 2006.

Graduate Study

• Recent grants have been assisting Prof. C. J. Williams with the completion of his doctorate.

Interchurch

• Synod approved a recommendation seeking to bring delegates from all Reformed Presbyterian denominations together to see how cooperative ties might be strengthened.

• Pastor Andrew Quigley of Airdrie, Scotland, RPC addressed the Synod, as did RP missionary-pastor William Sterrett of the Trinity Christian Community Fellowship in Cyprus.

• Synod ratified membership of the Free Reformed Churches into the North American Presbyterian & Reformed Council (NAPARC), of which the RPCNA is a member denomination. Also ratified a NAPARC statement that women are not to be conscripted into or employed in combat roles in the military.

Understanding the Times

• After much discussion and objections about the political positions and commentary in this report, a motion to receive this year’s report, rather than to passed. A motion to permanently eliminate the committee failed.

Organizations and Representatives

RP Woman’s Association

• Reported joy at the groundbreaking of the Upper Rooms project for senior independent living adjacent to the Home.

• Executive Director Faith Martin is visiting congregations to talk about the ministries of the association.

Reformation Translation Fellowship

• Has published 250,000 volumes of theological works for China in the past three years. These books are given primarily to church leaders who can then train their members.

Unfinished Business

Psalter Revision Committee

• The committee has completed a first draft of the new psalter and now will revisit some of the work it did early in the process. Hopes to submit a finalized edition of the psalter at Synod 2007.

• There was a long discussion by Synod addressing the tunes to be used and “singability,” but the recommendation to “continue its work ‘to prepare and publish the next Book of Psalms for Singing’” was approved with little discussion.

Committee to Revise The Directory for Worship

• Having just worked for one year, the committee brought a draft for input rather than a proposal for approval. The committee report listed 11 directives that it had agreed upon to guide its work.

• Discussion time was extended twice due to the number of people seeking to give input, and to the lengthiness of their comments. There was discussion and debate over both the directives and the draft itself.

• No further action was taken. The committee will continue its work.

Presbyteries

Alleghenies

• Titus Martin passed his exams and will be ordained and installed as associate pastor at College Hill (Beaver Falls, Pa.) RPC.

• There were two well-attended youth conferences and there are eight theological students under care of presbytery.

• One pastor has been suspended.

Atlantic

• There has been a 50 percent increase in the number of deacons in the past year.

• Two church plants are under the oversight of the Cambridge, Mass., RPC.

Great Lakes–Gulf • Michael LeFebvre accepted the call of the Second Indianapolis RPC to serve as the pioneer pastor in the work on the west side of the city (Avon), which was organized into a mission church at the spring meeting of the presbytery.

• Will begin exploratory work in Atlanta, Ga.

Japan

• Asked for prayer for pastors who are also teaching at Kobe Theological Hall (KTH).

• KTH has 14 students.

• Missionary Patricia Boyle is teaching English at a local university and is academic dean of KTH, in addition to other work in the congregations.

• Some pastors and their families are facing health problems.

Midwest

• The presbytery oversees four annual Covenanter Youth retreats, three annual family camps, and currently has five theological students under care.

• Stan Copeland has accepted a call to Minneola, Kan., RPC, leaving one vacant congregation among the 17.

Pacific Coast

• Three mission teams visited the presbytery.

• This presbytery is the current focus of Synod’s Revitalization Committee.

St. Lawrence Presbytery

• Recently received a new theological student under care.

• Announced plans to organize the Russell, Ont., mission work as a congregation in October. Messiah’s Church in Syracuse, N.Y., was organized as a congregation last October.

Communications

• Communication 2006-01: Regarding a request for financial aid to purchase a building by the Hudson-St. Lazare, Quebec, RPC. After a Synod committee reviewed the request, the matter was referred back to presbytery.

• Communication 2006-02: Regarding a committee of the Midwest Presbytery asking Synod’s counsel about the recent reordination of a teaching elder. It was referred back to the Midwest Presbytery.

• Communication 2006-03: Regarding the contents of the communion cup. It was referred back to the Midwest Presbytery as having been answered by the 2002 Synod.

• Communication 2006-04: From the Hebron, Kan., RPC requesting ruling on a judicial action taken by Midwest Presbytery on a longstanding case. A special judicial committee was formed that made a final judgment on the case.

• Communication 2006-05: From the St. Lawrence Presbytery requesting a ruling on what constitutes a true church. This was declared to have been answered by the 1977 Synod.

• Communication 2006-06: Regarding the level of openness of session meetings, as a “complaint” of a Great Lakes–Gulf Presbytery decision. The judicial committee ruled that the session’s conduct of its meetings was in conformity with Scripture and RPCNA confessional standards.

• Communication 2006-07: An appeal of a decision of Great Lakes–Gulf Presbytery on an interpretation of the Covenant of Church Membership. Referred to the judicial committee, which stated that “the Synod has already engaged in extensive studies to determine the basis for church membership vows” and “the committee denies that the present membership vows go beyond the requirement of Scripture.”

Devotional Messages

• In the retiring moderator’s sermon of Synod’s opening worship service, Jonathan Watt sought to encourage pastors and elders by focusing on Hebrews 6:10, “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” He pointed out that “at times in Synod, issues can dwarf servants,” and so he asked people to be careful to look at the servant, and to look at the congregation he is representing.

• Pastor Robert Hemphill (Westminster, Colo., RPC) began the day Tuesday with a devotional about loving God and loving one’s neighbor, based on the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37.

• On Wednesday, Pastor Jon Maginn (Phoenix, Ariz., RPC) spoke on Acts 8 and emphasized that one ministry of mercy is to share the precious truths of the doctrines of grace with people outside the Reformed Presbyterian community and thereby bringing light to entire families.

• Rev. Frank van Dalen, executive director of World Witness for the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP), delivered the Thursday devotional message on a biblical view of miraculous healing.

• Pastor Barry York (Sycamore [Kokomo, Ind.] RPC) gave the devotional on Friday morning on Isaiah 58, pointing out that the ministry of mercy is a battle. He impressed the importance of this ministry within the congregations and individually.

Tradition

A long tradition is the electing of Synod’s moderator. Pastor Bruce Hemphill nominated Rev. James C. Pennington, recently retired missionary-pastor, who was elected by unanimous voice vote.

Rev. Pennington grew up in Beaver Falls, Pa., and graduated from Geneva College in 1957. He attended the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary and graduated in 1960.

Rev. Pennington has served five North American congregations over his career: Morning Sun, Iowa, RPC (1960-1963); San Diego, Calif., RPC (1967-1968); Winchester, Kan., RPC (stated supply, 1972-1975); Greeley, Colo., RPC (1979-1986); and Allegheny (Pittsburgh, Pa.) RPC (1993-1999).

After training for missionary service in Japan in 1963, Rev. Pennington served as a missionary-pastor in Kobe, Japan, from 1964-1966. He also spent time there from 1968-1971 and again as missionary pastor to Kasumigaoka from 1975-1978. This is also the post where he most recently served from 1999–2005.

During his career, Rev. Pennington has also served as director of publication and youth ministries, served on the Far East Commission, Pension Board, and Foreign Mission Board. He also served for several years as professor of missions at the RP Seminary and as professor of practical theology at Kobe Theological Hall.