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THE PRESBYTERY OF NEW JERSEY, at its 140th meeting, in Middletown, New Jersey, March 17,2012, unanimously determined respectfully to request
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY at its 40th meeting, in Louisville, Kentucky, June 19-22, 2012, to consider, approve and act upon the following
OVERTURE.
WHEREAS, the various parts of the Church, and of our denomination, are related, so “that its parts should have equal concern for each other” (1 Corinthians 12:25b), and WHEREAS, it “is the responsibility of every member and every member congregation to support the whole work of the denomination…” (BOCO 14-1.4), and WHEREAS, the “Bookstore” offers efficient and helpful service, produces and markets materials for our denomination, directs attention to Presbyterian and Reformed sources, regularly sells products at reasonable prices, often comparable to those of mass marketers, and WHEREAS, the “Bookstore” is not able to compete with advertising and marketing techniques of the mass marketers, THEREFORE, the General Assembly encourages the churches, members, committees, and agencies of our denomination to make all relevant purchases through the Presbyterian Church in America “Bookstore” and, as appropriate, to urge others to use its services. FURTHER, the General Assembly directs its Stated Clerk to forward this overture to the clerks of the various presbyteries, together with a request that they make it known among their presbyters and churches. Adopted by theNew Jersey Presbytery , on March 17, 2012. Attested by:
James A. Smith Stated Clerk of the New Jersey Presbytery |
2012 Women’s Wednesday Program for General Assembly – Tim Lane
Timothy S. Lane, M.Div., D. Min. Tim is Executive Director and faculty member at CCEF and has been counseling for more than 25 years. He has previous experience in both campus and pastoral ministry, including serving as a PCA pastor for ten years in Clemson, SC. He is the author of several mini-books (Conflict, Practicing Forgiveness: Joining Wisdom and Love, Family Feuds, Freedom from Guilt, and Temptation). He is also the co-author of How People Change and Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. In addition, he is the co-author of CCEF’s Transformation Series Curriculum: How People Change; and the newly released Change and Your Relationships-A Mess Worth Making Study Guide.
2012 CEP General Assembly Women’s Program:
The Gospel and Your Relationships
Every day our lives are filled with opportunities to experience the Gospel, and these often come through the relationships that fill our lives. How do we learn to walk with humility, gentleness, and love? What do we do when we experience conflict? How does God take the “ordinary” or even the painful moments of our relationships, and transform them into opportunities for growth and change? In this session we will explore these and other questions, and we will discover that Scripture speaks persuasively and practically about our relationships and the redemption that we can experience through them.
2012 Women’s Thursday Program for General Assembly – Chandra Oliver
Chandra Oliver is a member of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Edmond, OK. Her husband Matthew is a teaching elder serving as a Chaplain with the U.S. Army Reserve. Her passion is to teach others “covenant theology (which) is the heart and essence of biblical womanhood and thus central to women’s ministry.” Chandra has served as her local church’s WIC president, as PresWIC president for the North Texas Presbytery, and is currently the WASC representative for the West region.
Every day there are PCA Chaplains caring for the dying, ministering to the sick, praying with our military and their families, preaching Christ in warzones, looking for opportunity to show the love of God, and striving to shine the light of the Gospel into what can be very dark and trying circumstances. As these chaplains serve openly and publicly, there is a quiet and private side to this ministry experienced most intimately by a chaplain’s wife. The life of a military wife is one of great sorrow and great joy. Often a military wife is separated from her husband for many months at a time and may not have a local PCA church in which she and her children can worship and serve. And yet, there are great joys as she knows her support of her husband allows the Gospel to go forth in powerful and unique ways – touching the lives of our next generation and impacting the hearts of our leaders. Come and hear about this exceptional ministry of the PCA, the stories of our sisters, and how you can encourage our chaplains locally and throughout the world.
Prayers of the Bible: Equipping Women to Call on God in Truth
From the moment I began reading Susan Hunt’s newest book, Prayers of the Bible: Equipping Women to Call on God in Truth, I knew I was in for an adventure that would take me closer to my Holy God. From the Scriptural prayers chosen, to the topics they represent, to the quotes of honored authors, to the depth of Susan’s understanding of the whole Gospel, I have come to a greater knowledge of basic biblical principles and have learned how to communicate them with more clarity.
Susan Hunt’s books have always challenged me to grow deeper in my understanding of who I am as a woman of God. They can be read and reread with new freshness each reading. In this book, Susan has succinctly communicated with clarity the biblical principles she has been teaching for years and in doing so has created a book that teaches the core of these principles.
The leader’s study guide is easy to use with plenty of Scripture and a lesson plan and handout for each chapter making her book perfect for mentoring other women. There are 12 chapters in the book. But the joy of this book is entering the prayers of our Lord and his saints and grasping the privilege we have of coming with praise and scriptural requests before a gracious and loving Father who is also our Almighty God.
Reviewed by Sandy Currin
Women’s Advisory Sub-Committee
Forever: Why You Can’t Live Without It
Do you think about living forever? How many decisions did you make this week with this perspective in mind? I venture to say very few, if any, because either the here and now overwhelm us or we do not believe there is life after death; therefore, we don’t think about forever. The tyranny of the urgent has become our lifestyle. Seeking solutions to problems beyond our control, coping with a sudden crisis, or trying to maintain an ideal lifestyle has become a nightmare due largely to our mindset that life exists only for this present life. Therefore, we are driven to cram everything into our remaining years and we live without hope.
Our “earthly” world and life view truncates that for which we are wired: forever. We think only of this earthly span of our lives, and do not think, believe, live, or plan for our lives after death. Why? Because somewhere, “forever” faded from our philosophy of life, and we have become obsessed with what the author called a “destination mentality” instead of a “preparation mentality.” The “destination mentality” is that this present life is all there is and we have to do it all now. As Tripp points out, forever has been stolen and we struggle to live without this vital perspective.
Forever: Why You Can’t Live Without It brings us back to a “preparation mentality,” the reality of what forever means in God’s perspective. We were not created to live without it and doing so is like putting a puzzle together and always finding a piece missing so the puzzle can never be completed. Life without forever is not God’s plan. “He responds to us with eternity in view, and he will not quit until this time of preparation has given way to the final destination.” We were created to live forever and the present is preparatory for the future.
Forever is a book that impacts your approach to life, marriage, circumstances, etc., everything that touches your life in terms of eternity. It encourages the reader to examine expectations in relationships. It is a very practical book simply because of the way Tripp writes and how he brings the perspective of eternity into how we live day to day. Along with what was accomplished on the cross, Jesus gave us forever through grace. An empty tomb assures us that we will live with Jesus forever and Tripp reminds us, “…Jesus not only gave us a future, but he also restored our ability to live as we were designed, with eternity in view.”
Life is hard. As Christians we are called into battle fighting against the evil one attempting to derail us from living with forever in mind. Where is the joy we so desperately want? The author reminds us that deep-seated joy is foreverjoy, eternal joy; vertical joy; it does not evaporate in the face of hardship. “Eternity assures us that every dark thing will be defeated. Eternity celebrates the truth that God will win. Eternity shocks us with the certainty that death will someday die along with all of the pain and suffering that are attached to it. Eternity tells us that God will dry our last tears.”
If you are searching for help living in a broken world with broken people, this is a book you definitely should read. The author invites you “…to step off the treadmill of your busy life and consider what life looks like when viewed through the lens of forever.”
The Other Side of Christmas: We See a Wooden Manger, God Saw a Wooden Cross
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Downloadable resources for: The Other Side of Christmas: We See a Wooden Manger, God Saw a Wooden Cross |
| Leader’s Guide (PDF) |