A widening coalition of critics is urging the Obama administration to drop the practice of permitting religious groups to hire and fire based on a person’s faith when they receive federal money, saying Obama is reneging on a promise he made in 2008 to change that policy.

Whitworth University senior, Kirin Foster awarded Season of Service Supplemental Award for her video essay

Using a snappy, brief film designed to point out what the Rose City will offer commissioners to the 222^nd General Assembly (2016), the Committee on Local Arrangements from Presbytery of Cascades made the case for looking ahead during Saturday's final session of the 221^st General Assembly (2014).

Teaching Elder Beth Neel, co-chair of the group making advance arrangements for the General Assembly in Portland June 18-25, 2016, said leaders wanted to test market a proposed theme for the Portland assembly – “Up from the Grave He A-Rose.” Commissioners groaned at that pun, but seemed riveted by the film, …

Actions taken during the 221^st General Assembly (2014) will increase the denomination's per capita rate 5 cents per year for the next two years.

The amount rate per active member will rise from $7.02 to $7.07 for 2015 and $7.12 for 2016. Increases necessary for the remainder of 2014 will be funded by internal adjustments, and will not incur any additional per capita assessment for the current year.

The total budgets will be $12.4 million for 2015 and $12.3 million in 2016.

In other business, on the Assembly's final day, the General Assembly Procedures Committee thanked the Presbytery of …

Completing Friday's docket one minute before midnight, commissioners to the 221^st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) took on a handful of hot-button issues, including constitutionally requiring criminal background checks for teaching elders and how to deal with teaching elders who renounce the church’s jurisdiction.

On the first item, commissioners voted 475-92 to concur with the Church Polity and Ordered Ministry Committee’s recommendation to disapprove, with a comment urging presbyteries to require criminal background checks. However, many commissioners said they believed that under the new form of government such a requirement belongs in churches’ and presbyteries’ operating …

The bill is coming due from the actions at the 221^st General Assembly (2012), and commissioners found out Saturday just what it's going to be.

Ruling Elder Commissioner Linda Scholl of Presbytery of Mid-South, moderator of the Assembly Committee on Mission Coordination, reported to the Assembly that actions taken during the Assembly added $295,119 to the General Assembly mission budget for 2015 and $68,418 for the 2016 budget.

Therefore, the Assembly approved revised mission budgets for the two years of $73,671,744 and  $78,226,389 respectively.

The 2016 budget is higher because in that year the next Presbyterian Youth Triennium will …

With audible gasps from those in the plenary hall, the 221^st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday narrowly approved divestment from three United States companies doing business in Israel-Palestine.

By a vote of 310-303, the Assembly approved an overture calling for divestment from Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, companies some allege are engaged in “non-peaceful pursuits” in the region. A similar overture failed 333-331 at the 220^th Assembly (2012).

Although divestment was its most debated item, the overture also affirms the PC(USA)’s commitment to interfaith and ecumenical dialogue and relationships in the region, …

The group charged with advising the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on socially responsible investing will review how the church might leverage its holdings in fossil fuel companies to influence their environmental impact under a referral adopted Friday by the 221^st General Assembly (U.S.A.).

The Assembly voted 469-110 to refer a proposal from the Presbytery of Boston that would have ordered the church's Board of Pensions and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation to immediately stop such investment and liquidate any holdings within five years.

Instead, the Assembly opted to refer the proposal, with comment, to the Mission Responsibility Through Investment committee, "for …

From the moment the 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted by a seven-vote margin to divest from three United States companies doing business in Israel, denominational leaders and others began working to make sure it was placed in the proper context and not misunderstood.

“To our media friends in the room, please don’t report that this action is anything other than an expression of love for both our Jewish and Palestinian brothers and sisters,” Moderator Heath Rada told a hushed auditorium after the Assembly’s 310-303 vote to divest from Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, companies it concluded are pursuing non-peaceful pursuits in Israel-Palestine.

The 221st General Assembly (2014) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday declared its opposition to targeted killings by military drones unless due process is followed.

The Assembly also called on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would restrict use of drones.