Twelve years in the making, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) is poised this June to adopt a new Directory for Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

First, the document (item 14-04) will be thoroughly reviewed by the Assembly Committee on Theological Issues and Institutions before it goes to the full Assembly for adoption and then on to the church’s 172 presbyteries for ratification in the coming year.

Confirming the election and reelection of the presidents of the denomination’s loan program and publishing company are among the numerous items to be decided by Assembly Committee 13 during the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 222nd General Assembly, June 18-25 in Portland, Oregon.

The standing administrative committee for The Board of Pensions (BOP), Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program(PILP), Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) and the Presbyterian Foundation, will be called upon to confirm the election of James G. Rissler as president of the PILP to a four-year term. It will also be asked to confirm the reelection of Marc Lewis to a third, four-year term as president and publisher of PPC.

Among the business being considered by the Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations at the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meeting June 18-25, 2016 in Portland, Oregon, is the final adoption of the Confession of Belhar.

Proposed by National Capital Presbytery to the 220th General Assembly (2012), an overture for Belhar’s inclusion in The Book of Confessions was affirmed by the required two-thirds, or 116, of presbyteries following the 221st General Assembly (2014)— 144 affirmative, 25 negative and 2 no action. The committee is expected to recommend the General Assembly “approve[s] and enact[s] the Confession of Belhar, to be included in The Book of Confessions, starting with the 2016 printing.”

Thorny issues involved in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East will be among the topics under consideration when the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meets June 18–25 in Portland, Oregon.

The General Assembly Committee on Middle East Issues will review progress on the denomination’s divestment from three companies engaged in “non-peaceful pursuits” in Israel/ Palestine. Prompted by several presbytery overtures and a recommendation from the PC(USA)’s Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI), the 221st General Assembly (2014) voted to divest from Caterpillar, HewlettPackard and Motorola Solutions after a decade of unsuccessful attempts at corporate engagement with the companies.

The 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may not get started until today, but more than 140 Young Adult Advisory Delegates met Friday for a day of worship, reflection, inspiration, training and community building.

Coming from every presbytery in the PC(USA), YAADs prepared for their work in Portland over the next week, during which they have full voice and vote during committee deliberations, and voice during plenary sessions.

YAADs, who must be between 17 and 23 when the assembly convenes, “bring a unique perspective to the process and realize they have a lot of listening to do,” advisor Rebecca Chancellor said. “They want to learn and, in those moments when it feels right, to share their perspective and voice. They also realize they have a stake in the future in a way that a lot of the current commissioners don’t.”

Competing overtures—one seeking Presbyterian divestment from fossil fuel companies, the other placing that action on hold— will headline the work of the Immigration and Environmental Issues Committee during the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
The General Assembly runs June 18-25 in Portland, Oregon.

After a two-year period of denominational soul-searching, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is poised this June to consider dramatic changes to the ways the 1.66 million-member church conducts its ecclesial and mission work.

All the news fit to print on the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be available electronically as a newspaper this year for the very first time.

General Assembly News, the official assembly newspaper, will be online, making news accessible to readers both on site at the biennial meeting taking place in Portland, Oregon, and across the country and world.

At a time when several major Christian denominations are divided over LGBTQ inclusion, Susan Cottrell’s new book helps parents navigate the next steps after their child has come out. Offering advice and encouragement, “Mom, I’m Gay,” Revised and Expanded Edition: Loving Your LGBTQ Child and Strengthening Your Faith(Westminster John Knox Press)helps parents respond with love and kindness, rather than trying to change their child.

We join our heavy hearts with the great multitude of those who mourn the killing and maiming of so many of our brothers and sisters at the Pulse club in Orlando, Florida.

As people of the Reformed tradition, we are not naïve about the reality of evil in the world in which we live, or the capacity within us all to choose evil over good. Nor can we doubt the profound capacity to accomplish such evil deeds in a society overrun with weapons designed to kill. Even so, it is shocking when that evil is manifest in such a horrendous way.