by Robert B. Needham
On Wednesday, June 4, 1997, at 8:00 p.m., the Sixty-fourth General Assembly (GA) of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) commenced with a worship service in the auditorium of "Old Main," the original building of Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. For your reporter it was a real privilege to participate in the glorious singing of such great, bold hymns as "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," and "Unto the Hills...." During the service, Lawrence Semel, pastor of Reformation OPC in Morgantown, West Virginia, preached from Philippians 3:1-21 on our present and future citizenship in heaven. Thursday, June 5 The first working session of GA convened at 8:00 a.m. with the singing of "The Church's One Foundation" and prayer. We began our work in earnest withwhat else?passing out papers. After that, the roll was called, and each commissioner was asked to stand when responding. That was helpful in identifying commissioners, especially for those of us who are visually challenged when ... Read more
by Ross W. Graham
The Presbyterian Church in America held its Twenty-fifth General Assembly in Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 9-13, 1997. Meeting in the sprawling facilities of Village Seven Presbyterian Church, more than 750 teaching elders and 350 ruling elders gathered to do the work of the church and to worship and fellowship together. Most of the commissioners brought their wives, and an ambitious women's program was also part of the annual event. More than half of the teaching and ruling elders in attendance gathered early on Monday (by the appointment of their presbyteries) to serve on committees of commissioners to review the work of the church's permanent committees and its administrative and judicial business. At Tuesday night's opening worship service, the 2,000-seat sanctuary was filled to overflowing, and seats were sometimes hard to come by in daily sessions of the assembly. On the first full day of business, Stated Clerk Paul Gilchrist reviewed the PCA's growth and current statistics. The PCA is now a ... Read more
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