August 2013 New Horizons

Reflections on Our 80th General Assembly

by Brenton C. Ferry

The 80th General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church met this year, June 5–11, at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California. The weather was beautiful: warm in the day and cool at night. Turkey, deer, and even some cows roamed around the campus all week. We were all gobbling and grazing together. Things got off to an iffy start, because a train carrying the assembly’s voting equipment was in a wreck. Then, when the equipment arrived, the system failed. One man got locked out of his room in a funny way. Someone tried to call the question. We sang from an overhead projector instead of hymnals this time. Someone got the Jack-in-the-Box award. A brother from Japan told the assembly, “I feel like a child who sees his favorite cartoon characters come to life!” Those are some of the lighter things I’ll remember about the assembly this year. The most memorable part of GA was being around so many spiritually gifted men. The Holy Spirit’s fruit and gifts are very evident among the ... Read more

Lessons from the Mission Field

by Philip T. Proctor

Two years ago, our family left Uganda and returned to the United States. I transitioned from an intensely cross-cultural ministry to a suburban pastorate. My wife, Meredith, transitioned from a stay-at-home mom, homeschooler, and bed-and-breakfast operator to a working mom trying to juggle a new set of challenges. Our four children transitioned from a wild freedom—motorcycle taxis into town to hang out with best friends with four different hues of skin and languages—to the more tame, structured lifestyle of suburbia. I’ve thought a fair amount over the past couple of years about writing an article, detailing my thoughts about the lessons learned about life on the foreign-mission field—the similarities and differences, compared with life in America. How do you boil down a lifetime into a couple of pages? What is the essence , and how is it best communicated? Here’s my stab at it. Three people stand out as examples of the people to whom we ministered. One was a woman who had been ... Read more