RP History Mystery Solved!

When was your presbytery founded? For many Presbyterians the answer is easily accessible since many of the conservative Presbyterian bodies were not founded until the 1930s or 1980s. For the Reformed Presbyterian, things are generally less new.

At the beginning of 2010 I inherited the coveted "Clerk of Presbytery" position, and have been researching our history ever since. Last week I finally stumbled upon the jewel that I was looking for: "When did our Presbytery begin?" You see our records only go back to 1930, and I was unable to locate our older Minutes (they have since been located at RP Archives on Penn Avenue). I knew we were older than 1930!

Last week I found this in a dusty copy of the Minutes of Synod from 1911:

"Paper number (3) is a petition of the session of the Seattle congregation for the organization of a new Presbytery consisting of the congregations and mission stations on the Pacific Coast. We recommend that such a presbytery be organized and that it be call- ed the Presbytery of the Pacific Coast, that the boundary between it and the Colorado Presbytery be the Colorado River, the Wahsatch mountains and the Rocky mountains to the borders of the British possessions, thence east along that border to the western border of Ontario taking in all the British possessions west of Ontario; all the country in the United States and Canada lying to the west to be under the jurisdiction of this Presbytery; that the ministers and elders present here included in these bounds be directed to meet in this place before the final adjournment of this Court and to organize said presbytery and that PJ McDonald act as moderator and constitute that court."

That was the key to the RP History Mystery. I promptly began my search for Paper (3) from the 1911 Synod- and found it! I also was able to find the exact date of our organization of a Presbytery. The Pacific Coast Presbytery met for the first time on June 6, 1911. Amazing.

Below you will see a scan of Paper (3) from 1911. The back of the request reads: "Transferred to Synod by Colorado Presbytery, May 31, 1911." Under that it reads: "June 3: Transferred to committee on Discipline."

Enjoy!

Why Do YOU Serve?

This week I received a little booklet in the mail. There is no publication date, but my guess is early 1920s. The tile of the booklet is "Why I Am Glad To Be A Covenanter Minister" by "Fourteen Successful Ministers". It was sent to me by a dear friend in the Sunflower State.

As I read through the accounts of the ministers, I reflected on my own purposes for being a "Covenanter Minister". I believe that Dr. Coleman has summed up my own thoughts:

I am glad to be a Covenanter Minister because I believe with all my heart in the principles of the Covenanter Church. I am glad to serve the Covenanter Church because I love it, and despite its faults and failings, believe it to be nearer to what the Lord wants than any other. I am glad to preach a Calvinistic creed which is thoroughly evangelistic, which believes in the Bible, in the atonement that satisfies divine justice and salvation by grace to everyone that believes. I am glad that Covenanter preaching insists on repentance, regeneration, and an exemplary life through the power of the indwelling Spirit. And I rejoice in preaching the universal kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring justice, love and peace in all the earth, a message that gives me a forward look on every problem that rises in human life.

So that's Rev. Dr. WJ Coleman's story as to why he was a Covenanter minister. What's your story? Why do you believe God has you where you are? As I reflect on my call to pastor in the RPCNA I am glad to say that I have a goodly heritage. Thanks be to God.

20/20 Vision and Open Pulpits

The RPCNA Home Mission Board has a goal to see 100 congregations by the year 2020. We are currently at 88 congregations and/or mission churches in North America. Please pray that the Lord would raise up 12 new church plants over the next 10 years.

Currently there are a few open pulpits in the RP Church. May the Lord also raise up men to labor in these areas of the country as well. (These are organized by presbytery.)

Open Pulpits in Organized Congregations

College Hill (Beaver Falls, PA) (Looking for a head pastor. They have an associate.)

Cambridge, MA

Westminster (Prairie View, IL) (They currently have stated supply.)

Hetherton, MI (They currently have stated supply.)

Orlando, FL

Second Indianapolis, IN (Looking for a head pastor. They have an associate.)

Mineola, KS

Washington, IA

Walton, NY (Will be open in June.)

Rochester, NY

Owego, NY (They currently have stated supply.)

Open Pulpits in Church Plants

Aurora, OH

Terre Haute, IN

Lafayette, IN (Looking for a resident in training.)

Saint Louis, MO

Christian Heritage (Endicott, NY) (Looking for a resident in training.)

Berkshire, MA (Currently have stated supply.)

Hutchinson, KS

Manhattan, KS

Bryan, TX (In the exploratory phase.)

Two Daughter Churches That May Be On the Horizon

Colorado Springs, CO

Shawnee, KS

Please pray for these pulpits, plants, and possibilities. Also consider where God may be calling your congregation to begin a church plant. May the Lord Jesus build up his Church.

Christian Hipsters and the Los Angeles RP Church

The Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church is not known for being a city of refuge for Christian Hipsters. But it doesn't have to be that way. Hipsters are more than welcome to join with us. Los Angeles as a city is becoming a haven for Christian Hipsters and the church's neighborhood, in particular, is moving in that direction as well.

What is a Christian Hipster you may be thinking? Well, one author summarizes Christian Hipster as, "Christian hipsters love breaking the taboos that used to be taboo for Christians. They love piercings, dressing a little goth, getting lots of tattoos (the Christian Tattoo Association now lists more than 100 member shops), carrying flasks and smoking cloves. A lot of them love skateboarding and surfing, and many of them play in bands. They tend to get jobs working for churches, parachurch organizations, non-profits, or the government. They are, on the whole, a little more sincere and idealistic than their secular hipster counterparts." (Source)

The Christian Hipster, of course, may fall anywhere on the theological spectrum of Christianity. The trend that the Church has seen in the past 5 years though, is there are two camps for Christian Hipsters: emergent theology types (read: neo-neoliberals), and those within the Reformed Tradition (both baptistic and presbyterian).

So why do I think that the Los Angeles RP Church would be a good fit for Christian Hipsters? There are numerous reasons, including our artists, writers, independent bookstore owners, people in the film industry, and independent fashion-types. But the demographics are also in favor of the LA RPCNA becoming a church home for Christian Hipsters. I will give you two reasons:

1. A recent study of cities in the country that are becoming havens for Christian Hipsters has Los Angeles as the 6th best city for them (Portland was one, and Seattle was two).

2. Our neighborhood was recently featured in Los Angeles Magazine and they write, "The prospect of more square feet for your buck has driven hipsters and hipster babies to Eagle Rock, a sleepy hamlet of hilly streets and old homes that is sandwiched between Glendale and Pasadena... There's an air of independence here. (Los Angeles Magazine, April, 2010)"

So as Christian Hipsters choose LA to be a city where they can come and minister, and they choose Eagle Rock to be around other like minded people; remember the Los Angeles Church. We may not have what the large emergent churches have; but we do have what you all need: The Gospel of Jesus Christ and a Christian community in which you may grow and flourish.

Christian Hipsters Welcome!

Why Found a Seminary in the 1800s?

The Reformed Presbyterian Church (in America) was relatively small in the 1800s. (It was less than 1/3 of the size that it is today). There were only four established seminaries in the United States at the time RPTS's Constitution was written (in 1807). The country was young and the Church was getting accustomed to life in the United States- there was a lot going on!

So why would a small Presbyterian denomination see a need for training her pastors in a way other than one-on-one in a pastor-student mentorship? Why take on the financial, ecclesiastical, and time related responsibilities? Besides the obvious reasons of allowing those who excel in languages, biblical studies, systematics, and ethics each train in their area of expertise- there was also another reason. The RPCNA view of the end-times would come into play. Their eschatology required more men for the ministry:

"There was a belief that, because of the power of truth and reason, the denomination could have a genuine impact on society. Most important, perhaps, was the prevailing eschatology of Covenanters, which was Postmillennial- that is they believed that the 'thousand years' of peace and righteousness which precede the return of Jesus Christ was to be ushered in by the efforts of Christians. They also believed that the millennium was near... In this context, it is easy to understand why the church felt not only that a theological seminary could be supported, but also that it was bound to grow and have an influence far beyond the tiny denomination which gave it birth." (R.M. Copeland, Spare No Extertions)

Sermon Audio

The Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church has launched a Sermon Audio site. Sermons will be posted, Lord willing, soon after they have been preached. You can check it out here. You can also see a number of other RPCNA congregations here.

Reformed Presbyterian City Churches No Longer Part of Our Testimony

Today I was doing some research in the Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod. I was in the old dusty copies- early 1900s through 1940s. What struck me was the number of congregations that used to be in, what are called, 'strategic' cities. I began to be curious about what some of these buildings looked like and began using 'Google Street View' to see some of the old buildings and neighborhoods that used to be RP strongholds.

Sadly, the RP Church no longer has a witness in some of the most important cities across the United States and Canada. I will leave it to the seasoned church historians to give all of the reasons why some of the oldest RP congregations are no longer with us. From 'white flight' to changing priorities in the denomination- many reasons have left some of the oldest congregations behind (along with grand buildings and hurting neighborhoods).

It is my prayer that we can again have a voice in these cities and neighborhoods. When will we see a congregation in New York city again? We used to have a large number of them. When will we see congregations in Portland, OR, or San Fransisco, CA, or Detroit, MI, or Kansas City, MO, or Miami, FL, or even downtown Pittsburgh?

Of course, it is not just the RP Church, but conservative Reformed Churches across the board. Many have given up on the cities and urban areas of this nation and Canada. Our churches thrive in suburbs and country areas. It does not have to be that way only. We can, once again ,seek out the urban areas for the cause of Jesus Christ. Reformation does not have to be in suburbia and in the pastures only (although those places are important too). I would like to see the cause of Christ advanced in the cites of this country- in the cities that used to have much light coming from thriving Reformed and Presbyterian Churches.

Below are some of the old RP Churches that have been lost to the denomination. I noticed that one is now Antioch-Baptist, one is African Methodist Episcopal Zion, and some are boarded up or torn down. These are just a few of the many former RP congregations.

Enjoy the tour, via Google Streetview:


First Boston RP Church
Warren Ave. and Brookline Street

Chicago RP Church
66th Place and South Normal Ave.

Kansas City RP Church
44th Street and Wyoming Street

Second New York City RP Church
308 West 122nd Street

Third New York City RP Church
1932 Walton Ave. Bronx

First Philadelphia RP Church
40th Street and Sanson Street

Third Philadelphia RP Church
Franklin Street and Dauphin Street

Portland, OR, RP Church
5935 North Minnesota Ave.

Toronto RP Church
754 Samman Ave.

Why Doesn't (Y)our Church Grow?

Have you ever asked the question, 'why doesn't my church grow?' I think that the experience in many Reformed churches is to find ourselves asking this question.

Have we thought that maybe we are not growing is because we are not really seeking God's Kingdom? Maybe we are too busy building our own wealth, worried too much about our 401K (or 403B in my case), our home, our seeking to entertain ourselves, our worrying more about our own families and lives than His Kingdom?

Well, someone says, Doesn't God call us to provide for our families, build wealth, rest, and take care of our spheres? Yes. We cannot deny that God calls us to these things- but they are ALL secondary to His Kingdom.

Why doesn't the Church grow? Here Pastor Quigley shows us from the book of Haggai, that the problem for many congregations is mixed loyalties. We are to seek His Kingdom FIRST! Many congregations go from Sabbath Day to Sabbath Day with no vision, no purpose for existing other than to exist. Pastor Quigley challenges the church to ask this question, "Do you YEARN for God to build His Kingdom in this place?"

Surrendering to the Spirit

There is something awful in the thought of being absolutely surrendered to the Spirit, to be led by him through fire and water, to be lifted up to heaven and cast down again, to be brought into fiercest conflicts and under overwhelming obligations. Few have the courage to surrender to the Spirit in the unreserved consecration of their lives to Jesus.

Stephen surrendered himself, and was led into contention for the truth and to death by stoning. Peter surrendered himself, and was led against the desperate thousands of his Lord's crucifiers, to preach the plain, piercing, terrible truth of their guilt, and proclaim the offer of pardon. Paul surrendered, and he was led into weariness and painfulness, into perils and prisons, into watchings, hunger, thirst, fastings, cold and nakedness. Martin Luther surrendered to the Spirit, and was led into work and warfare that shook his soul with dread, and Europe with battles. Richard Cameron surrendered, and he became a trumpet of the Lord, whose blasts defied the powers of darkness that stained Aird's Moss with his blood. John Howard surrendered, and he was led over the world for the relief of earth's prisoners, and when urged to abandon his work in Egypt, which was then devastated with a plague, replied : "The way to heaven is as near from Cairo as from London." Count Zinzendorf, the Moravian missionary, surrendered himself, and was filled with the Spirit of Christ, till he could say, " I have but one passion, and that is He, only He."

In the face of consequences, who has courage to surrender to the Holy Ghost, in tbe effectual prayer that will give him unlimited and everlasting control over the whole person! However, with all the sacrifices included, the absolute surrender to the Spirit is but the beginning of happiness. Then the soul begins to discover the end of its being, finds its place in the heart of God, realizes its power in Christ, places a right estimate on the invisible world, and moves in the orbit of duty swayed as little by the allurements of earth, as the earth is swayed by the shooting stars. Imperfections' and vexations still exist, but spiritual life and power are mightily in excess.

From a sermon titled, 'The Gift of Spiritual Power and Its Use' by Rev. J. C. McFeeters, Moderator of the Synod of the RP Church. Preached on June 6, 1895.

Book Review: Young, Restless, and Reformed

Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists, Collin Hansen (Crossway, 2008)

Reviewed by Pastor Charles A. Brown

Book review reprinted with permission from C.A. Brown. Originally appeared in the September 2008 RP Witness.



"'Once you start seeing Reformed theology in Scripture, you realize it's all over the place,' he said. 'It's like there's a big revolution in your mind. Stuff that didn't make sense before starts to make sense. It's been an incredible journey, and it's increased my passion for God.'"

This anecdote from the book's epilogue could easily describe my own personal experience with Calvinism. From the conversations I've had with many newer members of the RPCNA, these sentiments would be shared by most of them as well. In recent decades, the evangelical world has witnessed a mini-Reformation, dramatically impacting the hearts of countless men and women. Collin Hansen, an editor for Christianity Today, has recorded dozens of such stories in this little volume about the lives which have been recently and radically changed by Reformed theology.

Surprisingly, though, for a book about "the New Calvinists", very few Presbyterians are mentioned in its pages. Nearly all of the stories come from Baptist and nondenominational folk who have embraced predestination and God's sovereignty in salvation. This fact may help to explain why these young Calvinists are "restless". They are only partial Calvinists, who need to keep reforming. Perhaps they have not yet read what the Genevan Reformer taught concerning the church and the sacraments.

We should keep a watchful eye on this semi-Calvinism, to see where it leads. Youth and restlessness will not last forever. Where will these people settle when they are old? Will they be Reformed or not? Here is an opportunity for the RP Church. An energetic audience waits to hear the doctrines of grace. But will we be ready to help these hungry souls feast on a complete diet of Calvinism?

The Scottish Invasion of West Michigan

This past Lord's Day I had the privilege of preaching at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church. While I was away from my home congregation, some good things occurred: a couple from our congregation got married (congratulations to Aaron and Meg), Dr. David Murray of the Free Church of Scotland (continuing) filled our pulpit, and we had Rev. Bert Pohl, also from the FCS(c) visiting our congregation (might I add that Bert was the loudest typer while we were in seminary together- he could POUND those keys!). Why do all the good things happen while I am away?

Here are some links that address the above paragraph:

• Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church
• Dr. David Murray sermon at First Reformed Presbyterian Church
• Free Church (continuing)
• Rev. Pohl's blog
  

Also, the newest congregation of the Free Church is right here in Canton, Michigan! Check out their site here.

Parson Brown On Weekly Communion: TAKE TWO!

Here is a follow-up post from Pastor Brown on weekly communion.

Weekly Communion?

Parson Brown throws his hat into the weekly communion discussion.

Lectures From the International Conference

Here are the lectures from the RP Conference held last month in Grand Rapids. For the record, there were 1617 in attendance and 95 who registered but did not show up.

If you can only listen to four of them, listen to: Denny Prutow, CJ William, Anthony Selvaggio, and Rick Gamble. (I was not there to hear Dr. O'Neill, so I cannot speak to his lecture... I will listen to it later.)

They say that recordings of the psalm singing will be up soon. Check back frequently.

Reformed Presbyterians Sing!

Anyone who has spent time around the RP Church knows that singing of Psalms is something that is loved. I wanted to capture one of the songs from the International Conference to show how the singing is really a 'foretaste of heaven', as so many say. Enjoy 1600 RPs praising God!

Reformed Presbyterian International Conference

This week my family and I are at the RP International along with 1600 other Reformed Presbyterians from around the globe. There are people there from the US, Canada, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, England, Cyprus, Japan, the Sudan, and others.


The singing is phenomenal and should be experienced if you are in the Grand Rapids area. It is actually overwhelmingly beautiful. I hope to get a video of it up tomorrow.

Today Dr. Dennis Prutow preached from Colossians 3.16 on how to meet Christ by 'letting His Words dwell in you richly'. The two main points (or moves as he would say) were by heeding the preaching (teaching and admonishing) and the singing of Psalms. Heeding includes hearing and making it change your life. It was a great sermon!


The children also have classes to attend which focus on the same topic. (There are over 150 preschoolers present!)

There are also 'break away sessions' which are attended later in the morning. I went to one on preaching (by Dr. Prutow as well) and Lydia, my wife, went to one on 'keeping our youth', which was led by Pastor Andy McCracken. Some of the others from our congregation attended sessions on 'dealing with conflict in the church' and 'the mercy ministries of Jesus'. Everyone had good feedback on what has been taught thus far.

What an opportunity to meet with like-minded Christians for fellowship, encouragement, and Christ honoring teaching!

To God Alone Be Glory

How many seminaries that were around 200 years ago are still faithful to the Scriptures? How many are still Reformational, Bible teaching seminaries? How many believe that the Scriptures are the inspired, inerrant Word of God?

I can only think of one. (Correct me if I am wrong.)

This past week, To God Alone Be Glory was released in honor of 200 years of God's faithfulness to the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I got my copy at Synod and it is a wonderful book. It is filled with stories of those who have attended the seminary, as well as many pictures and facts from the seminary's past.

Here are the chapter titles and contributors:
1. "Two Centuries of Sola Scriptura," Robert M. Copeland

2. "The Blessing of Balance," Paul E. Faris

3. "From Syria to Pittsburgh," Bassam M. Madany

4. "From the Old Building to the New: An Analogy," Kenneth G. Smith

5. "The Turtle on the Fencepost," Robert H. McFarland

6. "Friendships," Donald W. Piper

7. "A Caring Family," Walter W. Swartz

8. "The Blessing of Intimacy," Brian E. Coombs

9. "Three Hananiahs," Richard B. Holdeman

10. "A Faithful Family," Andrew R. Cooper

11. "An Unanticipated Blessing," Sung Kug (Ulysses) Jung

12. "Continuity in a Period of Transition," Rutledge E. Etheridge, III

13. "The Women Who Stood," Maryln C. Black

14. "Stories from a Seminary Wife," JoAnn Smith

15. "A Faculty Member's Testimony," Wayne R. Spear

16. "The Seminary's Best Kept Secret," Thomas G. Reid, Jr.

17. "Looking to the Future," Jerry F. O'Neill

It really is amazing that the Lord has been faithful to the RPCNA and her institutions for over 200 years. To God alone be glory!

177th RPCNA Synod Blog

Here is the blog for Synod. I know that it is late in the week, but I do not want to give over $20 to Geneva College for wi-fi.

I am on break and it is going well. Many have asked about my exams, so: In the Lord's goodness and providence, I was unanimously sustained for both exams.

Praise be to His Holy name!

Some Prayer Requests

There are a number of prayer requests concerning the Reformed Presbyterian Church that you can pray about:

• We have Synod approaching in two weeks. Please pray that the Lord would be glorified by the decisions of the Church Courts.
  
• The Great Lakes/Gulf Presbytery has a few men who will be examined at Synod. I will have a theological exam as well as a preaching exam.
  
• There are 13 pulpits open or coming open. Please pray that the Lord would raise up the men that He would have to fill these.
  
• The mission to Nantes, France is coming up soon. Ask the Lord to prepare the hearts of those who will be attending (First Church's own, Loretta Lanning, is among the laborers).
  
• Westminster RP in Chicago, IL had a congregational fast on June 7th. Please pray that God would give them clarity and insight into the issue(s) for which they fasted.
  
• Please pray for those men who are looking for a pastoral position. I think of A.K. and B.E. especially.
  
• Ask that the Lord would prosper the church planting activity in the nation. I think especially of the Berkshire RP mission in Massachusetts as well as North Atlanta RP in Alpharetta, Georgia. Both of these communities have great need for the Reformed religion and are ripe for the Lord's harvest.
  

Thanks for your prayers for denomination. If your denomination has special needs at this time, please post them in the comments section and we will pray that God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

New Blog: Huguenot in Cambridge

Rev. Dr. Christian Adjemian has started a new blog here. It looks as though he will do a number of book reviews and I am sure that he will have much to say about how to make a conservative Reformed church 'work' in Boston, Massachusetts!

I look forward to reading his reflections on Christianity and maybe a few thoughts on what it is like being a French pastor in a Scottish church in the United States.

Here is the congregation that Dr. Adjemian serves.