Session

Amendment 10A Passed: A letter from your Session, May 17, 2011

Amendment 10A, which removes the sexual fidelity requirements of the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s ordination standard found in G-6.0106b in the Book of Order, has been approved and will become effective on July 10, 2011. Since it is an amendment to the Book of Order, the steps to its approval were, first, approval by the General Assembly in 2010 and then by a majority (>87) of the presbyteries in the nation, which happened May 10th.

For the past 30 years, the debate on ordination has centered on the issue of human sexuality and in particular, the ordination of non-celibate gay and lesbian people. Now the ordination standard changes from:
“Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament”

to:

“Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life. The governing body responsible for  ordination and/or installation shall determine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall   include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation. Governing bodies shall be guided by scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”

Tampa Bay Presbytery, the presbytery to which we belong, voted in February 2011 to retain the “Fidelity/Chastity” wording as the standard. Your Session (elders) at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, and every past session at Pasadena, supported retaining the original “Fidelity/Chastity” wording. However, this year more presbyteries switched their vote; and so, after 33 years, the ordination standard will change in our denomination.

Your Session strongly disagrees with this decision and direction.  We are praying about what the Lord would have us do at Pasadena PC. Please understand that our congregation will still maintain our beliefs and standards as a Confessing Church, and we will continue to elect officers for our congregation in accord with our Biblical beliefs. 

We should remember that there are many PCUSA congregations and presbyteries which do not agree with changing this ordination standard. When Elijah, the prophet, in the Old Testament, bemoaned that only he was left standing for the truth, God         reminded him that there were still 7,000 others who had remained faithful. He was commissioned by God to get on with his work and ministry for the Lord and not wallow in discouragement. That’s good for us to remember.

Let us continue to work together to make and mature disciples for Christ, and seek to be inwardly strong and outwardly focused and fruitful. We refuse to allow the vote on the ordination standards to sidetrack us from our primary mission of  proclaiming Jesus Christ and His Gospel to the world.

We encourage you to pray for our Session, staff, presbytery, and denomination. This is a time for us all to pray for repentance for our own unfaithfulness and make wise assessments of the options we have for ministry with integrity. Let us never forget that Jesus Christ is Lord and Head of the Church. We are fallible human beings, but God is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-gracious, and our Sovereign King.

Your elders and deacons need to hear your thoughts and concerns. 

We are committed to continue our work together for God’s glory.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Gal 6:9)

Yours in Christ,
The Session of Pasadena Presbyterian Church

NOTE:  Letters from the Presbytery of Tampa Bay and the General Assembly regarding the 10-A vote and its impact are available upon request from our church office, or on-line at their respective web sites.

Session Digest

December 2011

The Session met for its Stated meeting on December 20, 2011 at 7 p.m. The meeting was opened with prayer and a devotion from Romans 15:8, 9, 13. The following items were acted on/and or discussed.

1. The budget for 2012 was approved.
2. January New Life Groups will start on January 8, 2012.
3. The November Financial Report showed that as of November 30, 2011, the church was $4,980.20 in the red.
3. The date of the Missions Conference was approved to be March 25, 2012. A combined worship service will be held after Sunday school, and each ministry we support will be given an opportunity to speak in Sunday school and the worship service. A lunch will be held in the Fellowship Hall after the worship service.
4. A baptism service for Arianna Bolden (Odom's granddaughter) on January 22, 2012 during the 9 a.m. worship service was approved.
5. Elder Sandy Moore was moved to the Discipleship Committee and Elder Larry Oline was appointed Chairman of the Evangemissions Committee.
6. An Annual Corporate meeting was held during which Elder Pat Watts was elected as President of the Pasadena Presbyterian Corporation, and Elder Kathie Schellhaas was elected as the Vice President. The church has complied with the State Non-Profit Corporate filing requirements. Necessary Corporate documents are maintained in the safety deposit box.

The meeting was closed with a season of prayer at 9:20 p.m.
Larry Oline, Clerk

Back to Newsletter