Friends,
I wanted to give you an update on how Montclair Presbyterian Church is engaging in the life of our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA). In December and in January our church, through an action of the session, sent two overtures to the General Assembly petitioning the Presbyterian Church to call upon Presbyterians to listen to the better angels of our denomination when voting in the 2020 election. Those two overtures can be found by following these links:
The Presbyterian tradition is one that seeks to be “Reformed and always reforming”: “Reformed” which means we are part of the Calvinist tradition, and “always reforming” which means we understand ours to be living tradition that changes with time and as the Spirit leads us. As part of the ongoing reformation of the church, congregations like ours are invited to propose changes to our denomination’s policies and practices. The formal process for these proposals involves overtures to the general assembly.
Overtures start in congregations like ours. From the congregation they are sent to the Presbytery and, if the Presbytery approves them, they are sent to the biannual General Assembly. In order to be considered at the General Assembly each overture must be affirmed by at least two presbyteries, so there is as yet no guarantee that our overtures will be considered nationally, but we have started the process. The Presbytery of San Francisco will consider our overtures on February 11.
Please pray with the Presbytery and for the Presbytery as it considers the overtures. My hope is that these overtures will spark important conversations about what it means to practice a just faith in these difficult times.
God’s Peace,
Ben
P.S. Click here to read about Ben’s time at a Trappist Monastery last week: https://www.facebook.com/revbennyd