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11Th General Assembly MEETING AT WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MAY 16-19,1944 4 Published by THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Minutes of the Eleventh General Assembly The Orthodox Presbyterian Church Minutes of the ’ ELEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY of THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Westminster Theological Seminary Chestnut Hill, <Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 16-19, 1944 Tuesday, May 16, 1944 The Moderator of the Tenth General Assembly, the Rev. Oscar Holkeboer, opened the devotional service preceding the Eleventh General Assembl at 11 :00 A. M., May 16, 1944, in the Library Auditorium of Westminster Jheological, Seminary, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Holkeboer preached a sermon on Romans 8:32, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall be not with him also freely give us all things?” Fol- lowing the sermon the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered by Mr. Holkeboer, assisted by the Rev. Dr. E. J. Young and the Rev. John H. Skilton, and by Elders C. L. Johnson, Matthew McCroddan, A. H. Squires and H. Van Brummelen. Tuesday afternoon. The Eleventh General Assembly was called to order at 2:OO P. M. by the Rev. Oscar Holkeboer and was constituted with prayer by the Rev. Robert K. Churchill. The roll was called by the Clerk of the Tenth General Assembly. THE ROLL OF THE ASSEMBLY 1 Presbytery of California : I Ministers: Robert K. Churchill, Robert H. Graham. Presbytery of the Dakotas: I _R?iiii.c,ter: Melvin B. Nonhof. Presbytery of’ New Jersey: Ministers: H. Wilson Albright, Robert L. Atwell, Edward B. Cooper, Ever- ett C. DeVelde, Leslie A. Dunn, Charles H. Ellis, Donald C. Graham, Richard W. Gray, Edward Heerema, John C. Hills, Clifford S. Smith. Elders: F. H. Fitch, Floyd C. Graf, Matthew McCroddan, Samuel S. Parker. Presbytery of New York and New England: Ministers: Edmund P. Clowney, Bruce A. Coie, John J. de Waard, Raymond M. Meiners, John Murray, Herman T. Petersen, John C. Rankin, John H. Skilton, Charles E. Stanton, William Young, Th.D. Elders: Louis H. Jacobs, A. H. Squires, H. Van Brumrnelen. Presbytery of Ohio. I Minister: J. Lyle Shaw, Ph.D., D.D. Presbytery of Philadelphia : Ministers: Samuel J. Allen, Egbert W. Andrews, John *W.Betzold, D. I Eugene Bradford, John P. Clelland, Calvin K. Cummings, Franklin S. Dymess, Edwards E. Elliott, David Freeman, John P. Galbraith Floyd I E. Hamilton, Edward L. Kellogg, R. B. Kuiper, Arthur W. buschke, Francis Mahaffy, Robert S. Marsden, George W. Marston, LeRoy B. Oliver, Henry D. Phillips, James W. Price, Edwin H. Rian, Charles G. Schauffele, Leslie W. Sloat, N. B. Stonehouse, Th.D., Robert Strong, S.T.D., Cornelius Van Til, Ph.D., William E. Welmers, Ph.D., Paul Woolley, Edward J. Young, Ph.D. Elders: D. C. Boyd, Cyrus Ferguson (alt.) E. F. Hankin (alt.), C. L. John- son, J. H. McClay, Charles Phillips, Waiter P. Smyth, Murray F. Thomp son, C. A. Tichenor. -- 4 Minutes of the Eleventh Ginera1 Assembly Presbytery of Wisconsin: Ministers: John Davies, William Gray, Oscar Holkeboer, Robert E. Nicho- las, Edward Wybenga. I Elder: Glenn A. Andreas. On motion the Rev. Thayer A. Westlake of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, General Synod, was enrolled as a corresponding i member. The minutes of the Tenth General Assembly were presented in printed form and were approved with two minor exceptions. The following persons were nominated for the office of clerk of the. As- sembly: Messrs. Kellogg, Andrews, Oliver, Kuschke, Sloat, Heerema, Pnce. Mr. Kellogg requested that his name be withdrawn. On motion the request was granted. Mr. Kuschke requested that his name be withdrawn. On motion the request was granted. It was moved and carried that a majority be required to elect, and if there be no election on the first ballot the names of the two receiving the lowest num- ber of votes be dropped, and that on each succeeding ballot the name of the one receiving the lowest number of votes be dropped until an election occur. The tellers reported the vote as follows: Andrews 2, Oliver 11, Sloat 12, Heerema 24, Price 11. It was moved and carried that the name of the one receiving the lowest number of votes be dropped. On the next ballot the tellers reported that Mr. Heerema had received a majority. He was declared elected. The following were nominated for the office of moderator of the Assembly: Messrs. Rian and Woolley. On motion the nominations were closed. It was moved and carried that the Assembly proceed to the election of an assistant clerk. The following were nominated for this office: Messrs. Sloat, Oliver, Bradford. On motion the nominations were closed. The tellers reported that Mr. Rian had received a majority of the votes cast for moderator of the Assembly. He was declared elected. Mr. Rian was escorted to the chair by Messrs. Strong and Clelland, and was welcomed by Mr. Holkeboer. Mr. Rian responded briefly. The tellers reported that there was no election on the first ballot cast for the office of assistant clerk. It was moved and carried that on the next ballot the name of the person receiving the lowest number of votes be dropped. On the next ballot the tellers reported that Mr. Oliver had received a ma- jority. He was declared elected. The following overtures were read by the Clerk. OVERTURE No. 1 The Presbytery of New Jersey at its regular Spring meeting held at Tren- ton, New Jersey, on April 25, 1944 respectfully overtures the Eleventh General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in session at Westminster Theolo- gical Seminary, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa., May 16:18 to set up a stand- ing committee on Vacancy and Supply, composed of three members from differ- ent presbyteries elected for one year with none to succeed themselves, whose purpose shall be to receive information from ministers who consider themselves available to fill vacant pulpits and to send such information to vacant churches when they request it. OVERTURE No. 2 The JPresbytery of New Jersey at its regular Spring meetin held at Tren- ton, New Jersey, on April 25, 1944 respectfully overtures the Efeventh General Assembly of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church in session at Westminster nliiiutes of the Eleventh General Assembly 5 Theological Seminary, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa., May 16-18 to elect a committee which shall contact the Executive Committee of the American Council of Christian Churches to consider the possible relation of the Orthodox Presby- terian Church to the American Council of Christian Churches, and make recom- mendations to the Twelfth General Assembly. OVERTURE No. 3 WHEREAS, it is one of the fundamental functions of the Church to train dates for the ministry under her care theological training that is in full accord with her standards, and WHEREAS, Westminister Theological Seminary is an institution whose standardg are the same as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and WHEREAS, Westminister Theological Seminary is a part of the same movement as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in that it was born because of the same reasons, is maintained for the same purposes, and its personnel is in the same movement, and WHEREAS, Westminister Theological Seminary is largely dependent for support upon members of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and 6 Minutes of the Eleventh General Assembly OVERTURE No. 5 The IPresbytery of Philadelphia meeting on March 30, 1944, respectfully overtures the 11th General Assembly to take the required constitutional steps to alter the Book of Discipline as follows: in Chapter 11, section 3, to add the words, “Ministers desiring to be transferred from one presbytery to another presbytery of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church shall be given regular certifi- cates of dismission. Ministers desiring to leave The Orthodox Presbyterian Church in order to unite with another denomination shall be given certificates of standing”; and in Chapter VI, section 3 (p. 52, last line) to substitute the words “certificate of standing” for the words “regular dismission.” OVERTURE No. 6 . The Presbytery of Philadelphia meeting on March 20, 1944, respectfully overtures the Eleventh General Assembly of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church to adopt the report of a special committee in re pastor’s salaries, which report was adopted by Philadelphia Presbytery on November 12, 1943, and which is as follows: 1. The Presbytery recognizes the following Scriptural teachings : In Luke 1O:l-16 we have the account of Christ sending out the Seventy and exhorting them to “Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes” vs. 4, for these are to be provided by those among whom they labored, “if the son of peace be there, in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire” vs. 6, 7. Christ also states that the disciples stand in His stead before the people, and as they treat them so they treat Christ, “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you de- spiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me” vs. 16. This same truth is seen in Christ’s words to Paul on Damascus Road, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? . Who art thou, Lord? . I am Jesus whom thou per- secutest.” Acts 9:4,5. Paul in I. Cor. 3:9 speaks of himself and other disciples as “labourers together with God.” In I. Tim. 5:17-18 Paul writes “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine, For the Scri ture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn, And, The laEourer is worthy of his reward.” In Phil.
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