MINUTES of the SIXTIT-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY Meeting at Reformed Bible College Grand Rapid, Michigan May 30 - June 6,2001 and YEARBOOK of THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Pu bl i shed by THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 607 N. Easton Road, Building E BOX P Willow Grove. Pennsylvania 19090 USA OFFICERS 01; THE SIXTY-EIGH‘I’H GENERAL ASSER413LY Moclern 101‘ Tlie Rev. David J. O’Leary, 344 Spring SI., Reading, PA I960 1-2 I3 1 Stotecl Clerk Tlie Rev. Donald J. Duff, 23 E. Beneic.et Street, Philadelphia. PA 191 18-35 15 A s.cisrcrn I Cle r-k The Rev. John W. Maliaffy, 1709 N. College Ave., Newberg. OR 97 132-9 I I0 Stntisticiari Ruling Eldcr- Mr-. Luke E. Bro\i.n. 158.5 Bauinan Drive. Maple Glen, PA I9002 OFFlCE OF THE STATED CLERK OF THE GENERAL ASSISR4BLY Office of the Skired Clerk ot the General Asscinbly of Th c 01-1 11 odo s I’ rc‘ 5 by I e r-i ii n C h u rc 11 607 N. Ensron Roacl. Building E BOX P \Yi I I ow Grow. I’c 11n s y I \/a 11 I ii 1 W90-0920 2 I5/S30-0900 F.:\X 2 1.5/830-0350 e-niail Dut’t’.I @opc.org Internal Rc\~enue Service 1111 riiher for The 0rt hodos Prcsby t e riari C3urc h 23-700 1990 S 15.00 per copy MINUTES of the SIXTY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY Meeting at Reformed Bible College Grand Rapid, Michigan May 30 - June 6,2001 and YEARBOOK of THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Published by I THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 607 N. Easton Road, Building E BOX P I Willow Grove, Pennsylvania 19090 I USA FOREWORD The three sections of this volume are the following: JOURNAL - the minutes of the daily sessions of the Assembly. Though the Journal does not contain the documents that appear in the second section (Appendix) it does contain the recommendations made in those documents; those recommendations appear in the Journal at the point where they were considered. For ease of reference and cross-reference the Journal is divided into articles, denoted by the symbol 9. In the Index that symbol, in bold-face type, indicates reference to articles in the Journal; page numbers refer to the Appendix and the Yearbook. APPENDIX - the documents submitted to the Assembly by presbyteries, committees of the Church, and by other bodies, for the Assembly’s consideration. With the exception of overtures, communications, and complaints, the several documents appear in the Appendix in the order in which they were presented to the Assembly. All references to documents in the Appendix are by page number, in both the Journal and the Index. YEARBOOK - general information about the denomination. References to items in this section are by page number. ABBREVIATIONS used in this volume for the Standards of the Church BCO - The Book of Church Order FG - Form of Government BD - Book of Discipline SR - Standing Rules WCF - Westminster Confession of Faith WLC - Westminster Larger Catechism WSC - Westminster Shorter Catechism The Clerk welcomes suggestions for the improvement of these annual volumes. 11 CONTENTS Picture of the 68th General Assembly ................................................................................ iv JOURNAL .......................................................................................................................... 1 APPENDIX Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... 54 Overtures ............................................................................................................................ 55 Communications................................................................................................................ 57 Appeals .............................................................................................................................. 64 Reports Stated Clerk ............................................................................................................. -69 Trustees of the General Assembly ........................................................................... 74 Statistician ................................................................................................................ 78 Christian Education, Committee on ......................................................................... 83 Home Missions and Church Extension. Committee on ......................................... 102 Foreign Missions. Committee on ........................................................................... 118 Coordination, Committee on .................................................................................. 168 Diaconal Ministries, Committee on ....................................................................... 186 Pensions, Committee on ......................................................................................... 197 Ecumenicity and Interchurch Relations, Committee on ........................................ 218 Appeals and Complaints, Committee on ............................................................... 238 Revisions to the Directory for Public Worship, Committee on ............................ 241 Acting Historian, Report of the ............................................................................. 245 Rules for the Historian, Special Committee on .................................................... 246 Historian, Committee for the ................................................................................. 247 Chaplains, Committee on ....................................................................................... 251 Proof Texts for the Larger Catechism, Committee to prepare ............................... 254 Women in the Military and in Combat, Committee on ......................................... 258 Reconciliation in the Presbytery of the Dakotas, Committee to Seek ...................285 YEARBOOK Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. 287 Statistical Reports of Congregations and Regional Churches ......................................... 290 Recapitulation of Membership Statistics. 1938-2000 ..................................................... 333 Statistical Reports of Presbyteries ................................................................................... 334 Apportionment of Commissioners to the 69th General Assembly .................................. 355 Standing Coininittees and Members ................................................................................ 356 Special Committees of the 68th General Assembly and Members ................................. 359 Moderators of the General Assemblies............................................................................ 360 Clerks of the General Assemblies.................................................................................... 362 Clerks of the Presbyteries ................................................................................................ 364 Clerks of the Sessions...................................................................................................... 365 Ministers of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church ............................................................ 374 INDEX ............................................................................................................................. 384 ... Ill Journal 68th General Assembly MINUTES of the SIXTY-EIGHTHGENERAL ASSEMBLY of the ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Meeting at Reformed Bible College Grand Rapids, Michigan May 30 - June 6,2001 JOURNAL Wednesday Evening, May 30,2001 1. OPENING WORSHIP. The Sixty-Eighth General Assembly of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church was called to order at 8:OO p.m. by James S. Gidley, Ph.D., Moderator of the Sixty-Seventh General Assembly. Dr. Cidley, assisted by the Rev. Messrs. Hailu Mekonnen, William Shishko, and Thomas E. Tyson, constituted the meeting with a worship service and delivered an exhortation on the subject, “A Living Sacrifice,” based on Romans 12:1. The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was administered by the Rev. Larry E. Wilson, assisted by Ruling Elders John F. A. Kramer and Donald H. Potter, and the Rev. Messrs. Howard Currie and Alan R. Pontier. The offering, which was designated for the Worldwide Outreach of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, amounted to $1,208.00. 2. RECESS. The Assembly recessed following the pronouncement of the benediction at 956 p.m. Thursday Morning, May 31,2001 3. RECONVENE. The Assembly reconvened at 8:OO a.m. with the singing of the hymn Praise ye, pruise ye the Lord. The Moderator read Proverbs 35-8 and led in prayer. 4. COMMISSIONERS ROLL. [Nos. (x/x) are (number listed/number apportioned).] Presbvterv of the Central United States CCUS) Ministers (2/2) - Joseph A. Auksela, LeRoy E. Miller Ruling Elders (1/1) - Terry K. Miller (Bartlesville) Presbytery of Connecticut and Southern New York (C&SNY1 Ministers (2/2) - John W. Mallin 111, William Shishko Ruling Elders (0/1) - 1 Sixty-Eighth General Assembly Presbvterv of the Dakotas (DK) Ministers (3/3) - Archibald A. Allison, Terry F. Thole, G. I. Williamson Ruling Elders (2/2) - Louis C. LaBriola (Providence, Denver), Stephen L. Sturlaugson (Carson) Presbyterv of Michigan and Ontario (M&O) Ministers (6/6) - Hank L. Belfield, Gerald J. Neumair, Kenneth A. Smith, Peter Stazen 11, Robert M. Van Manen, Jeffrey B. Wilson Ruling Elders (4/4) - Philip J. DuCheny (Rockford Springs), Marvin E. Monsma (Grand Rapids), Alan S. Quick (Metamora), Michael C. Roberts (Royal Oak) Presbvterv of the Mid-Atlantic (MA) Ministers (5/5) - Bryan D. Estelle, Douglas