Subject: NR 035: Correction & Clarification Greetings. Pastor George Vander Weit, stated clerk of Classis Lake Erie, has called my attention to an error in the E-Mail version of NR #035 "Lake Erie Overtures Synod to Withdraw from North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council" dated March 18, 1996. The news release stated that "Classis Lake Erie cited numerous examples of communications to the CRC from the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, also members of NAPARC, as well as communications from NAPARC itself." NAPARC sent five communications to the CRC synod related to women in office which appeared in the Agenda or Acts of Synods 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995, but the Lake Erie overture makes no reference to these communications. With the knowledge of my board chairman, I both regret and apologize for this error. Pastor Vander Weit has also requested that several additional sections of the overture be quoted to clarify that the overture does not object to communications regarding women in office but rather to attempts to expel the CRC from NAPARC because of women in office, and has provided me with a quote to that effect. Each of these changes is a clarification rather than a correction. Because these require significant stylistic changes in the article, I am retransmitting the entire overture in a form that clearly indicates what has been changed. A "clean copy" will be transmitted upon request. Peace in Christ, Darrell Todd Maurina _______________ NR #1996-035: For Immediate Release Lake Erie Overtures Synod to Withdraw from North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service TROY, Mich. (March 18, 1996) URNS - "Amen and Hallelujah!" That's how at least one Classis Lake Erie delegate greeted a proposal to have the Christian Reformed denomination leave the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC), a fellowship of conservative Presbyterian and Reformed denominations of which the CRC is the largest member. Rev. Carroll Keegstra's three-word response was one of the briefer comments voiced at Classis Lake Erie's March 2 meeting, but his sentiments definitely weren't unique at classis. In its overture, Classis Lake Erie noted that "in recent years some of our NAPARC partners have expressed disagreement with our decisions on a variety of matters and especially with our decision to allow our congregations to use the gifts of women in the offices of the church." "They have also informed us that if we persist in such decisions, our relationship to them and to NAPARC will be adversely affected," said Classis Lake Erie. "To prevent a bitter debate over expulsion from NAPARC, we believe Synod 1996 ought to terminate our membership in this council." [ADD: According to Classis Lake Erie, the problem with NAPARC is not the council's view that women should not serve as ministers or elders but the efforts underway in two of its member denominations to expel the CRC from membership. "We are certainly willing to hear the point of view of our NAPARC partners," said Classis Lake Erie. "In fact, we have graciously listened even when there were legitimate questions about the accuracy of what was communicated."] [ADD: However,] Classis Lake Erie cited numerous examples of communications to the CRC from the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church [ADD: advocating further steps against the CRC if it allows the ordination of women.] [DELETE: also members of NAPARC, as well as communications from NAPARC itself.] Among the communications cited are a letter from the 1995 PCA General Assembly declaring that "we have instructed our Interchurch Relations Committee to use all due process to remove the Christian Reformed Church from membership in NAPARC if the Christian Reformed Church does not repent of and rescind the action at the synod." One item to which Classis Lake Erie took particularly strong exception was the contact between Christian Reformed conservative groups and other NAPARC member denominations. "In the same statement the PCA goes on to say 'we commend the sizeable number in your midst who are working hard to see the CRC remain faithful to Scripture on this issue and pray for God to use this group to prevail at the 1996 synod,'" said Classis Lake Erie. "This is clearly a call to divisiveness, contrary to the decision of Synod 1995 to live with this decision until the year 2000 in the hope that 'a period during which the issue is not hotly and bitterly debated will allow the denomination to prayerfully reflect on the issue without the pressure of an imminent decision.'" The classis also cited similar examples of contact between the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and both the Alliance of Reformed Churches and the now-defunct Association of Christian Reformed Laymen. "In view of the fact that the PCA has decided to pursue this course of action and in light of our unhappy history with at least two of our NAPARC partners, it is best for our denomination simply to resign its NAPARC membership," said Classis Lake Erie. "Little is to be gained by our continued membership in an organization where we are not wanted and where other members seem intent on fostering division among our churches." Pastor George Vander Weit of North Hills CRC in Troy led off the debate with a spirited defense of the overture submitted by his church. "We're sick of arguing with each other, we don't want to get into arguments with people outside of our fellowship, so let's just get out on our own," said Vander Weit. Keegstra, a former head of the Michigan Ecumenical Forum, followed up on his earlier brief comments with a more detailed explanation. "It's time we start withdrawing from the ones that aren't ecumenical," said Keegstra. "Relations with people who are seeking relationships with others are helpful. When we're in relationship with people who are divisive, that's not only counterproductive but unhelpful." While no delegates in Classis Lake Erie - long a leader in the women-in-office debate - endorsed the [DELETE: concerns of NAPARC, the PCA, or the OPC,] [ADD: efforts to expel the CRC from NAPARC for allowing the ordination of women] some argued that withdrawing from NAPARC was an inappropriate response. "I'm always uncomfortable when people walk away from someone who's trying to hold them to account," said Elder Brian Bauer of Saginaw CRC. Rev. Harry Winters of Akron CRC seconded Bauer's concern. "It's always frustrating when people run away from churches when they are under discipline," said Winters. "I think this is something like that. If they want to kick us out, that's fine." However, Dr. Clayton Libolt of River Terrace CRC in East Lansing endorsed the North Hills overture. "Maybe this is a time when you preserve the peace if they don't have us to talk about and fight about," said Libolt. "I never like to break ecumenical relationships, but I think this is maybe helpful." Vander Weit argued that a Christian Reformed decision to leave NAPARC would in the long run be helpful for it and at least some of its members. "A battle over kicking the CRC out of NAPARC will be harmful to the PCA itself. One of the prayers at the South Holland conference extolled God for the PCA," said Vander Weit, referring to the Interclassical Conference of Christian Reformed conservatives held last fall in the Chicago suburb of South Holland. "This is not ecumenical relations; this is meddling, pure and simple." When the overture came to a vote it passed handily by voice vote. [ADD: "The overture is about false charges and threats," said Vander Weit in a later interview. "The communications cited are not 'concerns about women in office' - which we repeatedly say that we are willing to hear - they are communications that threaten to get us kicked out of NAPARC."] NAPARC secretary Rev. Donald Duff - who also serves as stated clerk of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church - urged caution in dealing with the proposal. "They have to make up their minds what they want to do, of course," said Duff. "They need to recognize that the Orthodox Presbyterian Church has never sent any official representative to the Alliance and he was never an official delegate that I know of." "I think that one thing they ought to know is that the question of women in office didn't even come up at the last NAPARC meeting," said Duff. "That was a non-topic. I think that's partly because of what the PCA said, that we ought to throw them out if they didn't repent in 1996, but NAPARC did not have any particular overtures to say anything about women in office this year." [Archivist's note: The originally posted file 1996-935 has been removed from ICLnet, and a clean file has been posted in its place.] -------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-035co.txt .