wfn.org | Presbyterian Men Affirm Their Christian Identity

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29-April-1998 
98144 
 
    Presbyterian Men Affirm Their 
    Christian Identity at Houston Gathering 
 
    by Julian Shipp 
 
HOUSTON-Amassing here in record numbers April 17-19, the National Council 
of Presbyterian Men (PM) affirmed their identity in Jesus Christ and 
encouraged men in the church to fulfill Christian obligations to their 
families, daily work and ministries to other people in the community and 
the world. 
 
    Under the theme "Christ: Our Constant in a Changing World," more than 
230 registered participants heard moving Christian testimonies; took part 
in compline, or evening prayer; sang witty songs of praise led by the Rev. 
Jim Gill, pastor of John Knox Presbyterian Church in Houston; and joined in 
thought-provoking workshops with topics ranging from "Was There Life on 
Mars?" to "Gang Awareness" to "Presbyterian Outreach to Patients." 
 
    The Rev. Robert W.  Bohl, pastor of the Village Presbyterian Church in 
Prairie Village, Kan., and moderator of the 206th General Assembly (1994), 
was the keynote speaker on April 17. Bohl said he believes the greatest 
challenge for the church today is to "revive the biblical concept of 
community." 
 
    Bohl said John Winthrop's sermon, "A Model of Christian Community," 
delivered on board ship in 1630, just before the new Massachusetts Bay 
colonists disembarked, warned that "if we pursue our pleasures and profits, 
we will surely perish out of this good land." 
 
    "Obviously we have ignored Winthrop's advice," Bohl said. "Perhaps now 
more than ever,  the church needs to discover what has caused the decline 
of the concept of community - an authentic faith community where the needs 
of one become the concern of all in that faith community." 
 
    Yet, he added, in a societal climate where morals and standards have 
been pushed aside, divorce rates have doubled since 1965 and 45 percent of 
all marriages are second ones for both partners, what should be the message 
of the church? Bohl acknowledged there are no easy answers, but urged 
Presbyterian Men to help the church move from being something to doing 
something, adding, "If we are Christ's body on earth, then we must 
demonstrate that in what we do." 
 
    "Nothing assures failure in the church more than answering questions no 
one is asking," Bohl said. "Perhaps our challenge and our gift is to 
explain why Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. Perhaps we 
should help people see far beyond what they think they want so they can 
truly see what they actually need." 
 
    The Rev. David G. McKechnie of Houston, pastor of Grace Presbyterian 
Church there and keynote speaker on April 18, centered his text around 1 
Corinthians 4:20, which states: "For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of 
words but of power." 
 
    McKechnie offered three "p's" for Christian men in the church. He said 
they should 
 
    *  recognize and take seriously the fact that they are part of the body 
       of Christ 
    *  realize that they are on a holy pilgrimage and to trust without 
       reservation 
    *  shape their perspective around Jesus Christ, realizing they are 
       fearfully and wonderfully made in God's image. 
 
    "We are biodegradable but not disposable," McKechnie said, referring to 
God's unyielding love for humanity. 
 
    If agape love were more prevalent in American society, then Carol 
Vance, a Houston attorney and keynote speaker on April 18, would surely not 
have needed to present the alarming crime statistics for that city. 
 
    According to Vance, there are currently 145,000 inmates in the Texas 
penal system. Of these, 95 percent are male, with a marked increase in 
juvenile offenders; 60 percent are drug and/or alcohol abusers; and 70 
percent of the long-term inmates grew up fatherless.  Vance served as 
assistant district attorney of Harris County, Texas, from 1958 to 1966, and 
then as district attorney of Harris County from 1966 to 1979. 
 
    The Rev. Fred Brousard of Houston, full-time chaplain for the Central 
Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said a significant 
portion of the state's prison population are ages 16-24 and that 52 percent 
of the inmates are African-American, 23 percent are Hispanic, 17 percent 
are Caucasian and 8 percent are classified as "other." 
 
    "We have to start reaching these people because, I promise you, they 
are coming out," Brousard said. "Prisons do not rehabilitate anyone. Prison 
is for incarceration, not rehabilitation. Rehabilitation has to be a 
life-changing experience from God." 
 
    "It all goes back to God's Word and toward strengthening the home," 
Vance said. "The numbers are downright frightening, and our children are at 
risk. Without God every great civilization is brought to its knees and 
doom, death and destruction. Without the Bible and God, America is a bleak 
place, a nation that is more and more enslaved in sin." 
 
    Even so, Vance and Brousard said, things are far from hopeless. Vance 
said the good news is the Word in the form of Christ. Personally, Vance 
said, he is inspired by Luke 4:18, which states; "The Spirit of the Lord is 
upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has 
sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the 
blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when 
the Lord will save his people." 
 
    Other keynote speakers included Hal Guthrie, a school superintendent in 
the Houston area; the Rev. Harry T. Adamson, pastor emeritus of Memorial 
Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston; and Max F. Schuette, retired chair of 
American General Investment Corporation of Houston. 
 
    In addition to enabling and encouraging men to understand their 
identity in Christ, Dale Vandiver of Bellevue, Ill., former PM president, 
said the organization is moving into the next century with a structure that 
enables PM to make and implement decisions faster and more effectively. The 
PM board has been reorganized and the format of national meetings is now 
emphasizing inspiration and faith growth, he added, so men can take the 
excitement back to their churches, presbyteries and synods. 
 
    In the future, Vandiver said, PM hopes representatives to synods and 
presbyteries can be selected, trained and placed in areas where men's needs 
can be met without depending on governing bodies. But, he cautioned, 
regional and national meetings, training, resources and publicity about 
men's ministry will only be available with a strong and viable men's 
organization. 
 
    "With God's help, this ministry can reach and enable many men to be his 
servants," Vandiver said. "I am pleased and humbled to be part of it." 
 
    If the April PM meeting is a harbinger of things to come, the outlook 
is certainly encouraging. The Rev. Curtis A. Miller, associate for men's 
ministry in the Congregational Ministries Division, said Houston's was the 
largest PM National Council meeting in more than 20 years. 

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