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4-Jan-96

96002               Presbytery and Synod News 
 
                      by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
SPOKANE, Wash.--The Rev. Ben Campbell Johnson, renowned evangelist and 
teacher of evangelism at Columbia Theological Seminary, will be the 
featured guest of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest at its Jan. 30-31 
meeting at Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church here. 
     Johnson will give four lectures and preach at the presbytery's evening 
worship service.  His lectures are entitled "It's a Different World Out 
There," "Imagining a Transitional Church," "The 95 Theses for the Church: 
True or False?" and "What You Can Do Now: How to Reclaim Church Care." His 
sermon is "Hope for the Future." 
 
BLOOMINGTON, Minn.--The Synod of Lakes and Prairies has chosen "For Such a 
Time as This" as the theme for its 1996 synod school, July 21-26 at 
Grinnell (Iowa) College. 
     The school will include daily worship, convocations around the theme, 
classes for all ages, special programs for children and youth, and a 
bookstore and gift shop.  Convocation speaker is Isabel Wood Rogers, former 
moderator of the General Assembly and professor of applied Christianity at 
the Presbyterian School of Christian Education. 
 
HOUSTON--General Assembly moderator Marj Carpenter will be keynote speaker 
at New Covenant Presbytery's "LocalMotion  96" mission rally and 
celebration April 13 at Bellaire Presbyterian Church in Bellaire, Texas. 
     In addition to Carpenter's address, the event will include hymn 
singing, drama, a banner parade and a variety of musical entertainment. 
 
WATERLOO, Iowa--The Rev. Ethel Kay Livingston has been elected program 
associate for education and mission for the Presbytery of North Central 
Iowa.  She begins her new work Jan. 15. 
     Livingston, a native of South Dakota and a graduate of McCormick 
Theological Seminary, is currently associate pastor of Northminster 
Presbyterian Church in Seattle. 
 
APPLETON, Wis.--Winnebago Presbytery has declared its opposition to the 
institution of the death penalty in Wisconsin.  The action was taken at the 
presbytery's October meeting as the state legislature considered new laws 
that would allow the death penalty in certain cases. 
     The presbytery's stand mirrors action taken by the Wisconsin Council 
of Churches last spring in a statement entitled "Breaking the Cycle of 
Violence: Living as Images of God."  That statement argues against capital 
punishment from a faith perspective and cites the possibility that innocent 
persons could be executed and the lack of evidence that the death penalty 
deters capital crimes as primary reasons for its opposition. 
 
PANORAMA CITY, Calif.--Two presbyteries are combining to offer church 
officer training Jan. 20 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pasadena. 
Co-sponsors of the event are the presbyteries of San Gabriel and  San 
Fernando. 
     The event is designed for elders, deacons, clerks of session, 
educators and pastors. 
 
DENVER, Colo.--One hundred ten people attended the conference "Tools for 
the Journey:  A Biblical Look at Sexual Intimacy," held in mid-October at 
the Corona Presbyterian Church.  Thirty people participated in a workshop 
on how the local church can establish healing ministries for homosexuals. 
Corona Church is part of the One-by-One network, a Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.) Renewal organization geared to helping local churches establish 
such ministries.  The two groups sponsored the Denver conference, which 
included such speakers as Mary Heathman, president of Exodus International 
and director of Where Grace Abounds, ministries to those in conflict with 
their sexuality; Harry Schaumberg, director of Brief Intensive Counseling 
in Colorado Springs and author of "False Intimacy: Understanding the 
Struggle of Sexual Addiction"; and Dan Allender, founder of Wounded Heart 
Ministries and professor of biblical counseling at Colorado Christian 
University.    

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