wfn.org | Thousands Sent Forth from Opening Worship Service

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

Ga99024 
20-June-1999 
 
        Thousands Sent Forth from Opening Worship Service 
 
 
FORT WORTH--Offering spiritual preparation to commissioners for the week 
ahead and to missionaries going out around the world, denominational 
leaders joined massed choirs and thousands of Presbyterians for the opening 
worship service of the 211th General Assembly.   The service was held in 
the arena of the convention center here on Sunday morning, June 20, 1999.  
      Leading the service as the culmination of his moderatorial year, 
Douglas Oldenburg lifted up a theme of thanksgiving for the church he had 
witnessed during his travels around the country and the world.  And he 
challenged those present to live out their calling as Christians in 
creative ways that will exemplify the spirit of Christ's unity, even in 
their  diversity. 
        Oldenburg based his sermon: "Together in God's Grace" on Ephesians 
4: 1-16.  "There was tension in Ephesus between Jewish Christians and 
Gentile Christians that makes our tensions pale by comparison," he said. 
"Christians have always struggled to maintain unity amongst great 
diversity," he continued.  "We are dealing with difficult and sensitive 
issues this week, but I believe there is a word from the Lord in Ephesians 
to prepare us for the week ahead," he said.  He reminded Presbyterians that 
the church is built on a rock solid foundation, which "frees us from the 
burden of feeling that it all depends on us."  He emphasized that 
Presbyterians agree about many things and "what we have in common is far 
greater than what divides us."   
     "Let us speak the truth to one another in love ... let us put away all 
malice and be kind to one another," Oldenburg said in his sermon.  "How do 
we become more open to each other?" he asked, and said there is only one 
way: "through the ultimate security we have in God's grace, to listen to 
each other."   
     Oldenburg urged Presbyterians to move beyond a we-they and win-lose 
mentality and show to the world that even though our convictions can't all 
be reconciled, we as people can be reconciled.  "I charge you this week," 
he said, "to listen carefully and respectfully to one another and to be a 
demonstration of what God intends for all humanity, making every effort to 
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." 
     Members of Presbyterian churches in Grace Presbytery made the opening 
worship service meaningful with their presence and with their music, 
provided by the voices and instruments that were directed by Mark Scott, 
Minister of Music at St. Stephen Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth. 
Worship was enhanced with trumpets and trombones, with timpani and steel 
drum band, with the blended sounds of many choirs.    
     A procession with presbytery banners from around the country, 
representing the geographical and cultural diversity of the Presbyterian 
Church (U.S.A.), from East Tennessee to Puget Sound, added to the 
international awareness provided by missionaries and ecumenical delegates. 
More than 300 years of combined service in the mission field was marked 
with a ceremony led by  Worldwide Ministries Division Director Marian 
McClure and Freda Gardner, Moderator of the 211th General Assembly. 
International and national mission personnel were presented.  John 
Detterick, Executive Director of the General Assembly Council, said, "This 
commissioning is an important visible symbol of the commitment of the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to mission." 
     The morning offering was designated for three mission programs: 
Buckhorn Children's Foundation, Seminario Theological Presbyteriana de 
Mexico, and Grace Presbytery's New Church Developments.  A total of 
$33,033.35 was received. 
 
Jane Hines 

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