wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] "That all may have life in fullness" (John 10:10)

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Note #8094 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

"That all may have life in fullness" (John 10:10)
04050
January 28, 2004

"That all may have life in fullness" (John 10:10)

A call to Bible study in preparation for upcoming GA, WARC gatherings

by the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick
General Assembly stated clerk

LOUISVILLE - Once every seven or eight years representatives of Presbyterian
and		Reformed churches from around the world come together for the
General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. It is our closest
equivalent to a worldwide Presbyterian "Vatican Council."

This year is one of those years.

Representatives from 217 member churches in over 100 countries, having a
combined membership of over 75 million Christians, will gather in July for
the Twenty-Fourth General Council. The setting will be Accra, Ghana, home to
two of the largest Presbyterian denominations in the world. The theme will be
Jesus' wonderful promise in John 10:10 that he has come so "that all may have
life in fullness."

Over the holidays I found my spirit enriched as I worked my way through
Crossing Ten Seas, the Bible study for the General Council. The title is
attributed to John Calvin, who once exclaimed that he would cross ten seas to
promote the unity of the church.

It is a moving account of both God's promises in Scripture and the reality of
the fullness of life in Christ being experienced by so many Presbyterian
Christians in diverse parts of the world. They include:

* those finding new life in Christ in secular Europe;
* those finding hope in Christ's healing mercy in the struggle against
HIV/AIDs in Africa;
* those finding assurance in the peace of Christ in a war-torn Middle East;
and
* women in many countries who are finding the joy of being ordained ministers
where new doors are opening for the full participation of women in ministry.

The theme and Bible study of the General Council are also the theme and Bible
study for the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which
will take place in Richmond, VA, in June. It will hopefully serve to remind
us that we are part of a much larger family of Presbyterian and Reformed
Christians with whom we share the common promise of fullness of life in
Christ.

I invite you to use this Bible study in your congregations this year, perhaps
as a Lenten study. It is an excellent way to share in the common witness of
Reformed Christians to Jesus Christ around the world. It is also a very good
way to prepare the hearts and minds of our church to be open to receive the
fullness of life in Christ as we move to our General Assembly in June.

The Bible study will be available February 1st through the Presbyterian
Distribution Service at 800-524-2612. Ask for OGA 04-080 for the English
version or OGA 04-081 for the Spanish version. The cost is $2 per copy. The
study is also available online at http://warc.ch/24gc/cts/index.html.

Most of all, as each of you begins a new year in your ministry, I pray that
the fullness of life in Jesus Christ will be God's gift to you in deep and
wonderful ways!

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