Delegates asked to ‘meditate on God’s Word’ before attending New Wineskins Convocation
By Craig M. Kibler, The Layman Online, May 20, 2005
Organizers are asking delegates to “prepare our hearts” by “meditating on God’s Word” before a national convocation considering a “bold new design” for the Presbyterian Church (USA)
The New Wineskins Initiative convocation, with the theme “Following Christ into the 21st Century,” will be held June 15-18 at Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minn.
In a prepared Bible study posted on a special convocation Web site, delegates are asked to “Take time to read afresh the passages which follow. Drink richly of God’s wisdom and truth, of His deepest longing for us, and come prepared to engage in spiritual battle and to embark upon a new chapter in the Great Adventure.”
The study, with Scriptural verses, is divided into three sections:
- “At His Feet:” “At the end of the age, at his feet we will be. No one, not a single person will be left standing. For every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
- “What Happens at His Feet:” “At the feet of Jesus Christ there is wholeness. . . and at the feet of Jesus Christ there is healing.”
- “Gaze at His Feet:” “Gaze upon the beauty of your Lord.”
Delegates also will work on draft documents that propose new statements of faith essentials and ethical imperatives, as well as a revised constitution that calls for greater flexibility, a new approach to leadership development at the congregational level and a pared-down, adaptive service structure at the national level.
While the convocation will include preaching, prayer and worship, as well as an international flavor with guests and speakers from Presbyterian churches around the world, the focus will be on how evangelical Presbyterians respond to what task force leaders called “grave concerns about the health and effectiveness of our present organization” in theology, mission and structure.
More information about the convocation is available on a special convocation Web site.
For further information, contact “Following Christ into the 21st Century” at 888-754-9693, or 7435 E. Oxford Ct., Wichita, Kan. 67226.