Bethann and I attended the 39th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America held at the Convention Center in Virginia Beach, June 7-10. Sam and Sue Logan, representing World Reformed Fellowship, were also present. It is a privilege to serve in a denomination that holds to the authority of the Scriptures and is free from the majr issues that have plagued and divided some of tne main line denominations. And, unlike most denominational churchs in America, the PCA has experienced modest growth, bringing us to more than 300,000 members nationwide in 3,000 churches.

This year's moderator was Ruling elder Dan Carrell, a lawyer from Stony Point Presbyterian Church in Richmond, VA, who led us through the business with a firm and loving hand. The Assembly this year was free from the conflicts that have marked our assemblies in the past few years. A highlight of the Assembly was the free seminars offered on Tuesday and Wednesday morning and the three worship services each night led by the local presbytery reflecting the variety of worship styles found in the PCA. We heard three outstanding sermons focusing on the theme "Christ for the World". The three preachers were last year's moderator, Harry Reeder (Briarwood in Birmingham, AL), Tim Keller (Redeemer in NYC), and Mike Campbell (Redeemer, Jackson, MS). Mike's sermon on unity from John 17 was the best sermon on that subject I have ever heard!

Several issues of significance were brought to the Assembly:

• An overture to limit the term of service for our Program Coordinators and Stated Clerk to ten years was defeated. A small minority, seeking to replace the Stated Clerk, Roy Taylor, was overwhelmingly defeated, and Taylor's re-appointment to another year was met with a standing ovation.
• The Pacific Northwest Presbytery approved a candidate for ordination who holds to paedo-communion (allowing little children to take the Lord's Supper). The Assembly communicated back to that presbytery that this is a violation of our Standards.
• The General Assembly was made aware of the Insider Movements, which have been supported by some of our churchs. The Insider Movements are working in the Muslem world and are producing translations of the Bible that change language referring to the Father and the Son (which are offensive to Muslims) into terms that are more acceptable. This has created a problem for our missionaries. The Assembly voted to erect a study committee to assess the Insider Movement and recommend resources to our churches to train and equip our congregations in reaching Muslims.
• On a personal note, we made contact with many friends of Calvary. Phil Gelston and his wife are pastoring a church in Germany. Eric Bonkovsky (Richmond, VA), Matt Armstrong (Atlanta, GA) and Will Reinmuth (Nanuet, NY), all former seminarians and interns, send greetings, as well as Jeff Hutchinson and Gregg MacDougall, our two former Associate Pastors.

We were glad to represent Calvary, see old friends, and experience a short vacation to Williamsburg and Washington on the way home. In Williamsburg we stayed with Grant and Laura Beringer and their beautiful daughter, Ava. They send their love!