August 2024 New Horizons

Behind the Scenes at the Ninetieth General Assembly

by Danny E. Olinger

Before the Ninetieth General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church convened on the campus of Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington, members of the Committee on Arrangements were already hard at work. Alan Montgomery, Bob Tarullo, and David Mahaffy were picking up rental shuttle vans, setting up video equipment, and testing the voting system. Registrar Linda Jones worked with volunteers to determine routes for the golf carts to move mobility-impaired commissioners between buildings. On the morning of the start of the assembly, Joe Troutman and Jesse Montgomery kept track of commissioners with flight delays while local OPC volunteers directed commissioners arriving at the Seattle-Tacoma airport to the light rail and greeted them when they transferred from the trains to the assembly vans. John Muether was busy setting up tables for displays and vendors. As the members of the Committee on Arrangements were working to make sure that the 139 commissioners, 20 corresponding members, and 17 ... Read more

Two Churches “Swap” Buildings

by Judith M. Dinsmore

In early 2023, two pastors within two miles of each other in Kalamazoo, Michigan, were both at a loss. Both, unbeknownst to each other, were praying for guidance. For Jonathan Cruse at Community Presbyterian (OPC), the problem was too little space. The church was outgrowing its 5,000-square-foot stone building. The sanctuary was beautiful, but the basement’s fellowship hall couldn’t hold the whole church, and there were no classrooms. By 2023, Community had been looking for a new building for three years. For Bill Ferguson at Grace Harbor (Church of God), the problem was too much space. The church was maintaining a 28,000-square-foot location that it no longer filled. In 2022, the church excitedly pursued partnership with a nonprofit that would buy the facility and lease it to them on weekends—but in March 2023, that fell through. By May, Ferguson was thinking, “OK, I’ve been in ministry thirty-eight years, but I’m not sure how we can manage the finances,” he remembered. He was in his ... Read more