From: Darrell128@aol.com Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 22:42:30 -0400 Subject: Synod Shorts: Monday Schedule for Synod .c1.To Reach United Reformed News Service Staff, Contact: Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer [For news tips or content-related inquiries] DURING SYNOD 1995 ONLY: (Monday, June 12 to Friday, June 23): Voice: (616) 451-4205 * FAX: (616) 698-9265 * E-Mail: Darrell128@AOL.com 1214 Fountain NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 PERMANENT ADDRESS: Voice: (616) 674-8446 * FAX: (616) 674-8454 * E-Mail: Darrell128@AOL.com PO Box 691, Lawrence, MI 49064-0691 Laurie Vanden Heuvel, Circulation Manager [For missing or back issues, subscription inquiries, or address changes] Voice: (616) 878-9278 * FAX: (616) 878-3256 * E-Mail: TomLaur@AOL.com 2475 - 85th St., Byron Center, MI 49315 Synod Shorts: For Immediate Release Women in Office, Children's Communion on Monday Docket GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (June 17, 1995) URNS -- The officers of synod have announced that the Monday sessions will address the controversial issues of children's communion and women in office. This is a change from the schedule previously announced. Children's communion, originally scheduled for Friday evening and Saturday morning, will be addressed in the morning session on Monday, June 19, beginning at 8:30 am. The CRC will receive two reports from the study committee, each bearing an equal number of signatures, which both argue for younger participation by children in the Lord's Supper but differ on whether that participation should be based upon a simpler profession of faith or upon the fact that the children have been baptized. Women in office will undoubtedly be a highly controversial issue. Although Synod 1994 voted to declare that "the clear teaching of Scripture prohibits women from holding the offices of minister, elder, and evangelist," last year's decision was made by only a slim margin and came on the heels of a 1990 decision to allow women in office subject to ratification in 1992, a 1992 decision to allow women to "teach, expound the Word of God, and provide pastoral care" without being ordained, and a 1993 decision to allow women in office subject to ratification in 1994. Despite Synod 1994's declaration that Scripture is "clear" on the subject, almost thirty of the overtures before synod this year address the topic urging either approval or disapproval of women in office.While each overture has significant variations, at least four options are likely to be considered by synod: 1. Synod could retain the current wording of the church order prohibiting women from holding the offices of minister, elder, or evangelist. 2. Synod could retain the current wording of the church order, officially declare that women's "expounding" includes delivering their own sermons in the context of public worship services, and establish regulations to govern that practice. This option would allow women to do most but not all of the work of ministry without ordaining them to office and grant them a status similar to that of "exhorters," a category of unordained persons which has long been recognized in the church order. 3. Synod could allow one of several forms of regional option in which classes would have the option to allow women in office within their bounds. 4. Synod could allow full local option on women in office. The stated schedule for sessions has synod convening each morning at 8:30 am and running until 11:45 am, reconvening at 1:30 pm and running until 5:45 pm, and reconvening at 7:30 pm before adjourning for the night at 9:30 pm. However, this schedule is also open to change. ------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-066c.txt .