Dear Members of First Presbyterian Church,

We write to summarize our response to the 218^th General Assembly, which occurred during the week of June 23, 2008.

This national gathering dealt with more than 400 business items, many of which have created discontent and grave concern in many sectors of our denomination. Most of the items that concern us are outlined in the enclosed letter, which we have mailed to all of the churches in our presbytery. In keeping with our effort to be a positive influence in the PCUSA, this letter calls sessions and congregations to prayer, asking Christ, the head of the Church, to renew us again.

In like manner, we ask you, the members of our congregation, to offer focused prayer for the renewal of our denomination, and for God’s direction for our congregation. Beginning in December of this year and through June of 2009, presbyteries around the country will be voting on proposed changes to our constitution, changes that could radically alter our standards for ordination. Because PCUSA presbyteries are traditionally more Biblically focused than are commissioners to the General Assembly, it is unlikely that these proposed changes will go through. If they do, however, they could precipitate significant schism in our denomination.

The reaction among the renewal groups in the PCUSA to this year’s General Assembly was very strong. Presbyterians for Renewal, for example, has made public their decision to “actively pursue a means of re-shaping the life of the denomination … such possibilities have been discussed hypothetically under the rubrics of non-geographical or ‘missional’ presbyteries and synods, enabling those who follow Biblical standards to worship and serve God together with clear consciences.”

One or more significant changes of this sort may occur over the next couple of years and we will seek to keep you informed through the Larger Church reports in our church newsletter. We encourage you to keep informed by reading these reports, along with internet sites listed in the attached letter, Presbyterian publications, and other periodicals.

The enclosed letter may contain more information than you want or feel you need to know. It is our belief that open communication is a key toward resolution and healing. We seek to be a church in which communication is as clear and honest as possible. Deception and cover up can break trust and divide a congregation. Open communication, even in times of difficulty, can bring us together, make us stronger, and brighten our light and witness for the Lord. To this end, we ask each of our members to stand together, even if our opinions differ, to worship together, work together, and believe together that God will clearly guide us as events unfold in our denomination, and various options open before us as presented by the renewal groups.

We are part of a kingdom that cannot be shaken, guided by a God who will never forsake us, and empowered to do his will day by day. Let us then, in summary, be in prayer, keep informed, and stand together as God guides us into the coming year.

The Session of First Presbyterian Church, Hendersonville