Newsletter
Going Down — Part #2a
ARPTalk (166): Going Down, Part 2a continues ARPTalk (164) — that is, reasons why the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARPChurch) is a stone’s throw from death. And, if not dead, it is now a micro-denomination of about 25 healthy congregations. For 50 years, I (and others) dreamed a dream of the ARPChurch as a significant…
Read MoreOn Saving My Own Soul
The most self-condemnatory question ever asked was asked by Pilate when Jesus was brought before him. The questions is, “What is truth?” “What is truth?” The Moderator of General Synod sent out the following email today (May 22, 2023, see below). The purpose of this email is to offer an update on the recent activity…
Read MoreGoing Down — Part #1
When I last saw my cardiologist, there was good news and bad news. The good news was he assured me I wasn’t dead, yet. The bad news was he assured me his diagnosis regarding my amyloidosis-wild and congestive heart failure hadn’t changed, and his prognosis regarding my death remained the same. He said the Vyndamax…
Read MoreLast Christmas
Last Christmas ______________________________________________________ What would you do if this were your last Christmas? According to my doctor, there is a high probability this is my last Christmas. Last summer a year ago, I noticed I was having problems with fatigue. After visits with numerous physicians and many medical procedures, it was determined I had atrial…
Read MoreThe Great Punt — Analysis of the 2022 Meeting of General Synod
The Great Punt If it were not for seeing old friends again and meeting new ones, the meeting of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church this summer would have been a total waste of time. As a friend said, “We’re doing it again. In good ARP style, we’re kicking the can down…
Read MoreFrom Where I’m Sitting and Rocking
I’m old now, and I’m too old to do much but sit in my rocking chair and rock in my living room with my dog beside me, look out our picture window at the world, observe the curious goings-on, scratch my gray and balding head, and I wonder in amazement. One of the things I…
Read More‘Twas The Night Before Jesus Came!
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Christmas poem below, written by the Reverend Tanner Cline, was presented on Christmas Eve to the congregation of the Bartow Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Bartow, Florida. I admire people with poetic creativity. I was blessed and intrigued by the poem. As you read it, I pray you find a belated Christmas…
Read MoreRepent or Perish
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is by Reverend Seth Yi, the pastor of the Newberry Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Newberry, South Carolina. Some may be offended by Seth’s words; however, pray consider, he may be right. If he is . . . ______________________________________________________ Jesus highlights how tragedy exposes the fragility and unpredictability of life and thus…
Read MoreFrom Where I Was Sitting: General Synod Report 2021
I hate the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. I love the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. I am capable of loving and hating the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church at the same time. After 50 years, I have come to this conclusion: one does not have to be mind-numbingly drunk or rip-roaringly crazy to be an Associate Reformed…
Read MoreAs I See It: General Synod
Once again, for the third year, General Synod will not meet at Bonclarken. In 2019, Synod met in Pennsylvania, at Geneva College, in Beaver Falls. Last year, because of the stringent Covid protocols in North Carolina, Synod met in the facilities of First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina. Once again, because of Covid protocols, the…
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