Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Prayers Needed

I covet your prayers for a young man who is in our church today in a very difficult meeting. His name is Adam Walker Cleveland and he has been, for the past few years, a candidate for ministry in Kendall Presbytery. Adam was due to have been examined by Kendall in December, but his exam and subsequent ordination were put on hold through a series of unfortunate events.

I am partly to blame as a member of what would have been Adam's Ordination Commission I was curious about an unfamiliar person preaching at the planned service. And so I googled that person's name and found out some things about him that were a concern for the church in which he was to preach for Adam and so I called several people in the presbytery. My hope in those phone calls is that the muckity mucks at presbytery would encourage Adam to find someone else to preach or search for a different venue for the ordination. Instead two pastors in our presbytery have stalled Adam's ordination. One, I believe because he is in his late fifties and cannot relate to a twenty something candidate for ministry and the second minister who disagrees with Adam's theology.

Don't get me wrong, both pastors are entitled to their opinions, but I wish they had acted more like pastors and looked for a way through things instead of erecting barriers to a fine young man's future of serving God and the church. Granted, I have my biases, but please pray that the Holy Spirit has the final word in the meeting between Adam and members of our Presbytery and not some political/theological ax.

3 comments:

  1. Wouldn't it have made more sense to talk to Adam? I don't know him but I've been following his journey and I think it's easy for you on Marcy 4th to ask for prayers for Adam and say you were 'partly' responsible. Let's face it-without you starting the gossip ball rolling this never would have happened.

    It's a sad day to be a Presbyterian.

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  2. In that a solution that might be better for Adam has been found, I would think that it was an excellent day to be a Presbyterian...although I don't skip around the house when I think about it.

    We sometimes make fun of being the "frozen chosen" but the denomination has changed and continues to change...too slowly for some...in the wrong direction for some...but in that changes are happening and we will soon catch up with the 20th Century is good for some also.
    It takes some real guts to admit to being human on a public blog.

    I think that is a good thing. Phil...you're human.

    - Jim

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