New Wineskins Convocation 'We have come to stand with you,' moderator of EPC tells delegates By Craig M. Kibler Staff Writer The Layman Online Friday, February 9, 2007 ORLANDO, Fla. – "We have come to stand with you as you stand before the Lord of the Church seeking to know and do his will," the moderator of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church told the New Wineskins Association of Churches' Convocation. "We are here to pray with you and for you to be courageous and bold in your faith," Dr. Paul Heidebrecht told more than 500 people in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church on Thursday. Heidebrecht was elected moderator in June 2005. He has served as a ruling elder at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville, Ill., since its beginning in 1989. From 1991-2002, he served as the church's administrative director. He presently serves as executive director of Christian Leaders for Africa, established in 2002 to promote theological education in Africa and develop support for the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Nairobi, Kenya. He reminded the audience of Acts 1:1-8 and the missional nature of the Church: "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: 'Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. "So when they met together, they asked him, 'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?' "He said to them: 'It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'" "We are sensing that the Holy Spirit is leading us to you," Heidebrecht said, and that the missional focus is the process that will lead to "the Church in a post-Christian world." He reminded the audience that, as the New Wineskins strategy team announced in a Jan. 15 report, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church will vote in June on establishing a transitional, non-geographic presbytery to receive those New Wineskins churches that disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA). That report said that, if the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, during its General Assembly on June 20-23, votes to establish such a presbytery, the New Wineskins Association of Churches will petition the General Assembly to create a New Wineskins presbytery, overseen by a General Assembly Commission, that will be authorized to "immediately receive" New Wineskins churches into that presbytery. Four key points about this presbytery, according to the report, are: It will be self-governing under the New Wineskins Constitution. It shall have authority, for example, to ordain, install, receive and dismiss pastors. New Wineskins pastors and staff shall be eligible to participate immediately in the EPC's pension and medical plans. Each New Wineskins church will own its own property and will elect and ordain elders and deacons from the members of its own congregations. The presbytery shall have the authority to plant churches. In addition, the General Assembly Commission – comprised of New Wineskins and EPC members – will work "collaboratively on the strategy and actions that will establish an evangelical, missional stream of Reformed Presbyterianism. We believe this will become the new thing the Father has ordained, and we have been led by the Spirit to pursue." "We intend to create a provisional presbytery for up to five years," Heidebrecht said. "This will allow time for those joining it to get to know us and for us to get to know you." This plan enables congregations to be "solidly rooted in the historic Word of God and the Reformed confessions so that the Church will be reproducing communities of authentic disciples," he said. "I cannot guarantee what our assembly will do in June," Heidebrecht said, "but all indications are that we will step forward and begin a journey with you." Craig M. Kibler is the Director of Publications for the Presbyterian Lay Committee and Executive Editor of The Layman and The Layman Online. He can be reached at cmkibler@layman.org.

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