10 Jul GS 2016 art 26

GS 2016 Article 26 – KPCA-K (Korean Presbyterian Church in America (Kosin))

1. Material

• 1.1    Report of the Committee for Contact with Churches in North America (CCCNA) –section Korean Presbyterian Church in America (KPCA-K) (8.2.4)
• 1.2    Brief History of the KPCA-K
• 1.3    Report on Visit to the 30^th General Assembly of KPCA-K
• 1.4    Report on Meeting with the IRC of the KPCA-K at NAPARC 2014

2. Observations

• 2.1    GS 2013 mandated the committee to respond, if possible and feasible, to specific requests made to attend assemblies, synods, or meetings of other churches in North America and to report on its findings with suitable recommendations to the next general synod.
• 2.2    August 2014, the Rev. Holtvlüwer received a written request directly from a representative of the Korean Presbyterian Church in America (Kosin) (KPCA-K) to attend their upcoming 30th General Assembly in Chicago, Il. He was invited and attended in his dual capacity as chairman of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) as well as a representative of the CanRC. This marked the first time such a formal invitation from this church was received by the CanRC.
• 2.3    A meeting of representatives of their Inter-church Relations Committee (IRC) and our CCCNA was held at NAPARC 2014. This meeting was helpful to become acquainted with each other’s respective churches. It was agreed to hold another such meeting at NAPARC 2015, the Lord willing.
• 2.4    The KPCA-K is the daughter church of the Kosin Presbyterian Church in Korea (KPCK), a church with which the CanRC has Ecclesiastical Fellowship (EF). The KPCA has the very same confessional basis as the mother church. This daughter church exists much closer to the CanRC in North America including parts of Canada.
• 2.5    The dominant language of the KPCA-K remains Korean at this time. Official assemblies and worship services are held entirely in Korean. Younger leaders and members are transitioning to English on a personal level but this is not expected to occur broadly on a denominational level in the near term. The language barrier is an impediment to meaningful ties and practical interaction with one another on both the federational and local levels and suggests the wisdom of taking a long-term approach toward formal EF.

3. Consideration

• 3.1    The committee has fulfilled its mandate in this matter.

4. Recommendations

That Synod decide

• 4.1    To express gratitude to the Lord for the establishment of contact with the Korean Presbyterian Church in America (Kosin) (KPCA-K).
• 4.2    To mandate the CCCNA to continue dialogue with the KPCA-K where feasible, with a view to getting to know the KPCA-K better over time.

ADOPTED