The Trumpet
A Report on the 52nd General Assembly of the PCA
The 52nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) convened from June 23 – 27, 2025, in Chattanooga, TN.
With the current digital age, there have been several outlets dishing out the news of this year’s General Assembly. Hopefully, you’ve already caught some news.
Nevertheless, here is my brief report on this year’s General Assembly.
First, I am very thankful for the Presbyterian Church in America. We are not, by any means, a perfect denomination. Nevertheless, I am grateful for our church government. Sometimes, it is slow, and at other times it seems unwieldy. However, through it all, we believe that Jesus is working to preserve this branch of his Church. The Rev. Dr. Kevin DeYoung was unanimously approved to serve as this year’s Moderator. He did a fine job keeping the assembly on track. Two study committees were agreed to be established. One will deal with revising our Directory of Worship for Authoritative Use. The second will deal with Christian Nationalism. A third committee was suggested but not established because only two study committees are permitted to operate. The third committee concerned Artificial Intelligence, and it is likely to be established next year. The General Assembly concluded its business on Thursday evening.
Second, Ruling Elders Todd Bayley and Waldo Kemp were commissioners at this year’s General Assembly. It is such an encouragement to have our Ruling Elders attend our denomination’s General Assemblies. Their participation is invaluable. One added encouragement is that we were able to join Teaching Elder John Revell, who was serving as a Floor Clerk. It was wonderful spending time with him. In addition, our wives (and Kemp and Revell children) were in attendance, and I was glad they were able to join in with the many activities of the General Assembly.
Finally, I am optimistic about the future of the Presbyterian Church in America. The PCA motto is: “Faithful to the Scriptures, True to the Reformed Faith, and Obedient to the Great Commission.” I believe that Jesus will bless this branch of his church as long as we uphold each of these elements in our local churches.
May God bless the PCA!
- Freddy Fritz
My GA Experience
It was our first time attending General Assembly, and what an eye-opener it was. Our denomination puts so much effort into bringing church leaders together while also making sure to include their families. I was blessed to hear encouraging talks from various speakers, connect with resources at the exhibit hall, and spend sweet time with Melissa, Eileen, Cheryl, and Hannah. A highlight for me was the opportunity to tour Covenant College and get a sense of the college’s culture through the many wonderful people we interacted with. All of it was very positive—and, of course, the campus is just as beautiful as the pictures!
- Ashleigh Kemp
Missions
During the last two Julys, TPBC has sent small teams of church members on short-term missionary trips to Belize, and our team will soon depart again to do great work there. Please pray for our team and ask God to protect them, bless them, and work through them.
Have you ever thought about being a missionary? If so, below is an article written by a missionary (Laura Dougherty, June 10, 2025) that will give insight to what it takes and is needed to serve God’s Kingdom as a missionary. Please read the article below and pray about becoming a missionary. You may also click on her photo to learn more about Laura and read other articles from her.
- Michael Bridges
Women's Ministry
Women's Ministry hosted "Paint and Praise" after church on Sunday, June 1. We had a wonderful time enjoying a painting project that gave us a real challenge. All of these beautiful women gathered together to join in fellowship and share our praises while we painted away.
- Brandi Shultz
(Photo/Joan Kosanovich and Brandi Shultz)
NTCA
Dear TBPC Family,
We celebrated a wonderful school year with our End-of-the-Year program and Pre-K4 graduation. The children delighted us with songs, smiles, and sweet memories, showcasing all they learned during our Chapel time and how much they’ve grown. We are so thankful for a year filled with joy, learning, and God’s love, and we look forward to what God has in store for our children at NTCA next school year. Thank you for all the prayers, support, and encouragement. We are grateful to be part of this ministry and for what God is doing in the lives of the children and families.
- Susanne Gonzalez, NTCA Director
Children
We are thrilled to welcome Ashleigh Kemp back as our Children’s Ministry leader! With her previous experience in this role, Ashleigh brings a deep passion for guiding and nurturing our youngest members in their faith journey. Her proven leadership, creativity, and heart for children make her a tremendous blessing to our church family. We are excited to see how God will continue to work through her in this season.
Let's Get to Know the Huttons
John and Bonnie Hutton have attended TBPC for about 17 years. In addition to being friendly faces as greeters, they are involved in ESL (both), NTCA (John), and the Worship Choir (Bonnie).
Tell us a little bit about you and your family. We moved here from Newburgh, NY in 2007. I (John) was in banking for 35 years before becoming an elementary and pre-school teacher. I went back to college to get a master's degree in education at age 54. Bonnie has been a registered nurse for over 40 years! We have 3 children and 9 grandchildren (7 girls and 2 boys). We also dearly love Deacon (pictured below)!
Any hidden talents or secrets we can know? Bonnie is a terrific cook and crochet expert, and I (John) wrote and published a book in 2012. We wish we could instantly be good at playing the piano and speaking Spanish!
Which person in the Bible (other than Jesus) do you think would make the best dinner guest? Noah. I want to know how he changed the papers for all those animals!
What lesson has God been teaching you? God is always with us and guides and directs us every day. We are so grateful for his blessing as he calms us when troubles arise. Recently he has led us to help out friends and neighbors who are in need of assistance and has given us direction to be there when needed.
What is your favorite hymn? Angels from the Realms of Glory
What is your favorite verse from Scripture? Romans 8:28, which says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." We are truly blessed because God loves us even more than we love him.
And most importantly, if Pastor Freddy had a superpower, what would it be? Being in more than one place at the same time.
Who Doesn't Want Contentment?
Answer: the natural man. Not that he will not be contented, he cannot be. “The poverty of man in a natural condition appears in his discontented, craving spirit…We are naturally like the prodigal: we once were rich, but we departed from our father’s house, have squandered away our wealth, and are become poor, hungry, famishing wretches.” So says Jonathan Edwards (1703 - 1758) in "The Works of Jonathan Edwards. Vol. 2 (Sermon XII)." Further, “Men in a natural condition may find something to gratify their senses, but there is nothing to feed the soul.”
Ah, but he continues, “There is in Christ Jesus provision for the full satisfaction and contentment of such as these. This excellence of Jesus Christ is the suitable food of the rational soul (italics added)." Hallelujah!
Thomas Boston (1676-1732) in "The Complete Works of Thomas Boston", Vol. 2 calls discontent a "hellish sin" violating the Tenth Commandment (Exodus 20:17). He states, “The heart distempered by original sin runs out in the irascible faculty (of the soul) in tormenting passions, bearing an aversion of the heart to what the Lord in His wisdom lays before men…Thus, the corrupt heart runs in direct opposition to the will of God, refusing what He would have us to accept and embracing closely what He would have us to stand at a distance from.”
Therefore, regenerate believer, we can avoid the sin of discontent. Due to the excellencies of Jesus Christ, we can strive for, rest in, and will joyfully exist in full contentment.
- Tom Moore
Bible in a Year With a Twist
“The Daily Bible® In Chronological Order (NIV®) 365 Daily Readings - F. Lagard Smith”
During a Men's Discipleship Class led by Pastor Freddy, he recommended reading this chronological version of the Bible. I decided to do so. At this writing I am on November 24 about ready to wrap up this year's reading. (Not a speed reader - I just started in the middle of the year.) In a nutshell, this version rearranges the order of the sixty-six books when necessary to fit the historical order of events.
Would I read this version again? I have no plans to, but there may come a time in the future when it would again seem helpful. I believe Mr. Smith did a fantastic job with this work. Maybe my own pros/cons list would help explain why I enjoyed the exercise, but have no plans to read it this way again at least for a while.
Pros:
- Smith's nearly daily introductions to the material are exceptional.
- The daily readings are organized to assist the reader in understanding the history and order of God's plan and providence.
- The Table of Contents is a chronological and topical reference guide to Biblical history that could be used in other Bible study settings.
Cons:
- Available in NIV and NLT only.
- Verses not numbered within the narrative.
- The books out of the normal order was something to adjust to. As an example, most of Paul's epistles appear as you read through Acts. The epistles themselves are out of their normal order. Galatians appears first, then 1 and 2 Thessalonians, then 1 and 2 Corinthians, etc. The point of a chronology of course, but something to prepare for if you decide to read through the Bible this way.
Overall, a “thumbs up” from me and well worth the experience.
- Tom Moore
July Update
This month the Diaconate was informed that 2 air conditioners (a 2.5 ton and a 5 ton) needed to be replaced. The good news is that one was a 1997 unit and the other was from 2003, so we got a lot of use from them. The air conditioners were successfully installed.
Although it may be a couple of months before it is implemented, the Diaconate is revising the child protective training guidelines. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel. We just want to do things more effectively and efficiently. Also, it is going to take some time to transition to the new system and procedures. The Diaconate understands that we want to get as many volunteers as possible, but we must make the safety of the children our number one priority!
- Mike Rush
VBS Volunteer Beach Trip
Axe Throwing
Men's Ministry invites all men and women for a social outing!
Saturday, July 19 at 6 p.m.
6027 Wesley Grove Blvd #208, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544
