217th General Assembly - PC(USA)

2007-03-05T14:42:00.000-06:00

Please check out my ministry blog:

Because of Him ~ Terry

2006-09-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

Impressions

Last night I attended the 140th Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of East Iowa. The thing that I took away the most from the meeting was the same thing that I took away from the 217th General Assembly - relationships.

We began the pre-Presbytery meeting with worship. Nancy had used this at GA this past summer and it incorporates elements of the Trinity report:

Call to Worship:

One: Jesus prayed that we, the church, would be one
All: Just as Jesus and the God are one
One: Today we offer our praise and prayer together
All: As one body, in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
One: In harmony, with one voice throughout all generations, encompassing the earth
All: Let us glorify God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit with a loud AMEN!

Hymn: Come all you people
(“Sing A New Creation” # 4 by Alexander Gondo -- Zimbabwe)

Uyai mose, tinamate Mwari (Repeat 3 times)
Uyai mose Zvino.

Come all you people, come and praise the Most High (Repeat 3 times)
Come now and worship the Lord.

Come all you people, come and praise the Savior (Repeat 3 times)
Come now and worship the Lord.

Come all you people, come and praise the Spirit (Repeat 3 times)
Come now and worship the Lord.

Uyai mose, tinamate Mwari (Repeat 3 times)
Uyai mose Zvino.

Responsive Reading:

One: Today I awake and God is before me.
All: At night, as I dreamt, God summoned the day;
For God never sleeps but patterns the morning
With slithers of gold or glory in gray.
One: Today I arise and Christ is beside me
All: He walked through the dark to scatter new light
Yes, Christ is alive, and beckons his people
To hope and to heal, resist and invite.
One: Today I affirm the Spirit within me
All: At worship and work, in struggle and rest.
The Spirit inspires all life which is changing
From fearing to faith, from broken to blest.
One: Today I enjoy the Trinity round me
All: Above and beneath, before and behind;
The Maker, the Son, The spirit together
They called me to life and called me their friend.
(Words by John Bell, ©1989 The Iowa Community, GIA Publications)

Scripture Reading:

Old Testament: Psalm 28: 1, 2 and 6-9
One: The Word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God

New Testament: Ephesians 4: 1-16
One: The Word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God

Prayer

Closing Hymn (spoken): Holy, Holy, Holy (Presbyterian Hymnal # 138)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness high Thee
Though the eye of sinfulness Thy glory may not see
Only thou art holy; there is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Blessing: (In Unison)
May the love of the Most High enfold us,
The wisdom of the Savior enlighten us,
The fire of the Spirit ignite us;
And may the blessing of the Lord God Almighty
Come down upon us and remain in us today and always. Amen.

After concluding worship, Rev. Ron Lewis began by talking about meeting with the Cumberland Church and the Cumberland Church in America. What Ron was not able to do was to read or play some of the sermons that we were privileged to hear. Fortunately this is available on the PC (USA) website: Worship and prayer at the General Assembly.

Elder Nancy Olthoff then talked about the election of the Moderator of the 217th General Assembly, Rev. Joan Gray. One of the things that Nancy highlighted was Rev. Gray's knowledge of Presbyterian Polity. I also found it encouraging that for the past 7 years Rev. Gray has been an interim pastor specializing in churches that are divided. Find out more at: Election of the Moderator.

I then talked about the reactions on Thursday, June 15th when it was announced that Stanley Anderson, an Elder and businessman from Colorado was donating $150 million to the new Loaves and Fishes Church Growth Fund. This fund will provide $250,000 to $1 million dollars to presbyteries for starting new churches, transforming struggling churches, and developing racial-ethnic congregations. I also noted that each seminary should receive about $1 million. I was asked after the pre-presbytery meeting about the concerns raised about actually getting the money. I reiterated John Detterick's faith in Mr. Anderson and that God will provide. For more on this go to: Surprise announcement electrifies Assembly.

Rev. Rose Taul then talked about the wonderful celebration of women being ordained as Ministers of the Word and Sacrament. She spoke of her mentor Margaret Towner who was the first woman ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1956. This year is also the 30th anniversary of Rose's ordination. We are grateful for the contributions of these woman and many others. There was a special celebration at General Assembly, check it out at: Celebration of the ordination of women.

Ron then touched on the Israel/Palestine issue that was before the Assembly. Read more about this at: GA overwhelmingly approves Israel/Palestine recommendation.

It was my turn again and it was time for the computer geek in me to come out as I talked about Les and the purple cards. So Great a Cloud of Witnesses! So great a fog of technology. This year’s General Assembly was the first year to be paperless. What did that mean to us? We essentially became guinea pigs.

As I looked back at the blog I kept during GA I found an entry on Thursday; “We had to skip a vote for several minutes as several of the commissioners and advisory delegates were unable to access Les from their computers…” While I typed that entry you could look around and see a sea of purple cards being held up. Those purple cards where our flag to the IT people that we were having trouble with Les. What was to have been a paperless assembly became a semi-paperless assembly. You could ask different commissioners what they thought and each of them would have a differing opinion about Les. What can be done to improve Les for the next assembly in 2008? They will need to have more computers running the wireless network. They way that Les is setup could use a little work too. Is this they way of the future? So many people are connected electronically today it is inevitable that this is the way of the future. Fortunately we are a denomination that works together to find solutions to the issues that we have and paper copies should be available to those who request it.

I also talked a little about the electronic voting. Every time there was an electronic vote there was a graphic on the screens that reminded me of Pac-Man dying. I played it once during plenary and those around us got a kick out of it so I played it again last night.

Each of took a few moments to talk about the relationship part of the Assembly and what it meant to us. We all had differing views on what happened at General Assembly and what we wanted to see happen. Yet, when it was all said and done we came home friends who could agree to disagree knowing that all that really matters is spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Ron brought out a little stuffed elephant. He then discussed how there are always elephants and this year's General Assembly no elephant was left untouched, everything was discussed.

Rose then went over the PUP report and briefly covered the recommendations. She noted that Recommendations 1 through 4 passed with little or no trouble. Recommendation 5 on the other hand was not so easily taken care of. More can be found in the article: Assembly adopts Theological Task Force report. All of the associated documents for the final report can be found at Final Report Resources.

Nancy concluded our time together by discussing a little about the Trinity report. Read GA acts on Trinity paper for more on what was done at General Assembly. There is a link in this article for the paper itself.

Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to conclude our report without taking any questions. From what we heard the rest of the evening those who attended this portion of the Presbytery meeting found it very informative. We are each available to any of our Presbytery churches and sessions for more discussion on what proved to be a very interesting Assembly.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-09-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

140th Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of East Iowa

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

First Presbyterian Church, Cedar Rapids

Pre-Presbytery Workshop: Report from GA (3 - 3:45 PM)

Open with worship

GA Bullets:
Meeting with the Cumberland Presbyterian Churches
Election of moderator: Joan Gray
$150 million donation
Celebration of ordination of women
Palestinian-Israeli Issue
Invitation to the Sacraments
Purple cards/Les

GA Relationships

Open for questions

140th Stated Meeting Packet

The PEIA commissioners will be meeting ...

2006-08-01T16:03:00.000-05:00

The PEIA commissioners will be meeting on Monday, August 7th at 9 AM at Hus Presbyterian Church for the first time since the 217th General Assembley concluded in Birmingham, AL. Watch for more information after that meeting.

Because of Him,

Terry

What next for the Presbytery of East Iowa?

2006-07-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

The Presbytery of East Iowa (PEIA) 217th General Assembly commissioners have issued a call to the churches of our presbytery to engage in discussions, education and prayer before accepting the conclusions of others as to the meaning and implications of the Peace, Unity and Purity task force report.

The PEIA commissioners, Ron Lewis, Rose Taul, Nancy Olthoff, and myself, who represent a diversity of understandings on this issue, are united in our commitment to lead the presbytery in an intentional and timely process to fully understand the implications of this decision in the life of our churches and presbytery.

We will begin this process at the September 12th Presbytery meeting and will insure that all voices in our churches have an opportunity to be involved in understanding the recommendations and seeking God's leading. At that meeting a recommendation for a continuing process and timeline will presented.

Many groups within the Presbyterian Church (USA) have made strong statements for and against the actions that were taken by the commissioners at the 217th General Assembly. Some are even beginning a time of discernment as to how they should move forward. There have been many things that have caused conflict in the church over the past 2000 years and while the reasons have varied there is one thing that has not. God is still God and it is only by His grace through the death of His Son Jesus Christ that we can know Him. We need to come together regardless of personal views and let God will make a way where there is no way.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-07-23T23:58:00.000-05:00

Ind. Police Probe Highway Sniper Attacks

Having just gotten home from Indianapolis on Friday evening this is more than just a little bit scary, especially when my wife and I were responsible for getting 6 teenagers home safely. Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by this terrible action.

Because of Him,

Terry

Offline for a "Week of Hope"

2006-07-14T14:30:00.000-05:00

Diane and I are taking 6 of the youth on a mission trip. We will be leaving Cedar Rapids a little after 7 AM on Sunday July 16th, returning Friday July 21st. Find out more about the Week of Hope by clicking on the picture above. If that does not work, the URL is: www.groupworkcamps.com. During this time we will be offline. Have a great week. God's blessing upon you.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-07-12T11:19:00.000-05:00

PC(USA) treasury official charged with embezzlement

I would bet that the new GAC Executive Director, Linda Valentine, would have rather not started her first week with having to deal with this. This could be especially difficult given that there are churches and presbyteries that were already questioning where funds were going. There is already enough turmoil in this denomination. I pray that this issue as well as all of those that are causing conflict are worked out to God's glory.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-07-11T09:55:00.000-05:00

Other Links

Regan's website
180° Youth & Family Life Ministries on Blogger
BOOM (Hus Church Youth Group)
Hus High School Bible Study
Marion HS Bible Study
BibleGateway.com passage lookup
Hus Church
Hus Church Blog
Google News
180° Youth & Family Life Ministries on MySpace
180° Youth & Family Life Ministries on xanga
A fellow commissioner, Russell Smith, is also blogging the GA
Gruntled Center - Faith and Family for Centrists.
Andy Moye - A fellow GA Procedures committee member

2006-07-07T09:12:00.000-05:00

FAQ's sent out by OGA

Shortly after the Churchwide letter from the Moderator and the Stated Clerk hit our email boxes the OGA sent out and email with three FAQs. One each for the :

Final Report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church
The Trinity Paper
Israel/Palestine Recommendations

The day after those arrived they sent out an addition FAQ with some overlapping and some new information for the Israel/Palestine Recommendations. All four of these FAQs as well as the Churchwide letter can be found on the Presbyterian Church (USA) website at http://www.pcusa.org/oga/

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-27T13:23:00.000-05:00

More prayers for Regan ...

This past Saturday (6/24/2006) Raising Praise Ministries and The New 89.1 The Spirit presented a free concert at Marion (IA) Square Park at which our Praise & Worship team performed. Prior to our turn I went to the prayer tent to ask for prayer for Regan. What happened next blew my mind. I told those that were there about Regan and about my previous prayer for her. Instead of us holding hands they wanted to lay hands on me, that is when I say it out of the corner of my eye. There was a child size Barbie foldable chair. I immediately grabbed it and asked that we all stand around the chair and lay hands on it as if Regan was sitting there. Mary Ellen who was heading up the group could not believe it. She is the one that brought the chair not knowing why as she does not have any children that age. Now she knew. They had me take a seat behind the Barbie chair and I laid hands on it as did those standing in front of it. The rest laid hands on me and we prayed. To say that I was moved would be an understatement. I was blown away. You could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit there moving around us. We prayed and prayed. I don't think that there was a dry eye amongst us. There are now at least two groups of prayer warriors in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area that are praying for Regan, her family, friends, and church. God's Blessings to you.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Office of the General Assembly

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

June 25, 2006

To Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Lectionary Psalm for today is Psalm 133: How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! As the 217th General Assembly met together in Birmingham, it was remarkable to see Presbyterians from north, south, east, and west gathered together to discern the mind of Christ for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We witnessed the work of the Spirit in and through the assembly, giving us a glimpse of our visible oneness in Jesus Christ. We give thanks that the assembly theme, "So Great a Cloud of Witnesses" (Heb. 12:1) permeated the community of faith within the convention center.

In this meeting, we saw commissioners and advisory delegates living out in word and deed their deep commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ, their passion to be living expressions of Christ’s love to the world, and their eagerness to be a part of the future God intends for the PC(USA). We experienced the Presbyterian process of doing things at its best. We observed people working fairly and treating each other graciously. This assembly dealt with hundreds of items, and a few made headlines across the country. Most likely, you have read or will read about the assembly’s actions from a number of sources over the next many days and weeks, but we want you to hear about this important gathering directly from the General Assembly. That is why we are writing this letter to you.

We know of three particular decisions that made immediate headlines. Here is what the assembly did with each of them:

--Israel/Palestine issues: This General Assembly acknowledged that the actions of the 2004 assembly caused hurt and misunderstanding among some Presbyterians and our Jewish neighbors. However, this assembly did not rescind the previous action on divestment. Divestment is still an option, but not the goal. Instead, this assembly broadened the focus to corporate engagement to ensure that the church’s financial investments do not support violence of any kind in the region.
--Report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church: With the approval of this report, the assembly did not alter our historic standards for ordination. However, it did make clear that more responsibility is to be exercised by sessions and presbyteries regarding the examination of candidates for ordination. By an overwhelming majority, the assembly also affirmed our covenantal partnership, our common theological roots, and the need for prayer in Christian communities as we make decisions.
--The Trinity: The assembly received a paper that affirms "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" as the church’s primary language for the Trinity. The paper also lifts up other biblical images of the Trinity for study and use in worship.
We hope, over the months ahead, you will hear about the other items that did not make headlines; new church development, Christian education, evangelism, older adult ministries, homelessness, globalization, international mission, multicultural issues, disability awareness, and military chaplains, to name a few.
It was obvious to us that this assembly, like the church, had deep differences on a number of issues. But, the longer we were together, the more we realized how much we have in common in Jesus Christ*and the more we realized we need one another.

The unity we seek for the church and the unity we experienced at the assembly is not just about coming to an agreement. It is also about being with each other in the healthy struggle to discern God’s will. It was that healthy struggle we witnessed at the assembly, and in that struggle we were blessed. God’s Spirit was with us. Not everyone will like what the commissioners did, but the spirit coming out of the assembly was something we think will be a blessing to the whole church.

Indeed, we are convinced that God has a future for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). We invite you to join us as we move with renewed enthusiasm to doing God’s work in the world.

Yours in Christ,

The Reverend Joan S. Gray
Moderator of the 217th General Assembly (2006) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

The Reverend Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

2006-06-22T14:09:00.000-05:00

Thursday, June 22, 2006

That was a short night. The last time I looked it was just after 1 AM. Then the alarm went off at 5:25 AM. The Sheraton provided a secured room for our luggage in their ballroom. Of course I showed up early to beat the rush. The ballroom appeared to be setup, but I could not leave anything as there was no one there. So much for being early this morning. After I checked my luggage in I made a beeline for the other side of the complex as the meeting this morning is in the lower level of the convention center which in walking distance is about 3 or 4 blocks.

After morning worship we were opened by the co-moderators for the YADs, Christy Fisher and Justin Wood.

Moderator Gray then prayed for those in the armed forces as well as others who are serving our country as well as their families. We prayed for those who have lost someone and we prayed for peace. We prayed that we may all be peacemakers. We also prayed for the chaplains that are ministering to those in the armed forces. We prayed for the day that we would all be home and that all will be made new.

Moderator Gray spoke to us pastorally and asked that we do the same when talking with others after the General Assembly. We need to have open dialogue and also work together to grow the church. We should also tell them not to believe everything that they hear in the media. She also asked that we not leave this assembly with any grudges.

Deborah Block then addressed the assembly from the floor and she read the Birmingham Pledge:

There was a motion from the floor:
That the sermon and the following prayer be posted on the PCUSA website which was accepted with a round of applause.

The Moderator of the Assembly Committee on Bills and Overtures told us that the minutes are in order and any remaining minutes will be approved by mail.

The Moderator of the Assembly Committee on General Assembly Procedures (Financial Implications), Vince Thomas, provided the report from the committee. We needed to approve the revised budgets and per capita rates for 2007 and 2008. This was done after the explanation of the financial implications report. After several questions the question was called and seconded. A motion was made from the floor that was seconded:
Consider sending all reports electronically.
The question has been called on the motion and passed by hand vote. The amendment passed. The motion as amended passed. The committee recommended that the assembly approve the per capita increase. Vince moved that this be accepted. There was no discussion so we voted to approve the motion and it passed. The final item did not need assembly approval as the committee approved the commissioner’s vouchers and this just needed to be reported. This concluded the report.

The Moderator of the Assembly Committee on Mission Coordination (Financial Implications), Elder David Norton, provided their report to the assembly. Item 08-REV recommends the assembly approved increases be accepted. The change was moved by the committee, there was no discussion, and the item was accepted on consensus. This concluded their report to the assembly.

Moderator Gray turned the floor over to co-moderators for the YADs, Christy Fisher and Justin Wood. Christy then led us in a fun round. Justin then presented Moderator Gray with a gift from the YADs. Christy then called up the Stated Clerk and the Vice-Moderator to whom they presented a gift as well. Justin then asked that the YADs thank all of the commissioners that helped them and that the commissioners thank any YADs that helped make this time more enjoyable.

A recommendation was then made by Elder Rick Ufford-Chase. A motion to reconsider was made and seconded which was followed by debate. This is in regards to Item 11-01 from the committee for Peacemaking and International Issues. The motion to reconsider involves the following statement from Item 11-01:
The 217th General Assembly believes that the PC (USA) should use the greatest possible care in speaking to or with a sovereign nation on any matter including how to handle protecting its borders or matters of national defense.
Moderator Gray then ended debate and we voted to the request to reconsider down, the item stands as voted on yesterday.

Introductions of the new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson for the General Assembly Council and the new Moderator and Vice-Moderator for the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly followed.

The YADs from the Committee on General Assembly Procedures presented a thank you to the Committee On Local Arrangements. Next was the OGA thanks to the 2006 Local Committee by Dennis Cobb, Assistant Stated Clerk. The Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick then thanked the GA staff. And finally it was time for the Introduction of San Jose Committee on Local Arrangements. Bob Bowles, Moderator of the Committee on Local Arrangements from the Presbytery of San Jose was introduced by Moderator Gray. Bob gave greetings from the 2008 Local Arrangements Presbytery of San Jose. He then shared with us a video that they had prepared first on San Jose and then the Spirit of San Jose. There were a few announcements before we closed in prayer. Moderator Gray then declared us adjourned. My next post will be after we get home as I thought this one would be, but there was free Wi-fi at the Birmingham airport.

So Great A Cloud Of Witnesses!

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-22T00:49:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

After an impromptu Presbytery breakfast to put together some strategy on how to proceed after some of the votes in GA we headed (late) to the Presbyterian History Forum with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America.

When we got to plenary we began by singing Lift High The Cross followed by opening prayer. John Detterick spoke this morning about an article in a Denver paper regarding the gift of $150 millions and that it was overly exaggerated. John has spoken to the reporter and Stan and is confident that the report is not accurate and that we have nothing to worry about regarding this wonderful gift. We then went into a time of speak out.

Elder Chris Rhodes presented the Report for the Bills & Overtures which recommends the agenda for the day:
Complete Church Orders (04) and Mission Coordination (08)
Polity (05)
Peacemaking & International Issues (11)
GA Procedures (03)
Health (10)
Social Justice Issues (09)
It was voted on and it passed to accept the proposed agenda. He then moved to have the time limit for speakers changed from 2 minutes to 90 seconds and the motion passed by hand vote.

Committee Moderator Vince Thomas for the Assembly Committee on General Assembly Procedures (03) (Financial Implications) provided us the third daily update. There is no change in the report since yesterday morning as no items were approved yesterday that would increase spending.

We resumed the Report of the Assembly Committee on Church Orders (04) and Committee Vice-Moderator Rev. Julian Walthall started with Item 04-02 and that they recommend that it be disapproved. He then stated that there was a minority report. There being no debate the main motion was perfected. There being no debate the minority report was perfected. Debate then started on whether to make the minority report the main motion. The question was called and it passed by electronic vote. We then voted as the whether or not the minority report should become the main which failed. That item having failed we then moved to debate on the main motion. A motion was made to disapprove all remaining items that deal with G-6.0106b. The Stated Clerk said that we needed to vote on the current main motion and then take this action on all remaining items. The assembly was reminded that we are voting on the committee’s recommendation to disapprove 04-02 and we then moved to a vote that passed. The motion was then made to group the remaining items 04-03/04/05/06/08/09/10 into one vote based on the vote yesterday on 06-01. It was then suggested to split 04-04/05 and discussed. To clarify, the motion is to answer 04-03, 04-06, 04-08 – 04-10 by action taken on 06-01 and 04-01. We then voted to end debate, which having passed we then voted on the motion which passed. The motion passed. We then moved to deal with 04-04 separately as there was a minority report. The motion is to answer 04-04 by action taken on 04-01 & 06-01 which passed. The committee then moved that 04-05 be approved as amended. We then went into debate on this item. There was a motion made to move the previous question which passed by hand vote. We then voted on the motion to approve 04-05 as amended which passed. Item 04-07 is the last item and it was moved that it be approved by the action taken on 04-01 that was approved by consent. This concluded their report.

We then recessed for lunch with the remaining items on the morning agenda to be dealt with then:
Resume Report of the Assembly Committee on Mission Coordination (08)
Report of the Assembly Committee on Church Polity (05)

Marj Carpenter, Moderator of the 207th General Assembly (1995) presented a memorial for former Stated Clerk Rev. Dr. James E. Andrews.
After announcements and the closing prayer we were in recess for lunch.

When we came back from lunch we had a surprise. A wonderful choir of young people, Creative Impressions (supported by the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People) sang to us. Their website is Creativeimpressions-perform.com.

When they had finished performing we moved to speak out. After speak out a motion was made from the floor to re-consider Item 04-05 and it was seconded. We then voted to reconsider this item. After a short debate the previous question was called and the motion to end debate passed. We then voted as to whether or not to reconsider 04-05 and the motion failed.

Rev. Judith Wellington, Moderator of the Assembly Committee on Bills and Overtures (02)

Elder David Norton, Committee Moderator, presented the Report of the Assembly Committee on Mission Coordination (08). Further information on financial implications of this report is available on Les. He then moved on to Item 08-01 and moved that it be accepted and it was accepted by consensus. The committee recommended that Item 08-02 be disapproved. There was no discussion and the item was accepted by consensus. On Item 08-04 the committee recommended disapproval. There were no objections so the item was accepted by consensus. There were no objections to Item 08-05 and it was received by consensus to disapprove. The next item was 08-18 and on behalf of the committee David recommended that the item be disapproved. There were no objections and the item was accepted by consensus. The committee recommended that item 08-13 be approved … the item was approved by consensus. On item 08-10 the committee recommended that their alternate recommendation be approved. That alternate recommendation is:

instruct the General Assembly Council (GAC) to assist congregations in communicating to their membership the reality of changed patterns in unrestricted giving and the resulting cost implications of administrating restricted funds, and
implore the GAC and the Mission Funding Task Force earnestly to seek alternative ways of budgeting in order to deal with this changing reality.

The question was called and it passed. We then voted to accept the committee’s recommendation for Item 08-10 and it passed. David then turned the floor over to the Vice-Moderator of the committee, Pam Ator
She continued the report Item 08-06 to which the committee recommended approval with amendment which passed by consensus. The next item was 08-11 which was approved by consensus. Item 08-17 was next. The recommended approval of the item as amended. This item was also received by consensus. The committee recommended approval of Item 08-12 as amended and the item was received by consensus. After some debate the question was called and passed by hand vote. We voted on item 08-12 by a show of hands to which it passed. The next item was 08-03. The committee recommended disapproval of this item. This committee’s recommendation was approved. Item 08-07 was recommended by the committee to disapprove. The item was received by consensus. She then turned the floor back over to Elder Norton.

The Report of the Assembly Committee on Church Polity (05) was presented by the Committee Moderator Rev. Lynne Myers. The committee recommended that all recommendations except 05-07, 05-1, 05-28, 05-23, 05-22, 05-25, 05-05 (extra items pulled as requested by the floor). A vote was then taken by hand vote to accept the consent agenda which passed by hand vote. Item 05-05 was approved by hand vote. The committee recommended that Item 05-07 be disapproved with comment. An amendment was made to 05-07 by striking the committees comments. After debate the question was called and passed by hand vote. The amendment was then voted on and it passed. We then voted to on the committee’s recommendation to disapprove the item without comment and the committee’s recommendation passed. The next item was 05-11 which passed by consensus. There was a recommendation to amend the item:
To amend 05-11 by adding 1.a (6):”The FOG Task Force will release the proposed revision of the Form of Government including advisory handbooks by September 1, 2007 (09/01/07)”
The amendment was approved by hand vote. Items 05-11 A1 & A2 were next. A motion was then made to reconsider 05-11 and it was seconded. The vote to reconsider 05-11 was disapproved. We were then back to Items 05-11 A1 & A2 which were passed by hand vote. Items 05-11 3-5 were moved to be approved and 05-11 6-8 to be disapproved. The committee’s recommendations were approved. Lynne then turned the floor over to the Vice-Moderator of the Committee, Rev. Chris Lenocker, who spoke to the committee’s recommendation to Item 05-22. The question was moved and approved by hand vote. The item passed. The committee then recommended that item 05-23 be disapproved. There was a referral from the floor to refer 05-23 to the Form of Government Task Force. After some debate the previous question was called and the vote to refer failed. During debate there was a motion to limit debate to limit to 60 seconds. It was ruled out of order until after the current motion on the floor was dispatched. The previous question was called and seconded and it passed by hand vote. We then voted on the recommendation of the committee to disapprove Item 05-23. The motion to disapprove was passed. Chris yielded the floor to Lynne Myers. The motion to limit debate to 60 seconds was made and seconded. It was voted on and passed by the required 2/3 majority. The next item was Item 05-25 to which the committee recommends approval. The item was voted and it passed. Item 05-28 was discussed and there was an amendment and it failed. We then voted on the main motion and it passed. There report was then completed.

After singing a hymn there was a short break before we moved on to the Report of the Assembly Committee on Peacemaking and International Issues (11). After the break Moderator Gray announced a series of prayer

Committee Moderator Gretchen Graf of the Assembly Committee on Peacemaking and International Issues (11) recommended that the GA approve the following Consent Agenda:
11-16/25/26/38/28/37/29/30/31/32/33
The consent agenda was passed by voice vote.
The next item was 11-36 which the committee recommended approval on. It passed by a hand vote. 11-27 was recommended to be approved by the committee as amended which was approved by hand vote. Item 11-40 was approved by voice vote and was followed by the first prayer for it which was led by Committee Vice-Moderator David Henderson. On item 11-01 it is recommended that the assembly approve the alternate amendment. An amendment to this item was then made from the floor. That motion is:
Motion to Delete Recommendation 1 and substitute the following: “We regret any reportage that has caused misunderstanding of the PCUSA’s Commitment to Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel”
The motion was seconded and when then moved into debate on this amendment. After debate the question was called. Debate ended by electronic vote. We then voted on the amendment which failed. We then continued debate on the main motion. A motion (which was seconded) was made to insert the following sentence at the end of recommendation 1:
“We communicate to our Palestinian Christian Partners that we remain keenly aware of the deep and chronic pain of the Palestinian people, and promise to stay in solidarity with you as we work together for a just and lasting peace in Israel-Palestine.”
Debate then began on this amendment. After debate the previous question was called on the current amendment and the main motion with no further option for amendment. This was passed. We then voted on the amendment which failed and then we voted on the main motion which passed. It was then moved that all remaining items be answered by the action taken on 11-01 (11-02 through 11-15, 11-17 through 11-24, 11-34, 11-35, 11-39, 11-41). The motion passed overwhelmingly. The crosses made out of the bullet cases left for each of the commissioners during lunch are a gift from this committee. This concluded their report.

Committee Moderator Vince Thomas presented the Report of the Assembly Committee on General Assembly Procedures (03). Ann LaMar was the Vice-Moderator. Vince presented the consent agenda:
03-06, 03-10, 03-12, 03-14, 03-15, 03-18, 03-20, 03-21, 03-23, 03-A, and 03-B
03-10, 03-A, and 03-B were removed by commissioner request.
Vince moved that the remaining items of the consent agenda be accepted and they were by consent. Item 03-07 was moved to be accepted. The motion failed. Item 03-19 was the next item and it was moved that the assembly accept the nominations in this item which was approved by consensus. The next item was 03-08 for which the committee recommended be disapproved with comment which passed by consent. Ann presented the next several items starting with item 03-13 which was approved by consent. The next item was 03-09 which the committee recommended be disapproved. The item was approved by consent. The committee recommended that both recommendations in Item 03-16 be disapproved. Item 03-22 was approved by consensus on recommendation of the committee. Item 03-24 was moved by the committee to be disapproved. A referral was made:
Refer to Mission Support Services Offices of the General Assembly Council and the Office of the General Assembly for further consideration and a recommendation for the 218th General Assembly (2008).
The referral failed. We then voted on committee’s recommendation that 03-24 be disapproved which passed. Ann yielded the floor back to Vince. He began with Item 03-17. The committee recommended that the item be accepted as amended. After a lengthy explanation from Vince a motion was made to arrest debate. We recessed on consensus and ended the session in prayer.

We had a wonderful time of worship at the Joint Worship led by Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America. Unfortunately as soon as the sermon was over there was a scramble to get back to the plenary floor for the opening of the evening session. We opened in prayer followed by speak out.

We picked back up with Committee Moderator Vince Thomas for General Assembly Procedures (03) and Item 03-17. Vince reminded everyone where we were at the time of recess. A substitute motion was made. Due to the length of the amendment I did not put it in here. The main motion was declared perfected. Debate then began on the amendment and the amendment failed. We then voted on the main motion which passed. We then prayed due to the emotional extent of this issue. Vince then moved that we answer items 03-01, 03-02, 03-03, 03-04, 03-05, and 03-11 with Item 03-17. This was accepted by consent. He then asked that we correct an oversight on Item 03-19 as he missed a name on the list. He then stated the name. We then dealt with the items that were removed from the consent agenda. Vince moved that the floor accept Item 03-10 and the item was accepted by consent. Items 03-A and 03-B do not require assembly action, they just needed to be reported as information. This concluded the committee’s report.

Committee Moderator Elder Carol Schneider began the Report of the Assembly Committee on Health (10). Items on the consent agenda are 10-05, 10-07, 10-08, 10-09. We then voted on the consent agenda and it passed by hand vote. Vice-Moderator Quinn Fox then brought Item 10-06 to the floor and asked that it be approved as amended. The item was then debated. We then voted and the item passed. The next item was Item 10-01 which was moved that it be approved as amended. There was motion made to amend:
At the beginning of 10-01 add language from the 2003 Statement on Post-Viability and Late-Term Abortion beginning at line 3 with “The church has a responsibility to provide public witness…” all the way through “For any choice, we are accountable to God, however even when we err, God offers to forgive us.” (ending on line 35)
The amendment was seconded and we began discussion on it. The committee does accept the recommendation. After additional debate we voted on the amendment and it passed. We then began debate on the amended item. An amendment was moved and seconded:
In the committee amendment delete the word “supercedes” and add this statement to previous statements of General Assemblies. We then began debate on this amendment. We then voted on this amendment which failed. We then went back to the amended motion and had minimal debate before we voted on it. The amended motion passed. There was another motion made:
Insert “based on the choice of the mother” between “and not aborted” and “In cases”
Debate followed the second for this amendment. Debate was closed and we voted on this amendment which failed. We then voted on the motion of the assembly which was amended by the assembly and the item passed. The committee recommended that Item 10-02 be disapproved. An amendment was put forth but was said to be out of order. For the amendment to be in order the assembly would have to defeat the committee’s recommendation. After some debate we voted on this item and which passed affirming the committee’s recommendation. The committee recommended that we vote for their alternate resolution from the committee. Their recommendation passed. Item 10-04 and the committee recommended that 10-04 be approved as amended. The item passed by hand vote. This concluded their report.

Committee Moderator Rev. Ann Philbrick presented the Report of the Assembly Committee on Social Justice Issues (09). Vice-Moderator is Ben Furuta. Ann presented the consent agenda which are 09-04/09-05/09-06/09-07/09-17/09-22/09-23 which they moved for approval and was received by hand vote and it passed. The committee recommends that Item 09-16 be approved as amended. There was a motion from the floor to amend:
09-16 by replacing 3.a. with the ACSWP Advice as follows:
“That the 217th General Assembly (2006) direct the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) to study and update policy on ministry with the homeless in consultation with Presbyterian Hunger Program, Urban Ministries Program, The Presbyterian Washington Office, Presbyterian Health, Education, and Welfare Association, Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns, Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns, and the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness, and bring a resolution with recommendations to the 218th General Assembly (2008).”
The amendment passed and we then voted on the motion as now amended and it passed. We then continued with item 09-09. The committee recommended that the item be approved and it was by consensus. Item 09-14 was next and the committee recommended that the item be approved with the alternate resolution. The committee then recommended on 09-03 that it be approved which it was by consensus. Item 09-15 was up next and the committee recommended the item be approved as amended. Ann then spoke to the item and it was then accepted by consensus. It was then moved that Items 09-01, 09-08, 09-10, 09-11, 09-12, 09-18, 09-19, 09-21, and 09-24 be accepted per the committee’s recommendations. The floor requested that 09-10, 09-11, 09-01, 09-19 removed from the list. The floor accepted by consent to remove the four items. There was some debate and then it was moved that we vote against removing the four items. This was followed by some debate. It was requested by the Stated Clerk to move through each of the items separately as we would most likely finish sooner than to continue down this path. It was moved and seconded by the floor and when voted on it passed. Ann then moved that items 09-12 and 09-18 be answered by the action on 09-15 and by electronic vote the motion passed. It was moved to recess until the morning for which we immediately moved to a vote which failed. The next item of business was Item 09-13 and the committee recommended that the item be disapproved. We then voted on the committee’s recommendation and it passed. 09-01 was the next item and the committee recommended that the assembly approve the item. After debate was finished we voted on the item and it passed. Item 09-11 was next and the committee recommends the approval this item as amended. There was an amendment:
Amend 09-11 by inserting after the Committee’s insertion “and all foreign governments, and” insert these words: “/or combatants and”
This was moved to a vote and the amendment passed. We then continued debated on the newly amended motion. A motion was made:
09-11 Item 1 – Strike “and distribute copies to sessions and middle governing bodies for study and action”
Debate was closed and we voted on the amendment which passed. We are back to the main motion as it has now been amended. We then voted on this item and it passed. It was moved to reconsider 09-03 and seconded. We then voted as to whether or not to reconsider it and it failed. We continued on the committees journey around the world with Item 09-20 which the committee recommends be disapproved. This item would only reaffirm what the church has already stated. There were several who debated this item. Debate was closed and we then moved to a vote on this item and it failed. A motion was then made from the floor to approve Item 09-20 and seconded. We then moved to a vote on this item and it then went to the floor for debate. As debate continued I realized that it is was 11:35 PM and we have a little way to go before we are finished so this post will most likely be posted very early Thursday morning. There was then a motion made to make an amendment:
Add words “and terrorism” after “suicide bombings”
The amendment passed. We were then back to the main motion as amended and after some debate we moved to a vote. There was a call for the question. We then voted to end debate and it passed. We then voted on the motion as amended passed. Item 09-10 was the next item of business and the committee recommends that item be approved as amended. It was then moved to:
Delete F item #4
The amendment passed. We then went back to 09-10 as recently amended. There was another motion:
In Paragraph 3 of the recommendation by deleting “approve” and inserting “receive”
There was some debate before we moved to a vote after a call for the previous question. We voted on that and it passed by hand vote. We then voted on the amendment and it failed. We then voted on the main motion as amended. A motion was then made from the floor to delete B.2.a. We then voted on the amendment. The amendment failed. We are again back to the main motion as amended. There was a motion to call the question that was seconded. We then voted on calling the question and it passed. We then voted on the motion as amended and it passed as well. The next item of business was Item 09-24 and the committee recommends approval of this item. We then voted on the item and it passed. It is just after midnight and we are only a couple of items left. The committee recommended Item 09-08 be approved and after a vote the item passed. The next item is Item 09-02. The committee recommends the item be approved with comment. There was motion from the floor to refer Item 09-02 back to Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) that was seconded. There was some debate before we voted on this issue. We then voted on the motion from the floor which passed. The next piece of business was Item 09-21 and the advice of the committee is to approve the item which we then voted on. Item 09-21 was passed by hand vote. The final piece of business for action is Item 09-19. The committee recommended that the item be approved. By hand vote this item was approved. Lucas Benitez of the Coalition of the Immokalee Workers then addressed the assembly thanking the church for their continued efforts for fair pay. We closed with some short announcements and prayer. We were declared to be in recess until later today (Thursday). Tomorrow will be an early day with the our committee meeting starting at 7 AM. Good night and God Bless.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Before I begin today I want to hold up Nile Watkins-Schoenig who was deployed to Iraq yesterday. Nile is the brother of our Youth Advisory Delegate Kelly. Nile was deployed with a different unit than the one that he is attached to and as soon as he returns he will be deployed with his unit for another tour. Please pray that God keep Nile safe and return him to his family when his tours are over safe and sound. Amen.

Moderator Gray opened the day with a story before going to the opening prayer. Opening prayer was led by Sonila Dedja Ecumenical Advisory Delegate, Orthodox Autocephalous Church in Albania. We then welcomed the 176th Moderator of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Church who gave us the morning welcome.

Committee Moderator Vince Thomas for the Assembly Committee on General Assembly Procedures (03) (Financial Implications) provided us the second daily update. Vince told us that yesterday was a good day in regards to the financial implications, but we still need to get through today and tomorrow.

Elder David Norton, Moderator for the Assembly Committee on Mission Coordination (08) (Financial Implications) advised that there were no financial implications for 2006 however there is about $30,000 for 2007 and for 2008 is $20,000 of which most still needs to be approved. Item 08-15 was the first item of business for the GA this morning. This item would confirm the election of Elder Linda Bryant Valentine as Executive Director of GAC. Nancy, GANC, introduced Elder Linda Bryant Valentine. Linda spoke briefly to us about her vision. Item 08-15 was moved and it passed overwhelmingly by electronic vote. Linda was then installed as the Executive Director of the General Assembly Committee by Moderator Gray. Nancy then invited the GA to come and greet Linda and thank John Detterick (Concert Hall Lobby) immediately following evening plenary. A motion was made from the floor: “The 217th GA (2006) expresses gratitude for the faithful and dedicated service of Elder John Detterick as President of the Board of Pensions (1993-1998) and Executive Director of the General Assembly Council (1998-2006) and prays God’s blessings upon him as he retires. The motion passed by hand vote and a round of applause. John then spoke to us offing his gratitude for PC (USA). Then next item was 08-08 (all recommendations) and it passed by hand vote. 08-09 was moved to be approved as amended and it passed by consensus. 08-14 was next. It was moved and carried by consensus. The last item for this portion of their report was 08-16 and it was moved and accepted by consensus.

The report from the General Assembly Nominating Committee was next. Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick provided us with the ground rules. Unchallenged positions will be voted on first. Melva Wilson Costen, Moderator of the GAC committee listed all of the positions that had challenges. We then voted on the uncontested nominations and they were all elected by a single hand vote. We then moved to those that were challenged.
Advisory Committee on the Constitution:
Paul K. Hooker (GANC) vs. P. David Snellgrove (commissioner): Paul K. Hooker
Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy:
Lewis S. Mudge (GANC) vs. Lawrence D. Spencer (commissioner): Lewis S. Mudge
William Saint (GANC) vs. Gary John Green (commissioner): William Saint
Gloria Albrecht (GANC) vs. Allan F.H. Wisdom (commissioner): Gloria Albrecht
Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns:
Sarah Colwill (GANC) vs. Fairlight Collins-Jones (commissioner): Sarah Colwill
Lillian Oats (GANC) vs. Aisha Brooks-Lytle (commissioner): Aisha Brooks-Lytle
Aleida Jernigan (GANC) vs. Maria G. Gardenas-Baez (commissioner): Maria G. Gardenas-Baez
Permanent Judicial Commission:
Mary Eleanor Johns (GANC) vs. Catherine Purvis (commissioner): Mary Eleanor Johns
Ronald Bullis (GANC) vs. William Andrew Stewart, Jr. (commissioner): Ronald Bullis

Moderator Gray gave the floor to Rick Ufford-Chase to handle 00-03 Moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004) Nominations for Members of the General Assembly Nominating Committee. Only one of the nominees has a challenger:
Frank S. Deming Jr. (GANC) vs. John F. Sloop (commissioner): Frank S. Deming Jr.
There was a motion to move Speak out to before the lunch break in order to have the report from Report of the Assembly Committee on Ecclesiology (06) go uninterrupted. This motion passed by consensus. There was also a motion to stop for prayer prior to a vote after any emotional debate which was accepted. Moderator Gray then advised that we would be starting with prayer after the lunch break and that everyone needs to be back and in their seats prior to that time as the doors will be closed. Speak out proceeded at that point.

After announcements we closed in prayer. We then went into recess for the lunch break.

Moderator Gray led us through a wonderful, peaceful, meditation after which we were opened in prayer.

Rev. Blair Monie, Moderator of the Assembly Committee on Ecclesiology (06) introduced the co-chairs (Gary W. Demarest & Jean S. Stoner) of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church. They talked briefly about the work of the task force and the input from the many resources that they used. When the finished they turned the floor back over to the Vice-Moderator of the Assembly Committee on Ecclesiology, Catherine Kotfila, who talked to us about the process that they went through that they had gone through. She then made a motion to accept the PUP report, items 1 – 4, as amended. By electronic vote the motion passed. It was moved that Item 06-01 Recommendations 5 as amended and 6 - 7 with comment be passed as the committee presented it. There was also a minority report which was introduced to us. The committee then spoke on the need to adopt this item as it was amended and commented on. The minority report was then presented and the maker spoke as to why we need to make the minority report the main report. We then moved to perfecting the main motion. A motion was made to strike the word authoritative from Recommendation #5. A comment from the floor from a member of the ACC said that striking the word authoritative would have no impact. We then moved to vote on the amendment and it failed. We are now back to the main motion. A question was asked of the as to what the implications would be if Recommendation # 5 were to be removed from the report. The task force stated that it would be ill-advised as they feel that the recommendation clarifies what is in the Book of Order. They reiterated that the standards would not change. The task force is supportive of the amendment to Recommendation 5.d that the committee made. Another amendment has been offered in regards to 5.d. This would insert after the first appearance of the word “examination” the words “and ordination decision”; change the word “complies” to “comply.” Rev. Monie spoke to this amendment stating that he did not feel that this amendment would not substantially change what was originally there. There was a clarification to have it read “and ordination and installation decision.” 5.d would then read:
d. Whether the examination and ordination and installation decision comply with the constitution of the PCUSA, and whether the ordaining/installing body has conducted its examination reasonably, responsibly, prayerfully, and deliberately in deciding to ordain a candidate for church office is subject to review by higher governing bodies.
We then moved to vote on this amendment to the main motion and it passed. The main motion was declared perfected. We then moved to perfect the minority report, which was perfected without change. We now go to debate as to whether the minority report should become the main motion and there was a lot of movement on the floor as commissioners and advisory delegates moved to the microphones. As I could not accurately capture any of the comments for or against I will not have any of the debate comments here, I’ll leave that up to the press covering the GA. I will say that both sides were passionate about theirs beliefs and presented themselves well. Thank you to all who spoke. There was a call to the question to end debate and it passed. We then moved to voting on whether the minority report should become the main motion and that vote failed. We then began debate on the main motion. A motion was made and passed by hand vote to limit a speakers time to 2 minutes. A motion to amend was made:
The General Assembly Refer with comment Recommendations 5 & 6 to the Presbyteries for their consideration and response prior to final action on these recommendations, utilizing the resources and processes suggested in Recommendations 1-4 in the Report of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity… and direct the Office of the General Assembly to develop an instrument by which the Presbyteries may advise the General Assembly whether or not the 218th General Assembly should adopt the proposed authoritative interpretation, and to approve Recommendation 7.
We then moved into a time of debate for which again there was much debate as there was on the minority report. After much debate there was a call for the question that was seconded and voted on. The vote narrowly was defeated. We then went back to the main motion as amended which had been perfected and debate on that motion. The question was called and seconded. We then voted on whether or not to end debate and the vote passed. We then moved on to voting on the main motion as amended and the vote narrowly passed. There was a question from the floor on how to register their discontent and the Stated Clerk gave instructions on how to do that. We then moved to disapprove Item 06-05 Item 2 and it was passed by hand vote. We then moved and received 06-07 by consensus. Item 06-11 was moved and received by consensus. It was moved that all remaining items be dismissed by the action already taken on 06-01 and it passed by consensus. This concluded their report.

Moderator Gray then led us in a hymn and then we took a five minute break.

Committee Moderator Rev. Karen Akin presented the Report of the Assembly Committee on Church Orders (04). On Item 04-11 they recommend that the item be disapproved and it passed by hand vote. They moved that Item 04-12 be disapproved and it passed. The next Item, 04-13 was moved to be disapproved by the committee. A motion was made to reconsider Item 04-11 and it was seconded. It was then requested that the committee moderator explain why they made the recommendations that they did. Before that was answered we voted on whether to reconsider 04-11 and the vote passed. The committee moderator then reiterated that they recommended to disapprove 04-11 and that a vote of yes would disapprove Item 04-11. The was some debate prior to the vote. After the vote to end debate passed we voted on the item to disapprove 04-11. The GA voted in agreement disapprove 04-11. We then voted on whether or not to reconsider 04-12 and it was a tie which means it failed. Karen then moved that 04-13 be disapproved and it passed. Item 04-01 was next and they moved that the item be disapproved. There was a motion from the floor to refer 04-01 & All Concurrences to the 218th General Assembly (2008). The previous question was called to end debate. It was voted on and debate ended. The motion to refer was voted on was defeated. We are back to the motion from the committee to disapprove 04-01. After debate the previous question was called and passed by vote. The recommendation was restated and brought to a vote.

Due to it being 5:30 PM we recessed and headed for dinner. The rest of the Report of the Assembly Committee on Church Orders (04) and Report of the Assembly Committee on Mission Coordination (08) we table until tomorrow.

After dinner I headed for the Joint Worship led by PC (USA) in the Concert Hall. It was another wonderful service. Janet Ort and eth Middleton performed a duet of Pie Jesu with dancing by the liturgical dancers On Angels Wings. It was beautiful and moved many to tears. The sermon by Jean Marie Peacock, Vice-Moderator of the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) challenged us to wade in the water and was made even more inspiring with stories of a mission trip to Columbia and the trials of her congregation after hurricane Katrina.

With little sleep lately due to all that has been going on I decided to head back to the room to finish this post and get some rest. The program after I left included Ecumenical Greetings, World Prayer, Presbyterian Church of Colombia 150th, Presbyterian Church of Cuba, Self-Development of People, and Mission Initiative.

Good night and God Bless!

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-19T23:31:00.000-05:00

A prayer for Regan.

I wanted to give this part of Sunday's (June 18, 2006) blog entry it's own entry. Please continue to pray for Regan, her family, her friends, and her church.

Last night after I left the committee meeting I stopped in the atrium to post to the blog and I ran into Rev. Russell Smith who I had meet earlier in the day because he had found this blog. ... We talked for about an hour during which time he told me about a 4 year old girl in his congregation whose name is Regan Harper. Regan has cancer. What is worse is that the doctors are baffled as to what to do with this cancer. It is unlike anything that they have dealt with. They have prayed and the Elders have anointed her with oil. I told him that I would pray for her and that I would let our prayer warriors know so they could pray for her too. We I got back to my room I turned on the TV and after a short time I was overwhelmed with the need to pray for Regan and as I began to pray I realized that I needed to look outside and up into the heavens. I had muted the TV but the light from it, my laptop, and the laps that were on in the room were causing a glare so I turned them all off except for the bathroom light so I would not trip around the room. I shut the bathroom door until it was open just enough to let out a little of the light. It was just enough. I went to the window and tried to open the shears but they were stuck in place. I continued my prayer for Regan, her family, her friends, and her church. As I prayed I sank to my knees grabbing the bar on the inside of the window and I looked out into the night sky. To the right of my and just up a little bit I saw it. The unlikely combination of the light that I had on and the shears had created it. I saw the cross. I began to think about when Jesus healed the boy in Matthew 17. It was not about Jesus forcing out the demon that drew me to that passage, it is what he told his followers in verse 20 when He said, “… I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. All things will be possible for you.” I also thought about the when Jesus healed the soldier’s servant in Matthew 8:5-11, 13: When Jesus entered the city of Capernaum, an army officer came to him, begging for help. The officer said, “Lord, my servant is at home in bed. He can’t move his body and is in much pain.” Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.” The officer answered, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house. You only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. I, too, am a man under the authority of others, and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant does it. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, “I tell you the truth, this is the greatest faith I have found, even in Israel. …Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home. Your servant will be healed just as you believed he would.” And his servant was healed that same hour. I am not sure that I have as much faith as the soldier, but I would like to think that I do. I do know that I have faith at least the size of a mustard seed and Jesus had told his followers that that would be large enough. I know that God is holding Regan in His arms and that He will heal her because Jesus has already told me that my faith is big enough. As I reflected on this time today I realized that it was not just a cross that I had seen. I also saw a white flowing robe and I believe that as I prayed last night that Jesus was giving me His undivided attention. Praise God. Thank you Jesus. Please say a prayer for Regan and her family, I know they would deeply appreciate it.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-19T23:02:00.000-05:00

Monday, June 19, 2006
This morning I got up earlier than usual so I could go to the PFR Breakfast and hear Dr. Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, speak. I appreciate PFR for providing this opportunity and at the same time they did not push anyone to join their group. In fact I am very appreciative of all of the groups that are here at General Assembly for, in my opinion, not being too in your face. Remember, that was my opinion. Others may have had a completely different experience.

After breakfast I headed to the plenary floor where we began the day with Item 02-03 Minutes of the General Assembly were accepted. The late entry of commissioner resolutions had been approved on Thursday and the Bills and Overtures committee. The committee spent part of Friday getting those resolutions assigned to the most appropriate committee. Item 03-05 Revised Docket (http://les-pcusa.org/Business/Business.aspx) was explained and received by the GA.

The Ecumenical Greeting was given by Rev. Michael Livingston, President of the Nation Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. on behalf of the NCC & CWS.

Confirmation & Installation of the Vice-Moderator for the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was the next. Elder Robert Wilson, Presbytery of North Alabama who is our new Vice-Moderator was introduced by our new Moderator Rev. Joan Gray. Elder Wilson spoke to us telling us many wise and good things to remember: “As long as we let the Holy Spirit guide us we will be one in the end. Get right attitude with God … with Jesus … with the Holy Spirit” amongst many others.

The GA unanimously confirmed the Vice-Moderator. Moderator Gray and Stated Clerk Kirkpatrick did the installation of Vice-Moderator Wilson. The Moderator and Vice-Moderator were then presented with a gavel especially hand crafted for the 217th General Assembly.

We were welcomed by our Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick who went over some procedures, especially those involving what is needed to speak, parliamentary procedure, and other matters specific to doing business in plenary.

Elder Commissioner Vince Thomas was introduced by Moderator Gray. Vince is the moderator for the committee on General Assembly Procedures. Vince provided a reported on the per capita budget. He advised the floor that the proposed per capita for 2007-2008 would be $5.72. We will receive daily updates regarding the financial implications based on the actions of the General Assembly on Les. The General Assembly Procedures committee will present a final per capita report on Thursday morning.

Elder David Norton, Moderator of Mission Coordination committee spoke next and will give the total financial implications for the mission budget before the end of this General Assembly.

The financial implication reports for per capita and mission will be available on Les under item (00) Plenary.

Elder Allan Ford, Moderator of the Board of Pensions and Presbyterian Foundation provided an update on the reports from this committee. Allan introduced the President of the Board of Pensions who provided an overview of the promises that are made by the Board of Pensions as well as their services and programs. Allan then talked to items 15-01 and 15-04 and he moved for approval from the floor which Moderator Grey accepted by consensus of the plenary floor. Allen then spoke about the Presbyterian Foundation and he then introduced Robert Beach, President of the Presbyterian Foundation. Robert gave a brief overview of the foundation. More information can be found about the foundation on their website. Item 15-02, 15-03, and 15-05 are before the assembly for approval concerning the Presbyterian Foundation. All three items were accepted by consensus of the floor. Item 15-a through 15-f and are presented for information only.
Curtis from the National Ministries Division introduced a presentation, glimpses of different styles of worship, from this division that we will see over the course of the next several ways. A CD containing each of the clips will be sent to each of the commissioners following the General Assembly.

Next up was Elder Nancy Olthoff who is the moderator on the Committee of Theological Issues and Institutions. She presented the consent agenda and moved that it be received. It was received by the floor. The report from the committee of Theological Education was presented by Rev. Jim Kitchens who is the moderator of this committee. He gave the floor to Laura Mendenhall, President of Columbia Theological Seminary, who introduced Rev. Dr. Catherine Gonzales, Columbia Seminary, and winner of the 2006 Award for Excellence in Theological Education who gave a short speech. Nancy then introduced … fingers not fast enough … from the Dubuque Theological Seminary. He introduced Rev. Dr. Samuel Calian, President Emeritus of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary who is retiring. Rev. Calian expressed his gratitude for God’s abundant grace, for his colleagues, and for his wife. He also said that although he is retiring from this position he is not retiring from life or the ministry for that comes later. The Rev. William J. Carl, President of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, spoke of his new calling to the position of President of the seminary. Nancy then moved form approval of item 13-08, the installation of Rev. Carl. It was accepted by consensus. Next item is 13-11 and 13-10 which are related. Both relate to a new Presbyterian Hymnal. Item 13-11 was passed as was item 13-10. Nancy then introduced Rev. Irvin Moxley, Vice-Moderator who spoke to item 13-15, the election of Davis Perkins to a 4th consecutive term as President and Publisher – from the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Item 13-01 was next which passed by consensus. Next was Item 13-04 as amended regarding the “Invitation to Christ” which passed by consensus. Nancy then continued the report of the committee. She began with Item 13-05 be accepted as amended. There was a minority report presented that would refer this to a committee that would report to the 219th General Assembly (2010). This then went to those speaking for and against. We then moved into perfecting the main motion. A motion was made to amend changing in line 1 “approve” to “receive” and it passed. Another amendment was made concerning the main motion which would amend the last sentence (in Section 3-B) to read: “with the exception of the Baptismal Formula itself, we are free to supplement this language with additional …” This amendment has passed. The main motion has been perfected. We then went to perfecting the minority report. There were no amendments and the minority report was then perfected. We then moved to discussion as to whether the minority report should become the main motion for which there was debate for which there were many speaking for and against the minority report. The previous question was moved and seconded and passed. We then voted to accept the minority report as the main motion and it failed. We voted on the main motion and it passed. Nancy then moved that 13-02 be taken care based on the action taken on 13-05. A motion was made to reconsider 13-05 which was then voted on and it did fail. We were then back to 13-02 and it was accepted. That concluded their report to the General Assembly.

Announcements were made.

The offering received at the ecumenical service Saturday night was $4507 and on Sunday night $25111 was received.
Commissioners need to fill out the Committee Evaluations and turn them in.
11:30-4: Blood drive in the North Exhibit Hall

A time of memoriam for Rev. Dr. William P. Thompson (Former Stated Clerk of the United Presbyterian Church) was held after the announcements.

We recessed for lunch after prayer.

Moderator Gray opened the session in prayer. We then moved to 15 minutes of speak out. Each speaker is allowed up to 1 minute to speak about whatever they chose to.

The first item of business was the Report of the Assembly Committee on Church Growth and Christian Education (12) lead by Elder Lee Jordan, Moderator of the committee. There were no objections to the Consent Agenda 12-04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 10, 14, 15 (rec. 1 & 2) and it was passed by consensus. The committee was not convinced that there was enough support for the (12-01) Office of Christian Education and would like it referred for further study and the motion to do this was passed. There was a motion to refer 12-02 to study already under way in the Office of Theology. The motion was carried. It was moved that the GA approve 12-03 as amended. There was a question if state requirements taken into consideration and they were not able to this. The motion was passed. The next item of business was concerning 12-08. James Thomas of the Evangelism Office gave a short presentation on racial ethnic growth that was very informative as to how it compared when this began 10 years ago. He then turned it over for a presentation on this issue that was also very informative. My personal thanks go out to those who put this information together, especially the PowerPoint. The Phase 2 portion of the Here and Now campaign was then talked about. The motion to approve as amended was then made and voted on. The motion passed. The next item was 12-11 and it was moved that it be accepted as amended. The item passed. 12-12 recommendation #1 was then moved to be accepted as amended and it passed. The committee recommended that item 12-12 2 a. - d. and 2 e. as amended and they were accepted on consensus. Item 12-13 recommendation #1 was moved and accepted on consensus. Item 12-13 recommendation #2 was moved and accepted on consensus. Item 12-13 recommendation #3 was moved and accepted on consensus. Item 12-13 recommendation #4 was moved and accepted on consensus. Item 12-16 was moved and accepted on consensus. Item 12-17 as amended was moved and accepted on consensus. Item 12-18 was moved to disapprove and passed on consensus. When then watched a video on the Presbyterian Investment & Loan Program. The rest of their report was for information only.

The Report of the Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations (7) was next. Items 07-02 through 07-04 were moved and accepted by consensus. It was moved to accept item 07-05 and then put to a vote. The motion passed. It was moved to accept item 07-06 as amended and then put to a voice vote that passed. It was moved to accept item 07-07 and was accepted by consensus. It was moved to accept item 07-08 and was accepted by consensus. It was moved to accept item 07-01 as amended. There is a minority report. Both were perfected after much debate. The question has been called and passed by a hand vote. We then voted on whether the minority report should become the main motion and it failed. We then had the main motion before us and it was moved as amended and it passed. We then moved to the 3 commissioner resolutions. Item 07-09 as amended and a corresponding minority report were first up. We then began perfecting the main motion. An amendment was made to strike “Ending the aerial fumigation for coca crops and focusing” from 5 c. and debate followed. The amendment then came to a vote and failed. We then began perfecting the minority report. An amendment was made to the minority report. “Add to end of the Minority Report: following the word “Columbia”: and to advocate with our respective representatives in the U.S. Government for peace and justice as we are led by the Holy Spirit.” We then voted on this and it passed. The minority report was declared perfected and we moved to debate as to whether the minority report should become the main motion. The was a motion to “Move to refer to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and Peacemaking Office to produce a study paper as a resource and to submit the paper to the 218th General Assembly (2008).” The previous question has been moved and seconded and passed by a hand vote. The motion went to a vote and was defeated. We now back to determining if the minority report will replace the main motion. A motion to refer only recommendation 5 to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and Peacemaking Office to include a report in their next Human Rights Report. There was a sidebar and the motion was declared out of order. We had to decide which motion is the main motion and then this motion would be in order. We are back to whether the minority report should be the main motion. The question was called and approved by hand vote. We then voted on the minority report and it failed. We were then back to the main motion. In order to get the study on recommendation 5 done we would need to divide the question. This was carried by hand vote. We then began work on item 07-09 items 1-4 and the question was called and carried by voice vote. We voted on 07-09 items 1-4 and it passed. We then began work on item 07-09 item 5. A motion was made to “Move to refer to the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and Peacemaking Office to produce a study paper as a resource and to submit the paper to the 218th General Assembly (2008).” There was debate on this amendment by both sides of the issue. I should note that this motion was made based on comments of Rev. Rick Ufford-Chase, Moderator of the 216th General Assembly. The question was then called, seconded, and passed by hand vote. The motion came to a vote and passed. We then moved to commissioner resolution 07-10 for which the committee moderator moved for a vote and it was accepted by consensus. We then moved to commissioner resolution 07-11 for which the committee moderator moved for a vote and it passed by a hand vote. This concluded their report.

The Report of the Assembly Committee on Review of GA Permanent Committees (14) was presented by the moderator of the committee Elder Tom Burleson. Item 14-01 was their first order of business which passed by hand vote.

A motion was made to reconsider 12-11 which was seconded. This has been declared out of order. We moved back to the Report of the Assembly Committee on Review of GA Permanent Committees (14).

It was moved that accept the Report on Review of the Advisory Committee on Litigation (14-ACL R). We received a brief description of what this advisory committee does. It was moved and accepted by consensus. Item 14-ACC R – Report on Review of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution was next and there were 4 recommendations that went with it. This item was passed by consensus. Rev. Laura Stellmon, Vice-Moderator of the committee moved item 14-COR R and then spoke to it.

A motion was made to reconsider 12-11 which was seconded. A motion was made for the orders of the day and seconded. The Associate Stated Clerk advised that we would return to the orders of the day and then address 12-11 when finished.

Item 14-COR R (Report on Review of the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns) was accepted by hand vote. It was moved to receive item 14-ACWC R and spoken to. This item was accepted by hand vote. Rev. Stellmon then concluded their report with the acceptance of Item 14-A Minutes, General Assembly Committee on Representation.

We then moved to the debate to reconsider Item 12-11. The question was called and seconded and was approved by hand vote. We then voted whether to reconsider our previous action on Item 12-11 and it failed.

We concluded with announcements and closing prayer.

The worst thing about plenary is the line for the elevator at the hotel. Don’t count on everyone saying that though. There are several that are not happy with what has happened so far and there are others who are. Big surprise right that the answer is 'wrong.' We are all well away of human nature and no one likes to lose. We need to look at the big picture instead. If everyone was happy, would we really be happy? I doubt it. We would find something to disagree. The one thing we do agree on is Scripture, let’s just agree to disagree on everything else and remain friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. I was just about to skip worship tonight when I felt that familiar gentle nudge. Having learned that it is a really good idea to pay attention to God’s nudging so off I went to the Joint Worship led by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. I could not have been happier that I paid attention. It was a wonderful service. I especially liked the Bethel Renaissance Singer. They electrified the concert hall. The sermon by the Moderator of the 175th General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Rev. Linda H. Green was wonderful. I stayed for the rest of the evening enjoying the program celebrating Women’s 50th Ordination. The rest of the presentations were more on the advertisement / cheerleading side but were also informative. There were: Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities, Cultural Proficiency, Peacemaking 25th Anniversary, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance – Katrina Recovery, and the Mission Initiative.

The next few days will undoubtedly be interesting, but with God’s help and the leading of the Holy Spirit we will fulfill God’s plan for this the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Good night and God Bless!

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-18T22:18:00.000-05:00

Sunday, June 18, 2006
Last night after I left the committee meeting I stopped in the atrium to post to the blog and I ran into Rev. Russell Smith who I had meet earlier in the day because he had found this blog. I told him that I had been looking for a contemporary service to go to and he told me about a service that was being put on by PRMI (Presbyterian Reformed Ministries International). I later was able to find out when and where that service was.

We talked for about an hour during which time he told me about a 4 year old girl in his congregation whose name is Regan Harper. Regan has cancer. What is worse is that the doctors are baffled as to what to do with this cancer. It is unlike anything that they have dealt with. They have prayed and the Elders have anointed her with oil. I told him that I would pray for her and that I would let our prayer warriors know so they could pray for her too. We I got back to my room I turned on the TV and after a short time I was overwhelmed with the need to pray for Regan and as I began to pray I realized that I needed to look outside and up into the heavens. I had muted the TV but the light from it, my laptop, and the laps that were on in the room were causing a glare so I turned them all off except for the bathroom light so I would not trip around the room. I shut the bathroom door until it was open just enough to let out a little of the light. It was just enough. I went to the window and tried to open the shears but they were stuck in place. I continued my prayer for Regan, her family, her friends, and her church. As I prayed I sank to my knees grabbing the bar on the inside of the window and I looked out into the night sky. To the right of my and just up a little bit I saw it. The unlikely combination of the light that I had on and the shears had created it. I saw the cross. I began to think about when Jesus healed the boy in Matthew 17. It was not about Jesus forcing out the demon that drew me to that passage, it is what he told his followers in verse 20 when He said, “… I tell you the truth, if your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. All things will be possible for you.” I also thought about the when Jesus healed the soldier’s servant in Matthew 8:5-11, 13: When Jesus entered the city of Capernaum, an army officer came to him, begging for help. The officer said, “Lord, my servant is at home in bed. He can’t move his body and is in much pain.” Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.” The officer answered, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to come into my house. You only need to command it, and my servant will be healed. I, too, am a man under the authority of others, and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant does it. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were following him, “I tell you the truth, this is the greatest faith I have found, even in Israel. …Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home. Your servant will be healed just as you believed he would.” And his servant was healed that same hour. I am not sure that I have as much faith as the soldier, but I would like to think that I do. I do know that I have faith at least the size of a mustard seed and Jesus had told his followers that that would be large enough. I know that God is holding Regan in His arms and that He will heal her because Jesus has already told me that my faith is big enough. As I reflected on this time today I realized that it was not just a cross that I had seen. I also saw a white flowing robe and I believe that as I prayed last night that Jesus was giving me His undivided attention. Praise God. Thank you Jesus. Please say a prayer for Regan and her family, I know they would deeply appreciate it.

I had found in my GA information that the PRMI service began at 10 AM so I was able to sleep in a little bit today. I left early enough so I could find where it was as the service was in a part of the complex that I was not yet familiar with. I found my seat towards the front, I do not like when people sit in the back and leave the front empty. Fortunately that was not a problem. Neither was the fact that it was a two hour service. When it was over it felt like we had just begun. I really enjoyed the music, the fellowship, the expressions of faith, and the message. Thank you PRMI.

After the service I thought I would head to the committee room and get set up before getting some lunch. I found that our room had been booked for something else and we had move for the day to another room. It was just 2 floors up so it was not a big deal. We came back to committee at 1:30 PM. A motion was made and seconded to dispense of the remaining six overtures concerning Montreat with a single vote. The motion was passed 37-0-5. Les was down so we moved to item 03-B Minutes of the Presbyterian Historical Society. The commissioners that read over the minutes moved and seconded to accept the minutes with comment. The vote passed 44-0-1.

Paper copies of all of the items have been handed out for those who still cannot access Les.

It was requested that we allow open hearings for 03-23/03-24. This would have us adding 10 minutes to the 5 minutes that are already allowed for each of the writers of the commissioner resolution. A motion was made to not have open hearings; this would still allow the writers 5 minutes to speak. It passed 40-5-0.

Item 03-12 was next on the agenda. George Adams spoke to this item recommending that the committee approve this AI. A motion was made to recommend approval of this item and it was seconded. There was no debate and by a vote of 44-0-1.

Item 03-16 was the next item where there was already and amendment. I made what I thought would be a substitute amendment was out of order at the time of the motion.

The amended motion failed 2-42-1
I again made a motion for a substitute. It was seconded and is now under parliamentary review by the leadership team. After debate and clarification it was taken to a vote and defeated by a vote of due to a tie 20-20-5. We were then back to the main motion to approve 03-16 #1. The previous question was moved and seconded and approved. The main motion to recommend 03-16 #1 went to a vote and was defeated 2-43-2. A motion has been made and seconded to disprove 03-16 #1 to the GA. The motion passed 44-1-2.

A motion was made to disapprove item 03-16 #2 and it was seconded and debate was begun. The YADs and TSADs were also in agreement to disapprove. The question was called and seconded. The motion to end debate was carried. The committee voted overwhelmingly to disapprove item 03-16 #2 by a vote of 47-0-0.

The next item of business is item 03-A which essentially say that the GAPJC is the final authority and their decisions, cannot be called into question. It was moved and seconded with not debate to accept this item and passed by a vote of 44-0-1.

03-18 was the next item up for presentation by a member of COGA. This item deals with affinity (special interest) groups. A motion was made and seconded to approve 03-18. The motion passed 44-1-0. A motion was made and seconded to answer 03-06 with the approval of 03-18 and was opened up to debate. During this it was made clear that 03-06 would conflict with 03-18 and would also possibly infringe on the privacy of individual donors and that it is also illegal per the IRS. It was then voted on and passed by a vote of 41-2-3.
When then moved on to item 03-20. COGA made their presentation on this item and pointed out the minor amendments. These minor amendments were to clarify and edit what was done at the 216th GA (2004). It was moved and seconded to accept 03-20. We then moved to debate. The reason we would not have the same amount of information regarding the Vice Moderator should something happen to the Moderator is that the Vice Moderator is appointed by the Moderator and not elected by the GA. This item passed by a vote of 46-1-0.

Agenda item 03-21 was then explained by a representative of COGA. This item would allow three observers of other faiths or religious traditions to attend GA. The item was brought to a vote and passed 39-3-4.

We only had two items left at this point. Item 03-23 was the next item. Michael Carey and Chandler Willis wrote this commissioner resolution and Michael was given 5 minutes to speak as the resolution advocate. This resolution dealt with “Open Meeting Policy.” There was a lot of concern in regards to whether this additional information would cause trouble if someone were to have malicious intent. It was suggested by a corresponding member that we may want to have the GA create a task force to research this further. A member of ACSWP then spoke in opposition to this item with the following example:
Session meetings are open by their very nature. Should they be drafting a letter on a sensitive subject and had a member of the congregation that wanted a copy it could cause a deep split within the local church. There does need to be some sort of temporary boundaries to prevent problems that the final drafts would not have. (I wonder if my congregation knows they can come to session meetings to observe.)
George Adams then spoke regarding this item. He had written a draft that was changed by the committee that he was working on. That draft in its final form, while still in the spirit of the original, only contained one word that was on the draft. There have been some good examples why 03-23 should be disapproved. Steve Grace from COGA was the final resource for this item and spoke to the 3 comments that COGA made in regards to this item. There were no general questions. A motion was made to approve 03-23 with the relevant text from the ACSWP advice and counsel on item 03-23. This motion was seconded. There was some debate on this item. There is still a fear of maliciousness. There was a motion then made to amend the motion that was on the floor. The amended motion was then voted on and was defeated 9-32-3. We went back to the main motion and debate on it. The motion was then voted on and defeated 10-34-0. A motion was made to refer 03-23 to COGA and to report back to the 218th GA (2008). It then went to debate. There was worry that delaying this further by referring this to COGA would cause further issues as well as those who felt that it would be looked upon favorably. The comments from COGA were not based on any study but were the response of a few members of COGA. We were reminded that it was suggested by a corresponding member who is also a member of COGA that this be referred to COGA. The referral passed 39-4-2.

The last item! Item 03-24 was brought to us. It simply is adding a line that would have an estimate and final cost of special committees or studies. After the commissioner resolution advocate spoke to this resolution question and answer time was begun. The COGA resource person then came up to speak in regards to this issue. The cost of these committee or studies is paid by the OGA. These committees and studies are given a budget when created and then OGA monitors these budgets and if an extension is required then it must be approved by GA. A motion was made and seconded to disapprove this item to the GA. It was confirmed that there are checks and balances regarding the budgets in question. The motion passed 28-14-4. With that committee work on this agenda was completed. It was suggested by the moderator that if the GA votes in favor of 03-17 that the Moderator and Stated Clerk reach out pastoral to those who would be pained by that action. A committee member made the motion and it was seconded and immediately voted on. The item passed unanimously 45-0-0.

Our leadership then gave us a round of applause to which we gave our leadership team a standing ovation. We then closed with worship.

I had just enough time to get back to the room and head to worship. I was really looking forward to this service as it was a joint service between the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The service was mostly traditional, which while not what I prefer was incredible. The service began with selections sung by Chorale Presbyterienne du Congo. They were great. During several of the hymns the “On Angels’ Wings” liturgical dance team from Covenant Presbyterian Church of Tuscaloosa performed. As I watched them my eyes filled and I found myself praying that Regan would someday be able to dance like that. Those young people did a fantastic job. I thank God that I was able to finish my day with this service.

Tomorrow is an early day as I am going to the PFR breakfast at 7 AM so I will close for now.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-17T22:47:00.000-05:00

Saturday, June 17, 2006
We got to sleep in a little bit today. Committee sessions did not begin until 9 AM. Not wanting to spend $13 on the buffet in the Sheraton atrium I headed to a stand near the GA registration desks as I knew they had sausage biscuits. I was too late. I had to settle for a blueberry muffin. I guess I was supposed to eat something a little better for me than a greasy sausage biscuit. I called Diane to see how she was doing. I am not sure who misses who more, fortunately it is not a competition.

We began this morning with worship. The text was from Ephesians 3 and from the Book of Celtic Benedictions.

A memorandum was handed out from the GAP Committee Leadership Team on how to handle each of the items that are before in regards to the 6 Overtures and the Recommendation from COGA. A motion was made and seconded to accept this recommendation on the process concerning the Presbyterian Historical Society at Montreat. There was no debate and it was set to a vote and it passed unanimously: 46-0-0. Thus the morning began with Item 03-17 Regarding the Presbyterian Historical Society Facility in Montreat, NC. This item began with Steve Grace and Cathy Ulrich from COGA explaining the work of the task force and explaining the recommendation. Fred Hauser from the Historical Society then spoke providing us a lot of historical information. Clifton Kirkpatrick then spoke for the recommendation. He did point out that if we want to make any changes that the Constitution would have to be changed. The floor was then turned back over to Steve and the committee was then given the opportunity to ask questions for clarification. The first question dealt with whether or not this recommendation had anything to do with the drop in per capita giving. I find that this is unfortunately like business; we need to do what is fiscally responsible for the denomination. I think this would have gone over better had there not been an issue of decreasing per capita but not by much. This is a deeply emotional issue for so many. What many need to realize is that COGA did not make this decision lightly; they struggled with this as well. I understand the why so many want to keep the Presbyterian Historical Society at Montreat. I also understand money. Approximately 75% of all records are currently at the Philadelphia location and 25% at Montreat. The recommendation does not close the Montreat center completely, keeping it open in a museum like atmosphere as well as an educational facility.

After a short break we heard from the 11 overture candidates who were collectively given 38 minutes to present the material on the 6 Overtures that they represent. They have worked it out amongst themselves to not repeat one another.

Steve Clark: Pastor and lawyer who spoke to the legalities regarding the Overtures. He vowed that none of them want to be out of order with the Book of Order. All of the property at Montreat is owned by the Historical Foundation, Inc. which is a North Carolina Corporation. One of the points that he made was that there are people who sent items to the Montreat facility. They do not have a problem with 9.0203. He even made the point that only 15% of the documents at Montreat fall under 9.0203. The rest are personal and church collections that no one has responsibility to take care of. What they are concerned about is what will happen to that 85%. They have secured nearly $1,000,000
Blye (sp): She spoke to the Presbyterian Women and their contributions to the collection at Montreat. Many churches and individuals rely on the information at Montreat for church anniversary information. They are concerned that the information will not be accessible.
Burt Kramer (sp): Montreat is living history. More people go to Montreat than to Philadelphia
Barbara Kane (sp): Spoke to the technology advances. Card catalogs are no longer used; researchers now look to the web. There need to be redundant forms of back up. History comes alive at Montreat. All the staff to create the kinds of exhibits that will continue to draw people there. What are the legal and cost ramifications for moving records et al to another place. How much will it cost to maintain the archival items in a museum atmosphere? Moving these items also makes it possible for them to be inadvertently lost.
Dave Miller: He and his wife have volunteered at Montreat for the past 12 years after retiring from mission work in Africa. It is imperative to keep the information on the mission partner churches in the mission field kept. This is the only place that this information is kept. The retreat would be better served if it was not closed.
Joe Petty: She said that the in archives that were given by the Texas Presbyterian Historical Society were to remain at Montreat. The Overture will protect the integrity of the things that are stored at Montreat.
Benjamin: How is it helpful in a church that is already hurting to add more to that? It is important for historical research that this collection remains at Montreat. Proposed possibly putting this off for two years for the 2008 General Assembly.
Tom Spence: The $1 million that has been raised was raised in just under three months. There are more monies that will be pledged later. They can also staff it with volunteers saving $200,000 in staffing costs.
George Wilks: We need to “mend the fabric of trust.”
Name?: There is a big difference between looking at something on a computer screen and actually being able to experience it in person. We need to delegate the responsibility to those who are willing and able to take care of it.
Dick Ray: Has raised money for Montreat for this purpose. The proposed board would be nominated by GANC and would be responsible to the GA. This does not need to be dependent on per capita just as none of the Presbyterian Colleges and Seminaries are dependant on per capita. He was speaking to Overture 78.
This is increasingly becoming a passionate, personal plea on the part of the advocates with the exception of the remarks by Steve Clark. If $1 million was able to be raised so easily, why do we not funnel that money to the PHS and drop the recommendation that COGA has made.

Because of the resource use of the denominational lawyer it was moved and passed to extend the overture advocates question and answer time by 5 minutes. This passed 37-10-1. 36 votes were required (2/3 majority) and we made that by 1.

It was defined by one of the overture advocates that the lost materials are those that would be returned to their rightful owners or museums, etc. which in effect would destroy the fabric of the collection. The session records do not necessarily need to be maintained in hard copy. They could be digitized.

George Adams advised that the Overtures would be unconstitutional with the exception of 03-01, Overture 44. Many questions followed as the commissioners were trying to get a good handle on this situation. After much discussion we heard form Laura Plumbly from the Presbyterian Foundation. She talked to us a little bit about the endowed funds that they have and that these funds do have specific designations that cannot be changed. What happens when circumstances arise that could not have been foreseen with that money. They would have to go to the court to get new direction for that money as this is dealing with trust law. When they take these issues to the court they do take a list of possible resolutions that are in the spirit of the donors’ intent and then the court would make a decision which could be different than the recommendation(s) that were put before it. We then recessed for lunch.

After returning from lunch we opened in prayer and then resumed with the questions for Laura Plumbly. Once final questions were taken care with Laura, Eric Graninger who is our legal counsel resource spoke to us. At the time of reunion it was decided what the corporations would be (this is noted in the Articles of Agreement found in Appendix B of the Book of Order). This was a basic overview of the corporations within the PC (USA). The PHS is one of the remaining 7 corporations that began as 17 at the time of reunion. It was confirmed that GAC is the current board of directors. The corporation will not be dissolved. The letting go of the employees at the Montreat facility did not go through the board not did it need to. They had delegated the day to day operations to the Stated Clerk and the OGA. If it impacts the land, buildings, trust money, etc. then it would need to go to the board. The 2004 GA gave the authority/put the process in place for the OGA to do what they have done this far. This can be found in the rationale for 03-17:
2004 Referral: Item 03-11. On the Montreat Historical Center—From the Presbytery of South Louisiana (Minutes, 2004, Part I, pp. 46, 178).

2004 Referral: Item 03-24. On Directing OGA to Develop Long-Range Plan for the Department of History to Provide for Regional Historical Centers—From the Presbytery of Western North Carolina (Minutes, 2004, Part I, pp. 46, 214).
We have to remember that it takes $500,000 a year to keep the center going. Of that amount $450,000 currently comes from per capita.

We still have additional resource people to speak. Next up was Cam Murchison from Columbia Theological Seminary. He feels that the best case would be to leave it at Montreat. They felt that they could raise $8 million of endowment but that it would take ten years, which is not enough time where everything would have been transferred to them and that after 5 years the program would be $5 million in debt. So they determined they could not be part of the resolution. When COGA came back to them with an alternate plan the trustees took a hard look at it to determine the feasibility. They concluded that they could be part of the current recommendation. They would then establish the Program for the Study of Presbyterian and Reformed History and Theology. CTS has taken the time to put together a plan should the COGA recommendation pass. There is a projected start up cost of $1.5 - $1.7 million for which these costs have been factored in.

Our next resource person was George Barber who is the President of the Montreat Conference Center. He assured us that the Montreat Conference Center is not closing. The PHS center at Montreat is important but the Conference Center could not afford to take over the responsibilities of the PHS center. The most direct impact on the Conference Center is the reversionary clause but this would place a monetary strain on them. They have already been thinking about what they would need to do if they ended up owning part of the building. Currently the conference center is running a $70,000 surplus but maintenance of the building would cost 100,000 – 120,000 a year which would place them in the red instead of in the black. Currently the Historical Society Center is only open by appointment, but very few who are going to the Conference Center get there due to their intense schedule.

John Kuykendell was the next resource speaker. He is a current member of the PHS Board. They regret the recommendation by COGA however they do support it.

When John was done we moved into a lengthy time of clarification questions. Preservation of the records means keeping them in a format that will not deteriorate. Electronically there are issues. Paper is still form that last the longest. Burned CD/DVDs will last 10 – 15 years at best. Magnetic tape media is the best digital form lasting up to 100 years. These digital methods are still not as long lasting as paper. The advocates of the different Overtures are at a point of consensus that Item 03-03 Overture 78 is the best of the six that they have presented. The impact to per capita if kept open would be the following increases:
2007 - $5.80
2008 - $6.03
The per capita information was provided by Clifton Kirkpatrick. Global question and answer was concluded and we moved into informal conversations after a short break. This 30 minute time period is just to discuss this amongst the committee. Part of the passion around this is that Montreat is seen as a symbol of the denomination. We are the people of the Gospel, of the story. The loss of the center would be the loss of our story. We were encouraged to think past the numbers and look at that story hard before we make our decision. The passion of the advocates was applauded however the speaker did not feel that they could maintain the level of fundraising necessary to keep the center open. He did express that we need to be good stewards of the denominations money. Closing churches is just as difficult, if not more, but we need to let go when it is necessary. One of the YADs pointed out that this is also about trust. She made the point that we need to make sure that the other members of our presbytery commissioners need to know both sides of this issue before they vote in plenary. We have to remember that the building, the items in the building, the money to run it, etc. are all God’s and He is trusting us to be good stewards of it all, whether that means to keep the center open or to close it. We need to leave the emotion at the door and listen to God’s leading. What is the cost to PC (USA) regardless of what happens?

When the 30 minute time of informal conversation had concluded we moved on to 03-17. One of the commissioners took a moment of personal privilege to thank the YAD/TSADs for their participation in the discussion and their passion for what they believe and the commissioners concurred with a round of applause. A motion was then immediately made and seconded to disapprove item 03-17. A brief leadership side-bar was taken and then Steve Grace spoke, not as a resource, but as a corresponding member. He spoke to M.2.b.13 of the Standing Rules of the General Assembly and G-9.0406 from the Book of Order as all records that fall under the Stated Clerks oversight would have to be moved from Montreat so as to keep this constitutional. Clifton Kirkpatrick provided a re-cap of the per capita information. After additional debate a referral motion was made to create a task force of five commissioners from within this committee that would report back to this committee on Sunday at 2 PM. The motion was placed up for debate. If passed all work on the Montreat issue would be postponed until after the task force reports to the committee. The motion to refer was then voted on and failed by a vote of 20-25-3. The motion to disapprove 03-17 is now back up for debate and discussion. After debate it was put to a vote to disapprove business item 03-17. The vote was 25-20-3. We then recessed for dinner.

We returned from dinner and worship and having a quorum at 8:10 PM we opened the session in prayer. We began the evening with 03-01 however there was a motion to amend the agenda by starting with 03-03. This then went to debate. The vote to change the agenda was defeated by a vote of 11-25-3.

A motion to amend 03-01 was made that would increase the per capita for 2007-2008 by and additional five cents. A motion was then made to add an additional line to the amendment. The moderator called for a short side-bar to discuss additional amendment. After several minutes the moderator asked Clifton Kirkpatrick for clarification on the setting aside the Standing Rules which would help to clarify this amendment. We received clarification on how to word the amendment and moved forward on it. There was a vote to end debate which passed. The amendment then went to a vote and was defeated 6-41-1. We then went back to the main motion and it was opened up for debate. Eric from legal explained that the endowment funds could still only be used for what they are designated for. Neither the committee nor the General Assembly can change the designation of where the funds go. That being cleared up we went back to debate. Faithful stewardship and mission need to be addressed and we seem to be spending too much time on this issue. As I see it we are not being faithful stewards and we need to move on. In a church that is working hard to become outwardly focused we spent too much time looking at something that is inward. The amendment was brought to a vote and was defeated 3-45-0. We then went back to the original overture. A new amendment was brought forth that reads:
That the Historical Foundation of the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, Inc. continue as a corporation under the jurisdiction and review of the General Assembly; that this Corporation retain under its jurisdiction all records, artifacts, and properties not constitutionally designated to the Office of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly; that the same Corporation will be financially self-supporting; that the Presbyterian Historical Society provide to this Corporation easy access to records removed from the Montreat Center; that the details of their transition be implemented and reported to the 218th General Assembly (2008).
Once revised to the above form with help of Eric Graninger and then it was verified that there were no constitutional issues with this amendment. However there still was no transfer of who would be doing the fundraising, as stated it still does not make it work. A motion to re-act on 03-17 was made but was out of order. The current business needed to be dealt with first. There was more debate and then the motion to amend was withdrawn as was the second. The committee then had to approve the withdrawal by consent which was given. We are again back to the original item 03-01 after a short 5 minute break. A motion was made to accept the Overture as it was originally written. We then moved on to debate of the motion. A motion was made and seconded to end debate and it passed. We then voted on item 03-01. The motion failed 14-34-0.

A motion was made to reconsider 03-17 and it was seconded. We would need a simple majority to bring 03-17 back to the committee as if we had never voted on it. A motion was made and passed to end debate. We then voted on the motion to reconsider 03-17 which passed 26-20-1. There was a motion to call the question and it was seconded. We then went in to debate on the motion that we disapprove 03-17. By vote we ended debate. We are now voting on the motion to disapprove 03-17. The motion failed 17-27-3. We will continue working on 03-17 by majority consensus. It was then moved and seconded to recommend that we approve 03-17. There was then a motion made and seconded to amend 03-17 and it passed 38-6-4. Item 03-17 with the amendment was then before us. There was a motion to move the question and it was seconded. The committee voted to end debate and the amended item was then voted on. It passed 27-14-6. We recessed for the day and agreed to meet in the committee room at 1:30 PM on Sunday and ended in prayer.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-16T22:30:00.000-05:00

Friday, June 16, 2006

Today I tried to get everything down as it was happening. Please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. I have also corrected the settings so if someone wants to comment on any of the posts they can. God Bless.

I did not have the same trouble this morning finding the ballroom for the GA Commissioners breakfast. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer.

Fortunately there are several “Ask Me” stations through out the complex to help us find where we are going. The problem that I found was that the signs directing us to the rooms showed ours as Committee 2 and all of the documentation that I have received said that it was General Assembly Procedures (3). I confirmed that I had made it to the correct room when I found my preprinted name placard, found a place to sit and booted up.

We began at 9 AM with opening prayer, introductions, a group building exercise, and opening worship. We reviewed the “How We Will Work Together” document and with very little discussion we adopted the agenda for the committee.

Clifton Kirkpatrick provided our committee with an overview of the Office of the General Assembly. He went through the responsibilities of the OGA. He went through the items that are before our committee. He also provided us with the OGA’s Core Commitment. He then went through the leaders of each of the departments of the OGA. He discussed the benefits to doing biennial assemblies, this one being the first of those. Major items that relate to GA and its Standing Rules were listed out. There are many good publications that are put together to help better understand the role of the OGA along with training materials for all levels of the denomination. The OGA also provides Constitutional Serves. The OGA also deals with ecumenical relations with several different organizations as well as the sharing of pulpits with many different denominations. Another part of the OGA deals with the history of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Historical Society’s mission fulfills G-9.0406. Clifton also discussed the new LES website as well as the work that they do on the denominational website. The OGA also works together with GAC (General Assembly Council). They are also in charge of the Per Capita Budget. Clifton finished his presentation by sharing the vision of the OGA.

After a short break we began to work of the committee. This started with the assignment of the task groups:

Thank the Committee on Local Arrangements - This was assigned to the YADs and the TSADs.
Approve vouchers of commissioners and advisory delegates - Three commissioners volunteered to take on this audit responsibility that will be done on Monday at Noon.

As we began to look at Item 03-07 Les went down giving everyone a “Service Unavailable” message. There was not an advocate from the Presbytery of Trinity to speak to this item, but someone did speak in favor. The vote was approved 33-13-0.

Item 03-10 was next on the agenda. An advocate for the overture spoke in favor of providing an alternate means of reporting church membership. This overture would have the OGA develop the appropriate procedures and policies. The vote was approved 46-1-0.

In order to accommodate Rick Ufford-Chase on item 03-Information Report we moved that to the next item on the agenda. Rick then addressed the committee. Rick talked of how he has turned to the letters from Paul and read a passage from 1 Thessalonians.

Institutional structures … if we stay there we will die as a denomination. We must not quench the spirit. The exciting this he has seen:
o Anything having to do with the missional church. Locally, nationally, and globally. Mission is messy business.
o Development of multi-cultural and new immigrant churches. There is no future in the middle class, Anglo church of the 1950’s.
o There is the possibility to engage more people, especially the youth. They will not come or stay if they sense any type of hypocrisy. Go to them for help in very specific ways. It takes a personal invitation to help; a note in the bulletin will not work anymore.

The things that Rick talked about are the same things that we have been discussing as a congregation for the past several years. What matters to Rick is that we need to work together to grow God’s Kingdoms, we need to step out of our comfort zones – step out of the boat! Sounds like the adult Sunday school book that Judy’s class did last fall, “If You Want To Walk On Water You Have To Get Out Of The Boat.”

We then recessed for lunch.

After lunch we were lead in prayer using Psalm 46:
1God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
2So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and mountains fall into the ocean depths;
3even if the seas roar and rage, and the hills are shaken by the violence.
4There is a river that brings joy to the city of God, to the sacred house of the Most High.
5God is in that city, and it will never be destroyed; at early dawn he will come to its aid.
6Nations are terrified, kingdoms are shaken; God thunders, and the earth dissolves.
7The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
8Come and see what the LORD has done. See what amazing things he has done on earth.
9He stops wars all over the world; he breaks bows, destroys spears, and sets shields on fire.
10"Stop fighting," he says, "and know that I am God, supreme among the nations, supreme over the world."
11The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

The first order of business for the afternoon was to go immediately to the open hearings.

The first speaker spoke against overtures 2, 4, and 5. Does not feel that the records should be transferred from a unit of PC(USA) to an independent agency. The governing body records would be out of control of PC(USA).
Reg Parsons: Spoke against transferring power of the historical documents at Montreat. Concurred with the objections of the first speaker. Keeping and maintaining the records of that are available there are invaluable. There have to be other options.
Rev. Tracey Stewart speaking to keeping Montreat open. Questioned as to whether it is more costly to close as items held in trust would revert back to the donating families and others sent to many other places. Montreat is a wonderful resource.
Rev. Joel Alvis came to speak against the overtures that seek to setup an independent board of directors. However maintaining the current setup is not a good use of our money. The record of the church does need to be preserved. We need to be in control of our own records, if it is given to another group it would lead to confusion. We just do not have the money to keep it up, does not believe we.
David Petty: Supports keeping Montreat as it is. They receive anything that a church deems important. He also believes that there is enough money to continue Montreat as it is.

The hearings on Montreat were completed and we returned to the agenda left from this morning.

Item 03-22, Invitation To Meet in Pittsburgh, PA for the 220th GA (2012) was explained. There was a question regarding the reassessment in 2010 of biennial assemblies and it was clarified that it if we were to go back to annual that it would likely happen in 2013. The item was approved 44-0-0.

Item 03-B was tabled until the second person that volunteered to look at them comes back into the room.

Item 03-Information, Affinity Groups Report was received by consensus.

Item 03-Information, Agency Summary (COGA) and Item 03-Information, Agency Summary (OGA) was brought together and was received by consensus.

Item 03-Information, Agency Summary (GANC) was received by consensus.

Item 03-Information, Agency Summary (Per Capita by Presbytery Report) was received by consensus.

When then went back to Item 03-B to find out where the other person was that read the report. We are in a short informal break while they try to find him. They found him and found that he had not had time to finish reading the report. We are doing one of the open hearing items that were scheduled for 2:30 PM (it is now 2:15 PM).

Mike Herron spoke to item 03-14 Authoritative Interpretation and Standing Rule Amendment Regarding Administrative Review on the General Assembly Level. They like this item but would like to add to Recommendation #2 to have a separate committee to deal only with this item. This would help insure that this is done wisely and well. “Which shall be assigned no other business” is the recommended additional wording to 2b.

Item 03-09 On Amending Standing Rules A.3.c. and A.8. Regarding Overtures and Resolutions Affecting Investment Policies. Because our committee moderator is from the same synod, presbytery, and worships at the same church as the advocate, he turned the job of moderator for this item over to the vice-moderator. The advocate thinks that there should probably be one revision to “5” that would help to satisfy those who do not completely agree with this overture. She also suggest that “that affects the investment policies of the denomination or” be stricken from the overture. A COGA resource spoke that a consultative process is already in place. Another speaker, Rev. Ioso spoke against the item adding that we would be tying a future GA’s voice to a committee. He also expressed that while we need regulation we also need to be free of too much regulation. The recommended wording that the advocate suggested be added was looked at positively by him he is still against the overture. It was moved and seconded urge the GA to disapprove the motion. A commissioner spoke against the motion as he would like to see the overture voted on with the recommended changes. The motion was then voted on. The motion was 28-15-2 that the GA disapprove this overture. There were questions about a minority report and there was a side bar to discuss it. Clarification was then made to whether a minority report could not be made that was directly opposite of the original motion and it cannot be. This was then overruled by a resource from OGA.

We then went back to the open hearings that were to have begun at 2:30 PM (it is now 2:48 PM).

John B. (Presbytery of Philadelphia) spoke against Item 03-08. The AI goes too far in making it mandatory on the Sessions to pay their per capita.
This will overture all of the precedents that go before it (7.0201). “To mandate would destroy the fragile trust in several of our presbyteries…”
Gale Watkins: Our church pays per capita like clock work however they are advocating that Item 03-08 be disapproved.
Jack Sharp: Asked that Item 03-08 be disapproved. It would overturn the historical precedent that the session has control over it benevolences. Feels that this overture is a reaction by the institutional church a church that will die if it does not change. This should be left to the individual presbyteries.
Charlie Brown: His church relies on God’s providence and it is not mandatory and feels that it should be the same for the GA. They are opposed to this overture. Also feels that this should be discussed by the presbyteries.

The open hearings were completed and being on time we took our scheduled break. When we returned the parliamentarian gave clarification on minority points (moved with an amendment, etc. would be a minority report) however the parliamentarian is still checking to this absolutely cleared up.

We then moved on with Item 03-14 Authoritative Interpretation and Standing Rule Amendment Regarding Administrative Review on the General Assembly Level. George Adams gave a brief overview of who the Advisory Committee on the Constitution is. He made it clear that the advisory committee is not an advocate, they simply give advice. Item 03-14 is to approve the AI of G-4.0301f and to amend GA Standing Rule C.4.b. Recommendation 1b states that if a lower governing body rules based on facts that if it gets referred to a higher governing body that the facts in place on not at issue, just the ruling of the lower governing body. It was recommended earlier in the day by Mike Herron to add to the wording “which shall be assigned no other business” be added to 2b. Mr. Adams was not here to debate the recommended addition, but to give the rationale for this item. After several questions for clarification on this AI it was moved and seconded to put this to a vote. There were then a few more clarifying questions before we actually got to a vote. A motion was then made to make an amendment to 2b as it was recommended earlier today by Mike Herron. The amended motion was then seconded and spoken to. Mr. Adams then advised that by doing this we would be setting up a committee that may only have one item to work on if that is all there was for that year’s GA. The motion was spoken for and against and then the amendment was brought to a vote. The amendment was defeated 5-35-3. The main motion was then brought to a vote. Then there was a question how the AI and the rationale should be handled. Before it could come to a vote, another amendment was made to ensure that the rationale is not lost from the AI. A motion was made as a substitute to the current amendment. After review substitute motions were clarified. The original was perfected and then the substitute amendment was discussed and perfected. The substitute motion was approved 21-20-3 and became the amendment to the main motion which was then brought to a vote and was approved 29-14-2. The amended main motion was then brought to a vote. The trouble is that the rationale cannot be attached to a Standing Rule hence why the amendment to add “d” to #1. This brought additional questioning about how to get the rationale placed #2. The discussion then came to whether we are calling attention to the rationale or adding it to the recommendation which is Item 03-14. A motion was made and seconded to reconsider the amendment which had been the substitute. The motion to reconsider passed 36-0-4. A substitute amendment was then made to the current amendment, seconded, and with no debate was taken to a vote. The substitute amendment was passed and became the amendment to the motion. The amended motion was then voted on and passed 44-0-1. Item 03-14 finally passed!

Item 03-15 Amend Standing Rules Regarding Election of the Stated Clerk was next. This was to clear up any issues that came up after switching from the annual assemblies to the biennial assemblies. It was designed to make the process of nomination, election, and review fair. This item passed 46-0-0 and will be recommended to the General Assembly.

The leadership has determined that Item 03-16 Amend Standing Rules Regarding Advisory Delegates be separated into two separate items. The reason #1 is being recommended is that there were a significant number of YADs who had not completed their paperwork prior to the assembly. When it was questioned as to whether this would apply to the Elder and Minister Commissioners the answer was no as only 10 of 534 adult commissioners who had not completed their paperwork in a timely manner. If the YAD could not make it and had not yet registered within the 45 day timeframe then the alternate would not be able to register to go. #1 was moved and seconded and was the placed up for debate. This item received much debate both for and against. This item was tabled for dinner and evening worship.

The worship service was wonderful.

I left the service early so that I could get a substitute amendment drafted for Item 03-16 #1. This substitute amendment would replace recommendation #1 with:
1. Replace standing Rule #2.b and re-lettering as follows:
(b) to (c) Text unchanged
(c) to (d) Text unchanged
(d) to (e) Text unchanged
(e) to (f) Text unchanged
(f) to (g) Text unchanged
(g) to (h) Text unchanged
New (b) to be worded: Presbyteries shall deliver in sufficient time to permit the list of appointed Advisory Delegates to the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly 120 days prior to convening of the session of the General Assembly to which they will be delegates.
Motion Made by: Terry Van Wyk
Presbytery: East Iowa Date: 06/16/2006

After prayer we left Item 03-16 tabled and moved directly to Item 03-19 COGA Recommendation Regarding Election of Associate Stated Clerks. Clifton Kirkpatrick introduced each of the current Associate Stated Clerks who in turn spoke to us about their call. A motion was made and seconded to move to accept the COGA recommendation and send it to the GA for a vote of the body. The motion passed 48-0-0.

We postponed 03-16 again so Clifton Kirkpatrick could give us the “Overview of Per Capita” due to his tight time constraints. He provided a definition of Per Capita from GA Minutes 1995. He also went over G-9.0404d. He proceeded to tell us where the money for per capita went starting with how it came about (for mileage in the 1800’s) however he did not know how they calculated it. This lead to Item 03-13 Per Capita Budget Recommendations. They are also increasing the per capita apportionment rate per member to $5.72 for 2007 and 2008. This means that the increase in 2007 will still be under the rate of inflation by an estimated .8%. PC (USA) is making a concerted effort to get the budget under control. Each of the recommendations for 03-13 were placed for a vote:
Recommendation 1: approved 48-0-0
Recommendation 2: approved 48-0-0
Recommendation 3: approved 48-0-0
Recommendation 4: approved 48-0-0
All recommendations for Item 03-13 were approved unanimously. We then moved to Item 03-08 On Providing an Authoritative Interpretation of G-9.0404d Regarding Session Responsibility to Pay Per Capita. An advocate then spoke in favor of. There were several questions regarding this. We then moved to debate which, while not heated, was lively. An amendment was made to disapprove with a comment. This was then placed into debate and then a vote. The amended motion passed 32-9-6. The amended motion then was put up for debate. Debate ended unanimously. A vote as amended was then put to a vote. It was recommended that the overture be disapproved by General Assembly by a vote of 37-8-3.

The buses will run until the last committee has finished so we are going to finish the per capita business. The committee decided to close with prayer and reconvene in the morning. We were closed in prayer.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-15T23:15:00.002-05:00

Note: We have limited free internet access here. I will only be able to update the blog in the early morning or late at night, but rest assured I will do my best to get it done.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006
It was an interesting trip to Birmingham. Diane took a half day off of work to take me to the airport. Alot has changed at the airport since the last time I flew. There were no camouflaged military personal with M-16's at security. I still felt . Each ticket counter now has their own baggage scanner. Well, I finally made it to Birmingham around 5 PM, I thought it was 6 PM because I had a layover in Cincinnati which is in the Eastern timezone. No wonder the flight looked so short, Birmingham is back in the good old Central timezone. Once I got here I got on a bus and went to the hotel to register. When I went to register I found that even though I had requested a no-smoking room I had been assigned to a smoking room. Fortunately I am staying at the Sheraton Hotel which is next door to the convention center. The young man at the front desk told me that he was unable to change my room and that I would need to find Nancy Spence in the General Assembly office which is on the far side of the convention center. I stopped at the registration desk to take care of that before going to find Nancy. When I asked about the debit meal cards they told me they would be in Thursday morning. I then headed down to the General Assembly office. After telling Nancy why I was there she immediately called the front desk and left the ok for the room to be switched to a no-smoking room. Off I went, baggage in tow back to the registration desk. Unfortunately the message had not yet made it into the computer system yet so it would be another 5-10 minutes before I would be able to go up to the room. A small price to pay. I was also happy that he was pleasant in the way that he handled the situation. I found out later that someone had an unfortunate experience with one of the other people at the front desk and that it had gotten a little loud. My room is nice, but I will not be using the high-speed access as in the room in is $11.95 a day.

After getting settled in I headed back to the registration area to make sure that I had not missed anything my first time through. I took a few minutes to go into the main meeting hall and test the wireless system. It took only a few moments to figure out that everything was up and running properly so I headed back to get something to eat. Mistake. The first place I looked at in the atrium of the hotel had a dinner buffet for $15 per person. I decided that I really was not that hungry. I headed back to the room to change and go to the PFR (Presbyterians For Renewel) reception. Once there, Brian from PFR greated me and showed me where to get some food. Yea, free food! I got something to eat and sat down. I had a nice conversation with an Elder Commissioner from a small rural church. Later I meet someone from Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship. We shared stories about one anothers churches and he was very encouraged that Hus was forging its way into the future when at the same time he wished his church was moving in that direction. After a short time Ron Lewis (Christ Church C.R.) found me and we talked for until the candidates for moderator were introduced. Each of the candidates gave a short speech and then we layed hands on them and prayed for them and the 217th General Assembly. After that I headed back to the room to settle in for the night. When my roommate arrived I felt bad for him (Carter Lester) and those that had travelled with him. They had struggled with weather delays and had finally arrived at the hotel at 10:30 PM. What a long day. Carter and I had some time to talk and I found that he had been a lawyer before entering into ministry. His wife is also a minister.

Thursday, June 15, 2006
When I woke up this morning I had no idea that I would be so tired from yesterday. I actually slept in alittle bit and then went for a walk. The only problem with going on that walk is that I forgot that I had a ticket to go to a pre-assembly conference on the PUP (Peace, Unity, Purity) report. On my way there I stopped at registration only to find that the debit cards were delayed until 9 AM. Fortunately I made it just before the muffins ran out and I was able to stay through lunch and hear from different members of the task force on their perspective of the report. After their presentations we had the opportunity for table discussions and then to send questions to the panel to be answered. Did this help me understand the report better ... no. It did give the opportunity to look to God and to listen to what He has to tell me. Each table then sent a question up to the panel for them to address. As each question was answered I began to have more comments and questions:

The Task Force still has not answered how the PUP report will be brought to the local congregations.
How much additional energy will be placed on the PUP report if it is passed?
How do we keep theology from getting into the Book of Order? That is not what it is meant to have.
Is the PUP report open to additional interpretation?
The Task Force does not seem to want to alienate anyone in the church with dealing with yes/no ... up/down absolutes. I hate to tell them this but that is inevitable.
No matter what happens with the PUP report there will be winners and losers, regardless of how the Task Force feels about it.
God's Word is His Word. I do not remember ever seeing any AIs (authoritative interpretations) in the Bible.
One of the Task Force members made it clear that the Prebyterian Church (USA) already ordains those persons that are gay or lesbian as long as they are chaste in singleness. Since they cannot be married the fidelity clause does not apply to them. That threw me at first, but then I began to think about it some more. Homosexuality is a sin as are many other things. If one is repentant of a sin and is not longer involved in that sin they are restored by the grace that God gives us.

Our time together ended with a Bible study on Matthew 14:22-33. This passage was one of the first Bible studies that the Task Force did when they first met. We need to be like Peter and get out of the boat and walk on water. We simply need to step out in faith together regardless of the risk because God's grace is sufficient.

Okay, now the debit cards will not be here until Noon.

At the first of three commissioner orientations I sat with a Minister Commissioner (Rev. Susan Barnes) from East Oregon who had roots (her grandmother) in Pella, IA. Susan had a hard time remembering her grandmothers maiden name is that she was married three times in all. This was because she out lived the first two. It must have been due to her Dutch heritage.

As I was leaving the second orientation this afternoon I was approached by a gentleman from the Twin Cities who had grown up in Marion, IA. He asked what church I was with and I told him Hus Presbyterian never expecting that he would know where that was. More amazing than that, he grew up at Hus. His name is Charles Nove. He remembered many of our current members and also those that have gone to be with the Lord. The last minister that he remembered was Re. George McDill. He is currently with a small congregation that is located in the downtown area of the Twin Cities.

The situation with the debit cards was getting almost comical. During the break after orientation there is was a sign that the debit cards will be distributed at 4 PM. After the break it was announced that the bank had messed up and that some will get debit cards and some will not. Those who do not will be advised what they are to do. This will undoubtedly get very interesting as the week goes on.

At the end of the afternoon session Rick Ufford-Chase gave the moderator's report. He shared from the blog he has been keeping since becoming moderator in 2004. Rick's blog address is www.what-I-see.blogspot.com. What an incredible witness to what Rick has been doing over the past two years. As I listened I realized that this was not about theology, it was about doing the mission work that God has asked each of us to do. He concluded by reading Exodus 17:5-7.

Just before the dinner break they announced that there was an alternative to the debit cards and that we need to go out to the registration area to get it. So out we went. Fortunately we are relatively close to the doors so the lines had not gotten to long before we got there. The alternative to the debit cards was cash. The old paper stuff works just as well as the cards. About this time I met the Rev. Randy Campbell from the Presbytery of De Cristo (AZ). We went down to the Cafe300, but finding the line too long we went to one of the concession stands. We took our meal out to a courtyard area where there were a couple of waterfalls, trees, etc. and enjoyed our meal in this oasis in middle of Birmingham. We had a wonderful time of fellowship discussing one anothers ministries, especially mission work. The garden area that we were in was very peaceful and was a great getaway from the day.

We had to skip a vote for several minutes as several of the commissioners and advisory delegates were unable to access Les from their computers so we skipped to a financial review. As they were going over the financial implications to the budget this year and for 2007 and 2008 they were talking about having to increase the national per capita. It seems like we spend too much time figuring out how much to raise per capita and seemingly none on increasing membership. Everyone wants to see the membership decline in the PCUSA to reverse but I have seen little so far dealing with it.

All other business was completed and it was time for the election of the moderator. As they prepared to speak my thoughts quickly went to how the youth of our country will be ministered to or if they even will. Youth are the future of our denomination, our country, and of this world. If we lose this generation we lose the future. The candidates went to the stage to meet with the moderator of the 215th General Assembly. The names of the candidates were read and then information was given concerning the expenditures of the candidates. All of the candidates meet the rules for expenditures. Each of the candidates were given five minutes to give a speech after taking a few minutes to decide the speaking order. Once the candidates were ready, their respective nominator was given five minutes to speak in nomination of their candidate.

Tim Halverson
Joan S. Gray
Kerry Carson
Deborah A. Block

Once the nominators had finished their speeches it was time for the candidates. Before they began I reflected on the short speeches they each gave Wednesday night at the PFR gathering. All but one of the candidates gave what I perceived was a political type speech or in other words a fluff speech. Having read about each of them and having narrowed the field if only by one after that, I had determined that it would be their speeches that earn my vote. As the speeches concluded it was apparent that only one candidate had grabbed my full attention. It was the candidates passion and excitement during their speech that clinched my vote, that is until I found out that there would be a one hour question and answer time. Have you ever hear a comment that just knocks you over? When one of the candidates, speaking on becoming a multi-cultural church said, "... I have learned to love...", ouch. That statement did not sit well with me. I wonder how many others heard it the same way? All of the candidates speak well, some are more eloquent than others, but what I found most inviting was the candidates that were real, not political in the way that they answer questions. The question of ordaining gays and lesbians was made by a Youth Advisory Delegate(YAD). It was the hardest question to that point. What was encouraging was to see who was willing to step out of the boat and in fatih and state their position openly. I was deeply disappointed by those who chose to give a politically correct (PC) answers to the questions. The Advisory Delegates voted first as their votes are not counted but are used as a litmus test for the commissioners. They voted nearly even for all candidates. So much for the litmus test. Then it was time to see what the rest of the General Assembly had decided. It was my prayer all along that whomever was elected, that it God's will would be done. And the moderator is ... up for another vote as none of the candidates had a majority. We voted over again starting with the Advisory Delegates. They were a little more diverse. The results of the commissioners still did not elect a moderator so we start again. This time the Advisory Delegates leaned toward Deborah Block and Joan Gray. Based on this information and the previous votes I felt God's nudge to through my support around one of the candidates who had the opportunity to be elected. On the final vote a moderator was elected, the Moderator-Elect of the 217th General Assembly is Joan S. Gray.
After the candidates prayed together Joan, her choice for vice-moderator, her husband, and representatives of her home presbytery came to the stage. She was then installed as the Moderator of the 217th General Assembly in a service of scripture, liturgy, song, and prayer. Thanks were then given by the Stated Clerk, Clifton Kirkpatrick, to Rick for his service over the past two years. Rick was presented with a replica of the moderators cross and a limited print. Rick spoke of his thanks to the church here and abroad for the past two years and to his vice-moderator, Jean Marie Peacock. Clifton then thanked Jean Marie and presented here with a plate and cup after which she gave her thanks.

In her first act as Moderator, Joan introduced all of the previous 14 moderators that are in attendance with this years General Assembly. Just before we recessed for the evening it was announced that Elder Commissioner Nelson Erwin had been taken to the hospital earlier and that he went to be with the Lord a short time later. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, church, and presbytery for the untimely loss of Nelson.

The day began before 8 AM and finally concluded shortly after 11 PM. Time for bed as tomorrow begins at 7 AM with the GA Commissioner breakfast and prayer.

Because of Him,

Terry

2006-06-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

As a commissioner to the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) I wanted to keep track what happens. Blogging it seemed only natural since this year the General Assembly (GA) will be paperless. I will try to keep this blog updated in the days leading up to the GA, but I will definitely be keeping it up from June 15 - 22 while the GA is in session.

Pray that God's will for the church is realized. If we keep God's will at the front of everything we will have done our job.

Because of Him,

Terry