Marathon Day (aka – Slogging Through Overtures) – Part 2

After a break for dinner we continued “slogging through overtures.” The pace picked up significantly during our business meeting tonight as we considered (and ACTED ON) recommendations from the three remaining committees:

• Committee #13 – Peacemaking and International Issues
• Committee #09 – Mission Coordination
• Committee #19 – Health Issues

As we finished up the last of the items for consideration, I realized that I could quote what the Moderator was going to say. The voting sequence for commissioners is: “Commissioners, you have been advised. Please vote while your keypad is active. Please complete your voting now. Has anyone not voted? We await results.”

Also, mark your calendar now for: Big Tent – Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide. The event will be in Indianapolis, Indiana from June 30 – July 2, 2011. Join in the family reunion as ten different conferences occur at the same time and place. Think General Assembly without all the committee and plenary meetings!!

As an endnote to the protest this afternoon, the word that we were given is that the protesters were not affiliated with the PC(USA) and had not been credentialed to be on the assembly floor. When the protest began they were asked to leave by GA staff and the Moderator, which was followed by a request from building security who said if they did not leave they would be considered to be trespassing. Then the police asked each protestor to leave voluntarily or they would be arrested. Some left voluntarily and some were removed by the police and issued a citation for trespassing before being released.

So, we now have less than 12 hours left on site for the 219^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)!!

Marathon Day (aka – Slogging Through Overtures) – Part 1

Today was a day with many hot button issues on the docket (agenda), so here are my brief (I hope) views on some of the big actions of the day:

• The parliamentary excitement started early today as we considered a “Motion to Reconsider” all actions answered by Item 12-12 last evening. And, only 40% of commissioners voted to approve the motion to reconsider so our actions from yesterday stand unchanged.
• Passed – Item 14-07 “On Iraq.” – an amendment attempted to include language from the original overture related to directing the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) to study the relation to expenses in Iraq & Afghanistan and the impact on the US economy. In the end this amendment (as was the text in the original overture) was defeated.
• Passed – Item 14-03 “MRTI Report of Its Engagement with Corporations Involved in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank.” – the report deals with several companies, but this item is close to home since there is a Caterpillar plant in Lafayette and members of the congregation are directly or indirectly employed by them. Carol McDonald (Co-Executive of the Synod of Lincoln Trails and former moderator of the Presbytery of Wabash Valley) made a very strong presentation about the impact within the synod of Caterpillar and their employees.
• Answered with action on Item 14-03 – Item 14-01 & 14-02 “On Divestment from Caterpillar, Inc.” – an amendment was made to divest the PC(USA) from Caterpillar and the amendment was overwhelming defeated by the GA (71% against). Interestingly, a YAAD (Young Adult Advisory Delegate) who was on the committee said that pastors from the Peoria area said that from their perspective while it would hurt, divestment was a better option from their perspective than continued denouncements every 2 years. Though an Elder Commissioner from Great Rivers Presbytery (where Caterpillar is headquartered) said that she was against all attempts to divest and denounce because Caterpillar has no control over what end users use their products for.
• Passed – Item 14-08 “`Breaking Down the Walls’—From the Middle East Study Committee.” – after HEAVY amending during committee the updated report (with large sections now removed and/or changed) was discussed and approved overwhelmingly during plenary today.
• Passed – Item 18-06 “On Directing the Board of Pensions to Extend Benefits to Same-Gender Spouses and Domestic Partners.” – I asked another question today because the way that people were talking about an up to 1% increase in Board of Pensions dues would be thousands of dollars more per year. The reality is that for someone making $30,000 that would be a dues increase of $300 per year and I wanted everyone to hear from someone at the Board of Pensions that the number is really that small. I felt silly asking the question (and I hope it did not come off as flippant) but people were making it sound like this would be thousands of dollars extra a year that would be breaking the bank.
• Passed – Item 05-04 “On Amending G-11.0407 and G-4.0560, and Adding a New G-11.0408b. Regarding Commissioned Lay Pastors.” – It was a surprise to me that with no debate or amendments the efforts to expand the role of CLPs (Commissioned Lay Pastors) within the PC(USA) was disapproved.

Things got interesting this afternoon when a protest group moved on to the assembly floor and disrupted the work of the assembly. The group carried signs and moved to the front of the assembly and stood. The Moderator handled things very well and paused discussion as we joined in a hymn and then she lead us in a prayer before placing us in recess until the protestors were peacefully escorted out by a police officer.

After the protest and impromptu break we returned to our discussion of Item 05-21 “Responsibility of General Assembly to Provide Authoritative Interpretations of Book of Order (G-13.0103r)” which after a lot of debate on polity issues was approved as amended. And, we were all granted the unofficial title of “polity wonk” by the Moderator.

On a side note the: congratulations to Rev. Carol McDonald on being named to the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) by the General Assembly Nominating Committee (GANC) and being approved by the GA. While there were many people nominated to serve the larger church at the GA level, it was neat to have a friend on the list of nominations we approved!

YAAD Blog 2

I had written this blog entry yesterday-July 8, 2010, but was unable to post it due to the late night we spent in plenary, and then a YAAD worship service till 1am! So here it is now!

Hello everyone! Greetings from Minnesota! This is an update from your young adult advisory delegate-Julianne Miller. I have now been in Minneapolis for a full week, and I must say not only have I fallen in love with this city, I have made incredible friends, and become even stronger in my faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Minneapolis is a beautiful city. Every time I walk up Nicolette Mall I feel the excitement of the city around me. Yet, it is not like the excitement felt in Chicago or New York. There are nowhere near as many cars or angry cab drivers here as in other cities I have been to. Minneapolis portrays itself as a young, friendly, clean, fun, and safe city within Minnesota. It is vibrant with life and offers positive portrayals of life in a city as a business man or woman.
I have met a diverse group of people from around the United States all tied to their faith in the Presbyterian Church. What has amazed me the most is the way the YAADs are not afraid to share their beliefs with each other or with commissioners. YAADs don’t hold back when it comes to defending Christ’s church.
A few hours ago we took a difficult vote on the ordination standards concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Feeling the pressure and tension in the room, four of my fellow YAADs and I gathered in the back of the room for a group prayer before the vote. This is just one example of the power of prayer that has overtaken the young adults at this assembly.
We all feel the need to keep the church united, to do the will of God, yet we are lost. We are looking for God’s guidance and are still not sure of his answer. The vote on the issue of approving the majority report was 54% approval and 46% disapproval. If that doesn’t show how divided our church is on tough issues like LGBT, I don’t know what does. I wish it were simple, but it’s not. The answers to the difficult questions we ask are unclear. I continually remind myself to have an open mind and heart when listening to either side of tough issues such as the LGBT ordination issue or the topic of civil unions and marriage, yet it is so hard to disperse pre-conceived notions on a topic. Despite these emotionally draining issues, I know God’s grace will overcome the differences of those in the church.
As we sit in plenary tonight I say a little prayer for the five of us sitting here representing the Presbytery of Wabash Valley. I pray for God’s wisdom to guide us through these challenging decisions, and for his grace to fill our hearts and minds with the love and comfort that we are the Presbyterian Church USA; our faith in him ties us together, united as one in Christ’s love.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your Young Adult Advisory Delegate !
God Bless!
Julianne Miller

Caffeine!! I need caffeine!

Getting going on the 6th day of GA had my rethinking my decision to not drink caffeinated beverages, because a Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke sounded really good this morning (but I did not give in to the temptation).

Today was a day with many hot button issues on the docket (agenda), so here are my brief (I hope) views on some of the big actions of the day:

• Passed – Item 04-06 “On Appointing a General Assembly Commission on Middle Governing Bodies – COGA.” – after significant amending the GA created a “commission” to act on its behalf to work with, study (including the questions from the Overture 04-05 that our presbytery concurred with) and (as needed and when invited) to make changes to middle governing bodies (presbyteries and synods). There seemed to be among some commissioners a significant amount of fear and possibly suspicion of what the GA is trying to do. And, I made my first (and possibly only statement) from the floor during the debate when I asked a question (and brief follow-up) on the impact of a proposed amendment . . . I hope that the butterflies bouncing around in my stomach were not too obvious.
• Passed – Item 06-09 “On Amending G-6.0106b.” – there was a lot of debate on this item. And, after serving on this committee earlier in the week (see earlier posts here, here, and here) there were several times that I just wanted to scream that what was being said is not what the committee is recommending (my apologies to Jill and the other Bill for having to listen to me during the 1 ½ hours plus of debate). In the end after much debate and discussion the item passed: 53% – yes; 46% – no; 1% – abstaining.
• Passed – Item 11-11 “Commissioners’ Resolution. Regarding a Call to Stand with Immigrant Presbyterians in Their Hour of Need.” – after significant discussion and debate the GA voted to call for among other things for the PC(USA) to “Refrain from holding national meetings” in locations with laws similar to the “Arizona Law” on immigration. An interesting question asked, what happens if Pennsylvania passes a similar law in the next year since the 220th GA is in Pittsburgh?
• Passed – Item 12-12 “The Final Report of the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage to the 219th General Assembly (2010) Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).” The report passed and will be commended to the presbyteries for study (with the minority report to also be commended for study). Interestingly, with a single motion this report became the final answer for all the other items on marriage. The amazing thing is how fast the action went and it will be interesting to see if there is a motion to reconsider tomorrow morning when things sink in.

After being ahead or even on the docket for most of the last two days, we had such long discussions on several issues today that we had to “arrest” consideration and move on to other items to keep things moving a couple of times. Which meant I spent most of the day at my desk and it was a late evening before we finally “caught up” & finished the docket for today. Though I did get to eat a delicious lunch at Salsa a la Salsa restaurant and dinner with the Presbytery at The Melting Pot.

PS – As the day went on, the need for caffeine returned several times and while not giving in to the call for a Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper, I did enjoy chocolate (Linda – thank you, thank you, thank you for the snacks!!).

The Fun Begins Again . . .

Wednesday morning at GA is traditionally a morning of catching up . . . on reading (all the reports/actions that other committees have taken) and with friends (during the annual seminary lunches). So a room full of Princeton Seminary alums gathered at the Hilton for lunch, fellowship and catching up. Our table had alums from 1947 to 2008 and it was nice to connect with friends and meet new people.

During the lunch, President Iain Torrance updated us on recent changes at the seminary (without going into lots of detail here) the seminary is building new family housing (maybe this means no more pink tiled bathrooms) and working to make more library resources available to the church (both locally and globally) including replacing Speer library with a new Bicentennial Library.

This afternoon and evening we took final action on items from several committees (for the Assembly with several items going to presbyteries for approval). Here are just a few of the items that we addressed and my perceptions on them:

• Passed – Item 16-06 “Baptism Requirement for Participation in Lord’s Supper.” – while not amending the constitution the “statement is offered as pastoral advice” and provides guidance in serving communion to those who are not already baptized by placing the emphasis on grace and hospitality as well as beginning a conversation about the “significance of the sacraments.”
• Defeated – Item 16-03 “On Amending W-2.3008b Regarding Baptism of Children” – the debate was personally difficult for me. There were references by a pastor and a chaplain in support of the amendment about how paraphrasing a quote from John Calvin about God adopting us before we are even born is reassuring to parents who have suffered a perinatal loss (infant death in the first 28 days of life) or still birth. The debate brought back many strong emotions of when we faced this very issue as the parents of a very premature daughter who died at 23 days old. While the speakers were 100% accurate about the wonderful support that this knowledge provides, it also hurt to hear the death of infants and the pain of parents used as leverage in a larger argument that is really not related to the issue of baptism!! Particularly since the full quote from Calvin is meant to assure the faithful that infants who die are already adopted by God.
• Passed – Item 16-12 “Report of the Special Committee on the Belhar Confession.” –77% of commissioners voted in favor of referring the Belhar Confession to the presbyteries for approval. There was less debate than I expected and the number voting in favor was more than I thought it would be.
• Passed – Item 07-01 “Form of Government Task Force Report to the 219th General Assembly (2010).” – after extensive debate (and after a defeated substitute motion) the amended new Form of Government (nFOG) has been approved by the GA and will be sent to the presbyteries for approval. As a former soccer referee, I like the idea of a more streamlined constitution that provides guidance but is hopefully not bogged down with too many provisions to be easily & effectively implemented (like the difference between “The Laws of the Game” in soccer versus the huge rulebooks for football or baseball).
• Wonderful polity phrase that was heard a couple of times – “on this vote . . . yes means no” which was used when voting to approve a recommendation from a committee to disapprove an overture.

For more info about what happened at GA there are many sources online including these UNOFFICIAL perspectives: The Presbyterian Outlook, GA Help, and The GA Junkie.

Glimpses...

Our commissioners must be busy! The action is intense and the agenda is weighty today. Just some glimpses:

• Proposed New Form of Government, with some minor alternations, was passed last night by the Assembly and will be coming for Presbytery approval!
• Our wealth of diversity as PCUSA strikes me every time I come to events outside our borders. Our variety is multi-talented, multicultural, with different focuses, values, approaches, languages, styles, flashy clothing, music, dance, food, politics...it just goes on and on. And repeatedly we affirm our unity as Christ's church. What a rich experience! Last evening I attended the Presbyterian multicultural network dinner, renewing acquaintances from the May conference in Chicago.
• Each matter of business brought before the Assembly for action includes explicit calculations of "financial implications" as part of its consideration, living out Assembly's commitment to be good stewards of our church's resources.
• Formal debate continues on matters of consequence, but I hear many around me comment with gratitude at the courtesy and civility with which it is being conducted, in contrast to previous Assemblies.
• The docket for each session has moved faster than planners imagined, and sessions, at least until today, have considered additional items of routine business, or recessed a bit early.
• Today: Assembly considers matters of middle governing bodies (our presbytery concurred in a recommendation that a committee be created to study roles and relationships of Synods with an eye toward some creative partnerships- language you have heard in our Presbytery before). And "Church Orders and Ministry." And 'Civil Union and Marriage." Pray that the Holy Spirit infuses the hearts and minds of our commissioners as our church seeks to find unity in Christ amidst our diversity on these matters.

Half Way There . . .

After much discussion yesterday and discernment (as well as debate) today our committee has completed its work. Yeah!! :)

In the end, we approved one more overture today (06-09 “On Amending G-6.0106b.”) and ultimately decided to respond to all the other remaining overtures with our action on this overture.

I appreciated that whether we were considering highly complex elements of Robert’s Rules of Order (I think we were at the 200 or 300 levels instead of the 101-level today) or debating the merits of a motion, our discussion remained civil and respectful. I really think the discussion time in small groups around the tables was incredibly valuable in helping us to get to know each other; which then facilitated our deliberations today.

Thank you to our outstanding committee leadership team and to all the committee members for your hard work and dedication!!! I especially want to thank the members of my small group who journeyed with me through our committee work . . . your candid and heartfelt insights are greatly appreciated!

With the end of committee work came a time for worship & communion before we adjourned. This was followed by a time of fellowship to recharge as I had the chance to spend time with friends and classmates at a birthday party for Carol McDonald (Happy Birthday Carol!!) and at a reception sponsored by my seminary (Princeton Theological Seminary).

It is now time to call it a day because the fun starts all over again tomorrow. Discussion about COM (Committee on Ministry) related issues in the morning and then plenary in the afternoon & evening as we consider all the recommendations made by the committees!