wfn.org | Messages from Moderator, Stated Clerk open Assembly

[George Conklin <gconklin@igc.apc.org>]

29-June-1996 
 
GA96013 
 
           Messages from Moderator, Stated Clerk open Assembly 
 
ALBUQUERQUE--"We have a lot to do!" stated Marj Carpenter as she gavelled 
the 208th General Assembly to order at one minute past three Saturday 
afternoon. 
 
    Her official actions at this opening session were largely to introduce 
others who would inform, enlighten and orient commissioners for the tasks 
ahead of them and take care of a variety of housekeeping chores necessary 
to get the Assembly geared for action. When these were accomplished, she 
began her final moderator's report to the church, a series of enthusiastic 
thank-yous for: 
 
    * "allowing me this wonderful year.....letting me stress 
`mission-mission-mission' to take our minds off `sex-sex-sex'.....for 
sharing your stories about mission you have done and your dreams about 
mission you are planning to do; 
 
    * "for showing me how important youth are, for emphasizing higher 
education and campus ministry, for the opportunities to talk to hospital, 
military and prison chaplains and assure them that they are not second 
class ministers, for allowing me the privilege of holding the moderator's 
mission forum; 
 
    * "for the opportunity to speak to generals in Guatemala, to 157 women 
seminarians in South Korea, to North Koreans who have gone 40 years without 
a church, to Presbyterians in Northern Ireland, the Ivory Coast, Venezuela 
and in border projects in Mexico; 
 
    * "for your degrees, your invitations, your flowers, banners, bagpipes, 
parades, worship services, meals (even the hundreds of platefuls of 
chicken-rice-and carrots), for praying me through all kinds of places in 
all kinds of weather." 
 
    In conclusion Moderator Carpenter implored the Assembly participants to 
pray for the church. They stood to respond with deafening and sustained 
applause expressing the church-wide popularity of their 1996 moderator. 
 
    The opening docket also included a final report to the church by Stated 
Clerk James Andrews. The retiring Stated Clerk compared the impact on the 
church of overwhelming changes of the past 100 years and the impact of 
changes possible and probable in the years ahead. He foresees the continued 
failure of centralized authority, increasing need for commitment to 
building community, the individualization of religious expression, and 
widened participation as essential for any expression of trust in the 
church as institution. 
 
    Andrews stressed stronger focus on theology, need for far-longer range 
planning, and the development of a new set of concerns. 
 
    Following sustained applause the Assembly approved a commissioner's 
motion that both addresses be printed and distributed to the Assembly as 
well as included in the minutes. 
 
    The remainder of the business session was devoted to honoring Andrews 
as he retired from the office of Stated Clerk and more than 40 years of 
serving the church. His family and friends joined him on stage, looked with 
him at the picture of one of his retirement gifts, a Hitchcock rocking 
chair that will be delivered to him soon, and heard praise and 
commendations, serious and humorous, from former colleagues. These included 
Vic Jameson, editor emeritus of Presbyterian Survey, Freda Gardiner from 
the Synod of the Northeast, and Ben Gutierrez, coordinator for South 
America in the Worldwide Ministries Division. 
 
    Among those who assisted Moderator Carpenter as she opened the Assembly 
were: 
 
    * Dr. Jack Stotts, president of Austin Theological Seminary, who 
offered opening prayer; 
 
    * Stated Clerk Andrews who reported that 506 commissioners from 167 
presbyteries in all 16 synods were registered as well as 76 Youth Advisory 
Delegates, 23 Theological Seminary Advisory Delegates; seven Overseas 
Advisory Delegates and 10 Ecumenical Advisory Delegates; 
 
    * Deborah Davies and Kerry Clements, assistant stated clerks, who told 
commissioners where to find what, about message boards and mailboxes, 
shuttle-buses and staying healthy. 
 
    Stated Clerk Andrews also led commissioners through practice exercises, 
some serious, some humorous, on the electronic voting equipment. These 
exercises elicited facts about the age range of commissioners, their means 
of travel to the assembly, and their opinions on the identity of John 
Calvin. 
 
    Barry Van Deventer, commissioner from Charleston-Atlantic Presbytery 
and moderator of Bills and Overtures committee, proposed changes in 
referral for several items of business which the Assembly approved. 
Approval was also voted allowing heads of other Christian communions to 
address the Assembly, limiting of comments during debate to two minutes, 
and approving the docket. 
 
 
Midge Mack 

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