wfn.org | G.A. Procedures will recommend restoring annual YAD participation

[PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org]

01-July-1996 
 
GA96035 
 
    G.A. Procedures will recommend restoring annual YAD participation 
 
    In Monday afternoon action the committee on G.A. Procedures voted to 
recommend that the 208th General Assembly restore annual Youth Advisory 
Delegate participation from all  presbyteries. An amendment to  the 
overture from Winnebago presbytery recommends an  age-range change for YADs 
from 16-22 years to 17-23 years. 
 
    A failed amendment to the recommendation would have called for sharing 
the cost of full YAD participation with the presbyteries as sought by 
several of the 11 nearly-concurring overtures asking for restitution of 
full YAD participation. Advocates for the 11 overtures had prepared a 
combined presentation expressing their consensus. 
 
    OGA representatives presented counter concerns about the ratio of youth 
delegates to commissioners, which continues to grow as the number of 
commissioners annually shrinks in reflection of membership losses. They 
assured the committee that the reasons for last year's action halving the 
number of YADs to attend annually (rotating the presbyteries) was not for 
lack of love and concern for youth, nor about financing youth ministry. 
 
    On Monday morning the committee reviewed and approved responses that 
had been made to actions of the 207th Assembly and in considering 
commissioners' resolutions. These were  not yet voted on at press time. 
Tuesday's agenda includes overtures dealing with minor changes in the 
standing rules for Assemblies, against further collection of racial-ethnic 
data from congregations, and a change in formula for determining the number 
of commissioners from a presbytery. 
 
Midge Mack 

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