wfn.org | PCUSA Voiceline Report of Feb 17 GAC Executive Committee Meeting

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

Text from Voiceline Report of the February 17 General Assembly Council
Executive Committee Meeting

This is Evan Silverstein in Louisville and this is Voiceline. Actions from
the General Assembly Council Executive Committee today include a "starting
point" for discussion of "how the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can improve
support for stewardship"; new officers for the National Ministries Division
committee; and putting on hold permission to secure a license from the U.S.
Treasury Department to send humanitarian aid into Iraq.
And now the news.

The Congregation Ministries Division Committee:1. Received a so-called
"discussion draft" from GAC leadership and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Foundation, described as a "starting point" for discussion of "how the
PC(USA) can improve support for stewardship." The committee didn't object
to its substance, but complained that the matter had gone this far without
it having had a chance to comment. 2. Received a resolution on the arms
race from the Committee on Social Witness Policy, a "statement of concern"
about arms control that says, "A prevailing sense is that the U.S. wants to
limit nuclear developments of other countries, but to preserve for itself
all the advantages of its own nuclear superiority." CMD Committee declined
to endorse or approve the document, voted only to "receive" it. 3. Approved
a document called "An Invitation to Sabbath," a product of a Work Group on
Sabbath-Keeping that is to report to the 212th General Assembly in Long
Beach, Calif. Document to be sent to congregations, seminaries, middle
governing bodies, Presbyterian-affiliated colleges. Says, "There is a deep
need today to rediscover the gift of Sabbath." 4. Received a report on "Low
Power FM Radio Stations." On Jan. 20, the FCC adopted rules creating a new,
low-power FM service that will make thousands of new FM frequencies
available for licensure. The idea is to help secure some of them for
PC(USA) congregations. Approved resolutions urging the GAC to "inform local
congregations of the opportunity to apply" for licenses and to provide
technical assistance with applications.

National Ministries Division Committee, along with the Congregational
Ministries Division committee, concurred on a final report of the Workgroup
on the Role and Status of Christian Educators in the PC(USA), which studied
issues related to the role and status of educators. The report now goes
before the 212th General Assembly in Long Beach, Calif. The work group is
recommending changes in the Book of Order that would allow educators to be
ordained as Ministers of the Word and Sacrament with a specialization in
educational ministries. At the same time, the report calls for changes that
would strengthen the current certification process for those educators who
do not feel called to the ministry of Word and Sacrament. The NMD committee
also approved "Building a Coordinated General Assembly Loan Program." The
report and its administrative implementation, if approved by GAC, would
create a coordinated loan servicing office for the Church Loan Program and
Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program Inc. (PILP), without a change in
governance or accountability. Last year's 211th General Assembly asked the
GAC and PILP to "create a plan of cooperation that responds to the mortgage
loan needs of small and large congregations." In response, a task force was
appointed by the NMD's Mission Development Resources Committee and PILP
board of directors. The task force agreed upon six foundational elements
that emphasized that GA's mission to promote church growth and development,
and defined its lending to borrows. The NMD committee also approved the
reconstitution of the Advisory Committee for Native Americas Congregational
Enhancement for the years 2000 through 2001. The committee will have
advisory responsibilities for the native American Congregational
Enhancement Office of the Racial Ethnic Ministries Program Area, including
consultation on goal setting and program implementation. NMD committee
members elected new officers on Thursday: vice chair Emily Wigger, a
resident of Alton, Ill., was elected chair. She will replace outgoing chair
Roberto "Beto" Delgado. The committee also elected San Francisco resident
Neal Presa, vice-chair, replacing Wigger. The newly elected officers will
assume their posts at the conclusion of General Assembly in Long Beach,
Calif., this summer.

Permission to secure a license from the U.S. Treasury Department to send
humanitarian aid into Iraq was deferred today after a member of the
Worldwide Ministries Division Committee called its language too unbalanced
- laying too much of the blame for the suffering of the Iraqi people "on
the doorstep of the United States," according to Cliff Sherrod of Midland,
Texas, and too little on injustices perpetrated by the Iraqi government.
The document was deferred and will come back to the WMD Committee in June,
just before the General Assembly. "It is not my intention to defend the
sanctions imposed on Iraq by the United Nations...but if blame is to be
assigned for the suffering of the Iraqi innocents, make sure it is
balanced; call on the Iraqi government to assist its own people." The
resoultion came at the request of the Middle East Council of Churches.
Missionaries in Africa have issued a message to the Presbyterian Church
(U.S.A.) expressing "outrage" that Africa's suffering is so frequently
ignored: including by their own church that is, as the letter says,
"increasingly absorbed in internal doctrinal disputes." The message was
delivered to the Worldwide Ministries Division Committee by Doug Welch,
coordinator for West and Central Africa, who has just returned from an
All-Africa Personnel Retreat, Feb. 6-10, in Zimbabwe. "We call on all
Presbyterians to get to know our sisters and brothers in Africa," the
letter says, "who, like you, are living in a fallen world of suffering and
injustice. Listen to them. Encourage them. Pray for them. Find out what is
happening on the continent. Learn about African ministries in evangelism,
education, health, and social and economic justice. Make use of the
materials and expertise of Presbyterian agencies such as the WMD, the
Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, self-development of People, and the
PC(USA) Washington office to assist you in advocacy for Africa."
This has been Vocieline. Thank you for calling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This note sent by Office of News Services,
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
to the World Faith News list <wfn-news@wfn.org>.
For additional information about this news story,
call 502-569-5493 or send e-mail to PCUSA.News@pcusa.org
On the web: http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/

If you have a question about this mailing list,
send queries to wfn@wfn.org