wfn.org | Text from a VoiceLine Report of the February 18 GAC Meeting

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

19-February-2000 
00081 
 
    Text from a VoiceLine Report of the February 18 
    General Assembly Council Meeting 
 
    This is Jerry Van Marter of the Presbyterian News Service with news 
from the General Assembly Council meeting in Louisville for Friday, 
February 18. 
 
    The General Assembly Council reconvened in plenary session Friday 
morning to begin working its way through the recommendations of its various 
committees. 
 
    The number of presbyteries and synods involved in international 
partnerships with fellow Presbyterians around the world continues to grow. 
The Worldwide Ministries Division Committee reported Friday morning that it 
has approved four new partnerships: between Inland Northwest Presbytery and 
the K'ekchi Presbyteries Association of the National Evangelical 
Presbyterian Church of Guatemala; between Minnesota Valleys Presbytery and 
the Occidente Presbytery of the National Evangelical Presbyterian Church of 
Guatemala; between Mission Presbytery and the Maya Quiche Presbytery of the 
National Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Guatemala; and between Northern 
New York Presbytery and the Livingstonia Synod of the Church of Central 
Africa Presbyterian in Malawi. 
 
    The Rev. Robert Edgar, new general secretary of the National Council of 
Churches, introduced himself to the General Assembly Council Friday 
afternoon.  Edgar, a United Methodist minister, has served in the U.S. 
House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and comes to the NCC  from the 
presidency of the Claremont School of Theology in California.  He was 
sought out by the NCC after having rescued Claremont from financial ruin. 
The Council will be voting on a $400,000 contribution to the NCC to help 
cover its 1999 deficit.  Edgar has already begun a program of financial 
reforms to clean up the NCC's financial problems.  Edgar spoke frankly 
about the NCC's problems, but praised its efforts in such areas as Bible 
translation, relief and development through Church World Service and 
Witness, the rebuilding of burned black churches and programs to assist 
immigrants to the United States. 
 
     A dispute arose Friday over a recommendation by the Congregational 
Ministries Division Committee that the entire 50 percent of the Pentecost 
Offering dedicated to programs for children at risk be retained locally by 
congregations.  National Ministries Division Committee members objected to 
the proposal as it would eliminate some funding for the Presbyterian child 
advocacy program in the National Ministries Division.  The Council voted 
32-19 to designate 10 percent of the offering for the child advocacy office 
in Louisville.  The Pentecost Offering, just two years old, is the smallest 
of the four special offerings of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  In 
addition to programs for children at risk, the Pentecost Offering supports 
the denomination's youth and young adult ministries programs. 
 
    The Council sent on to the upcoming General Assembly reports on 
inclusive language and Sabbath-keeping.  The inclusive language report 
noted that Presbyterians have become far more inclusive in their use of 
language about the people of God, but far less so in their use of language 
about God.  Trinitarian language is particularly embedded in traditional 
language and so the report recommends that a task force undertake a 
three-year study of Trinitarian language in the Presbyterian Church 
(U.S.A.).  The Assembly will also receive a report on Sabbath-keeping that 
will recommend, among other things, that the General Assembly conduct no 
business on the Sunday of the Assembly. 
 
     And just before dinner on Friday, the Council elected Peter Pizor, a 
college professor from Cody, Wyoming, as its new chair.  Pizor is currently 
chair of the Worldwide Ministries Division Committee.  The Council also 
elected Carole Rummell of Mineral Ridge, Ohio, as its new vice-chair. 
Rummell currently serves on the Council's Congregational Ministries 
Division Committee.  They take office at the conclusion of this summer's 
General Assembly in Long Beach, California. 
 
    This is Jerry Van Marter, reporting from the General Assembly Council 
meeting in Louisville.  For more news from the General Assembly Council 
meeting, call VoiceLine, Saturday, February 19 after 4:00 p.m., Eastern 
Standard Time.  Good bye. 

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