wfn.org | Assembly concurs with moratorium on ordination and sexuality

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

Note #5961 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

24-June-2000
GA 00011 

	Assembly concurs with moratorium on ordination and sexuality

	Committee gets overture to delay judicial actions

	By Nancy D. Borst

LONG BEACH, June 25- The 212th General Assembly voted  Saturday to continue
a two-year moratorium on matters related to sexual standards for ordination.

	Commissioners approved the recommendation of  the Committee on Bills and
Overtures to refer seven overtures and a request for interpretation of
section G-6.0106b of "The Book of Order" to next year's Assembly.

	In doing so, the commissioners concurred with a recommendation by the 211th
General Assembly for a two-year moratorium on amendments to G-6.0106b. The
section calls for church officers -- ministers, elders and deacons -- to
observe "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman
or chastity in singleness." During the moratorium, Presbyterians are called
to engage in dialogue on "unity in diversity."

	Deborah McKinley, chair of the Committee on Bills and Overtures, told
commissioners, "It's time for us to step back and take a deeper look at
these issues surrounding ‘The Book of Order.' Stepping back from that
legislative process allows us to meet each other on a different playing
field, to meet one another at a more foundational level. So we recommend
most of these overtures be referred for another year."

	Opposing commissioners raised concerns ranging from an apparent growing
special interest groups' intervention to the fact lives were literally at
stake in these issues.

	The Bills and Overtures Committee broke with last year's Assembly on one
overture by referring overture 00-43, from the Presbytery of Milwaukee, to
the Polity Committee. Overture 00-43 urges that if legislative actions
regarding ordination are delayed until next year, there should be a
concomitant delay in any related judicial actions.

	"If persons are to be denied ordination because G-6.0106b is in ‘The Book
of Order' with no opportunity for legislative remedy for that situation,
then persons should, in like manner, not be subject to any judicial action
based upon that paragraph," the overture rationale states.

	Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick urged the Bills and Overtures Committee to
continue the two-year moratorium and discussion period.

	"I think we have spent a lot more energy speaking at each other rather than
with each other," he said.

	In other business Saturday, the committee was told that there had possibly
been a "serious breach" of the standing rule that moderatorial candidates
are not allowed to make campaign mailings or permit such mailings by others.

	John Bartholomew, moderator of the Committee on the Office of the General
Assembly, said the candidate involved has apologized to other candidates and
denied any knowledge of the mailing. Bartholomew said the incident is being
taken very seriously.

	Valerie Small, manager for moderatorial staff services, said she did not
know whether this was the first time such an incident had occurred. But, she
said, this was the first time the OGA had received a concern about a
campaign mailing.

	The committee voted to send the moderatorial candidates' expenses on to the
Assembly, along with a note of concern about campaign mailings. The
committee also voted to send a motion to the Assembly that the OGA be
instructed to develop procedures dealing with this concern so as to be
faithful to the spirit of the standing rule.

	In other business, the committee approved the proposed docket without
change, recommended several issues be acted on in plenary sessions, and
approved proposed referrals to committees.

	Overture 00-73, which deals with declaring 2004 to be the Year of
Restoration of Mission in North Korea, was re-referred from the Committee on
General Assembly Procedures to the Committee on Global Mission and
International Issues.

_______________________________________________
pcusaNews mailing list
pcusaNews@pcusa.org

To unsubscribe, go to this web address:
http://pcusa01.pcusa.org/mailman/listinfo/pcusanews