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Note #6574 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Moderating Presbytery prepares
commissioner for Assembly 
June 9, 2001
GA01017

Moderating Presbytery prepares
commissioner for Assembly 

by Midge Mack

LOUISVILLE, June 9 - Sharen Gaff is more than ready for her week as a member
of the Committee on Ordination Standards, as the 213th General Assembly of
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) gets under way here June 9-16 at the
Kentucky International Convention Center.
	Her committee will deal with seven overtures that would amend or delete
from the denomination's Constitution section G6.0106, banning ordination of
practicing, self-affirmed homosexuals as clergy or elders in the church.
Five other overtures ask commissioners to change related sections.  Since
Sharen became Moderator of Florida's St. Augustine Presbytery last February,
that body's focus has been on the related, controversial amendment O, passed
by the 212th Assembly last year. The document therefore needed ratification
by a majority of the denomination's 173 presbyteries during the intervening
year, but failed to pass the 87 presbyteries needed.
	The approach of St. Augustine Presbytery was for representatives from its
64 congregations to debate the controversial matter within the context of
worship. "We heard many people on both sides speak ably and with civility
about their convictions," Sharen says.  The amendment was defeated by only
five votes, closely mirroring the results of the church-wide vote.
	Sharen speaks enthusiastically of her presbytery's tradition of a
three-year commitment moderators must make. The first year the person as
moderator-elect, may assist the moderator in various ways. The second year
is spent as moderator and the third as chair of the presbytery's
coordinating council.  This year, Sharen is also a member of the
presbytery's committee on ministry.
	For 27 years Sharen has been a member of 250-member Arlington Presbyterian
Church in Jacksonville, where she chairs the Christian Education Committee,
co-teaches the adult church school class and leads the Bible study for her
Presbyterian Women's (PW) circle. She is a past-moderator of her
congregation's and also the presbytery's PW.
A retired high school principal, she now runs her husband's dentist office
and accompanies him on an annual medical-dental mission week in Jamaica as
part of St. Augustine Presbytery's mutual mission program there.
	Sharen describes how the dental program has grown from its first year when
all her husband could do was to pull 800 teeth. Through successful
fund-raising for portable dental equipment he is now able to practice
preventive dentistry across the island of Jamaica.  Other aspects of the
three-point program include helping churches to train people to grow, can
and market food products. Currently the presbytery is  raising funds to
build a cannery.

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