wfn.org | [PCUSAnews] Church officials say they are tired of GA spotlight shinning on gay ordination i

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Note #6667 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Church officials say they are tired of GA spotlight shinning on gay
ordination issue
13-June-2001

GA01108

Church officials say they are tired of GA spotlight shinning on gay
ordination issue

Light should be deflected to show other aspects of PC(USA)

by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE, June 13 - "The Presbyterian Church is involved in a lot of
things," said the Rev. Gradye Parsons, director of operations for the Office
of the General Assembly, who also serves as director of Assembly
arraignments. "There will be a report (during this year's Assembly) on our
re-emphasis to ministry on our college campuses. There is a significant
report about domestic violence. We have taken affirmative action to do
things around the world, especially in places like Sudan (Africa).
"Those stories tend not to get as much weight in the world as (ordination)
does," Parsons said at a news conference Wednesday.
Parson was joined by the Rev. Mark Tammen, director of constitutional
services in the Office of the General Assembly. When the two men were asked
if they are bothered by the attention the gay ordination issue receives
during each Assembly, they simultaneously replied: "yes."
On Tuesday, the Assembly Committee on Ordination Standards voted 31-25 to
delete section G-6.0106b of the Book of Order pertaining to ordination and
proposed instead to allow sessions and presbyteries to determine if a
candidate for church office should be ordained. If the Assembly concurs, the
change would still need to be approved by a majority of the denomination's
173 presbyteries before it could become part of the church's constitution, a
process that would occur over the next 12 months.
"Our hope is that this issue will continue to be before the church," said
Parsons, "but that the other things that the church is doing can also maybe
receive some renewed energy."
Among other PC(USA)-related issues in need of more attention are the
denomination's membership decline and its pastoral leadership shortage.
"We have a major proposal and focus again on addressing that issue," Tammen
said of the denomination's clergy shortage, "on how to encourage, especially
young people from college, high school age, to consider ministry as a high
call.

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