wfn.org | GAC Approves Every-household Publication

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

12-February-1997 
97081 
 
             GAC Approves Every-household Publication 
 
                        by Bill Lancaster 
      
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--General Assembly moderator the Rev. John Buchanan broke 
convention Feb. 8 at the General Assembly Council (GAC) meeting when, 
during his report to the Council, he made  a motion to establish an 
every-household publication for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with the 
first issue to be produced before the upcoming meeting of the 209th General 
Assembly in June. 
 
     "Can't we insist that this church think anew about communication?" the 
moderator queried.   "Everywhere I go, people know that we need a new 
every-home  publication. ... People know that our Presbyterian family 
doesn't know much about the rest of the family or what we're doing in 
mission." 
 
     Buchanan said, "People know that  The Presbyterian Layman' is the 
chief source of news about the Presbyterian Church today by a huge margin. 
No one else is even close."   
 
     He praised the "Layman" for including a column in every issue by the 
General Assembly moderator, stated clerk and GAC chair.  "Isn't it time 
that we as a council be responsible for telling the story to the people who 
we want to support the enterprise?" he asked. 
      
     "I'm asking you today to think anew and to simply decide that we will 
do this, and we will do it now."  
 
     Buchanan then moved "that the GAC authorize the interim executive 
director of the General Assembly Council to appoint a working group or task 
force of elected and staff persons to plan and publish an every-home 
publication for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the first edition of 
which will be available for the meeting of the 209th General Assembly 
[1997], to report its progress regularly to the director and to the 
executive committee."  
 
     His motion was seconded by several Council members simultaneously. 
Buchanan then said that a prototype had been delivered, designed by staff 
of the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation.  "How to pay for it?"  he 
asked.  "It seems to me the first thing is to decide to do it. ... We as 
the Council have the authority to rearrange our priorities and just do it."  
      
     The floor was opened for discussion, but there was none.  The motion 
was approved by a voice vote with no audible dissenting votes. The GAC then 
responded with a standing ovation. 
      
     By the next morning, Gary Luhr, associate director of the Office of 
Communication, had produced a rough estimate of costs for a tabloid 
newspaper published six times a year: $850,000 for the first year; 
$1,750,000 for the second year; $1,750,000 for the third year. 
      
     Buchanan also commended GAC interim executive director the Rev. Frank 
Diaz and chair Youngil Cho for "the  minor miracle  they have accomplished 
in bringing the church back into balance and doing what had to be done on 
cutting budgets."  But, he said, "we're simply accommodating change from 
without if that's all we do ... instead of at the same time insisting that 
we devote equal energy and creativity to the processes of raising new funds 
or getting new members or whatever it is we need to do. 
      
     "Can't we, for instance, do something radical,"  he continued, "like 
today  writing to every congregation that gives nothing to General Assembly 
mission and simply tell them the results of what we did here ... and ask 
them if they wouldn't consider rejoining the Presbyterian family and making 
a contribution to Presbyterian mission?" 

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