wfn.org | Issues of the Young Addressed

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16-June-1997 
GA97040 
 
                     Issues of The Young Addressed 
 
                          by Marj Carpenter 
 
SYRACUSE-- Members of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly 
wrestled with issues concerning children and youth  when they began to 
address overtures recommended to their committee. 
 
    A request from Santa Barbara Presbytery to clarify children and infant 
baptisms in reports brought about a recommendation to list the baptisms as 
children and adult in the statistical report just as in the Book of Order. 
But it took lengthy discussion to get there. 
 
    An overture from South Alabama asking that 20% of the persons nominated 
to boards and agencies be under age 45 brought an answer from the 
nominating committee that at this time a third of the members are under 45. 
Then the youth delegates, assisted by a few commissioners, mounted a battle 
to recommend that an increase of one percent under 35 be added each year 
until the year 2006.  It was pointed out by the nominating committee that 
it would take a large number of recommendations of qualified possible 
committee members in that age group who would have time to give to the 
meetings.  The committee was also told that the fastest growing age group 
of the church is the former baby boomers in an older category. 
 
    The vote carried to make the recommendation to add the percentage of 
those under 35. Commissioners who pled for less concern about quotas pled 
in vain. 
 
    An overture from the Presbytery of South Alabama requested  the 
Presbyterian Church to revise the annual statistical report to include a 
line item for each church to list the appraised value of its property, a 
line item for the date of the last appraisal and a line item for the church 
to state its current insurance coverage. 
 
      After lengthy discussion, the committee disapproved this overture 
although they sympathized with the problems arising from property being 
destroyed by vandalism and natural disasters.  It was pointed out that the 
Book of Order leaves this business to the session, as overseen by the 
presbytery. 

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