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11-September-1997 
97346 
 
     The Presbyterian Coalition Schedules 
     Anti-Amendment A Gathering in Dallas 
 
    by Julian Shipp 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--Dissatisfied by the action of the 209th General Assembly 
(1997) to send Amendment A (commonly known as the "fidelity and integrity" 
amendment) to the presbyteries for a vote, the Presbyterian Coalition has 
scheduled "A Gathering of Presbyterians II: The 1998 General Assembly and 
Beyond," Sept. 29-30 in Dallas. 
 
    In 1996, the first Gathering of Presbyterians event in Chicago served 
as the coordinating point of work that led to the eventual adoption of 
Amendment B -- the so-called  "fidelity and chastity amendment" -- as 
G-6.0106b of the "Book of Order."  Amendment A, if ratified by a majority 
of the presbyteries (87 of 173 of them), would significantly revise the 
wording of G-6.0106b. 
 
    Speakers scheduled to appear at this year's conference include the Rev. 
Thomas W. Gillespie, president of Princeton Theological Seminary; the Rev. 
Roberta Hestenes, chair of the Assembly Committee on Ordination and Human 
Sexuality of the 208th General Assembly (1996), which proposed Amendment B; 
and the Rev. David L. Dobler, moderator of the 205th General Assembly 
(1993). 
 
    Attendance is expected to range between 500 and 1,000, according to 
Jackie Holland, a Presbyterian Coalition spokesperson. As of Sept. 4, 
Holland said, approximately 350 people had registered for the Gathering, 
which will be held at the Hyatt Regency-Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. 
 
    Scheduled seminars at the Gathering cover the following topics: 
 
    *  how to teach, preach and support biblical sexual ethics in a morally 
       confused culture 
    *  how to work effectively to reject Amendment A in the presbyteries 
    *  how to participate in God's reformation of the church in the 21st 
       century 
    *  how to prayerfully support the Word and the Holy Spirit at work 
       among Christians. 
 
    "It is our expectation that the Gathering will enable people to 
continue to see the value of being connected to one another even in times 
of disagreement -- and the value of speaking the truth clearly and with 
love in the midst of a disagreement," said the Rev. Jerry Andrews, pastor 
of First Presbyterian Church in Glen Ellyn, Ill., and a Presbyterian 
Coalition supporter. 
 
    Andrews said he expects the conference will be attended by those who 
are "angry, weary, and wary" of the debate surrounding human sexuality and 
the ordination of gay and lesbian persons in the denomination. However, he 
added, the Gathering is also predicated on "preservation of the truth," one 
of the six Great Ends of the Church the 1997 Assembly agreed to emphasize 
for the next two General Assemblies. 
 
    "I think there are a lot of people who see [the ordination issue] as 
having less to do with restricting or qualifying the behavior of others 
[than] it has to do with defining the nature of the church and to what will 
the church give witness," Andrews said. "Do we or do we not believe what 
the scriptures say? And are we or are we not willing to act on it?" 
 
    Although opinions vary among Coalition members, Andrews said he does 
not believe a schism or "split" will occur in the church this year over 
ordination issues but added "there are a whole lot of people who no longer 
have a plan to make sure it doesn't happen." 
 
    "We've got a really big problem here," Andrews said. "We have people in 
the church who -- I believe, genuinely so -- their conscience will not 
allow them to live at peace in a church that doesn't ordain gays and 
lesbians. And of course, there are others ... and I am one of them, whose 
conscience will not allow them to live in peace in a denomination that 
does." 
 
    Nancy Maffet, co-moderator of the Presbyterian Coalition and an elder 
at First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, Colo., said the Gathering 
will also feature a prayer vigil throughout the night and worship segments 
before each plenary, since the consensus of event organizers is that 
enlightenment on the ordination issue will "only come through prayer." 
 
    "We want to share with each other that there is no group that is 
planning a grand national strategy to have a counterdenomination," Maffet 
said. "Yet there are lots of people who are asking, will there be a church 
in 20 years if we don't find some way to deal with these issue?" 
 
    Although G-6.0106b remains in effect and is part of the 1997-98 edition 
of the "Book of Order," Maffet said she is concerned by the action of the 
1997 General Assembly, which she said disregarded the convictions of the 
majority of the presbyteries through the passage of Amendment A. 
 
    "People came away dumfounded that the voice of the presbyteries had no 
meaning," she said. "We never feel that the countervoices shouldn't be 
heard, but it was a very, very worrisome thing that process in and of 
itself will not solve this problem. 
 
    "We don't know what's going to happen at this meeting and that's 
honestly the truth," Maffet said. "We're going to let God lead us out of 
this, and the worst thing we could do would be to ignore God's voice. But 
we also want to be sure that the many, many concerned and frustrated people 
who are coming from all over this country have a voice -- that mike is 
going to be there for them and we have no idea where it's going to lead." 
 
    The text of Amendment A: "Those who are called to office in the church 
are to lead a life in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of 
Scripture and instructed by the historic confessional standards of the 
church. Among these standards is the requirement to demonstrate fidelity 
and integrity in marriage or singleness, and in all relationships of life. 
Candidates for ordained office shall acknowledge their own sinfulness, 
their need for repentance, and their reliance on the grace and mercy of God 
to fulfill the duties of their office." 
 
    If adopted, it will replace the current G-6.0106b (the former Amendment 
B): "Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in 
obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional 
standards of the church.  Among these standards is the requirement to live 
either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a 
woman (W-4.9001) or chastity in singleness.  Persons refusing to repent of 
any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be 
ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders or ministers of the Word and 
Sacrament." 
 
    More information about "A Gathering of Presbyterians II" is available 
by calling the Presbyterian Coalition at (502) 327-9127. 

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