wfn.org | Committee to Disapprove Change in PCUSA COCU Status

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16-June-1998 
GA98058 
 
 
    Committee Votes to Disapprove Change in PCUSA COCU Status 
 
    by Nancy Rodman 
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--The Assembly Committee on Catholicity and Ecumenical 
Relations has voted to disapprove an overture that would have changed the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s status in COCU from member to observer.  The 
overture would also have dismissed the Special Committee on the 
Consultation on Church Union with thanks. 
    The overture, 98-36 from the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks, prompted 
intense debate.  Those who supported the overture told stories of 
ecumenical ministries already in place in their communities and expressed 
concern over the cost of remaining a member of COCU.  "It's not necessary; 
we're already doing it," was the common refrain. 
    Opponents of the overture spoke of the need for connection among 
Christian bodies, the lack of ecumenical efforts locally, and the 
importance of COCU's work. 
    In presenting the report of the Special Committee on the Consultation 
on Church Union before the debate on the overture, the Rev. Michael 
Livingston, Special Committee moderator, outlined the progress that has 
been made in the last 36 years and emphasized that the "super church" plan 
of the seventies is dead. 
    In related business, the Catholicity and Ecumenical Relations Committee 
voted to recommend to the General Assembly that the Special Committee on 
the Consultation on Church Union be continued and that it report to the 
211th Assembly in 1999, that the Assembly reaffirm the 209th General 
Assembly's report on "Churches in Covenant Communion: The Church of Christ 
Uniting," and that the Stated Clerk send a statement of appreciation to 
COCU's Executive Committee expressing appreciation for COCU's prompt and 
careful response to the concerns of the PCUSA and other member communions. 

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