wfn.org | [GA212reports] Wrap up report on the 212th General Assembly

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #22 from PCUSA NEWS to GA 212 REPORTS:

	This is Jerry Van Marter of the Presbyterian News Service with a wrap up
report on the 212th General Assembly in Long Beach, California.

	The 212th General Assembly was marked by a remarkable degree of consensus
on virtually every issue except one.  Only a handful of votes were even
close and not one Assembly Committee recommendation was overturned by the
full Assembly.  This Assembly – though it had a lot of business to conduct –
never seemed rushed and never seemed to lose its spirit of trust and mutual
respect.  Much of the credit goes to moderator Syngman Rhee, who exhibited
profound personal spirituality and gracious good humor, as well as a
wonderful singing voice, and stated clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, newly elected
to a second four-year term, whose love and enthusiasm for Jesus Christ and
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) fueled the proceedings.

	The toughest issue for Presbyterians continues to be matters of human
sexuality. In by far the most wrenching debate and vote of the Assembly,
commissioners voted 268-251 (51 percent to 48 percent) to send a proposed
constitutional amendment to its 173 presbyteries that would flatly prohibit
same sex union ceremonies in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  The proposed
amendment -- which came to the Assembly as Overture 00-26 from San Joaquin
Presbytery, would add section W-4.9007 to the "Directory for Worship" that
reads: "Scripture and our Confessions teach that God's intention for all
people is to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between
a man and a woman or in chastity in singleness.  Church property shall not
be used for, and church officers shall not take part in conducting any
ceremony or event that pronounces blessing or gives approval of the church
or invokes the blessing of God upon any relationship that is inconsistent
with God's intention as expressed in the preceding sentence."

	In a closely-watched vote, the Assembly rejected by a vote of 453-71 an
overture from Beaver-Butler Presbytery that would have declared an
"irreconcilable impasse" in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) over such
issues as biblical authority and interpretation, Jesus Christ and salvation,
ethics, leadership, sanctification and the nature of the church.   The
Assembly concluded  that while differences in the church are significant, no
conflict is irreconcilable with God.  The Assembly voted to send a letter to
Presbyterians declaring, "We choose to see differences positively and
believe that differences in fact have the potential to make our unity in
Christ even stronger."  The letter also says, "Our prayer is that we all
might strive for the ‘still more excellent way' (I Cor. 12:31), which is our
mutual love and forbearance of one another."

	By a vote of 447-29, the Assembly referred a proposal to offer church
educators a chance to be ordained as ministers with a specialization in
Christian education to the General Assembly Council for further
clarification and additional information.  A competing proposal – an
overture from Chicago Presbytery that would create a fourth ordained office,
that of Christian educator – was easily defeated.  The Assembly sent one
constitutional amendment to the presbyteries that, if ratified, will
establish minimum salary and benefits for church educators.  On a voice vote
the Assembly also approved a recommendation from the Church Orders and
Ministry Committee to direct a number of church agencies to look at emerging
issues related to clergywomen serving in parish ministry.  Among those
issues are the decreasing number of women entering parish ministry, the
proportionately lower number of women pastors serving congregations, and the
increasing number of women leaving parish ministry.

	The Assembly voted 412-102 to reject an overture from Savannah Presbytery
that would have slashed funding for the World Council of Churches and the
National Council of Churches by two-thirds.

	The Assembly rejected by a vote of 416-81 an overture from the Presbytery
of the Peaks that would have called for the General Assembly Nominating
Committee to be elected by the General Assembly rather than appointed by the
General Assembly moderator.  The Assembly did open up the nominating process
by adopting an overture from Greater Atlanta Presbytery that allows any
General Assembly Nominating Committee member to nominate any person for
service on an Assembly-level committee.  Until now, only the Nominating
Committee member from a candidate's synod could nominate that person for
service.

	In a somewhat surprising move, the Assembly voted 384-127 to send a "Book
of Order" amendment to the presbyteries stating "No persons shall be denied
membership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for any reason not related to
profession of faith."  Current constitutional language states that persons
may not be denied membership because of their race, ethnic origin or worldly
condition.  A proposed overture from Twin Cities Area Presbytery would have
added "sexual orientation" to that list.  The Assembly instead chose to ask
that the entire list be removed from the "Book of Order."

	The Assembly voted 467-81 to call on Presbyterians to refuse to participate
in organized and institutionalized forms of gambling and to advocate that
state sponsored forms of gambling, such as lotteries, be eliminated.  By a
margin of 382-111, the Assembly agreed with its Assembly Committee on
National and Social Issues to eliminate a provision from the resolution that
would have called on Native Americans to reconsider the spread of casino
gambling on their reservations.

	The Assembly, by a vote of 441-43, approved a resolution on police
accountability that supports the creation of community-based programs for
civilian review of police forces.  The resolution also urges churches to
work with law enforcement agencies to develop programs to screen out police
candidates with racial and cultural prejudices.  The Assembly voted by
substantial margins to support needle exchange programs to halt the spread
of AIDS and Hepatitis; to support efforts to remove the Confederate flag
from state buildings in the South; to reaffirm the church's support for
effective gun control measures, including safety devices for all weapons; to
urge a moratorium on capital punishment in the U.S.; and to support
nonviolent efforts to stop U.S. military training and practice bombing on
the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.

	The Assembly fairly quickly approved a monitoring report on implementation
of the denomination's abortion policy prepared by the Advisory Committee on
Social Witness Policy.  The report for the most part affirms implementation
of the church's abortion policy by entities charged to interpret it and
produce resources on it, though it does say that in some instances church
entities have relied on a more liberal 1983 policy statement on abortion
when the more cautionary 1992 policy would have been more appropriate. 
Debate on the abortion issue focused on an overture from Santa Barbara
Presbytery that would have created a new study on abortion focusing
exclusively on biblical and confessional issues around abortion. 
Commissioners rejected the overture by a vote of 338-189, agreeing that the
1992 policy on abortion is sufficient at this time.

	 The Assembly approved some changes in the Pentecost Offering so that the
offering will be divided equally between youth and young adult ministries
and programs for children at risk.  The youth and young adult half will be
divided 50 percent for the Congregational Ministries Division for youth and
young adult ministries; and 25 percent each for the young adult volunteers
programs in the National Ministries Division and the Worldwide Ministries
Division.  The children at risk half of the offering will be divided with 80
percent retained locally for children at risk ministries with the remaining
20 percent allocated to General Assembly -level children at risk ministries.

	The Assembly approved a new strategy for ministries with Native Americans. 
The strategy calls for financial support of developing Native American
congregations beyond the traditional five years; for enhanced programs to
train Native American commissioned lay pastors; for increased scholarship
assistance for Native American seminary students; for more opportunities for
volunteer work in Native American ministry settings; and for special
outreach ministries with Native American youth and young adults.

	Continuing a pattern of bilateral ecumenical dialogues that has picked up
momentum in recent years, the Assembly voted to enter church-to-church
dialogues with the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church in America, the
Cumberland Presbyterian Church and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in
America.

	And in one of its final acts, the Assembly approved a 2001 General Assembly
mission budget of $144.2 million.  The Assembly approved $331,000 worth of
new mission initiatives during its work this week and asked that they be
absorbed within existing budgets.  The Assembly also approved a 2001 per
capita budget of $14 million, a $400,000 increase over 2000.  The per capita
apportionment was set at $4.98, three cents higher than this year.

	This is Jerry Van Marter and this concludes these VoiceLine reports from
the 212th General Assembly in Long Beach, California.  The 213th General
Assembly convenes Saturday, June 9, 2001 in Louisville, Kentucky.  Thank you
for calling VoiceLine.  Pray for peace.  Good bye.

_______________________________________________
GA212reports mailing list
GA212reports@pcusa.org
http://pcusa01.pcusa.org/mailman/listinfo/ga212reports