wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] YAD numbers unchanged

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Note #8394 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

YAD numbers unchanged
GA04100
July 1, 2004

YAD numbers unchanged

Proposal to add 16 youth fails to garner two-thirds majority

by Jerry Van Marter

RICHMOND, July 1 - The 216th General Assembly voted Thursday afternoon not to
increase the number of Youth Advisory Delegates (YADs) when the Presbyterian
Church (USA) moves to biennial meetings of the Assembly after this year.

The number of commissioners will increase from 544 this year to about 820 by
2008, an increase of 44 percent. The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta had
proposed, and the Committee on General Assembly Procedures had recommended,
that the number of YADs also be increased, from 173 to 189, by adding one
additional YAD per synod.

The measure garnered a majority of commissioners' votes - it was 293 for, 213
against - but failed to get the two-thirds required to change the applicable
Standing Rule.

Mark Eadie, a YAD from Albany Presbytery, said the YAD experience at the
Assembly "captures youth for the church" and halving the number of YADS in
the switch to every-other-year Assemblies "is not good for the church or its
youth."

YAD Ronald Rahaman, of the Presbytery of John Calvin, countered that
retaining the current number of YADs "would lessen the financial burden on
the church, and I think the current level reflects a broad enough spectrum."

The Assembly concurred with the committee and overwhelmingly rejected
overtures that would have stripped advisory delegates of their vote in
committees. It left in place the current practice, in which they have
privileges of both voice and vote in committee, but voice only in plenary
sessions.

In another item related to the shift to biennial Assemblies, the
commissioners changed a standing rule to require candidates for moderator to
announce their choice for vice moderator at least 15 days before the start of
the Assembly. "Biennial assemblies significantly change the roles of the
moderator and vice moderator," said the Rev. James Collie, of the Committee
on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA). "Both the church and
vice-moderator candidates need to be assured they can fulfill these very
different duties."

The Assembly will be asked to confirm, not elect, the winning candidate's
choice for vice moderator.

The Assembly thanked PC(USA) presbyteries and congregations "for their
faithful financial support for the work of the whole church" in 2002 in
paying their per-capita apportionments at the highest level "in the last
decade," according to the Office of the General Assembly. Uncollectible
per-capita totaled just $188,000 in 2002.

The Assembly also asked COGA and the GAC to develop a proposal to conduct
anti-racism training at future Assemblies; referred questions regarding the
future of the Presbyterian Historical Society's facility at Montreat, NC, to
a COGA task force reviewing the society's operations in light of rising
costs; and asked the Office of the General Assembly "to be careful to include
and emphasize fidelity to scripture in the commissioning service at future
General Assemblies."

This story and many others may have photos, media, video clips that can be
found at http://www.pcusa.org/ga216/.

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