A New Day at GA

Thursday and Friday at the PCUSA 218th General Assembly have been days of change for the church.  Some of the changes have involved individual people and others are changes that involve the church as a whole. 

The most prominent decision that involved an individual person was the election of Gradye Parsons as GA Stated Clerk. Our own Stated Clerk Rev. Dennis Hughes led the installation service. Parsons won on the first ballot with 57% of the vote and follows Clifton Kirkpatrick in this position. You can read more about Parsons on the GA218 website.  

In the Seattle Presbytery, our own Rev. Jean Kim, HR, was awarded the first annual Lifetime Peacemaking Award at the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program Dinner.  She was awarded this honor as a result of her years acting as an activist for the impoverished and her work with the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness.  In addition to Jean’s award, Seattle Presbytery’s Elder Commissioner Steve Aeschbacher was voted to the General Assembly Council. Way to go Jean and Steve!!

Decisions made in the last two day that affect the church as a whole range from ecumenical relations and peacemaking, to FOG revisions and ordination standards.  Many decisions were made quickly by the assembly with a large majority vote, and others required much discussion and were won by a narrow vote.  Some decisions will take place immediately and others will be sent to the presbyteries to be discussed and voted on. I expect that you will be soon hear from our Executive Presbyter Scott Lumsden regarding the ones we will be discussing.

I want to assure you that no matter what your stand is on any particular issue, the commissioners and advisory delegates did not take their responsibilities lightly.  There was much discussion, prayer and discernment that went into each vote. The Presbyterian Church USA, in my experience, is a church that is led by Christian people who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and seek to do the will of God, living their lives in a way that will glorify God.  That being said, it is also my experience that these same people recognize that they are sinful beings who, despite their best intentions, know they are flawed and don’t always do what is right.  Some of the decisions made in the past two days were very controversial.  I urge you in this time to remember we are each members of Christ’s body, and it is during these times that it is most important that we continue to work together in seeking the will of God.  Seattle Presbytery is a wonderful entity that exudes the love of Christ in the way we treat each other with respect and dignity, no matter where we each may stand on any particular issue. I expect that with some of the overtures that GA will be sending to the presbyteries to review, Seattle will have the opportunity to be an example to others in the PCUSA of how to live as the body of Christ.

For details on the overtures that were passed, please visit the Committees page of the GA218 website. Some of the committees that presented a few of the more highly debated issues included the FOG Revision Committee, the Church Orders and Ministry Committee, the Health Issues Committee, the Theological Issues and Institutions Committee, and the Peacemaking and International Issues Committee.  I urge you to read not only the controversial issues, but educate yourself on all of the decisions that were made at GA, and get a complete picture of your church.

Now, as was prayed before the voting on many overtures, “May we remember to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.” Micah 6:8

Heidi Francis
Communications Director, Seattle Presbytery 

 

GA Business Meetings Begin

This morning began with an ecumenical worship service, with Archbishop Elias Chacour preaching.  After worship many people spent the morning visiting the exhibition hall one last time, catching up with other commissioners, attending sponsored gatherings or resting in preparation of the long business meetings yet to come.  I attended a workshop on using video to tell stories of ministry, and enjoyed visiting with Randy Butler while eating lunch. We discovered that we grew up in the same town, lived only a mile (or so) from each other and graduated from the same high school – small world, indeed.

After lunch the General Assembly business meetings began. One of the first actions of business was to install and confirm The Rev. Byron Wade, pastor of Davie Street Presbyterian Church in Raleigh, NC, as vice moderator of the 218th General Assembly.  After the installation, presentation of the overtures that the committees had worked on began.  At first, several passed with little or no discussion and slowly things began to pick up.  The first overture that involved much discussion and proposal of amendments was On Directing the GAC to Produce Adolescent Human Development Resources presented by the Church Growth and Christian Education Committee.  Other committees that presented overtures today were Business Referral; Bills and Overtures; Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations; Theological Issues and Institutions; Board of Pensions, Presbyterian Foundation and Presbyterian Publishing; and Youth. To view the committees, overtures and decisions, click on this link, then choose the committee and overture you are interested in.

At dinner tonight I attended the National PCUSA Multicultural Dinner sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Ministries and the Presbyterian Multicultural Network.  The keynote speaker was Tom Taylor, Executive Director for Mission, GAC.  He spoke about God created us each differently, put us in different situations, and allowed us to create different cultures. No one culture is better than an other, and all are to be celebrated.  He also reminded us that multicultural does not necessarily mean multi-ethnic or multi-racial, but rather focuses on culture. There can be a group of people from the same race, all with different cultures. The dinner was enjoyable, and the presentation thought-provoking. 

After dinner, on my way back to my hotel, I dodged a group of protesters (the one time all week, that I wasn’t carrying my camera!).  They were making their way to the convention center, and I didn’t think too much about them, but it was noted later that the protesters were more assertive than was comfortable to some of the commissioners who were entering the building. The protester’s actions were within the law, and no one was hurt, but it did make for a bit more exciting evening than many people had anticipated.

Tomorrow is expected to have some lively moments on the floor of the General Assembly.  If you like, you can stream the business meetings as they are happening from the GA218 website.  This site also has a link to PC-biz and the most up-to-date information on the decisions being made.

Please remember our commissioners, advisory delegates, and the whole assembly in your prayers as they seek to do God’s work in the next few days.

Heidi Francis
Communications Director, Seattle Presbytery 

 

The Winds are Blowing

Things may have seemed quiet around here yesterday, but today it feels as though the wind is picking up. Committees met all day and into the evening, breaking only for meals. Overtures are being crafted, discussions are lively, meetings are orderly, and decisions are being made.  No matter what the mood is in the room, it is heartwarming to see every committee pray or sing a hymn before and after every break – a constant reminder why they are here and who they are serving.

Every committee I visited today (7) were discussing issues that people were passionate about.  Topics included things such as: full communion with ecumenical partners; our stance on torture for military or security reasons; how the church addresses the abortion issue; making the Heidelberg Catechism translation more authentic; and deleting the fidelity and chastity clause from the Book of Order.  To follow the work of the committees and the overtures they are creating, log on to PC-biz, click on Committees at the top of the page, then choose the specific committee you are interested in on the left-hand side.  Or, once you are on the site, you can search for the subject you are interested in by clicking on the Explorer tab at the top of the homepage.

At the lunch break today, the commissioners and delegates from the Seattle Presbytery, North Puget Sound Presbytery and Olympia Presbytery ate their meal together.  It was a great time to catch up, share their experiences about their committees, and pray for each other.

In addition to the committee work, there is much sharing and collaboration also happening at GA. People are learning about the variety of ministries and resources that the PCUSA offers, along with what other churches, organizations and groups are doing to spread the love of God.  Today I spoke with a representative from Oikocredit, an organization that facilitates micro-finance loans; I learned about the PCUSA Campaign for Fair Food and their efforts to get corporations to work with farmworkers to end human rights abuses in the Florida fields; I provided copies of our Signs of Hope DVD to be distributed after it was viewed by others who are interested in creating similar videos for their own ministries; and I had dinner with the Hispanic Caucus.  

The dinner was enlightening.  I sat at a table with people from Costa Rica, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Columbia.  Some were ecumenical representatives, and others had Hispanic ministries here in the US. The dinner was a wonderful experience, including a word from both Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and our new Moderator Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow. The Hispanic Caucus Moderator Rev. Alfredo Miranda also spoke. We were entertained with a Latino band who led the Hispanic constituents in song, and dancers who performed native dances from a variety of South American countries.  This experience gave me incentive to be more intentional in studying my Spanish and begin to break the language barrier between myself and our own Hispanic fellowships.

As you can see, the days are full and much is being done.  May the Holy Spirit continue to guide the commissioners and delegates as they seek God’s will in their decision-making process.

Blessings,

Heidi Francis
Communications Director, Seattle Presbytery 

 

GA Committee Meetings

There were blocks of time today when it seemed as though most people had left the General Assembly.  The streets were quiet and the buzz of voices in the convention center was almost non-existent.  Though it may have felt as though everyone had left the building, this was very far from the truth.  The commissioners and delegates spent the day in committee meetings discussing the issues set before them.  Each committee meets in a separate meeting room where they can work together and focus on their own committee’s agenda.

At various times in the day, people can sign up to address a committee about topics that may be addressed.  Early today, Seattle Presbytery’s Youth Advisory Delegate Hannah Kahl addressed the Youth Committee about helping churches reach out their youth.  She spoke about how it is important to reach the youth of the church using the mean of communication they are most accustom to using. Hannah was clear, concise, and to-the-point (she only had 2 minutes to speak), and represented Seattle Presbytery very well.

While our commissioners and delegates were working hard during the day, I visited some of the committees and photographed them in action.  See the links to the right to view the photos.  It will lead you to our Flickr site.  I also tried to capture in pictures some of the booths in the exhibit hall.  The exhibit hall is an exciting place to be.  It is full of people offering resources from their ministries.  They range from missionaries, publication houses, PCUSA ministries, activists, artists and more.

As things pick up in the next couple of days and the committees begin to develop recommendations to bring to the plenary sessions, I expect to have much more to share.  In the meantime, if you want to follow the work of the committees, you can access their papers at PCBiz.   

Checking in from sunny San Jose,

Heidi Francis
Communications Director, Seattle Presbytery