Click here for the official PC(USA) web page for the Assembly.

The General Assembly website now has things set up for you to register both for the Assembly itself, as well as for hotel rooms and the many events that you may want to attend.

Click here for the first registration page.

The first official Assembly events are on Saturday morning, July 3, and adjournment is scheduled for around noon on Saturday, July 10. You may want to arrive early for events like the Voices for Justice Commissioner Orientation, which will be an early breakfast on Saturday morning. 

For the docket of official Assembly events >>
For the complete schedule of events >>  (This is 36 pages, in DPF format)

Please note that in the registration form for event tickets, you'll find our Commissioner Orientation on Saturday morning listed as "Presbyterian Voice (oops, just one voice?) for Justice Commissioner Orientation/Breakfast," 7:00 am-8:30 am

What once was the Witherspoon Awards Luncheon is now the Presbyterian Voices (we got our other voice back) for Justice Luncheon -- Sunday noon.

On the registration form, our name is abbreviated as PVJ.

About hotels – you’ll find the official GA hotels listed in the registration information, along with a map of the hotel locations.

Yes, the hotels are fairly costly, but Voices for Justice has a block of rooms reserved at a relatively good rate at the Best Western Normandy Inn, just about 5 blocks from the Convention Center. For more information, get in touch with Doug King, by e-mail at dougking2@aol.com, or by phone at (608) 782-5275.

Ralph Carter offers this advice for on-line registration: 

I strongly recommend you print out the schedule of events first, before doing the registration. Another caution: there are 5 pages with <continue> between them with the online registration. Be sure to make sure all fields are the way you want them before clicking <continue>. If you have to go back (I forgot to put in my email address, for instance), the computer gets confused and you have to start all over again. 

Another problem with the online registration: You don't get an itemized list of the tickets you have ordered, even when you are asked for your credit card. So, be sure to make sure the tickets are what you want. When you put in the quantity for each ticket, be sure to click the <tab>, so the dollar amount shows for the ticket. This may or may not make a difference, but better safe than sorry.

by Doug King, WebWeaver and Communications Coordinator

The Office of the General Assembly has already received and posted some 46 overtures at last count, with many more to come, proposing a wide variety of actions to the coming 219^th General Assembly, which will be meeting in Minneapolis on July 3 - 10, 2010.  Click here for a summary of some of the more important overtures -- with more to be added as they are posted.

The conservative PC(USA)-related organization, Presbyterians for Renewal, is putting forward a proposal by which the General Assembly would allow for the creation of non-geographical synods upon the initiative of at least three presbyteries.

For the introduction of the proposal >>

For the proposal itself (13 pages in PDF format) >>

This includes a brief introductory statement (p. 1), a long list of “frequently asked questions” (2 - 9), the proposed amendment to the Form of Government (10 - 11), and an appendix (12 - 13).

Margaret Thomas (a member of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution and former Associate Stated Clerk) has written a statement critiquing the proposal in her usual judicious but incisive manner.  Click here for her statement >>

Some observers have described the proposal as a simple “ploy” to allow conservative presbyteries to form their own governing bodies while retaining their property.

Action by Presbytery of the Pacific

A small number of conservative congregations (some of them with large memberships) presented the proposed overture to the Presbytery of the Pacific in its assembly last Saturday, Jan. 30. After a “lively” debate, it was rejected by a substantial margin. One member of the Presbytery has referred to the proposal as “Presbyterian apartheid.”  More on the Presbytery of the Pacific action >>

The Rev. Len Bjorkman, a Witherspoon member and long-time leader in the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, has draft an overture which would support more effective peacemaking programming in Presbyterian-related campus ministries, colleges, and seminaries.

Click here for the full text of his draft – and you might consider putting it up for consideration in your own presbytery.

Jin S. Kim is second candidate for GA moderator

Minneapolis pastor is endorsed by Twin Cities Area Presbytery

by Jerry L. Van Marter, Presbyterian News Service
[1-12-10]

LOUISVILLE — January 12, 2010 --  The Rev. Jin S. Kim, founding pastor of Church of All Nations in Minneapolis, was unanimously endorsed June 9 by the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area to stand for moderator of the upcoming 219th General Assembly (2010). The Assembly will be held July 3-10 in Minneapolis.

Kim joins Elder Cynthia Bolbach of National Capital Presbytery as candidates for the top elected post in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The winner will succeed the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow of San Francisco, moderator of the 218th General Assembly.

Kim, 41, was born in Korea and came to the United States with his family in 1975, grow up in a multi-ethnic environment in Columbia, SC and Atlanta. He holds degrees from Georgia Tech (1990), Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1993), and Columbia Theological Seminary (D.Min., 2005).

He is currently moderator of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, serves as a PC(USA) delegate to the National Council of Churches, and sits on the boards of the Minnesota Council of Churches and the Greater Minnesota Association of Evangelicals. He is also a part of the Jewish-Presbyterian Dialogue and the Special Committee on the Belhar Confession.

Kim speaks widely on the renewal of the church at conferences, colleges, seminaries, presbyteries and congregations, both in the U.S. and abroad.  He was a preacher at the 2004 and 2008 General Assemblies, is adjunct faculty at Dubuque Theological Seminary and has also taught at Princeton Seminary, Columbia Seminary, and Duke Divinity School, as well as at seminaries in Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Russia, and Korea. 

His household includes his wife Soon Pac; children Claire Nicea, 10, and Austin Athanasius; and his parents.

Elder Cynthia Bolbach endorsed by National Capital Presbytery
[1-6-10]

by Bethany Furkin, Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE - National Capital Presbytery has unanimously endorsed the first candidate to stand for moderator of the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The assembly will be held July 3-10 in Minneapolis.

Elder Cynthia Bolbach, 61, is a lawyer and member of First Presbyterian Church in Arlington, Va.

"I feel called to stand for Moderator to help our church - proud inheritor of the Reformed tradition - discern how best to proclaim the timeless Gospel message to a 21st century world that is multi-cultural and religiously pluralistic," Bolbach said in a presbytery press release.

She has leadership experience in many levels of the church. Bolbach served as co-moderator of the GA Form of Government Task Force. The task force first reported to the 218th GA in 2008 and will report to this year's Assembly when its proposal was referred back for more study and refinement.

Bolbach has served in several positions at the presbytery level: as moderator of National Capital Presbytery, as chairwoman of its Committee on Ministry and its council and as its interim general presbyter.

She was ordained as a deacon and elder at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, where she also served as clerk of session. She previously was a commissioner to the 209th GA in 1997.

Professionally, Bolbach is executive vice president and corporate secretary of BNA, Inc., an employee-owned firm that is the sole independent U.S. publisher of specialized legal and regulatory information services.

Press release from PHEWA, October 26, 2009

The Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association (PHEWA) is seeking nominations for five awards that will be celebrated during the 219^th General Assembly in Minneapolis, MN on July 5, 2010.

PHEWA, part of the Compassion, Peace & Justice Ministry of the General Assembly Mission Council, is a voluntary membership organization dedicated to social welfare and justice ministries. Ten networks are a part of PHEWA, organized for grassroots implementation of General Assembly policies in the areas of community ministries and faith-based community organizing, addictions, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, reproductive options, specialized pastoral ministries, child advocacy, disabilities, health and wholeness, and serious mental illness.

 “There are a lot of good people out there doing remarkable work with folks that find themselves marginalized or forgotten. These awards recognize those ministries and, by doing so, help to remind of us of God’s call to love kindness and to do justice,” said Nancy Troy, PHEWA Executive Director during the years 2000-2009.

PHEWA seeks nominations of:

·   PC(USA) Congregations that, either through ecumenical or interfaith community ministry, or through a special project of the congregation, have been faithful, creative and effective in their ministry to and with the community. The COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION AWARD is presented by the Presbyterian Association for Community Transformation (PACT).

·   Persons, congregations, or PC(USA) entities that are exemplary in their affirmation, support, and advocacy for the gifts, rights, and responsibilities of persons with disabilities in the total life of the church. The NANCY JENNINGS AWARD is presented by Presbyterians for Disability Concerns (PDC).

·   PC(USA) Congregations or church professionals that have contributed significantly in the field of addiction prevention, intervention and recovery. The DAVID HANCOCK AWARD is presented by Presbyterians for Addiction Action (PAA).

·   PC(USA) Congregations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their ministry with those who have a serious mental illness and with their families. The FLORENCE IVERSEN KRAFT AWARD is presented by the Presbyterian Serious Mental Illness Network (PSMIN)

·   The Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN) will present their first biennial Faith In Action Award to a PC(USA) Congregation that, through prayerful action and through their ministry, walks alongside sisters and brothers who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS; initiating or supporting activities within the U.S. in meaningful and lasting ways. The ministries should result in increased sensitization to the issue and demonstrated impact on those affected. The recipient congregation for this Award will be one that shows God’s unconditional love for all people by striving to break down the walls of stigma and discrimination around HIV/AIDS.

Learn about past recipients of PHEWA’s awards by going to: http://www.pcusa.org/phewa/awards.htm

To nominate a ministry, congregation or individual for the 2010 awards, please submit the following information, by February 15, 2010: Name of person/congregation being nominated, the contact person for the nomination with addresses, phone numbers, email addresses for both, and a two page description of the ministry, including why they are deserving of this recognition.

Two Witherspoon/Voices board members offer comments

Presbyterian News Service reports – using a story written by Leslie Scanlon of The Presbyterian Outlook – that the new Form of Government Task Force of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has The Form of Government Task Force has submitted the final draft of its report to the 219th General Assembly (2010).

The task force voted unanimously at its meeting in Louisville last month to approve the report.

The new proposal makes some changes from the recommendations regarding the Form of Government (FOG) that the General Assembly considered in 2008, but it keeps intact some key recommendations from that first plan, including some considered controversial.

For the full story, please click here. And the complete report of the new Form of Government Task Force is also available online.

Gene TeSelle offers these thoughts:

First, we should note that no changes were to be made either in G-6.0106b or in the “trust clause.” Re-drafting was not to be a smoke screen for making basic policy changes.

But of course there will always be questions about changes in emphasis that could have major consequences. A careful comparison might be made between the summary of the Reformed tradition and the one we already have in chapter 3 of the Form of Government.

I notice that there is a reversion to the old language of “teaching” and “ruling” elders, abandoning the ecumenical language of “ministers of Word and Sacrament.” At first glance it seems to be an abandonment of ecumenicity – and perhaps a new assertiveness on the part of elders. Governing bodies are called “councils.” In the history of the church, councils were always temporary gatherings for a specific purpose. The English language has led to some confusion, since we use “council” for a group whose function is “counsel.” But there’s a difference between concilium and consilium, concile and conseil, that should not be lost. The Catholic Church calls the ongoing organizations “conferences.” But why don’t we just continue our language of “governing bodies”? If we want something really classy, we could follow the Dutch and call a presbytery a classis.

Finally, a basic caution. The call for a new Form of Government seems to be motivated by impatience with the detail of the existing one. But those details have been added through the years, usually judiciously, as a result of procedural confusions that inevitably arise and need clarification. The new mood is that “the church is mission,” that “form follows function.” The danger is that it might encourage an impatience about procedures and minority rights in order to “just get the job done.” If that happens, then there will be a new round of amendments to fill gaps that did not need to be created in the first place.

Mitch Trigger adds these comments:

I have looked forward to the culmination of the work of the Form of Government Task Force as they have shown some interesting developments along the path of its development. It seems to show the flexibility and singleness of direction that it was asked to develop.

That’s why I was disturbed, though, by its use of the word “standards” in regard to the confessions of the church. As a minister of Word and Sacrament, I take seriously my vow to be “instructed and led by the confessions.” The FOG draft, however, has added something I can’t agree with. “While confessional standards are subordinate to the Scriptures, they are, nonetheless, standards. They are not lightly drawn up or subscribed to, nor may they be ignored or dismissed. The church is prepared to instruct, counsel with, or even to discipline one ordained who seriously rejects the faith expressed in the confessions.” (FOG draft, F-2.02)

This use of the word “standard” raises more problems than this section would have otherwise engendered. Does this mean I must ascribe to the concept of original sin as it is found in the confessions? Must I now advocate substitutionary atonement? And do we have to delve into predestination again? By using the word “standards,” and the sentence where the church is “prepared to instruct, counsel with, or even to discipline one ordained,” the Task Force has created a very different meaning than the vows I took in my ordination.

There are many other areas where the work of the Task Force was clear and concise, areas where they did an exemplary job of illustrating our shared faith. I hope this can also be made to be one of those areas, but not as it currently stands.

Those are a few brief thoughts from two of our Board members. And now we’re interested in finding out about your questions and concerns – and your favorable comments – about the draft Form of Government.

The Presbyterian Coalition has issued a statement criticizing the proposed new Form of Government for, among other things:

•           “demoting” the authority of Scripture

•           imposing “Radical Inclusiveness Without Boundaries”

•           giving excessive power to presbyteries in matters such as dissolving pastoral relationships, appointing commissions to deal with problems in pastoral relationships, etc.

•           allowing presbyteries and GA to require payment of per capita assessments by congregations

•           removing many provisions now in the Constitution, reducing their weight to mere statements in manuals of the various bodies, thereby reducing their authority and creating a “denial of minority rights.”

These, they say, are “reasons to vote No on nFOG”

Their full statement >>

A Witherspoon note:
We have reported concerns of our own about the FOG report. As you might suspect, they differ a bit from those put forth by the Coalition.

'We commend this work to the church'
[8-19-09]

Sharon Youngs, communications coordinator of the Office of the General Assembly, has issued this news release on August 19, 2009:

DALLAS - The Form of Government Task Force has unanimously approved and submitted to the stated clerk of the General Assembly the final version of its work to revise the Form of Government of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The 11 members of the task force spent a major portion of their August 12-14 meeting here reviewing and refining their work before taking a final vote on Thursday (Aug. 13).

The task force released the initial draft of its work last fall. It invited feedback from across the church, which was taken into consideration as the group made final revisions to this portion of the PC(USA)'s Constitution. ...

Among the key items the task force members discussed last week prior to their vote was whether an interim pastor of a congregation could become that congregation's installed pastor. The task force voted to include that provision in its work. ...

The task force plans to post its final draft online by Sept. 1, which will be nearly six weeks ahead of the Oct. 15 deadline to submit its work to the stated clerk of the General Assembly for consideration by the 219th General Assembly (2010).

Between now and next summer's assembly, members of the task force will be making themselves available to interpret their work to governing bodies and other groups. Requests for visits can be made by calling (888) 728-7228, ext. 5808, or by sending an email to Joanne Green in the Department of Constitutional Services..

News release from General Assembly Mission Council, July 31, 2009

NOTE: The Witherspoon Society encourages you, as someone who is likely committed to the social witness and mission of the PC(USA), to speak up in response to this invitation. Our voices need to be heard!

The Washington Office of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)  is “a central and important instrument through which Presbyterians make witness to their faith on matters of public affairs,” says Sara Lisherness, director for Compassion, Peace and Justice ministries of the General Assembly Mission Council.

In 2008, the Rev. Eileen Lindner, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor, presbytery executive and social research specialist, was engaged to lead a study of the role and purpose of the Washington Office. Presbyterians are now invited to provide feedback and responses to the study.

The study includes a provisional mission statement, eight principles to guide the work of the office in the future, and a request for input from Presbyterians. The mission study and feedback will be reported to the General Assembly Mission Council at the September 2009 meeting.

The effort that culminated in the initial report included analyzing previous research; assessing the work of ecumenical partners’ Washington presence; scrutinizing all correspondence regarding the office received over the last several years; empanelling a distinguished group of Presbyterians for additional consultation; conferring with leading secular partners in public witness activities; and reviewing related literature.

In preparation for the presentation of the report to the General Assembly Mission Council, the guidelines and comment section are now posted on the PC(USA) Web site.

Does the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) still need to support advocacy work? [Hint: Yes!]
[7-30-09]

Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty , a PC(USA) minister and a member of the theology faculty at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky, recently published an essay dealing with this critical issue in Presbyterian Outlook. She begins:

This key question arises in many discussions related to restructuring at the denominational offices in Louisville, a global economic recession, reviews of the PC(USA) Washington Office as well as a review of the relationship between the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns (ACWC), the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC), and the Advisory Committee for Social Witness Policy (ACSWP). These discussions are adding to perennial theological debates about the church’s social mission.

My response to the question could simply be “yes.” Recognizing the need to take seriously the current context of these conversations in church and society, I want to offer three reasons why we as a denomination cannot afford to lose advocacy groups.

Her reasons:

We urge you to look seriously at this article >>

See an earlier comment on this development >>

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

Witherspoon’s Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, Witherspoon’s Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive

Got more blogs to recommend?

Plan now for our 2010 Ghost Ranch Seminar!

GHOST RANCH SEMINAR

July 26-August 1, 2010

If you like what you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep this website going ... and growing!

Please consider making a special contribution -- large or small -- to help us continue and improve this service.

Click here to send a gift online, using your credit card, through PayPal.

Or send your check, made out to "Witherspoon Society" and marked "web site," to our Witherspoon  Bookkeeper: