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The 212th General Assembly, Long Beach |
 Here
you'll find reports and comments from the General Assembly -- and after
its close -- mostly
reflecting the progressive interests of the Witherspoon Society.
For dependable reports on particular GA events and legislative actions,
click here to
visit the official PC(USA) web site. |
| Added
on Nov. 8 |
| For
some thoughts from GeneTeSelle on dealing with Amendment O in our
presbyteries, click here. |
| Added
on Sept. 11 |
| Lew
Daly, the author of A Moment to Decide, has prepared a careful analysis
of the 212th General Assembly which applies the analysis of
the book to our latest national meeting. |
| Added
on Friday, August 25 |
| Two
amendments to the Book of Order should receive special attention as
they go to the presbyteries during the months ahead. |
| Attorney
Doug Nave offers a thoughtful critique of
Amendment O -- the ban on holy unions. |
| Added
on Tuesday, July 11 |
And
here are links to some reports on the Assembly from other
groups:
 | Michael
Adee, field organizer for More Light Presbyterians, calls the
Assembly a roller coaster, with some votes for justice, others going
the other way.
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| More
Light Update has issued its General Assembly Supplement,
headed
Highlights (and Low Lights) from
General Assembly
Go Away, Go Away, Go Away, Says Our Church
But the Church Needs Us More Than Ever!
This page also includes a letter from Mitzi
Henderson, MLP Co-Moderator, and the MLP Press Release after passage
of the ban on Same Gender Commitment Ceremonies
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| Mieke Vandersall, staffer for Voices
of Sophia, has offered a report which sees the Assembly as
affirming the work of the Women's Ministry Program Area, and the roles
and authority of women in general. |
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| For
the full text of Barrie
Shepherd's address to the Covenant Network Luncheon -- a text worth
reading -- click here to visit the Covenant Network web site.
Click here for our
report on his address and the Covenant Network luncheon. |
Gene
Huff returns his Eagle Scout medal
MLP board member and retired executive presbyter Gene
Huff has written to the Boy Scouts of America: "While this medal was
once a precious symbol of how much scouting meant to my personal growth
and development as a young man, I am now returning it to the Boy Scouts of
America because I can no longer acknowledge any ties with the scouting
movement due to its now court sanctioned discrimination against those who
acknowledge themselves to be gay." |
| Additions
on Friday, July 7 |
| Semper
Reformanda dinner heard call for a spirituality "that draws us
into the muck and mess of real community"
Internship funding presented to Washington Office |
| Yes,
GA can be fun! For some humor from the Assembly, and
especially from the Witherspoon party, click here. |
| Additions
on Wednesday, July 5 |
| Witherspoon
responds to criticisms of our publication of two documents criticizing
Vice-Moderator Rebecca McElroy. |
| More
visitor
comments have been added. |
| Late
additions on Monday, July 3 |
| The
prayers at the beginning and end of the Witherspoon pre-Assembly event
were greatly appreciated. Click here
to read them -- and join in them. |
| Surely
many sermons on Sunday, July 2, reflected on the just-concluded
Assembly. Mark Koenig shares one, called "God
Has Only Started." |
 During
and since the Long Beach Assembly, we have received numerous comments
responding to things reported here. Please let
us hear from you, too! |
| Reports
on Friday, June 30 |
| By
a narrow margin, GA approves ban on holy unions |
| Overture
60 -- to affirm an inclusive church -- is defeated |
| Reports
on Thursday, June 29 |
| Witherspoon
president comments on concerns about Vice Moderator's anti-gay bias, calls for
clarification |
| NCC general Secretary
addresses Presbyterian Washington Office dinner,
calls for political action,
lobbying |
| Reports
on Wednesday, June 28 |
| Moderator
Syngman Rhee calls on Peace Fellowship
to help build bridges, responds to concerns of a "deal" with the
Lay Committee
Kathy Kelly
describes "getting in the way" of US violence in Iraq |
| In another effort to cross
the great divide, groups from right and left gather, pledge to continue
talking.
Click
here for a report from Presbyterian Outlook
And
here for a report from Presbyterian News Service |
| Reports
on Tuesday, June 27 |
| Voices
of Sophia hears Delores Williams urge women to "hear each other
into speech," work for an open canon |
| Mary
Jane Patterson shares her meditation on Psalm 139 |
| A
quiet protester with a sense of humor |
| Reports
on Monday, June 26 |
| Witherspoon
luncheon speaker Rep. Maxine Waters calls for reform of criminal
justice system, criticizes World Trade Organization |
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Click
here for the opening prayer at the luncheon
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| Barrie
Shepherd talks to Covenant Network luncheon about the soft side of God |
| What
has Covenant Network been learning from their conversations
with conservatives? |
| Sylvia
Thorson-Smith offered commissioners and others some helpful hints for
being effective in the politics of the Assembly. Click
here for the full text. |
| We
can now offer the full text of former Stated Clerk
William
P. Thompson's comments at the Soulforce vigil, moments before he
accepted arrest as part of action. |
| William
Bennett spoke to a pre-Assembly event sponsored by the Lay
Committee. A Witherspoon observer comments that the context made all
the difference. |
| Reports
on Sunday, June 25 |
| Soulforce
rallies for justice -- 81 arrested and released |
| Barbara
Dua's talk at the Witherspoon pre-Assembly orientation offers |
| Reports
on Saturday, June 24 |
| Syngman
Rhee elected moderator on first ballot |
| More
Light Presbyterians honor Grayson Tucker and a Houston church |
| "Amendment
B" overtures are referred to next year |
| Witherspoon
pre-Assembly event draws interested, enthusiastic crowd to hear
moderator candidates, Barbara Dua, and more |
Bills
and Overtures Committee begins work;
to deal with referrals of "Amendment B" overtures on Saturday |
| GAC
endorses Laura Mendenhall as president of Columbia Seminary, calls for
lifting of sanctions against Iraq |
| Reports
from Friday, June 23 |
| Semper
Reformanda highlights efforts for justice through labor movement and
through congregations |
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Welcome to the 212th General
Assembly, on Friday, June 23 in Long Beach
6/23/00, at 10 AM -- About a dozen Witherspoon officers and friends
arrived here yesterday, and we're beginning to find our way around.
Some of us are now busy setting up the Witherspoon
booth, and others are about a variety of tasks.
There is little to say about the look of the Assembly
yet, but as commissioners begin arriving and a few of the committees start
meeting, we may know more.
The General Assembly Nominating Committee is meeting
this morning, and various other groups are engaged in business both
official and otherwise.
This is not high drama, but more will follow. So
y'all come back!
And if you have items to report, questions to ask,
opinions to offer ...
from your Webweaver
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| Click
here for reports and analyses that were published here leading up to
the 212th General Assembly. |
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If you like what
you find here,
we hope you'll help us keep Voices for Justice 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
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Or send your check, made
out to "Presbyterian Voices for Justice" and marked "web site," to
our PVJ Treasurer:
Darcy Hawk
4007 Gibsonia Road
Gibsonia, PA 15044-8312 |
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Some blogs worth visiting |
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PVJ's
Facebook page
Mitch Trigger, PVJ'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!
You can post your own news and views,
or initiate a conversation about a topic of interest to you. |
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Voices of Sophia blog
Heather Reichgott, who has created
this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:
After fifteen years of scholarship
and activism, Voices of Sophia presents a blog. Here, we present the
voices of feminist theologians of all stripes: scholars, clergy,
students, exiles, missionaries, workers, thinkers, artists, lovers
and devotees, from many parts of the world, all children of the God
in whose image women are made. .... This blog seeks to glorify God
through prayer, work, art, and intellectual reflection. Through
articles and ensuing discussion we hope to become an active and
thoughtful community. |
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John Harris’ Summit to
Shore blogspot
Theological and philosophical
reflections on everything between summit to shore, including
kayaking, climbing, religion, spirituality, philosophy, theology,
politics, culture, travel, The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), New
York City and the Queens neighborhood of Ridgewood by a progressive
New York City Presbyterian Pastor. John is a former member of the
Witherspoon board, and is designated pastor of North Presbyterian
Church in Flushing, NY. |
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John Shuck’s Shuck and Jive
A Presbyterian minister, currently
serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton,
Tenn., blogs about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized
and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and
lightening up. |
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Got more blogs to recommend?
Please
send a note, and we'll see what we can do! |
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