Moderator Fahed Abu-Akel speaks out
against call
for a special Assembly
[11-11-02]
The Rev. Dr. Fahed Abu-Akel, the Moderator of the 214th
General Assembly, has recently sent a letter to all those who served
as commissioners to that Assembly, denying suggestions that he has
endorsed the call for a special session of the Assembly, and
encouraging them not to support the call.
To Commissioners to the 214th General Assembly (2002)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
I bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. As we near the Thanksgiving holiday, I give thanks for the
bounty of God's many blessings. I am most grateful for the gift of the
Prince of Peace, whose coming we anticipate again in the season of
Advent and Christmas.
I also bring you greetings from the many places across the
denomination I have visited on your behalf as Moderator. As I approach
the midway point of my year as Moderator, having visited churches large
and small, presbyteries, and synods, I can share and celebrate with you
that our church is alive and busy in mission! Even as I have encountered
presbyteries that are dealing with judicial issues and other pressing
matters, I am grateful for the commitment and care people show to one
another and for the way in which our Presbyterian system works.
Hanging over the celebration at present, however, is a cloud. As
commissioners, you have been contacted to ask for your signatures on a
petition calling for a special meeting of the General Assembly. One of
the letters you received may give you the impression that I support a
called Assembly. I am not in favor of such a meeting. I want to thank my
brothers in Christ, Laird Stuart and Jerry Tanskerley, for their joint
letter that discouraged support of a called meeting. In addition, the
Committee on the Office of the General Assembly has offered to you wise
counsel in stating reasons why a special meeting would not be helpful to
the life of the church.
I want to offer to you my reasons for not having a called meeting. I
ask you prayerfully consider or reconsider the following: The reason for
the special meeting given in the petition requires an interpretation of
the Constitution. According to G-13.0112c
of our Book of Order, this requires a 120-day notice prior to the
meeting. This means that I would not be able to call a special assembly
until late March at the earliest -- right before the 215th General
Assembly convenes in May. Even if we had a special meeting, we could not
intervene in the judicial system, which is one of the reasons being
given for calling the meeting. Further, the time, energy, and money that
we would spend on a special meeting need to be spent in mission in the
name of Christ. Spending our resources on a called meeting seems to me
to be out of place, given the current global situation and the
possibility that our country may begin a war with Iraq in a very short
time.
In Columbus,
our theme was "Ambassadors for Christ." We made many decisions
that contributed to the peace, unity and purity of the church. We are
called to continue as ambassadors even now -- praying for our church and
focusing on unity and mission.
May God give
you wisdom and strength in your work and witness in this great church in
the name of Jesus Christ.
Peace/Salaam,
he Rev. Dr.
Fahed Abu-Akel
Moderator, 214th General Assembly (2002)
