| As we approach the 213th General Assembly, we will offer all the news we can find about
overtures that are being prepared, and other developments.
If you have news to add, or comments on what you find here, please
send a note! |
You can also visit the official
web site for the 213th General
Assembly |
| Witherspoon
board expresses concern about the Moderator's
proposal for a study commission [5-28-01]
The
Presbyterian Forum agrees with Witherspoon?!?
[5-31-01]
On their "update"
web page, the Presbyterian Forum, which was founded in 1997 with
the goal of achieving political change (toward the Right) in and
through the Presbyterian Church, announces that "The Witherspoon
Society Is Right."
|
| General
Assembly moderator Syngman Rhee has endorsed a proposal
to create a "theological commission" to try and steer the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) through the current differences in the
Presbyterian Church. [5-17-01] |
| Candidates
for Moderator respond to Witherspoon questions
[5-15-01]
One of the first acts of the 213th
General Assembly will be the election of a new Moderator. To help our
readers weigh this important choice, the Witherspoon Society has asked
each of the four candidates to respond briefly to four questions that
reflect Witherspoon concerns — and, we believe, concerns of the wider
church. |
|
We
have added the list of overture titles
as published by the Office of the General Assembly, with links to the
full text of each overture, on the official GA website.
Where we have received comments on particular
overtures, we'll provide links to those comments. And we welcome
more comments on any of them! Just
send a note, but please make clear which overture you're commenting
on.
|
 You're
invited to check out some comments from the
Witherspoon Society on the various overtures relating to
G-6.0106b. [5-9-01]
And we share a few thoughts on overtures
related to other matters, as well. [5-12-01]
|
| Overture
01-60, from Susquehanna Valley, asks
for action to protect biodiversity and prevent the mass extinction of
species. [5-12-01] |
| Voices
of Sophia announces that their General Assembly breakfast will be on
Tuesday, June 12, at 7:00 AM, in the Galt House Hotel. Featured
speaker is Joan Martin, associate professor of Christian Social
Ethics at the Episcopal Divinity School. They add: "You can depend
on a fun time to see old friends, meet new ones, celebrate together and
be challenged through Joan's wisdom. Request tickets when you register
for General Assembly on-line
or by calling 888-728-7228, ext. 2417 and ask that an order form be sent
to you by FAX, or use email - gameetingservice@ctr.pcusa.org.
The deadline is May 25th, and in past years the breakfast has been sold
out. [5-2-01] |
| ACC
comments on overtures dealing with G-6.0106b
The Advisory Committee on the Constitution has also
published its response
to Request 00-3, from the 212th General Assembly, which
sought clarification about the obligations
of a nominating committee in relation to G-6.0106b. [4-28-01] |
| Governing
body moderators to gather this weekend
in Louisville
GA moderator Syngman Rhee hosts parley on "unity
and diversity" with Jack Haberer as keynote speaker. [5-1-01] |
| Reparations
may be an issue at GA
John E. Harris notes that the issue of reparations for
slavery will come to the 2001 General Assembly through a report from the
Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns. It includes a
recommendation for the formation of a task force to study reparations
for African-American and other groups "who have experienced
significantly disparate treatment" through U.S. history.
[4-24-01]
Check out earlier
reports on the question of reparations. |
| Two
Santa Fe overtures would offer a "middle
ground" by asserting respect for freedom of conscience.
[4-27-01] |
| Shannon
Webster, EP of Sierra Blanca, writes to The Layman about Overture
25 as a legitimate expression of concern about the Left Behind
series -- and as a proper expression of the Reformed tradition.
[4-19-01] |
| Battle
over PC(USA) ordination standards is expected to dominate General
Assembly
[4-19-01]
Presbyterian reporter Jerry Van Marter has prepared
the first in a series of reports about
the coming Assembly, aimed at folks who don't spend all their waking
moments fussing about the PC(USA). If your first reaction to his
headline is "Well, duhh!", just remember his intended
audience.
He offers a quick survey of the entwined issues of
ordination and sexuality, and notes the potential for a split in the
church. He also reminds readers that we will talk about other important
concerns as well, including domestic violence, ministries in higher
education, strategies for supporting new pastors (and thus reducing the
burnout rate), and ecumenical relations (with a focus on the Roman
Catholic Church). |
| Auburn
Affirmation movement opens a new (web) page
Stimulated by a sermon preached last fall by the Rev. David Bos, a group
has gathered to shape a response to current efforts to narrow the
theological and moral scope of the Presbyterian Church. Following the
model of the Auburn movement of the 1920s, a number of people are
drafting a statement which they promise will soon be published on this
site.
The site is still under construction, but it already offers the text of
Bos's sermon, and the sermon by Harry Emerson Fosdick, "Shall the
Fundamentalists Win?" It also includes the text of the 1924 Auburn
Affirmation.
The authors conclude with an invitation to "watch these pages in
the next few days for your opportunity to 'sign on' to Re-Affirm, in the
spirit of Auburn."
Visit the
new web site.
[4-17-01] |
| Looking
for alternative housing at General Assembly?
[4-4-01]
This note was recently posted to the PresbyNet meeting
hosted by the GA Committee on Local Arrangements:
If you are in search of housing outside of the
Assembly Hotels -- such as Bed and Breakfast Inns, campgrounds,
private homes, and churches - information can be mailed or faxed.
Reach COLA at (502)459-4268, or e-mail loucola1@aol.com.
Thanks to diligent Web-watcher Mitch Trigger |
| We
have a new page listing all available information on overtures
to the 213th General Assembly. The official GA website has begun listing
overtures, with links to the text of each
one. Texts of detailed rationales and advisory opinions will be
added later. [4-4-01] |
| Stated
Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick shared with GAC his expectation of what will
be the "top 10 issues" at the
coming General Assembly.
[3-2-01] |
| The
Witherspoon Society has responded
positively (if not speedily) to the "Call
to the Church" issued by 113 middle governing body executives. |
| The
Reformed understanding of the freedom
of conscience has been discussed as presbyteries have debated
Amendment O, but is a matter of far broader import. For one thing,
numerous overtures to the 213th General Assembly deal with
G-6.0106b on the basis of conscience. Dr. Sarah Melcher looks at
Calvin's Institutes to help us consider this issue. [3-13-01] |
| The
Presbytery of Santa Fe has passed two overtures, one
calling for freedom of conscience
in dealing with G-6.0106b, the other for the granting
of waivers to congregations that "cannot
apply the requirements of G-6.0106b justly and equitably."
The Layman offers a different view,
that conscience must not be left
free. |
| Heartland
Presbytery has approved an overture
to the 213th General Assembly to replace G-6.0106(b) with an affirmation
of the responsibility of sessions and presbyteries in matters of
ordination. |
Advisory
Committee on Social Witness Policy
completes work on major policy paper on domestic violence, drops
recommendation for a domestic Violence Office
Other ACSWP papers making their way to General Assembly include
resolutions on small
arms control, Year of Mobilization
against Racism, Year of Dialogue
Among Civilizations, caregiving
for older adults, and U.N. special session on "The
Future of the Child in the 21st Century" |
| The
Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area, on Saturday, January 13, 2001, passed
two overtures dealing with G-6.0106(b), for consideration by the
213th General Assembly.
The
Presbytery also acted to endorse Sandra
Hawley, an elder from Bloomington, Minn, and former member of GAC,
as a nominee for moderator of the 213th General Assembly.
(2001).
|
San
Gabriel Presbytery endorses Jack
Rogers as Moderator of the 213th General Assembly.
Click here
for a more complete report from Presbyterian News Service. |
Outlook
urges rejection of Amendment O as "bad polity"
[1-5-01]
In the January 15 issue of Presbyterian Outlook, editor Robert
Bullock has joined with William Stacy Johnson to
recommend the Amendment O should be rejected by the presbyteries --
partly as an "act of unity" on an issue about which
Presbyterians are still not of one mind, and also because the amendment
is "unnecessary."
Click here for more,
and for a link to the full editorial on the Outlook web site. |
| For more information and analysis on
Amendments O and A, click here. |
| For
background on G-6.0106b ...
As we approach the 2001 General Assembly, the
"fidelity and chastity" amendment, now G-6.0106.b in our Book
of Order, will clearly be a focus of discussion.
At the risk of adding more words to an already
over-abundant supply, we offer here three essays that were written in
1996, before and after the passage of Amendment B. |
| Nominations
are being sought for Restorative Justice
Award, with a deadline of March 15, 2000. The
award honors Presbyterian individuals or groups who are making
outstanding contributions to direct-service ministries or to advocacy
efforts to change the criminal justice system in the U.S. |
| Presbyterians
Together, a coalition formed for the purpose of passing
Amendment O, is distributing a packet of materials in support of their
case. Rollin Kirk, pastor of North Presbyterian Church, St. Paul,
Minnesota, offered comments on the material. |
113
Executive and General Presbyters have issued a
Call to the Church to seek a "third way" that does not
create "winners and losers," but works to realize the peace,
unity and purity of the church.
Covenant
Network has stated its support for the Call to the Church, affirming
that the dialogue it seeks can best happen in presbyteries.
More
Light Presbyterians have stated their support for the Call to the
Church, calling for a dialogue which "
The Coalition
isn't interested in any "third way," but in the Bible alone.
Their answer, in brief,
appears to be "Nyet." The Bible stands as the sole source of
knowledge for them, and no further discussion seems to be a
possibility.
|
| Peaks
Presbytery executive Andy Sale joins
Colorado elder Nancy Maffett as candidate to lead 213th General Assembly |
| Are you working on overtures for the 213th General
Assembly? Here's some practical
advice from the Office of the General Assembly. |
| Baltimore
Presbytery passes Overture to Delete
B.13. (Demonstration Ban) |
| An overture has been passed by the Presbytery
of New York City, seeking to reverse our denomination's prohibition
on ordained service by gay and lesbian persons. |
| Stated Clerk Clifton
Kirkpatrick has listed the overtures that were referred by the 212th
General Assembly to the 2001 Assembly, on the basis of the
"period of study and conversation" dealing with unity and
diversity.
|
