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| July - August 2008 | Volume 57, Issue 4 |
From the Pastor's Desk
Recently the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) met for its biannual meeting in San Jose, California. Representatives from Presbyteries across the nation gather for a time of worship, leadership, study, reflection and discernment. This year, as in past, the General Assembly has taken some controversial actions and some actions that seem not so controversial but are important for the church. What follows is a brief list of some of the actions taken:
- Forwarded to Presbyteries an amendment to remove language in the Book or Order that specifically states that to be ordained one needs to maintain fidelity and chastity if single and replace it with language that ties fitness for ordination to the ordination vows currently in the church's Book of Order without singling out a sexual conduct standard.
- Rejected an amendment that would have changed the definition of marriage that would have included nontraditional couples.
- Reaffirmed the call to be peacemakers around the world. The Assembly called for "responsibly" bringing the troops home from Iraq, continuing peacemaking in Israel and Palestine and supporting human rights in Zimbabwe, the Philippines, North Korea and Columbia.
- Approved a Social Creed of the 21st Century that addresses social concerns prevalent in our culture.
- Elected the Reverend Gradye Parsons to serve a four year term as the General Assembly Stated Clerk for the Presbyterian Church (USA).
- Initiated a process to begin amending the Heidelberg Catechism to reflect the original language in which the document was written.
- Sent the reports of the Form of Government Task Force to the Office of the General Assembly that called for significant changes to the Book of Order "for a period of consultation and study with churches and presbyteries."
- Approved Covenant agreements with the Moravian Church in America and the Korean Presbyterian Church.
- Formalized the recognition of baptisms between the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Roman Catholic Church that has unofficially already existed.
- Approve an agreement with the Episcopal Church that opens the door for more joint mission work but stops short of a full covenant agreement.
The most controversial item above relates to ordination requirements. In years past this issues has led to sharp debates and division within the Presbyterian Church (USA). Please note this item that must go to Presbyteries for action and will not be approved unless a majority of Presbyteries (local governing bodies) across the nation vote to adopt the change. A Presbytery's responsibility in these sorts of matters is to seek to discern God's will on the issue and vote thusly. It is not a matter of commissioners representing the congregation's will but instead trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide them, and help them to set aside personal agendas in the process.
It should be noted the list above {these are the items I thought might be of most interest to you} represents only a fraction of news that came out of the General Assembly. You can check out the following website for a more detailed account of General Assembly news: http://www.pcusa.org/ga218/news.htm.
