San Diego may consider overture in response to task force report
The Layman Online, October 20, 2005
A working group of pastors in the Presbytery of San Diego is preparing a response to the final report of the denomination’s Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity with the goal of getting its proposal approved as an overture to the 217th General Assembly in 2006.
The Rev. Andy Smith, the presbytery’s executive, said, “Many of us sense that the reactions to this report and the upcoming actions of the General Assembly in 2006 could further polarize, divide and forever change the landscape of our beloved denomination.”
Smith said the presbytery’s proposed response will be introduced to commissioners for study in November and that the presbytery will vote on the proposed overture in early 2006.
The possibility of sending a resolution to the General Assembly arose after Gary Demarest, co-moderator of the task force, spoke to the presbytery in September.
Meanwhile, one response to the task force report – prepared by a group comprised of renewal leaders in the PCUSA, ministers and theologians – is gaining support from Presbyterians across the country.
Originally signed by 22 people, the statement, which is posted on the Web site of the Presbyterian Coalition, now includes nearly 400 signatures.
The task force report and the renewal leaders’ response will be one of the issues addressed during the Nov 7-9 Coalition Gathering in Orlando, Fla. The Web site provides detailed information about speakers, issues to be considered, accommodations and registration.