Thomas Hay discusses the upcoming General Assembly with members of COGA
The 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is fast approaching and on Thursday, members of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) received a briefing on the preparations that have been made for the eight-day event.
The assembly’s theme will be “The Hope in Our Calling” from Ephesians 1:18 and will be held June 18-25, 2016 in Portland, Oregon
Thomas Hay, associate for assembly operations for the Office of the General Assembly, began his update reminding the committee that this assembly will be a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the denomination’s Confession of 1967.
One of the phrases from that confession, said Hay, “has been on my heart: ‘In each time and place there are particular problems and crisis through which God calls the church to act.'”
Hay said that “This seems to be an assembly at a particular time in the church … and I think it will be one that responds with action.”
The General Assembly will include:
- 594 commissioners
- 152 Young Adult Advisory Delegates (YAADS)
- 20 Theological Student Advisory Delegates (TSADSs)
- 8 Missionary Advisory Delegates (MADs)
- 15 Ecumenical Advisory Delegates (EADs)
Hay said that along with the Bills and Overtures Committee, there will be 12 other committees doing the work of the assembly. The committees and some of the business they will debate include: (General Assembly business can be found on the pc.biz web site.)
- GA Procedures — per capita and standing rules
- The Way Forward — reviews of the PMA and OGA; overtures considering merging the OGA and PMA; the overtures from Foothills Presbytery
- Mid Councils — business dealing with synods
- Church Polity/Ordered Ministry
- Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
- Middle East Issues — recommendations on both divestment and non-divestment and the reports from the Middle East Task Forces
- Immigration and Environmental Issues – considering action on U.S. immigration and international refugee issues; business on the environment and climate change
- Mission Coordination – this is GA lingo for “budget”
- Social Justice Issues – this will likely include recommendations from presbyteries on social movements like “Black Lives Matter,” business from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness policy and task forces on criminal justice reform, U.S. drug policy, tax reform.
- Peacemaking and International Issues – ongoing concerns about war in the Middle East and religious persecution globally will likely arise. Overlap with Immigration and Environmental Issues committee is expected.
- BOP, PILP, PPC, Foundation — Board of Pensions, Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program, Presbyterian Publishing Company and the Presbyterian Foundation
- Theological and Church Growth Issues and Institutions — The revision of the Directory of Worship; redefining marriage and other calls for theological reflection on who we are and what we are as a church.
Hay said that the Riverside Conversations — a pre-General Assembly event which at past assemblies were discussions of business before the General Assembly — would instead this year be a part of COGA’s Church-wide Conversations, an effort to the members of the denomination to talk about the identity and purpose of the PCUSA.
During the first plenary session of the assembly, Moderator Heath Rada will give his report on his “Call to the Church,” a new moderator will be elected on the first night of the assembly and the final vote on adding the Belhar Confession to the PCUSA’s Book of Confessions is planned for Wednesday afternoon. This assembly will also elect a new Stated Clerk to replace Gradye Parsons who has announced his intent to retire following the GA.
Hay said that a small group from the OGA has been asking how to connect Belhar with the Confession of ’67. A representative of that group said that C’67 talks about the brokenness and racial division in society and Belhar speaks of racism in the church. Both speak to the church and wider society.
She said there are plans to “invite people from different communities to tell their story on how the church became a perpetuator and mediator in racism.” Those stories would be connected with a portion of C’67 or Belhar considerations and then the assembly would have prayer.
21 Comments. Leave new
“began his update reminding the committee that this assembly will be a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the denomination’s Confession of 1967.”
And don’t forget the celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the trust clause!
Not looking forward to this at all. I’ll be happy to be proven wrong.
All this is is rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship, it’s a complete joke. They need to consolidate the presbyteries, get rid of the synods entirely, and put the louisville building on the market, and quite acting like this is a real Church, when people are bailing right and left.
If this were a business, there would be a wholesale restructing taking place. Until the lousiville sluggers understand that it was their decisions that have created this mess, raising the per-capita WILL NOT change anything, it will only delay the inevitable
longtime presby says,”What happened to make you this bitter”
Answer, people like you!
I bet it’s exciting for you to be able to blackmail departing churches for their property that your ilk didn’t pay a dime for.
decent matter, oh that’s rich coming from you
Scripture is quoted – Ephesians 1:18 The Hope in our Calling – when it is used as a theme for their actions and ignored when it does not.
Longtime Presby, I’m bitter about the PCUSA, for a number of reasons. The PCUSA:
Advocates for, and funds Planned Parenthood…Show me Jesus in this.
Advocates, endorses, AND PAYS FOR partial birth abortion…Show me Jesus in this. But more importantly Longtime Presby, you show me where Jesus smiles on the killing of a child that can live on its own. He is not glorified in this brutal procedure.
Supports and Advocates for a Palestinian state, whose leadership (Hamas) is recognized by the US as a terror organization, having ties to ISIS and Al Qaeda…Show me Jesus in this.
Boycotting against corporations such as Nestle, Taco Bell, and proposed divestment from Caterpillar, Motorola and Hewlett Packard…Show me Jesus in this
Advocates for the investigation of the banking industry…Show me Jesus in this.
Supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement… Show me Jesus in this.
Advocacy for labor unions and collective bargaining… Show me Jesus in this.
Is an advocate for gun control and the registration of ammunition…Show me Jesus in this.
Has taken a stance in the “Black Lives Matter” movement. How many delegates did the PCUSA send to Ferguson or other places to calm fears and show Jesus? None. They only recently adopted this stance… Show me Jesus in this.
Advocating for Obamacare…Show me Jesus in this.
Advocating for the dream act and boycotting states that enforce federal immigration laws… Show me Jesus in this.
Advocating and supporting the activities of ACORN… Show me Jesus in this.
Has two paid lobbyists on staff that lobby for all the above…They are not missionaries…Show me Jesus in this.
If you think that people are able to find Jesus in all of the worldly junk that the PCUSA is entrenched in, then you need to point everybody in their direction. Because, my friend, Jesus can’t make His way into peoples hearts when the bulk of the rhetoric coming out of the PCUSA can also be found by watching the mainstream media. But if you can convince me otherwise, I’ll start looking for the Holy Spirit on CNN.
The presbyteries are discovering the dark side of the trust clause: they meager congregations that are left, along with the presbytery, are responsible for the upkeep of the grounds and paying other expenses of the building they now “own” lock, stock and barrel. It’s tough to generate that income among the 5 to 25 people left who now worship in major physical plants.
As the PCUSA entity continues in its evolutionary arc into a post-Christian, secular organization, so it’s now every two year gathering of the tribes and causes resembles more of a traveling carnival, side shows, ideological and political theater, and an organizational rally and cheer-leading. Institutional employees, congratulating other institutional employees for another year well done.
The organization wishes to be taken seriously and demand relevance. But I am sorry. Any institution that has posted 34 years of consecutive membership loss, going back to its UPC incarnation. That will lose another 5% per year until 2020, by their own projections, is neither a serious or relevant organization to give any head too, let alone loyalty. And I doubt very much membership loss, zombie or comatose Presbyteries and Synods will hardly get a mentioned.
A note about the “Laymen” and its message/blog architecture. Much like Snap-Chat and Twitter the Laymen’s web site operates what is called ‘open source’. In that the portal allows people to post anonymously under different user names and passwords. So in this sense one or two people are able to post under numerous names and passwords, even adopting names of others. This does not seem to concern the “Layman”. It is what it is. So a Pres, can come back as a “pres-child” who comes back as “long-time presby”. Just like “wack-a-mole” close one loop, they will find another.
Maybe I am confused. But you still can’t answer any of the questions I pose…not one single answer. You retreat to “stop watching FOX and listening to Rush”. Not surprised in your response whatsoever. But I bet you’ll agree with me when I say that Jesus wins in the end. At least I hope you will.
Matt did outline the priorities of the church which threaten the very existence of a Christian oriented church. The priorities are replicating those of the “Progressive” , Socialist, Marxist leaning political parties and are working in opposition to this Republic’s Constitution in areas. Marxist generally are working toward secularist goals and can slip people gradually into this form of authoritarian governance. Words like uniformity are not words usually goals of a republic democracy. Who needs another political party campaign organization stealthily working to influence the populace in the guise or cover of a religion. We citizens have plenty of that outside. We go to church for at least a union with our God almighty and the strength of our comembers. We have community organizations where we can push for our political views… We seek freedom to do that and not go to another organization to contribute to the very viewpoint we may not support financially or morally. It is that simple. Oh! Yes, some learned members will try to stick with the Progressive socialists and try to get the organization back on track. Others have children to educate toward a free society of individuality not uniformity.
Many citizens foster equal opportunity and inalienableI God given rights. Freedom of speech , like it or not. PC is out! Remember too the elite are not expected in some forms of government to be uniform just the regular people. Good luck in ferreting out your beliefs.
I am frequently perplexed and discouraged when the PCUSA announces the theme of its General Assembly, because the theme does not accurately reflect the Scripture cited to support it. For 2016, the biblical text is Eph 1:18-19, and the theme is “The Hope in Our Calling.” The Greek text unambiguously reads “the hope of His calling”, and I cannot find any reputable translation rendering that phrase the way GA does. Why quibble over words? Because changed words invite changed meanings. “His calling” or “our calling” invites a shift from what God has done on our behalf, and our appropriate response, to an emphasis on what we wish to shape as our calling as religious people, regardless of what God has done on our behalf. It remains to be seen, but my guess is that this GA will emphasize what PCUSA leadership has determined are its priorities going forward (“the hope of our calling”) rather than finding its purposes in the hope to which God has called His people (“the hope of His calling”). The difference between can be huge. We shall see whether what issues forth from this GA reflects worldly or divine wisdom. But this twisted wording in the GA’s theme does not bode well.
The twisted logic in your comment does not bode well for you. I am sure you would say we are deluded when we posit that we are discerning how we can be a part of the calling in which God is at work very actively in his “worldly” world. The kingdom has come near, you make it sound like you and those who hold your theology are the only ones with a relationship to God in the Spirit – is that your proposition – I know the answer, buy the way…
Just so we’re clear: there is no “twisted” logic in Mateen’s statement. The logic is clear and concise. Perhaps what you mean to say, and what you should have said, was simply this: “you come across as condescending and judgmental.” Of course, this would say more about you than him, but you’ve already let that cat out of the bag with what you did say…
Peter, as I suspect you know, Pres-Child continues to spew out his infantile and inane garbage on this website because the editors of the Layman have made certain choices that effectively allow him to do this.
Comments to this website are moderated only after they have been publicly posted. Because of this, even the most absurd comments appear and can remain on the site for hours or even days before the editors get around to removing them.
Knowing that this is how the system works, Pres-Child just keeps a more-or-less steady stream of garbage flowing to the website so that just as soon as his most recent cow pies have been cleaned up, he has deposited new ones.
This problem could be solved if the editors moderated all comments prior to publicly posting them to the site. In this way the most egregiously offensive and insulting of the comments would simply never see the light of day.
There are any number of websites where this pattern of moderation is followed. It is the only effective way to insure that serious comments are allowed on all sides of an issue, but disruptive trolls are not tolerated.
But, as I say, this is an editorial choice. As long as the editors of the Layman continue their current moderation policy, Pres-Child in one or another of his various aliases will be a constant and ever-present feature of this site.
Presby, you again show something that none of us think about…logic! We must be so elementary to not think about what is logical! I mean, how logical is it that a Man died on a cross and rose from the dead to save the whole world? So glad you brought logic into the discussion!
Agreed, turning off the radio and TV is a good thing…nothing but worldly topics! Perhaps Jesus is turning off something else that is also consumed with worldly topics? Maybe the Book of Revelation is right! But that would involve logic……
Dear “longtim presby”,
Concerning the final remark in your response to me, I am curious: Which way are you “buying”?
I regret that you can’t see the logic in my remarks. Would you please show me where I’m being illogical?
longtim presby —
To posit that “we are discerning how we can be a part of the calling in which God is at work very actively in his ‘worldly’ world” does not ipso facto imply delusion. Rather, the result of that discernment, and how closely it aligns with the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), will demonstrate the extent of the GA’s delusion, if any. Would you not agree? Let’s await the evidence and see.
Wouldn’t it be grand if each delegate had to have read the whole Bible (or at the very least the entire New Testament) before being qualified as an attendee? I fear the halls would echo with silence.
The complete divestment list and the topics we have read so far for the GA are disturbing in that they are so one-sided and centered on politics and social issues. They interpret “The Hope in Our Calling” as a call to action, not a call to faith or the spreading of the gospel. They think of this “call” as a rally to DO something, to FIX something, to MAKE CHANGES in society. How about if all these energetic attendees took their hope in a calling and went out to preach the Gospel and to make Him known to others? It takes a lot more courage to do that than to rant and rave about popular social issues.
I recently spoke to the receptionist at a large church downtown. It broke my heart to hear that they have to stay, that PCUSA “won’t let them go,” and that they have to support what is becoming the new Presbyterian organization.
The power of prayer is all we have left.