Suzanne Swartz
TSAD
Menu of Blog Entries- Friday, June 20 2008Saturday, June 21 2008Sunday June 22 2008 Monday June 23 2008
Tuesday June 24 Wednesday June 25Thursday June 26, part 1Thursday June 26, part 2Friday June 27, part 1
Friday June 27, part 2 (below)
FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 27
Hi friends,
Reflecting further on what happened this morning…
One of my friends sent me an email this afternoon that said, “So, are you going to run out and start having sex now?” As if. But it’s not that odd of a question since Sue Fisher told me that in her committee deliberations, there were some commissioners who felt that removing the chastity in singleness provision from the Book of Order “was tantamount to giving single people license to sleep around.” I totally disagree. I also want to clarify something I wrote earlier. I said my Presbytery could no longer ask me if I would abide by G-6.106b. Actually they can – but the language of that provision has just been changed. The provision still remains as amended and it still holds church officers and ministers of Word and Sacrament to high standards. Nobody would want his or her pastor --male or female-- out there whoring around; I dare say that were that to happen, my Presbytery would be perfectly justified if they chose not to ordain me even without the chastity in singleness provision! My objection to that language had more to do with my belief that my sexual preference and/or what goes on in the privacy of my bedroom is nobody’s business, but is between me and God. I have always said that if the Presbyterian Church doesn’t choose to ordain me, I want it to be because I can’t speak Hebrew, or if I cannot articulate what I believe or pass the ordination exams. I’ve spent four years studying theology and all I really want is my Presbytery to care more about that than they do about whether or not I’ve ever had premarital sex.
The first committee to report this afternoon was Peacemaking and International Issues. Nancy Kahaian, our Moderator, rose to present our report. Here are the highlights:
11-15 On Support for the Presbyterian Church in Zimbabwe. Today was the day of the so-called run-off election. Here is a quote from the N.Y. Times, “Many Zimbabwe people expect to be rounded up and taken to the polls and assisted in voting.” Our overture was unanimously approved by a voice vote.
11-18 On Human Rights in Colombia. I knew we were in for a long afternoon when someone stood up and said he wanted to amend the overture to strike the language, “Withdrawing military support to the government of Colombia.” The proposed amendment failed, 505 to 162. Another amendment was proposed to accept alternate language proposed by ACSWP, and that failed too.
11-01 On Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel
A commissioner rose to speak about this overture and wanted paragraph 2 stricken from the overture because he said it was one-sided and diminishes our influence in that ongoing conversation.
TSAD Ryan White of Fuller Seminary said reject the amendment because it takes away from the prophetic nature and intent of the overture; Bruce Bush, the Commissioner from Stockton, said "11-01 is great but not number 2 regarding the Amman Call, which is too pro-Palestinian.” The proposed amendment was defeated by a vote of 61%. Overture 11-01 was then approved by a 74% vote.
11-10 On Building Peace in Iraq. This is an extremely controversial overture which boils down to one question: how and when should we pull out of Iraq? There was a minority report brought by Mark Patterson, Minister Commissioner from Santa Barbara. The minority report said we should avoid withdrawing hastily, leaving the people of Iraq in a worse situation than we found them. One commissioner wanted to restore the original language of the overture: “call upon the government of the US to end its military presence in Iraq by withdrawing all troops, hired soldiers and contractors, and permanently closing all military bases in Iraq.” The commissioners voted the amendment down by a 67% vote. This was all extremely confusing. Many people got up to speak. Many more amendments were raised.
The minority report failed by a 58% vote. The main motion was then approved by a 76% vote. It calls for “responsibly bringing the troops home.” So three-quarters of the Assembly don’t think we should bring all troops home right now.
11-23 On Divestment from Caterpillar Inc. and Motorola Inc. from profiting from the Israeli Military Occupation of Palestine Territories. The committee recommended disapproval. Of course people had strong opinions on this one too, but only four people rose to spoke to it before the question was called. The motion passed with a voice vote.
We finished the Peacemaking Report at 5:23 p.m.
Committee 4 – Church Polity
04-03 This was a Pacific Presbytery overture: On Amending G-10.0101, G-10.0401, and D-10.0401b Regarding Accounting Practices of the Church. The polity committee disapproved it, and the assembly voted by voice firm to affirm disapproval.
04-08 Disapproval recommended on amending W.4.9000 re the definition of marriage. Lots and lots of people rose to spoke to this. Here’s the recommended overture of the committee as amended:
The Presbytery of Baltimore overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to direct the Stated Clerk to send the following proposed amendments to the presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes:
Shall W-4.9000 be amended as follows: [Text to be deleted is shown with a strikethrough; text to be added or inserted is shown in italics.]“W-4.9000 9. Marriage
“W–4.9001
“Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a civil contract covenant between a woman and a man two people and according to the laws of the state also constitutes a civil contract. For Christians marriage is a covenant through which a man and a woman two people are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong commitment is made by a woman and a man to each other between two people, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith.
It’s interesting that when we started talking about this, the commissioner sitting a couple seats from me said that if we adopt this it will destroy the denomination. Sue Fisher said we aren’t ready to make this change just yet. I said, "We're on a roll. Why not do it now?" We broke for dinner in the middle of this heated debate.
I really felt I needed to skip the commissioner/delegate dinner and go to dinner by myself so I went to my dad’s favorite restaurant, Original Joe’s. Shortly after I sat down one of the SFTS Trustees came and sat next to me. He and I had an extremely interesting conversation about many things: the YAD departure Tuesday evening, what it was like to be a TSAD, his new adopted granddaughter born this morning, and, most importantly, the motion for reconsideration he said he was sure was coming on the delete G-6.106b overture. He said, “I can tell you right now, one third of my Presbytery has already left the denomination. You pass this definition of marriage overture now, on top of Heidelberg and what you did this morning, and there’s going to be a mass exodus. For sure there will be much more withholding of per capita. It will destroy the denomination.”
Turns out his comments were very prophetic. When we resumed, Marj Carpenter, former PCUSA moderator, said, “If you want to completely shatter this denomination, vote no on this amendment.” Someone else said, “Do not push churches beyond their tipping point.”
The substitute motion which was offered stated:
“The office of Theology and Worship and Education in earnest consultation and dialogue with Presbyterians for Renewal and the Covenant network prepare a comprehensive study of the overture which explores among other questions how the Spirit of God may be reforming the church’s theology of Marriage.”
The substitute motion was defeated by an 80% vote. We then returned to the main motion from the committee. There were probably 20 commissioners standing up waiting to speak to this -- by far more than any other overture. I listened to everything they had to say. I prayed about how I should vote. When all was said and done, I voted against disapproval.
When the advisory delegates voted, it was much more evenly split. But when the commissioners voted, the motion for disapproval was approved 77% to 23%. Apparently Sue's right -- we just aren’t ready to change our definition of marriage even though we’re ready to delete G6-106b. They’re two very different things to many people.
After that, a commissioner brought a motion to reconsider the deletion of G6-106b (overture 05-09). The assembly hall grew very tense. The motion to reconsider was defeated 52% to 47%.
Committee 10 – Health Issues 10:25 p.m.
Whoo hoo, we’re in the home stretch! One committee left.
10-02 On directing GAC to develop and fund a comprehensive HIV and AIDS Policy for the PCUSA. This was another Presbytery of the Pacific overture. It passed by a voice vote.
10-03 On Directing PC(USA) entities to reflect balance in advocating both sides of the abortion issue. There was a minority report on this, but it was withdrawn. Here is the overture:
In response to this recommendation, that the 218th General Assembly (2008) approve the following resolution:
The 218th General Assembly (2008) directs the appropriate PC(USA) entities to redevelop congregational resource materials, on the subject of reproductive options, to more adequately reflect the full spectrum of biblical, theological, and pastoral counsel, while remaining consistent with the policy of the 1992 report of the Special Committee on Problem Pregnancies and Abortion and the 2006 policy on Late-Term Pregnancies and Abortion. The General Assembly Council will report back to the 219th General Assembly (2010).
There was an amendment offered, and it was defeated by only two votes. Some say spending $100,000 to produce 3,000 new pamphlets on abortion is too much money to spend. One commissioner then suggested an amendment that we put this with the human sexuality curriculum we discussed on Wednesday. Someone who was on the committee that reviewed the human sexuality resources said they are really different and cannot be combined. The motion was passed 72%.
We finished our business at 11:30 p.m.
Tomorrow we worship together one last time and then approve the financial implications of all of our actions. Thereafter, my TSAD obligations will be done. It's been a wonderful week. I had a great time. Perhaps I am a bit sleep deprived, but hey, I don't have to do this again for another two years! Many of you asked if I was going to take any time off to recuperate. Not immediately. I go back to work on Monday. However, I will only be in L.A. for two weeks before heading off to Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. Trust me, I plan to do as little as possible once I get there.
Blessings,
Suzanne
FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 27
The first thing we did this morning was elect a new Stated Clerk. Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick has been our Stated Clerk for 12 years. The Stated Clerk Nominating Committee's nomination for a successor is Rev. Gradye Parsons. Three others were also nominated. The results of the voting were as follows:
Winfield “Casey” Jones (25%), Edward Koster (15%), William Tarbell (3%), and Gradye Parsons (57%).
Committee 5 – Church Orders and Ministry
This is it folks… the moment we’ve been waiting for. Here is the overture many of us have been waiting to debate all week:
On Deleting G-6.0106b and Substituting a New Paragraph in Its Place; on Amending G-14.0240 and G-14.0450; and on Providing a New Authoritative Interpretation:
The Presbytery of Boston respectfully overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to do the following:
1. Direct the Stated Clerk to send the following proposed amendment to the presbyteries for their affirmative or negative votes:
a. Strike the current text of G-6.0106b and insert new text to read as follows: [Text to be deleted is shown with a strike-through; text to be added or inserted is shown as italic.]
“b. Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament. Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent to the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church. Each governing body charged with examination for ordination and/or installation (G-14.0240 and G-14.0450) establishes the candidate’s sincere efforts to adhere to these standards.
Sue Fisher served on this committee and the vote in committee was 41-11 to approve this overture. The 11 who disapproved submitted a minority report:
Disapprove with Comment
“The 218th General Assembly directs congregations and presbyteries to use and engage in dialogue around the study guide prepared and released by the Office of Theology & Worship in early 2008 called A study guide for Policy Statements and Recommendations from the 1978 report, “The Church and Homosexuality,” found on the web at www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship/issues.htm
The minority report was defeated 54% to 46%. The majority report then became the main motion. Before we voted on it there was a last ditch attempt to reconsider. Someone wanted to challenge the moderator. Others wanted to bring a motion for reconsideration. The majority report was passed 54% to 46%.
You might think that after such a historic vote -- and an equally historic decision -- that there would have been loud applause and cheers, but that wasn't the case. New Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow said, "I feel a need for us to pray right now." His prayer is mine as well: that we will find a way to stay together, united as one body, one PCUSA, through the Presbytery approval process.
What this means in the interim, however, is that it is no longer acceptable to ask any inquirer or candidate on the floor of Presbytery, at a CPM meeting, or anywhere else, if he or she will "abide by the language of G-6.0106b." I no longer have to dread going before my Presbytery and having to answer the question of whether or not I will abide by that provision. The resource person from the Advisory Committee on the Constitution said that during the approval process, any examination in that regard is inappropriate and unacceptable. Today I am very proud to be Presbyterian.
Blessings,
Suzanne
THURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 26
We started the afternoon with very powerful worship in the plenary hall. Cynthia Rigby from Austin seminary preached on, you guessed it, Micah 6:8. I’m loving hearing all these very different sermons on the same text and can’t wait to take a stab at it myself when I preach in August.
After worship we had a “speakout” session. During this time, commissioners and advisory delegates can get up and address the assembly for 2 minutes on any topic they want. My personal favorite “speakout” was the gentleman who said, “I just want to say that we are about to celebrate the 500th birthday of John Calvin (on July 10, 2008). Would it be possible for us to depict him in art as something other than a decrepit old sickly looking man? I heard he was quite a looker when he was younger.” Another commissioner said, “Hi, I’m here from West Virginia and I hear there is an elephant in the room. I just want to say that we need to embrace that elephant. There are African elephants and Asian elephants. There are pink elephants and even little white elephants carved out of ivory. All are created by God and we are called to love all.”
Then we went into committee reports. First up was Committee 6- Form of Government (FOG) Task Force. The committee recommended that the new Form of Government be referred to the Office of the General Assembly with comment:
“The referral to the Office of the General Assembly is for a period of consultation and study with churches and presbyteries through a system or systems designed and implemented by the Form of Government Task Force and members of the 218th General Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions. The participation of every presbytery in the period of consultation and study will be strongly urged. New members of this expanded task force are to be chosen from the 218th General Assembly (2008) Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions by the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), in consultation with the moderator and vice moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions.”
The motion was approved 87% to 12%. We spent 1.5 hours discussing this and ultimately went with the committee’s recommendation. After it was over the FOG Task Force got a standing ovation.
Committee 8 - Mission Coordination and Budgets
Some of you may have heard about the overture brought before the assembly to add a fifth denominational offering. Overture 08-01: On Reinstating the Annual Mission Season Offering, reads as follows:
“The Presbytery of Shenandoah overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to reinstate the annual Missions Season Offering during mission season as a continuing offering to support salaries and expenses for our mission personnel, both American and worldwide, all funds to be used to subsidize general mission shortfalls in missionary support and to stem the tide of a shrinking missionary force around the world.”
Many commissioners rose to speak to this overture. Some thought it was necessary and important and needed to be approved, even though the promotional materials to bring this offering to our congregations would cost over half a million dollars over the next two years. Others said things like, “We already ask for the Souper Bowl offering in January, One Great Hour of Sharing in March or April, the Peacemaking offering on Pentecost, and Christmas Joy in December. Somewhere in there we have to do a stewardship campaign and ask for per capita too! Enough is enough.”
When the vote was taken, the overture was defeated by a 68% margin. I strongly disagree with this assembly action. It’s too bad we’re so scared of asking our members for more money.
Committee 3- General Assembly Procedures
Interestingly, an overture that got a lot of attention was 03-18: On the Continuation of the Hanmi Presbytery. The Synod of Southern California and Hawaii overtured the Assembly to continue Hanmi Presbytery without term limit. We talked about this for a half hour! Many people wanted what’s called a “sunset clause” added to set a time limit for how long Hanmi Presbytery can exist. This would encourage the Korean immigrants who make up the Hanmi Presbytery to integrate with Pacific Presbytery within, say, 10 years. Ultimately the overture was approved with no time limit.
We concluded tonight’s business meeting at 10:55 p.m. I know some of you think I'm the energizer bunny but right now I feel more like roadkill. Good night.
Suzanne
THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 26
Hi friends,
Surprise! A mid-day edition. There's just too much happening!
Something told me today might be a day to not bother with makeup. It’s a good thing – I would have cried it off by now. I had no idea how emotional I was going to become over some of these overtures. It gives me such joy to bring you a mid-day report on the assembly’s business this morning.
We spent the first hour and a half of the day hearing nomination speeches and voting on those nominated to serve on GA committees. We then proceeded to committee reports.
Committee 13: Theological Issues and Institutions
Here is the language of Overture 13-06 regarding the Heidelberg Catechism:
The Presbytery of Newark overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to correct translation problems in five responses of the Heidelberg Catechism as found in The Book of Confessions and to add the original Scripture texts of the German Heidelberg Catechism. The following changes are proposed (particularly note the stricken language in #5):
1. Amend the answer to 4.019 as follows: [Text to be deleted is shown with a strike-through; text to be added or inserted is shown as italic.]
“A. From the holy gospel, which God himself revealed in the beginning in the Garden of Eden, afterward proclaimed through the holy patriarchs and prophets and foreshadowed through the sacrifices and other rites of the Old Covenant ceremonies of the law, and, finally, fulfilled through his own well-beloved Son.”
2. Amend the answer to 4.033 as follows:
“A. Because Christ alone is God’s own eternal Son natural son, whereas we are accepted adopted for his sake as children of God by grace.”
3. Amend the answer to 4.055 as follows:
“A. First, that believers one and all, as partakers of the Lord Christ, and all his treasures and gifts, shall share in one fellowship. Second, that each one ought to know that he is obliged to use his gifts freely willingly and with joy for the benefit and welfare of other members.”
4. Amend the answer to 4.074 as follows:
“A. Yes, because they, as well as their parents, are included in the covenant and belong to the people of God. Since both redemption from sin through the blood of Christ and the gift of faith from the Holy Spirit are promised to these children no less than to their parents, infants are also by baptism, as a sign of the covenant, to be incorporated into the Christian church and distinguished from the children of unbelievers. This was done in the Old Covenant Testament by circumcision. In the New Covenant Testament baptism has been instituted to take its place.”
5. Amend the answer to 4.087 as follows:
“A. Certainly not! Scripture says, ‘Surely you know that the unjust will never come into possession of the kingdom of God. Make no mistake: no fornicator or idolater, none who are guilty either of adultery or of homosexual perversion, no thieves or grabbers or drunkards or slanderers or swindlers, will possess the kingdom of God.’ Certainly not; for as Scripture says no unchaste person, idolater, adulterer, thief, greedy person, drunkard, slanderer, robber, or anyone like that shall inherit the kingdom of god.”
In committee deliberations, committee 13 voted to approve this overture as amended by a vote of 33 approve, 26 disapprove, and 2 abstentions. The 26 who disapproved then submitted a minority report. The minority report stated:
“The confessions constitute a living tradition that expresses the church’s beliefs. The current translation of the Heidelberg Catechism, as adopted in The Book of Confessions, faithfully and clearly declares to the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and to the world who and what we are, what we believe, and what we resolve to do (G-2.0100a).”
Dr. Jack Rogers, moderator of the 213th GA and first President of SFTS/So Cal., my Reformed Confessions Professor and a giant in the PCUSA who I absolutely adore, was called to speak to the assembly about this overture. He said “the way we are to understand the Book of Confessions is told to us in the preface which reads: “Each confessional document should be respected in its historical particularity; none should be altered to conform to current theological, ethical, or linguistic norms. For those reason I urge you to approve the Majority Report on overture 13-06.”
Several commissioners spoke in favor of the minority report, and several spoke in favor of the majority report. I was surprised that shortly into the debate (maybe a half hour), someone moved to call the question and we proceeded to a vote. Before we voted, we paused for prayer. All of us knew the consequence of our vote. The minority report was voted down 61% to 38%.
Before we voted on the original motion, many commissioners rose to speak both for and against it. I cringed when one of the commissioners requested we hear from New Testament scholar Robert Gagnon. I remember Professor Gagnon (of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) quite well from the GA in Birmingham two years ago. When he rose to speak, he attacked Jack Rogers with such obnoxious force that anything worthwhile he might have said was overshadowed by his mean-spirited tone and rhetoric. Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick must have remembered this too, because he denied letting Professor Gagnon speak.
The motion was approved 60% to 39%. We just voted to remove the words “homosexual perversion,” from the Heidelberg Catechism. This is huge. This is history making.
We then discussed overture 13-07: The Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC) recommends the 218th General Assembly (2008) take the following actions:
1. Direct the Moderators of the 216th, 217th, and 218th General Assemblies (2004, 2006, and 2008)—in consultation with the Stated Clerk, the Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns (ACREC), the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, and the Office of Theology and Worship—to initiate the process described in G-18.0201b by appointing a committee to consider amending the confessional documents of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to include the Belhar Confession in The Book of Confessions and to report to the 219th General Assembly (2010).
2. Urge all Presbyterians in congregations, middle governing bodies, and other entities related to the PC(USA) to engage in study, prayer, reflection, and discernment, of the Belhar Confession and the Report of the Task Force to Study Reparations….
This overture was Approved 536 to 154.
Overture 13-13: The General Assembly Council recommends that the 218th General Assembly (2008) commend for study in PC(USA) congregations a study guide and accompanying DVD for “The Trinity: God’s Love Overflowing” was also approved by voice vote. I was happy about this because Rebecca Prichard and Phil Butin were on the task force who prepared this report and it's a wonderful report.
After lunch we will be discussing the new Form of Government (FOG) report. I better get more coffee so I'm not in a fog while we consider it
More tonight.
Blessings,
Suzanne
WEDNESDAY JUNE 25
Hi folks,
It is now 6:36 a.m. on Thursday morning and I will try to get my Wednesday email off to you in the next 20 minutes. You see, I spent an hour on it last night, and right after midnight, the hotel computer system booted me off and I lost the entire thing. Isn't technology wonderful? So here is what happened yesterday.
Okay. I'm officially tired. I spent my morning moving very slowly and taking a while to get my act together. Harold Kidd called to check up on me and make sure I was "still in the land of the living." After assuring Harold I was alive and well, I went to the humongous Exhibit Hall. One could go bankrupt in there! I allowed myself one thing, so I bought a book of Frederick Buechner writings, then got out of there with my pocketbook intact.
Next I went to the San Francisco Seminary luncheon at the St. Claire. It was a lovely lunch and we had a great turnout. New moderator Bruce-Reyes Chow even showed up to speak to us, and I got a good picture of him. Even though he's a bit too casual for me in his jeans with no tie, I really like him. At least I did, until I saw his Vice Moderator! Currently in the PCUSA, the moderator selects a running mate and the Vice Moderator is not introduced or installed until the business meetings resume a few days after the election. So Wednesday was the first day we saw our new Vice Moderator.
His name is Rev. Dr. Byron Wade. He greeted us by saying, “I am elephant excited and hippopotamus happy to be here today.” It certainly showed. His enthusiasm was contagious. Sue Fisher told me he grew up at Community Presbyterian Church, where David Morris is the pastor, in Pacific Presbytery. I got to know David Morris well when I was interning at Inglewood. Wonderful man! Anyway, Byron did a superb job leading the assembly -- so superb, in fact, that when Bruce came back to resume the throne, he said, "I wasn't sure if he was going to give it up." Byron is going to be an excellent Vice Moderator indeed.
Then we moved to hearing reports of the committees. The first three took about 10 minutes, then we heard from the committee on Church Growth and Christian Education. The big hot button issue here was the sexuality curriculum for our youth. Let me show you the original overture, then tell you what we did with it.
The Presbytery of Grace overtures the 218th General Assembly (2008) to direct the General Assembly Council to produce adolescent human development resources based upon Scripture and the Reformed theological tradition. These resources would explore all facets of adolescent development including human sexuality.
As you can imagine, several commissioners had a problem with this language. They proposed an amendment to add, "We define marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman." After much discussion, that amendment was defeated and the motion passed. I hope this is an indication of what will happen when we discuss deleting G-6.106b from the Book of Order on Friday.
Next my friend, Ed Chan, from Santa Monica, who spoke as Chair of the GA Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. We had a lengthy discussion about whether “one God” and “the same God” are the same thing. Joseph Small, of the Office of Theology and Worship, says they are not the same and that distinction is very important. Many commissioners had a problem with Overture 07-01. Here is the language that we ended up striking from the overture:
1. Commend to the church for study the actions of previous General Assemblies calling for tolerance, mutual respect, and peaceful relations between the Christian and Muslim communities.
"2. State that [the PC(USA) affirms that Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship a common God, although each understands that God differently] though we hold differing understandings of how God has been revealed to humankind, the PC(USA) affirms our belief in one God, the God of Abraham, whom Jews and Muslims also worship; and that, as children of this loving God, we share the commandments of love for God and neighbor, the requirement to care for the poor; and acknowledge Abraham as an expression of our common commitment to one God."
I thought this was a big to do over nothing, but we spent about an hour discussing this. I'm sure Ed thought all his overtures would go through with no problem, but one can never really predict what's going to happen when business comes before the entire assembly.
We also heard a report from the newly formed Youth Committee. One of the overtures called for a study to be done about how we can better communicate with our youth. Many people said we didn't have the money to form a task force and do a study of youth. In response to that, one of the YADs rose and said, "You know, we had enough money to form a task force to discuss a new form of government. If we can't find the money to form a task force to talk about our youth, then we have a problem." Most everyone erupted in loud applause. There are some really smart, articulate YADs here. A YAD, by the way, is a young adult between the ages of 17 and 23.
Today (Thursday) should be a very exciting day. Two overtures coming before us are particularly important to me. The first is from the committee on Theological Issues and Institutions and concerns restoring the Heidelberg Catechism to its original historic form. Apparently in 1962, someone added the words "homosexual perversion" to this ancient catechism, and that language has remained ever since. Many people want it out, including me!
We will also talk about the Belhar Confession and possibly adding it to our Book of Confessions. The Belhar Confession has its roots in the struggle against apartheid in Southern Africa. It is well worth your time and consideration and I recommend you read it here:
http://www.pcusa.org/theologyandworship/confession/belhar.pdf
I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and I'll "talk" to you tonight.
Blessings,
Suzanne
TUESDAY JUNE 24
Well, it's 12:20 a.m. and I consider myself rather fortunate I'm even writing to you at this hour. I thought it would be later! To say today was intense doesn't quite capture the essence completely. ... Where to start?
The morning worship service was fantastic. It was done in Korean, Spanish and English, and a Korean- American pastor from Minnesota, Rev. Jin S. Kim, preached on "Walking Humbly." I marveled at how great a sermon it was since he told us from the start, "I'm doing something today I never do: I'm using a script and I have to limit myself to 20 minutes." As someone who really loves to preach, and is always trying to get better at it, I often "beat myself up" for using a manuscript when I am in the pulpit. I expect after one preaching class and 16 sermons as an intern that I can do it as well as seasoned preachers who have been preaching for 30 or more years. Rev. Kim (who couldn't possibly be more than 30) did so many things we tend to think signify "bad" preaching techniques, like reading too much or speaking too quickly. Yet his sermon was so beautifully written and constructed that nobody seemed bothered by it.
After worship, I raced to my committee meeting. Kari and Janice wanted to hear more about what’s going on in Zimbabwe. You better get your kleenex. Today we heard tales of torture, the AIDS epidemic, and thousands of orphans that exist in Zimbabwe. About 10 people from Zimbabwe who could not identify themselves for fear of repercussions from their government came to enlighten us about what's going on there. The situation in Zimbabwe makes it very difficult for people to find out about the future of their country. Thus, they are confused. Women are being gang raped in broad daylight, and mothers, children and fathers are losing their dignity.
“We have been displaced. Law enforcement has been reduced to bystanders as militia commit crimes in front of the police. Opposition supporters have been killed. 10,000 have been injured or maimed. The situation is quite unbearable. Children are no longer going to school. Programs are not running according to the time schedules. People have no food, clothing, or shelter."
A minister from Zimbabwe spoke and said he was so happy to see this overture because it embodies the spirit of the assembly and the spirit of the church in general.
“The levels of injustice in my country have grown to the point where people are no longer safe. People are having limbs and hands chopped off in broad daylight without any recourse to justice. 70,000 people have been killed since our March 29 elections. Tens of thousands are homeless, because their homes have been burnt. No arrests have been made. All the government-controlled print and media is not being used to investigate. Adherence to the rule of law is no longer guaranteed with safety and protection for anyone. Prisons are filled with people who have done nothing wrong. You might be in trouble for just putting on the wrong color (like red). You can be beaten or end up in jail for that. A second Rwanda is developing in Zimbabwe and the blood of the country will be on all our hands. My wife and I spoke this morning and she told me to stay in the U.S. another week until things calm down. They’ve been investigating me since I started coming to the U.S. We need the church to tell us that God is with us.”
After hearing these people speak, the tears were streaming down my face. Our committee then decided we needed to strengthen the language of the overture. We then unanimously approved the overture as amended. Everyone needs to be praying for the people of Zimbabwe on a daily basis.
The next time I am sad or depressed about my life not being exactly how I want it, I will think about the nameless people from Zimbabwe that I heard speak today. I have nothing whatsoever to complain about.
Israel and Palestine
At 1:30 p.m. we started talking about the Israel/Palestine issues. Nancy Kahaian, our moderator, said that there were over 70 persons who signed up to speak at open hearings, so we had to randomly select a few to speak in favor of approval and in favor of disapproval for each of the overtures. Not everyone who signed up to speak got the opportunity to do so. Even the people who got to speak were limited to 1 minute 30 seconds, and the speakers alternated between approval and disapproval.
Unfortunately, we had not made a decision on any of these overtures when all but 2 of our YADs left the committee to go to the Santa Clara boardwalk. They didn’t return. So our committee was depleted by 15 people.
11-1 On Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel
Alternate resolution of ACSWP, approved as amended, 47 YES, 17 NO, 1 abstention
Several people wanted their names registered as voting against this and one is going to bring a minority report
11-2 On Pursuing a Culture of a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine
This overture had more opposition than any other.
We disapproved the overture, 33 to 27 with 0 abstentions.
11-3 On Endorsing the “Amman Call” re Arab-Israeli Peace
Answered by 11-1, 53 yes, 7 no, 2 abstentions
At about 7:30 p.m., two commissioners started arguing with each other. Micah had temporarily left the building. The moderator promptly told the two of them that they were out of order and things calmed down again immediately.
11-4 On Travel to Israel and Palestine
Answered by 11-1, 51 yes, 4 no, 4 abstentions
11-6 On the 218th GA Being a Voice for the Victims of Violence in Israel and Palestine
Approved, 47 yes, 15 no, 1 abstention
11-7 On Supporting Israel’s Right to Exist, but Calling for Temporary Suspension of Military Aid to the State of Israel
This overture from the Presbytery of Chicago prompted the single most interesting piece of mail I received prior to my arrival in San Jose: a letter from six U.S. Presbyterian Senators urging me to vote no on this overture. The Senators, as well as many members of the committee, think this would be a very bad idea and not solve but actually generate more problems. One elder said the language was too judgmental and unjustly punishes Israel. Another commissioner said it’s not partisan to violate the law. Israel is violating the law.
First we approved the language of the Alternate Resolution of ACSWP, then we voted on whether to approve, and the overture was defeated 35 to 27 with 1 abstention. This was a very close vote as well. It will be interesting to see what the Assembly does with this overture on Friday.
11-23 On Divestment from Caterpillar, Inc. and Motorola, Inc, from Profiting from the Israeli Military Occupation of Palestinian Territories
Overture was disapproved. 15 yes, 45 no, and 4 abstentions
11-25 On Becoming Non-Partisan Advocates for Peace
Answered by 11-6, 50 yes, 8 no and 1 abstentions
11-26 On Middle East Peacemaking
Approved as Amended, 32 yes, 29 no, and 2 abstentions
This was also a very close vote (not because anybody opposes Peacemaking, but because we differ so much on how best to accomplish that).
11-27 Report from MRTI of Corporate Engagements in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the
West Bank
Approved 54 yes, 10 no, 0 abstentions
11-28 Prepare Study on Israel/Palestine within the context of the Middle East
Former Moderator Susan Andrews spoke in favor of this overture.
Approved as Amended, 55 yes, 3 no, 2 abstentions
We got to our remaining 3 Commissioner Resolutions at 10:35 p.m., at which point there were still about 100 people in the room.
11-29 Alternate Resolution to 2006 Referral: Item 11-01. On Rescinding and Modifying Certain
Actions of the 216th General Assembly (2004) Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,
Recommendations 2.a.-d. Assembly (2006) (Minutes, 2006, Part I, pp. 44, 943-54)
Approved by a voice vote at 11:32 P.M.!
11-30 On Mobilizing Presbyterians for a Significant Response to the Global Food Crisis.
Approved as amended, 64, 0 no, 1 abstained
11-31 Concerning Human Rights Violations in the Philippines.
Approved 64 yes, 0 no, and 1 abstention
11-33 On Peace with Iran.
Approved with ACSWP alternative resolution, 58 yes, 5 no, 0 abstention
Sorry about the formatting of the above but due to the lateness of the hour, I just cut and pasted my notes into this email. Keep in mind that what the Peacemaking Committee did yesterday and today are going before the Assembly as a whole on Friday night, and the Assembly may choose to do things differently than we did. Several times today it was pointed out that we made conflicting decisions about Israel and Palestine. I think that's indicative of, again, how divided people are on what to do about the mess over there.
Although it was a very long, busy day, I am feeling confident that I was called to be on this committee. I learned a lot. Let's see what the Assembly does on Friday night when they consider our overtures. Stay tuned.
Blessings,
Suzanne
MONDAY JUNE 23
PNS Article
Greetings friends! I hope you all had a lovely Monday. First I want to thank all of you for your well wishes and prayers. Thanks for responding to my emails and letting me know you like them. Keep them coming!
Before I go any further, I want to thank Erin for finding one glaring typographical error in last night's email. In my haste to finish and proofread it, I neglected to catch the misspelling of my roommate's name. HER name is MarY Beck. I typed MarK Beck. You don't honestly think the same Presbyterian Church who at this moment has a chastity in singleness provision in its Book of Order would ever allow a single female such as myself to have a male roommate. Certainly not! My apologies to Mary. She is a lovely classmate of mine and we are enjoying each other's company.
People I saw today: Dr. Phil Butin (SFTS President), Dr. Kyle Burch (Director of Enrollment) and his assistant Joseph Nguyen, Rev. Howard Dotson of Pacific Presbytery, here to speak about the HIV/AIDS awareness overture, and Bobbi Rubin (Donna Lee's friend who advocates against land mines) and Rick Ufford-Chase, former moderator of the PC(USA). He and Bobbi spoke at the open hearing sessions of the Peacemaking committee.
Paul Corneil asked for more information about the "Publish What You Pay" overture. According to its website, "The Publish What You Pay campaign aims to help citizens of resource-rich developing countries hold their governments accountable for the management of revenues from the oil, gas and mining industries. Natural resource revenues are an important source of income for governments of over 50 developing countries, including Angola, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Venezuela. When properly managed these revenues should serve as a basis for poverty reduction, economic growth and development rather than exacerbating corruption, conflict and social divisiveness."
We spent our afternoon and evening talking about the Iraq War. People are so divided on what to do about the war in Iraq it is unbelievable. But one thing I noticed about today's lengthy, (at times) very boring and often repetitive committee sessions was that people are being kind to each other. People seem to me to really be trying to embody Micah 6:6-8. I really noticed that the committee members were respectful and listened to those who disagreed with them. I personally did not say a word. There were far too many very well informed resource people, pastors and elders who came to speak at the open hearings, and representatives from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy who addressed us. I felt to really do God's will I had to practice being attentive and alert the whole time, keeping my ears open and my mouth shut. In the process I learned a lot about why some people don't think we should leave Iraq entirely, leaving behind the 4.7 million refugees with no infrastructure, electricity only 2-6 hours a day, apparently awful pollution, and God only knows what else. We made this mess and we ought to stay and help them clean it up. Yet, after all was said and done, the majority of the committee (about 2/3), felt we needed to approve all the Iraq overtures, which ultimately, we did.
Here's how it went:
Overtures:
11-19 Commitment to Peacemaking - Unanimously Approved
11-22 On Supporting Those Who Feel Called to Seek Status as Conscientious Objectors
Approved 57 yes to 15 no, but there was a motion to reconsider. See below.
11-12 On Preventing the Trafficking of Women, Internationally and Nationally
Unanimously Approved as amended
11-13 A Resolution to Expand the Church's Ministry with and Advocacy Against Human Trafficking
Unanimously Approved
11-14 On Endorsing the "Publish What you Pay" Campaign
Approved as Amended 73 yes, 1 no, 2 abstentions
11-10 Costly Lessons of the Iraq War
Approved as Amended and this overture answers Overtures 11-8, 11-20 and 11-24
This was a very close vote of 39 to 33 with 6 abstentions
Several people wanted their names recorded as voting against it
One person intends to bring a minority report tomorrow. Stay tuned.
11-09 On the Withdrawal of US Troops from Iraq
Approved 73 yes, 1 no, 1 abstention
11-11 On Building Peace in Iraq
Approved as Amended 68 yes, 3 no, 3 abstentions
11-17 On Ending the War in Iraq
Approved as Amended 64 yes, 11 no, 1 abstention
Someone then then brought a motion for reconsideration of overture 11-22 because the commissioner did not get her written motion to the parliamentarian in time. The motion for reconsider failed.
Tomorrow we have a very full docket, including a commissioner resolution on providing emergency relief, food to North Korea, resolutions on Zimbabwe, and all the Israel/Palestine resolutions. (Not much!) It should be a very long day.
Apparently the new moderator has invited all the SFTS students to his suite tomorrow night for a meet and greet. I highly doubt I'll be done with my TSAD obligations in time to go, but it's nice that he extended the invitation.
Until tomorrow then,
Blessings,
Suzanne
SUNDAY JUNE 22
Greetings friends!
Today was another busy yet fun-filled day in San Jose. We began with Opening Worship simulcast in two locations. I went with my roommate Mary Beck, Lee Ireland and Kristina Hine to the San Jose State service where Joan Gray, our outgoing moderator, preached "live" and our new moderator, Bruce Reyes-Chow (who actually wore a tie for the occasion since last night I wondered if he owned one) officiated over communion. The other location had outgoing Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick and GAC Executive Director Linda Valentine "live." Although Gray's sermon was very good, our group thought the worship lacked something. Words such as "disappointing," "flat," and "unspiring" were uttered. I wanted the wonderful liturgical dancers that they had participate in worship in Birmingham. But on the bright side, the organ postlude was quite good and the 9 year old liturgist who did the communion invitation was fantastic. But maybe trying to get 8,000 people to worship in one place together next time might be a good idea.
I then had my afternoon free, which I spent trying to read through all my mail. For those of you who have never been to GA, when you register on-site, they give you a canvas tote bag with the focus Scripture on it (Micah 6:6-8) and you literally carry that bag around with you everywhere you go all week. Well as a commissioner or a TSAD, you could fill up that bag every single day with new mail. It is beyond ridiculous. In fact, it's impossible to read it all. You really have to pick and choose. So today I picked through literally piles of material to find just my Peacemaking and International Issues items. I wanted to be prepared for our first committee meeting tonight.
We gathered at 7:30 for our closed get acquainted session. All visitors were asked to leave and only the 75 committee members were allowed to remain. We introduced ourselves and did some team building exercises which I thought were actually rather fun and helpful. The problem is they took so long we did not finish until 9 p.m. Then we had a "get to know your moderator, vice moderator, parliamentarian, resource person, committee assistant and press liasion" session that went on for another 45 minutes. Then we discussed our docket. It turns out we are not discussing our 28 overtures in order. Instead, we are doing them by topic. Here I am going to list my committee's specific overtures in the order we will be discussing them. In subsequent emails I will tell you more about certain overtures that particularly interest me. However, if you have an overture that you are interested in, ask me and I will try to include it in my email as well.
Tomorrow, Mon. June 23
Morning
Commitment to Peacemaking
On Supporting Those Who Feel Called to Seek Status as Conscientious Objectors
On Preventing the Trafficking of Women, Internationally and Nationally
A Resolution to Expand the Church's Ministry with and Advocacy Against Human Trafficking
On Endorsing the "Publish What you Pay" Campaign
Afternoon & Evening All Iraq Overtures
Costly Lessons of the Iraq War
On the Withdrawal of US Troops from Iraq
On Building Peace in Iraq
On Ending the War in Iraq
Regarding Assistance for Iraqi Refugees
On Addressing the Violence and Suffering Inflicted on Iraqi Women during the current prolonged war
Overture on War, Mercenaries, and Profiteering
Tuesday, June 24
Morning
On support for the Presbyterian Church in Zimbabwe
Report on Human Rights in Colombia
On Peacemaking in Colombia
On Peacemaking and the Pursuit of Justice and Fairness of Shalom
Afternoon All Israel/Palestine Overtures
On Peace and Justice in Palestine and Israel
On Endorsing the "Amman Call" re Arab-Israeli Peace
On Travel to Israel and Palestine
Prepare Study on Israel/Palestine within the context of the Middle East
On supporting Israel's Right to Exist, but calling for temporary suspension of military aid to Israel
On Pursuing a Culture of a Just Peace in Israel and Palestine
On the 218th GA being a voice for the victims of violence in Israel and Palestine
On Becoming Non-Partisan Advocates for Peace
On Middle East Peacemaking
And Tuesday evening, after all other committees have finished their business and people are off celebrating, our committee will get to our last two overtures:
Report from MRTI of Corporate Engagements in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank (divestment in Caterpillar and Motorola)
Prepare study on Israel/Palestine within the context of the Middle East
Needless to say, Peacemaking and International Issues is going to be an exciting committee to be on, but I can already tell we're going to run late into the evenings tomorrow and Tuesday, perhaps necessitating me writing my email to y'all in the early morning instead. Tonight we did not end until 10:15, and by then every single punctuality and patience gene in my body was going crazy. But this is what GA is all about -- doing the work of the Church, late into the evening sometimes. I am grateful to God that I am here as a TSAD, and apparently sleep is overrated anyway.
SATURDAY JUNE 21
Wow! What a day. I saw so many people I know and love here today: Ed Chan (here with the Ecumenical folk doing his usual superb job), Dr. Harold Kidd (my internship supervisor from Inglewood), my former pastors Rev. Donna Lee Merz and Dr. Charles Doak, Suzanne and Peter Crouch, Brian Paulson, Dr. Sandy Tice, and several more of my SFTS classmates who I didn't see yesterday (Kobie Vermaak, Bev Franco, Sean Chow, Sam Chung). It seemed that everywhere we went, we saw people we knew. Lots of pictures were taken which I would attach here had I not left my camera cable at home.
It turns out all six of us from Pacific Presbytery are sitting together in the Hall. This means I will have to try to suffer through (note very sarcastic tone) six more days of seeing two of my favorite people, Sue Fisher and Harold Kidd, on a daily basis. Sue and I have been friends since I was 20 years old, when we sang in the choir together. I just finished a 16-month internship with Harold. Sitting with them is going to make this experience really fun.
Still, with all these people here who I know and love, one thing I also know about myself is that if I don't spend some of my time here in solitude, in prayer and quiet contemplation, I am going to go crazy by Monday. I know I am not going to be able to take a Sabbath all day tomorrow, but I have set aside at least a few hours in the afternoon to finish reading my Peacemaking Overtures before our committee convenes tomorrow night. Today I went to dinner by myself so I could pray, read and catch my breath prior to the "really big show" event of electing our new moderator. I am really glad I did because I am a lot less tired than I would otherwise be. In fact, right now I'm bouncing off the walls.
I knew who was going to be elected our new moderator; I just didn't know if it would be on the first round of voting or the second. I knew that the Assembly would choose Bruce Reyes-Chow, who I am quite proud to say is an SFTS graduate! (Apparently the cheers in the SFTS-led classroom were deafening when his election was announced.) Reyes-Chow, self-described as "a 39 year old father of three daughters who wears an earring and is a pastor in San Francisco," told the assembly "Nothing is too hard or too wondrous for God." He asked all of us, "What are God’s dreams for the PC(USA)... not merely lofty goals but woven into the fabric of our life today? We should care more about being faithful than being right." Amen brother. When asked about small churches, he said, “What we say to small churches, 'You have to get bigger for us to value you,' is so untrue. That doesn’t do anything for the Church.” Amen to that too. I like a lot of what he has to say and I do think he will serve the PC(USA) with lots of energy, enthusiasm and love.
One of the YADs asked the moderatorial candidates point blank, "What's your opinion about ordination standards? Should gays and lesbians be ordained?" That's really the million dollar question at this Assembly. One's chance of being elected can hinge on how that question is answered. Reyes-Chow said, "I, personally, am in favor of full inclusivity regardless of sexual preference. However, I realize that is not where the Church as a whole is." I suppose that answer is better than saying flat out he disapproves of the practice. At least he is willing to state where he stands on the issue.
Obviously it was a very exciting evening, particularly for those of us who know and love SFTS as much as I do. I will write more tomorrow evening. Opening worship at 10 a.m.at San Jose State will no doubt be quite glorious. May you all enjoy your Sunday at your churches!
FRIDAY JUNE 20
Today was the first day of the 218th General Assembly of the PC(USA), which meets this year in San Jose. After picking up Lee, my seminary classmate, at 6:20 a.m. at the North Hollywood Red line station, we proceeded up I-5, through Gilroy, eventually arriving in San Jose about 11:30 a.m., just in time for TSAD training. As a Theological Student Advisory Delegate, my first assignment was training and lunch with the other TSADs. There are 25 TSADs in attendance at this GA, from all 11 PC(USA) seminaries in the country. Myself and 2 others are representing San Francisco Theological Seminary. I wrote in "Southern California" on my badge since many people here are unaware that SFTS even has a So. Cal. campus.
Following TSAD training, we proceeded into Ballroom A for "anti-racism training." I sat with Rev. Sue Fisher from my home church in Santa Monica, as well as Leslie Evans from Covenant Pres. We shared "the story behind our name" with one another and discussed where we had experienced racism in our lives. I told them how difficult it is for me when people have trouble with someone named "Swartz" getting an M.Div. to be an ordained Presbyterian minister. Jewish people somehow feel I've betrayed them and lots of Christians are shocked and find it weird. We talked about how much antisemitism is still rampant in our society. Needless to say, the training was very powerful. Outgoing Moderator Joan Gray told us that she was a "recovering racist," and how, living and pastoring in Atlanta, Georgia, has "changed her for the better." Many other powerful speakers gave testimony about how racism has touched them.
The highlight of my day was attending the Covenant Network dinner at the beautiful San Jose City Hall . For those of you who are not familiar with The Covenant Network ofPresbyterians, its website says "we vigorously pursue our foundinggoal: to build upthe church by removing barriers to ordained service by gay, lesbian,bisexual, and transgender members, and by so doing, to further theunityof the church." The keynote speaker was Rev. Susan Andrews, former Moderator of the 215th GA. Rev. Andrews spoke to a group of several hundred of us -- including many straight people such as myself -- who gathered together on night 1 to share a meal and "strategize" about how we are to proceed in the next week at GA. I felt proud to be among those at the dinner; I saw my Systematic Theology Professor, Dr. Rebecca Prichard, and Tony DeLarossa, an elder from Immanuel Pres. in my Presbytery. Andrews said that this could be the year that General Assembly finally does away with one of the most controversial provisions in our Book of Order: G.6106b, "the fidelity and chastity" provision. I hope Rev. Andrews is right. I hope this is the year we do away with this prejudicial language. I left the dinner feeling optimistic and hopeful that God's Spirit will lead this Assembly to do something magnificient -- something I feel is consistent with Jesus' commandment to love one another. Obviously there are more than just a few very faithful and influential Presbyterians who feel the same way. Hopefully we can make a difference.
I look forward to tomorrow, the opening worship and the election of our new Moderator. Stay tuned for more updates.
Blessings,
Suzanne