A General Assembly committee voted 35-20 on June 18 to recommend approval of a proposal asking the 2018 General Assembly to direct the Board of Pensions and the Presbyterian Foundation to divest from the fossil fuel industry, and to seek out and invest in securities of companies focused on renewable energy or energy efficiency. On the surface, that seems to be a major win for the Fossil Free PCUSA movement, which has been organizing intensely in recent months to sway public opinion and General Assembly votes in favor of divestment – with 40 presbyteries lining up to support the main overture calling for divestment. But a contentious issue rose before the Environmental Issues Committee in its discussions: whether the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is compelled to follow when an assembly votes in favor of divestment. There’s disagreement about that – with Frank Spencer, president of the Board of Pensions, telling the committee that “the board is … [Read more...]
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Outlook Reporting 1 hour ago
Can the General Assembly direct the Board of Pensions to divest?
A General Assembly committee voted 35-20 on June 18 to recommend approval of a proposal asking the 2018 General Assembly to direct the Board of Pensions and the Presbyterian Foundation to divest from the fossil fuel industry, and to seek out and invest in securities of companies focused on renewable energy or energy efficiency. On the surface, that seems to be a major win for the Fossil Free PCUSA movement, which has been organizing intensely in recent months to sway public opinion and General Assembly votes in favor of divestment –… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 15 hours ago
“Get aboard the discernment train” – Way Forward Committee sorts through complicated issues
ST. LOUIS – What the General Assembly’s The Way Forward Committee might do became less clear on the evening of June 18, as the leadership of the committee unexpectedly hit the pause button on discussion of the Way Forward Commission report. Paul Hooker, the committee’s parliamentarian, told the committee before it adjourned around 9:30 p.m. that “there were matters related to the bylaw proposal in the Way Forward Commission report that required further clarification,” and said that clarification was still in process. The committee had planned to spend the evening… continue reading... -
Outlook Reporting 15 hours ago
Middle East panel endorses call on congregations to support “grassroots” peacemaking efforts
ST. LOUIS — The General Assembly’s Middle East Issues Committee sped smoothly through much of its agenda June 18. The only close votes were on a measure that calls on congregations to support grassroots peacemaking efforts and one that takes the RE/MAX real estate company to task for persisting in marketing property in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Grassroots peacemaking Before endorsing this commissioners’ resolution, committee members questioned what the term “grassroots” peacemaking really means and examined arguments against the resolution offered by several advisory groups… continue reading...
Parties in Stamford case had tried to expedite process in order to get a ruling on the merits of the case January 1, 1995 Uncategorized102 views The General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission -- in sidestepping the question of exactly how deeply a session should be required to probe into the private life of a gay elder who has acknowledged being in a committed, life-long relationship but has declined to say whether he is sexually active -- has put the question off but has not put it to rest.- Ministering with the Earth January 1, 1998 Book Reviews112 views By Mary Elizabeth MooreChalice. 1998. 226 pp. Pb. $19.99. ISBN 0-8272-2323-4 Ministering with the Earth is a quiltwork, both the on-the-ground activity and Moore's book about so ministering. Moore, professor of theology and Christian education at Claremont School of Theology, is fond of the metaphor, suitably pastoral and feminist.
- Remembered Voice: Reclaiming the Legacy of 'Neo-Orthodoxy' January 1, 1998 Book Reviews103 views By Douglas John HallWJKP. 1998. 145 pp. Pb. $18. ISBN 0-664-25772-0 It was in this order. I first read Tillich's Dynamics of Faith. Riveting. Next came The Courage to Be. Gripping. Then I went back and read the first volume of the Systematic Theology. Things began to make sense. Next came Biblical Religion and the Search for Ultimate Reality. Positive.
Proposed per capita increase will go to General Assembly February 9, 2018 Outlook Reporting3 comments LOUISVILLE – With no debate, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board voted Feb. 9 to approve a sizeable proposed increase in General Assembly per capita – from $7.73 per member in 2018 to $10.71 in 2019 and to $11.45 in 2020.
That would amount to a 39 percent increase from 2018 to 2019 and a 7 percent increase from 2019 to 2020. The proposal now will go to the 2018 General Assembly in June in St. Louis for its consideration.
Ken Godshall, who is chair of the board and a pastor from Kentucky, had voted against the proposed increase Feb. 8 when it came before the board’s executive committee, saying the increase...
Assembly approves child protection policy June 23, 2016 Outlook Reporting2 comments PORTLAND, Ore. – The General Assembly Procedures committee only had time to present one item of business from its report before the 2016 General Assembly adjourned for the evening June 22 – but it was a matter of both deep significance and emotional resonance.
The assembly voted on Item 03-14, a policy created for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to protect children, youth, and vulnerable adults. The committee’s moderator, Mary Lou Cox, introduced the item by shari...
Taxation without representation? Mid council leaders release statement addressing proposed per capita increase April 18, 2018 Uncategorized2 comments A group of 40 mid council leaders has written a statement urging the 2018 General Assembly to vote down a proposed General Assembly per capita increase– saying the proposed increase of 39 percent from 2018 to 2019 and another 7 percent from 2019 to 2020 feels like “taxation without representation.”
These mid council leaders contend the number of congregations not remitting per capita will “dramatically increase” if per capita goes up, and that presbyteries would bear the financial burden.
J. Herb...
Can the General Assembly direct the Board of Pensions to divest?
Tagged With: fossil fuels • GA223
“Get aboard the discernment train” – Way Forward Committee sorts through complicated issues
ST. LOUIS – What the General Assembly’s The Way Forward Committee might do became less clear on the evening of June 18, as the leadership of the committee unexpectedly hit the pause button on discussion of the Way Forward Commission report. Paul Hooker, the committee’s parliamentarian, told the committee before it adjourned around 9:30 p.m. that “there were matters related to the bylaw proposal in the Way Forward Commission report that required further clarification,” and said that clarification was still in process. The committee had planned to spend the evening discussing matters related to the Way Forward Commission and All Agency Review Committee reports, and a counter-recommendation from the Governance Task Force of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board. But a serious question clearly had emerged– with members of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution and lawyers and top leaders of the Office of the General Assembly (including stated clerk J. Herbert Nelson) and the … [Read more...]
Middle East panel endorses call on congregations to support “grassroots” peacemaking efforts
ST. LOUIS — The General Assembly’s Middle East Issues Committee sped smoothly through much of its agenda June 18. The only close votes were on a measure that calls on congregations to support grassroots peacemaking efforts and one that takes the RE/MAX real estate company to task for persisting in marketing property in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Grassroots peacemaking Before endorsing this commissioners’ resolution, committee members questioned what the term “grassroots” peacemaking really means and examined arguments against the resolution offered by several advisory groups within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). One of them, the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, accused the resolution’s authors of setting up “a false dichotomy between policy and grassroots action.” After deleting some other language that some members found puzzling, the Middle East panel voted 29-25 to send the measure forward to the General … [Read more...]
Social justice committee considers wide range of issues affecting the people of the church
ST. LOUIS — Inclusivity, #MeToo, people of color, suicide, a moratorium on all executions, religious freedom without discrimination, and affirming and celebrating the full dignity of all persons without discrimination. The Social Justice Committee of the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) met on June 18 to consider these issues represented by a number of overtures and five commissioners’ resolutions. Here's a look at some of the overtures that were discussed and approved: #MeToo. The committee heard stories of abuse, and they heard the courage of survivors telling their stories. The committee heard where the institution has failed, and they heard how hard it can be to move forward. The committee voted to create a new five-member “safe and sacred task force” in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) comprised of victims and advocates for victims of sexual misconduct. The task force’s responsibilities will include: … [Read more...]
GA committee recommends a revised and amended per capita budget
ST. LOUIS – Should per capita be increased? If so, how high? The General Assembly Procedures Committee of the 223 General spent most of the day wrestling with issues surrounding the revised proposed per capita budget. The committee heard a presentation on the per capita budget from Kerry Rice, deputy stated clerk of the Office of the General Assembly, and Joe Morrow, incoming chair of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board. The budget presented was a revised version that emerged after pushback by mid council leaders on the first version that recommended an increased per capita of $10.71 for 2019 and $11.45 for 2020. Read more about that here. Rice presented the narrative budget, which detailed how the money from per capita is spent. Rice shared some definitions of per capita such as, “Mutually sharing the costs of coming tougher to discern the Sprit’s leading” (which was adopted by the 207th General Assembly) and “In a connected church such as ours, per capita is the … [Read more...]
Human rights advocate claims death threat after speaking to General Assembly panel
ST. LOUIS — Threats are nothing new for Bassem Eid. During his 26 years of investigating human rights abuses, he’s gotten a lot of them. He says he received another one on June 18, when he stepped outside a meeting room in the St. Louis Convention Center where he’d spoken in favor of a measure condemning both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for indoctrinating and exploiting children in ways that perpetuate violence and hatred. Eid, 60, is a rare sort of human rights activist — a Palestinian who speaks out as vehemently against Palestinian abuses as he does against those committed by Israelis. After speaking to a committee of the 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), he said, a young man approached him, accused him of being a Palestinian Zionist and told him in Arabic that he would kill him. “He said that he’s Palestinian,” gave a name and claimed he was a relative, Eid said. “I know the family, but I don’t know that that’s his real name,” he … [Read more...]
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