MINNEAPOLIS – At the start of the plenary session today (July 7), Cynthia Bolbach, moderator of the 219th General Assembly, asked the commissioners and advisory delegates to join her in a test drive of the assembly’s new electronic keypad voting system.
MINNEAPOLIS—The Form of Government Revision committee, with celebratory applause, passed a revised version of the proposed new FoG – a new approach supporters say will give the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) a form of government that is more streamlined and more responsive to local ministry needs.
MINNEAPOLIS – The Directory for Worship of the Book of Order would define marriage as being between “two people” instead of being between a man and a woman, if the full General Assembly accepts the recommendations of the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues of the 219th General Assembly.
MINNEAPOLIS — After considerable discussion, a General Assembly committee approved a commissioners’ resolution responding to the controversial Arizona immigration law.[caption id="attachment_21964" align="alignright" width="324"]Trina Zelle speaks in favor of a resolution regarding a call to stand with immigrant Presbyterians during the national immigration crisis. Photo by Erin Dunigan.[/caption]
MINNEAPOLIS – Some after-hours brainstorming yielded key changes in a document that may drastically affect the church’s clout and credibility with Israelis, Palestinians and American Jews.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Health Issues Committee of the 219th General Assembly opened this morning (July 6) passing a motion to reconsider the previously approved “Taking a Stand Against Forced and Coerced Abortions.”
MINNEAPOLIS – Once again, a General Assembly committee has passed an overture recommending that controversial language in the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) regarding gay ordination be removed.
MINNEAPOLIS – The Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations passed today (July 6) a recommendation to commend and refer back to its authors for further refinement the “Christians and Jews: People of God” document – addressing the theological understanding of relationships between the two religious groups.
The work of seeding a movement of change in building up all of God’s creation has begun to build into a movement, Rick Ufford-Chase told the annual luncheon of the Presbyterians for Earth Care today (July 6). “I see the signs all around me that what has been on the fringes of respectability has moved to the center of our life as a denomination,” he said.[caption id="attachment_21957" align="alignright" width="288"]Bob Stivers receives the William Gibson Award at the Presbyterians for Earth Care luncheon. Photo by Erin Dunigan.[/caption]