BIRMINGHAM -- Now the question is: What happens next?
A closely divided General Assembly has voted to try something new -- to try an approach of balancing freedom of conscience while applying national ordination standards that some say has the chance to bring healing to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and others say could help break the denomination apart.
Compiled from several Outlook reports
A Denver businessman announced June 15 a $150 million gift to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- saying he is tired of watching the continuing decline of the denomination he loves and challenging Presbyterians "to reverse all negative trends. We can grow." Then on June 21 questions arose regarding his ability to fulfill that pledge.
The money from the new Loaves and Fishes Church Growth Fund would be used for grants to presbyteries -- from $250,000 to $1 million apiece. Presbyteries would have to apply for the funds and match part of it. The money would be used for church growth, mission work and theological education.
BIRMINGHAM -- With remarkably little debate, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted 403 to 91 to approve a new statement on Presbyterian investment in Israel.
The statement -- which some supporters described as a careful compromise -- acknowledges the "hurt and misunderstanding" the General Assembly caused in 2004 by its actions on divestment.
LOUISVILLE -- Former General Assembly moderator Susan Andrews, during the opening plenary of Presbyterian Women's Churchwide Gathering July 7, spoke of God being at work in the chaotic places -- in the messiness, in the disorder, in so many Bible stories where people were curious or defiant or reckless or brave.
With Mary, God spoke "out of the turbulent confusion of a maiden's womb," Andrews said. In his ministry Jesus entered chaos joyfully, creatively -- turning water into wine, healing the sick, welcoming questions, bringing new hope out of the "chaos of crucifixion."
Jesus, she said, "was recreating the cosmos."
LOUISVILLE -- At Manos de Cristo, a Presbyterian social service agency in Austin, Texas, 1,500 children come each summer for a back-to-school program. They are given clothes and school supplies, treated to some fun, introduced to stories from the Bible. The organizers hope to plant "a small seed that will grow and one day lead to complete transformation," said Lydia Hernandez, a Presbyterian minister who's the agency's executive director.
That's what Hernandez hopes for Presbyterians everywhere too: complete transformation.
LOUISVILLE -- Diversity is one of the daily themes of Presbyterian Women's 2006 Gathering, meeting July 7 to 11 in Kentucky. But how Christians -- who teach that faith in Jesus Christ is central to salvation -- should interact with those of other religious traditions is not something on which all Presbyterians agree.
Kikanza Nuri Robins, a Presbyterian minister from California, https://www.kikanzanurirobins.com spoke from her own personal experience during the morning plenary session on July 8 -- and she encouraged the 3,000 women at this gathering to bring to the table those from other religious traditions and to value diverse spiritualities.
Robins, an organizational development consultant, is the author of the 2007-2008 Bible Study for Horizons on the gospel of Luke. She also has been a consultant to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s national staff on issues of cultural proficiency.
Since the 217th General Assembly adopted the Authoritative Interpretation proposed by the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church, the Stated Clerk's Office has been asked by many Presbyterians to issue an Advisory Opinion (Standing Rule M.2.b.2).
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BIRMINGHAM -- Consider it a last chance before the big event for the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to make its case.
The morning of June 15, just before the General Assembly was to open for business, about 300 Presbyterians gathered for a three-hour "pre-assembly event" -- a chance to meet the 20 members of the task force; to ask questions; to hear a last pitch.
BIRMINGHAM -- Words of ecumenical understanding, reason, and balance from representatives of the three great faith groups of the Middle East challenged Presbyterians attend the pre-General Assembly "educational event" on the Middle East June 15.
A panel of speakers both presented their understandings of what is needed to address the problems in the Middle East--specifically between Palestinians and Israelis--and to respond to questions from the more than 200 persons attending.
O. Benjamin Sparks III, pastor, ecumenist, dedicated Presbyterian scholar, is the recipient of the Ernest Trice Thompson Award. He received the honor June 15 in Birmingham, Ala. at the Outlook's dinner held in conjunction with the 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
He currently serves as pastor of Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Va., where he has been pastor since 1982.
Ben with Jack Haberer (left), editor-in-chief of
The Presbyterian Outlook and (right)
William Stacy Johnson, Outlook Foundation Board chairman.
Correction
In the OUTLOOK issue for July 3, in the story "Sparks awarded 2006 Ernest Trice Thomson Award' recipient O. Benjamin Sparks recalls a discussion with Ernest Trice Thompson. One quotation from that story was inadvertently shortened. The last sentence should read: "This is a word to the church", Ben Sparks concluded, "at a time 'so full of peril and promise.'"
Joan Gray, a pastor from Atlanta, Ga., is the new moderator-elect of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She was elected June 15 at the beginning of the 217th PC(USA) General Assembly. She will serve a two-year term along with vice moderator-elect Robert Ervin Wilson of Huntsville, Ala.
Photo credit line(s) Presbyterian Outlook photo(s)
BIRMINGHAM -- The 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has elected as its moderator Joan S. Gray -- a pastor from Atlanta who spoke of God making a way "where there was no way" and said her experience ministering to congregations in conflict would help her build bridges in a deeply divided denomination.
Gray, 53, was elected on the third round of balloting, winning 307 votes, or 62 percent of the votes cast. She prevailed over three other candidates, all of them pastors: Deborah Block of Milwaukee, who earned 152 votes on the final ballot (31 percent); H. Timothy Halverson of Cape Coral, Fla., with 20 votes (4 percent); and Kerry Carson of Conrad, Iowa, with 19 votes (4 percent).
In the first round of balloting, Block drew the most votes -- 143 (28 percent), compared with 139 for Gray (28 percent), 113 for Halverson (22 percent), and 109 for Carson (22 percent).
June P. Bucy, treasurer, Shenandoah Presbytery and elder, Massanutten Church, died on Wednesday, June 28, 2006, at her home at Massanetta Springs, Virginia. Her husband, the Rev. Dr. Ralph Bucy, and sons Tommy and Flynn were all with her at the time of her death. June was diagnosed with cancer in March and was under the care of hospice for several months.
A memorial service has been tentatively set for Saturday, July 8, 2006, 2:00pm, at Massanutten Church in Penn Laird, Va. No other information is available at this time, but further details will be given as they become available.
Your prayers are greatly appreciated for Ralph and for her family at this time of great loss.
LOUISVILLE -- Membership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) declined by more than 2 percent in 2005, but total giving to the church increased by more than 5 percent, topping $3 billion for the first time.
According to figures released June 2 by the Office of the General Assembly, PC(USA) "communicant" membership at the end of last year totaled 2,313,662 -- a decline of 48,474 or 2.05 percent from 2004. Including 318,291 baptized but not confirmed members and 466,889 inactive members, total PC(USA) membership stands at 3.1 million.
But Presbyterians are giving to the church at record levels. "Giving to the church is up substantially in every category and at every level of the church's life," noted General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick in a prepared statement released with the statistical report.
Some people who've been around the block a few times have a sense the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) -- which lost 48,400 members in 2005, it was just announced -- may be in a time of transition.
There will be new leadership, perhaps a new approach for sorting out the disagreements over ordaining gays and lesbians. There are questions of how a mainline Protestant denomination, declining in influence, older and less diverse than the surrounding culture, can continue to be a voice worth listening to on issues ranging from immigration to Iraq.
There's a lot at stake in Birmingham, according to some Presbyterians. They were coming to Alabama full of both pent-up anxiety and hope -- and with a sense that this assembly could be critical in shaping the future direction of the PC(USA.)
To them, things feel a little different this time around.
Editor's Note: Responding to the General Assembly Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity, these essays attempt to give voice to the center of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The essays seek a place where all sides can meet--without compromising the Gospel--and move forward together.
The Trinity is a fitting topic for this series. The early Christians faced a crisis concerning who Jesus Christ is in relation to God. Perceiving that the Gospel itself was at risk in this question, they redefined the moment in terms of the Trinity and rallied the whole Church around it, then and now. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) faces such a defining moment today. Perhaps now is a time to reaffirm the Trinity as the "summary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" (report to Birmingham GA, p. 3). This essay covers (1) the Biblical origins of the Trinity, the trinitarian affirmations about (2) Jesus Christ and (3) the Spirit, and (4) the interconnections among the three "persons."
BIRMINGHAM -- The General Assembly has set a per capita rate of $5.79 cents per active member for 2007 and the same rate for 2008.
That reflects an increase of seven cents per member over what had been projected coming into the assembly -- and takes into accounts new spending this assembly has authorized.
On its final morning, the 217th General Assembly also heard some bad news regarding the continuing shrinking of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
BIRMINGHAM -- The Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations considered an overture that wanted to affirm the "common Abrahamic heritage" of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, submitted by Newton presbytery.
BIRMINGHAM -- Questions have been raised about whether Stanley W. Anderson, a Denver businessman who's promised the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) a $150 million gift -- one of the largest private gifts ever from an individual to a denomination -- has the financial resources to deliver on the pledge.
The Denver Post, Anderson's hometown newspaper, has reported that public records show Anderson has not paid his mortgages, dental bills and fees to his homeowners' association, and that he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to creditors (link to article).
BIRMINGHAM -- In a day filled with talk about Israel and Darfur, abortion and immigration, it was easy to overlook some less-flashy issues related to the internal workings of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
But the General Assembly did take time on June 21 to vote on polity issues -- including an overture raising the question of whether a congregation that wants to leave the denomination can take its property with it.
CORRECTION:
An Outlook story posted during the General Assembly in Birmingham reported that the G. A. voted 252 to 232 not to approve an overture from Stockton presbytery, which asked that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s constitution be amended to say that a congregation's property "is the sole property of that church" except when financial assistance the denomination provides creates a lien on the property.
That vote actually was the margin by which the assembly removed a comment that had been added by the assembly's Committee on Church Polity. That amendment would have said, in part, "the church is not a voluntary association of those who share the same opinions but is an organic body called into existence by God."
The assembly's vote not to approve the Stockton overture was 378-112.
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| Poet Ann Weems with artist Becky Bane painting in the background | Dancers led by Dianne Wright, far left |
Outlook photos by Erin Dunigan
BIRMINGHAM -"Our intent in putting together this service was not to neglect words, but to add color to them and involve all of the senses in order to represent the creativity that women bring," said Mary Elva Smith, Women's Ministries Associate Director for the PCUSA. That intent became reality on Monday night in a service celebrating the ordination of women, a service which wove together poetry, painting, and song.
I would never have imagined myself engaged in specifically women's ministry, continued Smith. I began in Christian Education and enjoyed working with every age, with men and women. It was not until I attended a worship service that was planned and lead by women that I realized women offered things differently. For me, that opened the door. It's the balance that the church needs. We don't want to discount order and words, but to add to them and make them more real. In planning this service we didn't neglect words, but added color and involved all of the senses. We wanted to express the creativity that women bring, and use various pieces together to make a whole.
Commissioners at the Tuesday morning session have approved certain changes in the Book of Order and manuals so they reflect the restructuring of the General Assembly Council. The changes were recommended to the General Assembly by the Mission Coordination Committee.
They include changes in the Book of Order, Manual of Operations, Organization for Mission to reflect those changes. Also approved was the granting of latitude to the General Assembly Nominating Committee in adjusting to the changes on restructuring.
BIRMINGHAM - The Presbyterian Writers Guild held is traditional meeting at the General Assembly at noon Tuesday, focusing on honoring members of special distinction.
The Rev. Gayraud S. Wilmore, retired theologian and author focusing on African-American religion was presented the 2005-06 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award. The honor is given every two years to recognize the cumulative work and influence of a Presbyterian writer.
Wilmore, theologian and seminary professor, is also the author of 18 books and numerous articles, including "Black Religion and Black Radicalism: An Interpretation of the Religious History of African Americans." His most recent book is "Pragmatic Spirituality: The Christian Faith Through an Africentric Lens." He is and ordained Presbyterian minister.
Wilmore was cited for his scholarly efforts and actions in the cause of racial and social justice. He stands alone in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in speaking to what it means to be black and Presbyterian, Guild Vice President Jerry Van Marter, coordinator of Presbyterian News Service, told the gathering.
Poet W. Barrie Shepherd received the Lifetime Achievement Award in absentia with fellow poet and friend Ann Weems accepted on his behalf. She said whenever Shepherd sends her his poems to read and comment, her reaction always is, "Darn, I wish I'd written it!" She commended to the gathering Shepherd's latest book, "What Ever Happened to Delight," The word for both Shepherd's book and poems is "stellar," she said.
Laurel McKay Horton was acknowledged as the 2005 recipient of the Jim Angell Award for her book, "Mary Black's Family Quilts: Memory and Meaning in Everyday Life." The Angell Award is presented annually by the Guild to the most outstanding first book by a Presbyterian in the previous year.
BIRMINGHAM -- The General Assembly has voted not to recommend any changes in the ordination standards of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) regarding sexuality -- a vote that follows the lead of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the PC(USA).
The task force had asked that no effort be made now to change the ordination standards -- in part to give the denomination time to live into the changes the task force report will bring.
When moderator Rick Ufford-Chase called the 217th General Assembly to order on June 15 in Birmingham, it seemed both familiar and a little strange.
It's been two years since the last assembly met -- a big change for a denomination that's held annual national meetings since kingdom come. So what are people saying about how well every-other-year assemblies are working?
For starters, it may be too soon to tell. John Detterick, retiring executive director of the General Assembly Council, said in an interview:
BIRMINGHAM -- The General Assembly Procedures Committee turned back concerted efforts to overturn the plan of the Committee on the General Assembly to close the office of the Presbyterian Historical Society at Montreat, N.C.
COGA's recommendation, to move the historical materials presently housed in Montreat to the central facility in Philadelphia, will be considered for final action by the whole General Assembly on June 21.
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