Closing down the joint...

June 20

With all of the business before us, and the controversial nature of some of it, it is amazing that we have stayed relatively on schedule. Today still has the potential to be a long one, with Mid Councils, divestment, and who knows what else we still have to cover. But I’ll take the respectful attitude that has brought us thus far for the rest of the day, no matter how long it takes.

So…eight synods?....ten to twelve synods?...one synod or no synods? Each of those was raised as a possibility this morning, from overture, committee, or amendment. Ultimately the Mid Council Report presented on the floor, amended from its original wording, a proposal for ten to twelve synods (one of these would prove to be the Boriquen Synod of Puerto Rico). It was a prolonged debate, but finally the prevailing opinion, 78%-22%. Our own Synod of the Trinity (PA and parts of OH and WV) and the Synod of the Northeast (NJ to the tip of Maine] have been in conversation for several years, with leadership and commissioners attending one another’s meetings. Whether that becomes a partnership to meet the demands of the GA action, I can’t say.

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A little humor: a lengthy minority report or amendment was presented, but was unavailable for viewing. At one point, on the big screen where new wording is presented, the following suddenly appeared: “We are still working on it.”

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As some of you know, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” is perhaps my favorite hymn, and certainly one identified for my Service Witnessing to the Resurrection, though I hope it doesn’t come too soon. I’ve recently heard the Presbybop Quartet play it twice, and now today, hearing hundreds sing it…it is common enough to hear people say “I can die now.” I say “Now I don’t have to die for a long time!”

The Mid Council Committee continued, a different but similarly difficult issue came before us. There are three Hanmi Korean Presbyteries, that is non-geographic presbyteries made up of Korean-speaking congregations. There are over 250 Korean congregations, like our own Korean Church of the Lehigh Valley, which are part of geographic presbyteries like Lehigh. There are fewer than 175 Korean congregations that are part of these three Korean- language presbyteries. Regrettably, the Western Hanmi Presbytery has had a series of issues that have escalated not only to higher levels of the church, but also the legal system, all the way to the US Supreme Court. While passionate statements were made speaking to the value of common culture and language in a Presbytery, the symptoms and stories of brokenness were compelling, resulting in a 92%-8% vote of dissolution of the Western Hanmi Presbytery; its churches will now be part of the geographic presbyteries in which they reside.

After lunch, a primary spokesperson on behalf of maintaining the Hanmi Presbytery addressed the Assembly, stating that despite the differences of opinion and the sadness felt, he and those whom he represents wanted to thank everyone for faithful way in which the was decision reached. The Assembly responded to his graciousness with a standing ovation.

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We must have appeared to be tired…or someone had just promised that the Young Adult Advisory Delegates would get their chance to lead energizers…but folks were invited to stand up and get moving. As I’m still recovering from PYT last year (#yeahJesus !) I was grateful to rise in spirit if not body. In fact, the later into the week we go, the more my spirit is getting up and the less my body! Keeping my eyes open and my head upright seems to be exercise enough! A good reason not to be moderator or vice-moderator: you HAVE to do these energizers!

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Very powerful preaching and speaking at this Assembly overall, and again today. Luke Powery, Dean of Chapel, Duke Divinity School preached on the baptism of Jesus, and in particular, John the Baptist’s unusually aggressive approach and how it attracted so many people, people who came not only to pray but to do, asking “What would you have us do?” A self-identified “Bapto-Pentecostal,” it was a rousing and prophetic message to all of us. Then after lunch, the Director of the PCUSA Washington Office, J. Herbert Nelson, offered a prophetic message of his own reminding us of God’s call on the church to stand for justice.

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Prayers abound, for

Mike Cole’s son, whose son is being treated in Australia for an as-yet undiagnosed medical concern. Mike is the TP-type in a Texas presbytery.

Rev. Alva, Peruvian Ecumenical Advisory Delegate, whose wife died unexpectedly this morning. She was also a leader in the Peruvian church.

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Boy, much of the time gained has been lost, as we continue to tackle fossil fuel divestment. How much electricity did we use during that debate?

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Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. The Middle East Issues Committee is now before us.

I encourage you to visit www.PC-Biz.org for the results on these complicated matters.

A series of amendments on both main (amended in committee to include divestment) and substitute motion (no divestment) are being made. While maintaining divestment as one of several actions, it feels like these amendments, which have largely been accepted, are meant to soften the hardness/harshness toward Israel and Jewish brothers and sisters. “This is not about Israel, it is about American companies”; “we wish to maintain dialogue with Jews, Muslims, and Palestinian Christians”; “maintain investments in companies engaged in Middle East trade, but shift from the three targeted companies to those seeking peaceful solutions.”

It took us hours. It took us to dinner, and then after dinner. It took us through a minority report, amendments, all kinds of polity gyrations. And finally, it was 51%-49% on an action that included many things in addition to divestment, but all anyone is going to remember is divestment, unless we work very hard to help them remember more than that.

The PC(USA) has a long standing commitment to peace in Israel and Palestine. We recognize the complexity of the issues, the decades-long struggle, the pain suffered and inflicted by policies and practices of both the Israeli government and Palestinian entities. We further acknowledge and confess our own complicity in both the historic and current suffering of Israeli and Palestinian yearning for justice and reconciliation, the 221st General Assembly (2014) recommends the following:
     "[1.  Reaffirm Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation within secure and internationally recognized borders in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.]
     "[1.][2.]   Declare its commitment to a [negotiated] two-state solution [(two states for two peoples)] in which a secure and universally recognized State of Israel lives alongside a free, viable, and secure state for the Palestinian people.
      "[2.][3.]     Reject any proposed divestment and economic sanctions against the state of Israel or any application of the PC(USA)’s corporate engagement policies toward such ends.] [Instruct the Presbyterian Foundation and the Board of Pensions of the PC(U.S.A.), to divest from Caterpillar, Inc., Hewlett-Packard, and Motorola Solutions, in accord with our church’s decades-long socially responsible investment (SRI) history, and not to reinvest in these companies until the Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee of the PC(USA) is fully satisfied that product sales and services by these companies are no longer in conflict with our church investment policy. This action on divestment does not mean an alignment with the overall strategy is not to be construed or represented by any organization of the PC(USA) as divestment from the State of Israel, or an alignment with or endorsement of the global BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanctions) movement.]
    "[3.][4.] Reaffirm PC(USA)’s commitment to interfaith dialog and partnerships with the American Jewish, Muslim friends and Palestinian Christians and call for all presbyteries and congregations within the PC(USA) to include interfaith dialogue and relationship-building as part of their own engagement in working for a just peace.
     "[4.][5.]   Call for all foreign aid given by the U.S. government—including aid to Israel and the Palestinian Authority—to be comprehensively and transparently accounted to the American people and held to the same standards of compliance with all applicable laws.
     "[5.][6.]   Call for church advocacy for foreign-aid accountability to be directed toward its universal adherence rather than targeted for selective application to some recipients and not others.
     "[6.][7.]    Encourage Presbyterians to travel to the Holy Land, and give broad support to the Christian, [Jewish, and Muslim] communities throughout the Middle East.
     "[7.][8.]    Affirm the importance of economic measures and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians that support and advance a negotiated two-state solution. [To that end, the 221st General Assembly (2014) does not endorse boycotts of Israeli or Palestinian products.]
     "[8.][9.]    Urge all church institutions to give careful consideration to possible investments in Israel-Palestine that advance peace and improve the lives of Palestinians and Israelis."

A new meaning to connectional church: a Mid Council friend texted me during the close of the Middle East Issues report, suggesting we pray for the three Israeli teenagers kidnapped last week. He was unable to speak to the Assembly, but his thoughtfulness could be communicated through me to the Assembly. If someone was to tell me how to vote, I’d delete every message they sent without reading it. If someone is going to ask me to pray, I’m going to pay attention.

Maybe it is a week of long nights and early mornings, maybe it the business and emotional energy of the past days, but I am petering out, and I’m not alone. A few more quick notes are all I have left in me.

Good news for those with church to church partnerships with Cuba. Go to PC-Biz and look to Committee 11, and/or contact YAAD Chris Palmer, a member of that committee, through the Presbytery office

An overture on sexual violence in the military was approved, and three Young Adult Advisory Delegates were singled out for their particular efforts. Chris Palmer, our YAAD who was on that committee, didn’t go into detail, but it was clear in speaking with him that what they did was impressive.

We finished at midnight, and seconds after the closing prayer the lights went off in the hall. Strobe lights flashed slowly and “Happy” played in the background. I said to someone that if they tossed those beach balls tonight they would have rolled on the floor until their momentum ran out. No one had the strength even to kick.

"It helps, now and then to step back and take the long view"

June 19

A full day, to say the least. Mid-morning we entered into ninety minutes of conversation on marriage equality and divestment. We heard of presbyteries, like Lehigh, which have built community conversation into our presbytery meetings and especially before voting on controversial issues. As I have seen many times in our presbytery, if the questions don’t fit, people take them the opportunity to go where they feel led to go. It was good to hear from folks with whom I’ve never discussed these matters. We heard honest questions and struggles and disagreements.

Worship was quite thought-provoking. The preacher, The Rev. Anne Zaki, is a professor at the Theological Seminary of Cairo, which of course led me to think of the Revs. Barty Abdelnour and Sameh Shaker, Commissioned Ruling Elder Moufid Khoury, and all of our brothers and sisters in the Christian Evangelical Arabic Center and Arabic Fellowship of First Presbyterian Church of Allentown. Rev. Zaki’s sermon was grounded in Mark 5:24-34, Jairus’ daughter and the hemorrhaging woman. To be honest, it was so thought-provoking that I couldn’t give you her content without mixing it with my own reflection on her words.

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

It doesn’t help that there have SO MANY words. This is a hard place to be an introvert. There is much talk, not much space, a few meals when I’ve been able to “escape,” but most others are group meals, or rare opportunities to meet with friends, colleagues, or key contacts throughout the PCUSA.

Civil Union and Marriage Issues presented its report, which came down to a handful of actions frequently in duplicate. The Lehigh overture came up second, and after the committee’s response I wrestled with whether to speak to it all. Finally, I offered the following;
As a Stated Clerk, I do not know why this action was pulled from the consent docket. But as the writer of the overture I am glad to speak in favor of it.

Throughout this week, in the halls, in the committee, in small groups and in plenary, again and again the tangled relationship between church and state in regard to marriage has been recognized.

We have an opportunity to claim our identity as ambassadors for Christ rather than agents of the state. I would encourage the commissioners to vote in favor of this overture, to re-examine how we have bought into cultural norms that are longstanding but not eternal, and whether these norms in any way hinder our ability to contribute to the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God.

I was pleasantly surprised to have the support of about twenty advisory delegates (whether theological, young adult, missionary, and ecumenical), and 141 commissioners in support. Though I was neither shocked nor disappointed by the outcome, I do want to thank those who have reminded me, or demonstrated it, that seeds have been planted. I was reminded of a prayer offered by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, martyr of the church, which I think is a good prayer for all of us to remember, at GA, in our presbytery and congregations, and in our lives:

It helps, now and then to step back and take the long view. 

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,

it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime

only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is in God's work.

Nothing we do is complete,

which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.

No prayer fully expresses our faith.

No confession brings perfection,

and no pastoral visit brings wholeness.

No program accomplishes the church's mission. 

No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

That is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,

but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

Amen.

We then entered into some of the most difficult business and discussion we are likely to encounter, in this or any General Assembly. We began with an Authoritative Interpretation that reads:

 “'Worship is a central element of the pastoral care of the people of God (W-6.3001, W-6.3010) in which a teaching elder’s discernment of the leading of the Holy Spirit is indispensable. The necessity of ensuring the exercise of freedom of conscience in the interpretation of Scripture (G-2.0105) in the planning and leadership of worship has deep roots in our Reformed tradition and theology. Because a service of marriage is one form of such worship, when a couple requests the involvement of the church in solemnizing their marriage as permitted by the laws [of the civil jurisdiction in which the marriage is to take place] [of the place where the couple seek to be married], teaching elders* have the pastoral responsibility to assess the capabilities, intentions, and readiness of the couple to be married (W-4.9002), and the freedom of conscience in the interpretation of Scripture (G-2.0105) to participate in any such marriage they believe the Holy Spirit calls them to perform.
     "'Exercising such discretion and freedom of conscience under the prayerful guidance of Scripture, teaching elders may conduct a marriage service for any such couple in the place where the community gathers for worship, [if]  [so long as it is] approved by the session; or in such other place as may be suitable for a service of Christian worship. In no case shall any teaching elder’s conscience be bound to conduct any marriage service for any couple except by his or her understanding of the Word, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. The authoritative interpretation of this section by the 203rd General Assembly (1991) (Minutes, 1991, Part I, p. 395, paragraphs 21.124–128), and the subsequent authoritative interpretations of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission relying upon it, are withdrawn and replaced with this authoritative interpretation.'

Apart from a flare-up or two, the moderator’s call for the Assembly to be respectful of one another was heeded, and in the end, it was approved 61%-39%. For those who wonder what the point of study and prayer and dialogue are, I am proof that it matters: my position on AIs is more nuanced now than it was. I am not entirely sold on them, but I am less opposed to them.

We then moved on to Amendment 10-02, ultimately with the insertion of the words “traditionally between a man and a woman,” suggested by moderatorial candidate John Wilkinson, who visited Lehigh Presbytery with Jack Haberer as part of the Peace, Unity, and Purity (PUP) report.

I think it is important that you see the approved text in its entirety:

 “Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage, traditionally between a man and a woman, involves a unique commitment between two people to love and support each other for the rest of their lives. The sacrificial love that unites the couple sustains them as faithful and responsible members of the church and the wider community.
“In civil law, marriage is a contract that recognizes the rights and obligations of the married couple in society. In the Reformed tradition, marriage is also a covenant in which God has an active part, and which the community of faith publicly witnesses and acknowledges.
“If they meet the requirements of the civil jurisdiction in which they intend to marry, a couple may request that a service of Christian marriage be conducted by a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), who is authorized, though not required, to act as an agent of the civil jurisdiction in recording the marriage contract. A couple requesting a service of Christian marriage shall receive instruction from the teaching elder, who shall agree to the couple’s request only if, in the judgment of the teaching elder, the couple demonstrate sufficient understanding of the nature of the marriage covenant and commitment to living their lives together according to its values. In making this decision, the teaching elder may seek the counsel of the session, which has authority to permit or deny the use of church property for a marriage service.
“The marriage service shall be conducted in a manner appropriate to this covenant and to the forms of Reformed worship, under the direction of the teaching elder and the supervision of the session (W-1.4004–.4006). In a service of marriage, the couple marry each other by exchanging mutual promises. The teaching elder witnesses the couple’s promises and pronounces God’s blessing upon their union. The community of faith pledges to support the couple in upholding their promises; prayers may be offered for the couple, for the communities that support them, and for all who seek to live in faithfulness.
“A service of worship recognizing a civil marriage and confirming it in the community of faith may be appropriate when requested by the couple. The service will be similar to the marriage service except that the statements made shall reflect the fact that the couple is already married to one another according to the laws of the civil jurisdiction.”

This overture, which passed 71%-29%, may raise questions which an upcoming FAQ sheet hopes to answer. I’ll get it out to the Presbytery as soon as I receive them.

Subsequently new business was introduced, calling for a way to introduce reconciliation for the unity of the church; the exact language is tabled for the moment, but Barbara Lucia, Teaching Elder Commissioner and interim pastor of Hope of Christ Church spoke to the prevailing position. Later she raised a question in regard to another overture concerning children “who are unwanted by human society.”

One of the more interesting, if no less challenging items of business, came from the Ecumenical and Interfaith Committee. After approving an extensive report on interfaith relations, we turned to debate on whether/how to distinguish between the biblical and modern state of Israel, especially but not only in music and liturgy. When we read Scripture or sing hymns regarding “Israel,” what are we referring to, and what does this language imply? Ultimately, while it was agreed that this is a matter for further exploration, the report proposing the action was deemed insufficient and it was voted down.

While we still had time together, we were able to have a group photo taken:

Back Row                                                       Jack Felch           Barbara Lucia

Front Row                          Chris Palmer     Chris Dudley      Steve Shussett

After a series of actions, the moderator suggested that we have our closing prayer before the last item of business. Unusual, but… We learned of initiatives related to the New Worshiping Communities which I look forward to sharing with you upon my return, one of which is the recommendation to pray at 10:02AM (although apparently PM will do as well!): “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

And then? Then anything but decently and in order!

Beachballs, 248 of them at least, representing each of the New Worshiping Communities thus far, were bounced all over the meeting hall, to the tune of …what else?...”Happy”! I am sure that many of you will be disappointed, but even your Stated Clerk and Parliamentarian got into the act! Sorry, Jack, but what happens in Detroit doesn’t always stay in Detroit!

At the end of a very long, often very stressful day, it was good to celebrate and have some fun, and end earlier than anyone could have expected.

Supper’s On…off…on again

June 18

An early start to the day after a late end to the last one. Because we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper each day, more people than usual are needed to serve the elements. The Executive Presbyter of Detroit Presbytery, and former associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, invited those of us in Mid Council ministry to participate. Given how rare it can be for exec-types (I should say “TP-types) to be asked to do things at the Assembly (more on that later), I was keen to volunteer. Unfortunately it meant leaving the hotel before 7am to get to the convention center for training and the movement of juice-filled chalices and bread-laden plates.

It was a night full of thunderstorms, and the day only suggested more. Streets were flooded, affecting both worshipers and Communion servers. And like any worship service, particularly a mid-week one in the middle of summer, you don’t know whether attendance will reflect Easter Sunday or…. mid-week in the middle of summer. Complicating matters, if you think filling a large sanctuary is a challenge when it holds a thousand people, try filling a convention center designed for thousands! Understandably, folks were invited to move forward, meaning that those of us who were instructed to serve in the bleachers had no one to serve!

Except by the time we got to Communion, enough latecomers had arrived that we actually had a good number of folks to serve. Like the ebb and flow of church attendance, through the year and over the years, some days we can look out and hear Jesus ask, “Who is your neighbor?” and wonder if anyone is out there. But if we look again, we can see they are there, we can hear the call the serve. But we have to look, we have to listen, we have to be equipped and ready.

We have been singing some wonderful pieces, many from the new Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God. Having provided it in several colors, no longer can we just say “the red one” or “the blue one,” or the green one that came in-between. There is a tremendous range of hymns, traditional and more contemporary, rousing and contemplative, Anglo and majority world. On a personal note, I’m particularly glad for the last. I am grateful that many of our congregations make an effort to include music from around the world, but it seemed like we used the same hymns over and over again. Glory to God provides a whole new selection of hymns that speak to the broader human experience.

I mentioned earlier that it is rare for TP-types to be asked to do things at the Assembly. From my admittedly limited perspective, the best of times, the worst of times:

As I walked into the plenary hall, a young man stopped me, “I’ve seen you outside Committee 10.” “Okay,” I thought, hearing an urgency in his voice, “here is someone who didn’t like the Lehigh overture.” But I was wrong. “I saw your ribbon, the one that says ‘Presence Keeper.’ What does that mean?” I explained that it is a group of Mid Council leaders who commit to praying for committees for an hour or two a day, and to make sure that the plenary sessions are prayed for in their entirety. Earnestly, he said, “Thank you. Thank you. I know that we could not have had the kind of civil debate, Christian disagreement, without people like you praying for us.” Shaking my hand, he said one last time, “Thank you.”

On the other hand, it was proposed that Mid Council leaders have voice in committee and plenary — not once, but twice, in two different ways. The first time was when the voting chaos was taking place on Sunday night, and so a decision made by voice or hand vote (Sunday was a long time ago!) was challenged. It was defeated, an alternative was proposed, and the committee recommended against having TP-types and Stated Clerks being given the right to speak. This time there was more opportunity to speak on the floor this time, and as one of only two TP-types who are also commissioners, I felt I had to speak on behalf of my colleagues. I suggested that those of us who are in Mid Council ministry are in a unique position to speak on matters before the church: we are closer to congregations than synods, but have a balcony view on congregations.

Things are improving for me. The action was resoundingly defeated, but at least I wasn’t shut out this time!

We accomplished a lot this afternoon and evening, but at a certain point we hit a wall. A number of challenging issues arose for which advice from constitutional and legal authority was felt necessary. Now we will re-visit them tomorrow, along with trying to address the already scheduled items, such as same-sex marriage. Time to invest in a little caffeine, I think.

But to close on a positive note, one of the items that passed today is 14-03 “Living Missionally.” I think we’ll be hearing more about this in the Presbytery, but for now look at these objectives and just think, “How could this be us?”

• Every congregation would determine a number of volunteers and volunteer hours they would commit to their community

and fulfill that commitment for the year;

• Adopt a community in need of refurbishing in the U.S.;

• Actively engage youth and young adults in volunteer opportunities;

• Support young adults and others called to serve in God’s mission in the U.S. and abroad;

• “Re-presenting” Christ in their everyday lives through normal, day-to-day interactions with friends, family members and colleagues.

• Support the Living Missionally initiative in prayer

• Actively engaging at least 1,000 PC(USA) congregations each year (2014 – 2016) to focus on becoming “Missional Churches” through acts of service in communities around the world