1.  Divestment defeated by two votes!  2.  No conscience relief for Pro-Life supporters; 3.  Attempts to allow congregations to keep property fail;  4. Highlights of ‘powerful’ Thursday night worship; 5. Adoption of ‘wide range; of social justice issues (including stop spanking children!)

Since The Aquila Report has limited staff and budget, we are unable to cover the PCUSA General Assembly.  Our good friends at the Layman are there in force, even adding a new writer just for the occasion.  We will be providing daily ‘teases’ and links to many interesting stories, such as:

Divestment defeated narrowly

Alan F.H. Wisdom, The Layman

In a stunning turnabout from committee action earlier this week, the General Assembly on July 5 turned aside a proposal to divest Presbyterian Church (USA) agency holdings in three corporations that supply non-lethal equipment to the Israeli military. Instead the assembly adopted a substitute motion that called for “active investment” in Palestinian development projects.

The commissioners’ vote to substitute “active investment” in place of divestment was a narrow 333-331. The final vote for the “active investment” motion was 369-290.

The divestment proposal came from the denomination’s Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI). MRTI chairman Brian Ellison identified for assembly commissioners the products at issue: construction equipment, communications equipment and biometric scanners, and surveillance equipment manufactured by Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard and Motorola Solutions, respectively. He narrated conversations over the course of eight years in which MRTI had tried to dissuade the three companies from supplying these products to the Israeli military. But “the dialogues have not produced results,” according to Ellison. MRTI recommended divestment because “divestment is the normal conclusion to our normal practice when engagement does not work.”

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No further relief of conscience for Pro-Lifers through alternate plan, but permission to converse with EPC & ECO

Carmen Fowler LaBerge, The Layman

The General Assembly took final action Thursday (July 5) on business related to the Board of Pensions (BOP), Presbyterian Publishing and the Presbyterian Foundation.

Three items of business generated debate but ultimately only one item resulted in a close vote.

Life

Item 20-02 on directing the BOP to provide a plan that would not pay for abortions except to save the mother’s life, was disapproved by a 438/178 vote.

A commissioner asked for clarification of the process of registering dissent, suggesting that he intended to do so. Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons explained that “you will find dissent forms with parliamentarians at each microphone. Fill it out. Turn it in. It goes to Bills & Overtures and if it is in order the dissent is recorded in the official minutes of the General Assembly.” Dissents were filed in relationship to item 20-02.

During the debate, teaching elder commissioner (TEC) from Western North Carolina presbytery, Bill Campbell spoke against the motion to disapprove, saying, “we are a body that claims our diversity” but on this matter the conscience of pro-life people in the PCUSA is bound. He said that “the current process for relief of conscience “is not working,” noting that if it were, this issue would not keep coming to the assembly year after year. Campbell, whose church participates in the current relief of conscience (ROC) program provided by the BOP for those who object to the coverage of abortions on demand for any reason under the denomination’s medical plan said, “The ROC process does not cover the issue. For many the taking of a life in the womb through abortion is murder.” If we know that some in our fellowship hold this conviction, Campbell argued, “That offense to some is worthy of a real relief of conscience.”

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By voice vote, General Assembly disapproves church property overtures

Paula R. Kincaid, The Layman

By a voice vote, the 220th General Assembly decided not approve two overtures that would have made it easier for congregations to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA) over theological differences.

Overtures 06-06 from Stockton Presbytery and 06-07 from Santa Barbara Presbytery both proposed that when there is a theological difference between a congregation and the presbytery, the property would revert to the congregation.

While the property would remain under the trust clause, it would be held on behalf of the congregation, not the denomination. The congregation must meet certain requirements, including:

• a 2/3 vote of the congregation for it to be able to take its property and leave the PCUSA
• all financial obligations must be resolved by the church before it could leave
• immunization for the presbytery and the congregation from civil lawsuits

Committee Moderator Emily Anderson of East Tennessee Presbytery said, in part, the reason for disapproval recommendation was that “the church is more than a building. We all know that.”

She continued that in almost every sense, church property represents the hopes and dreams of generations that there would be a Presbyterian presence in those cities. “We honor them by honoring the work they have done,” she said.

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James Kim, Lakewood, WA Pastor preaches: Assembly should bring its paralysis to Jesus

Carolyn Poteet, The Layman

“I believe that as our God sees this assembly struggling, what our church needs from you isn’t more declarations and statements, but the singular commitment of people who are dedicated to bringing people to Jesus Christ,” said the Rev. James Kim, during his sermon at Thursday’s worship service at the 220th General Assembly.

Using the theme text of the week, Mark 2:1-12, Kim described the story of four faithful friends who knew that the only way to find healing for their friend was to go to “ridiculous” lengths to get the paralyzed man to Jesus. As the assembly also faced paralysis, he urged those gathered to come to Jesus, at whose hand healing and forgiveness could once again be found.

Tensions had been running high all morning Thursday at the assembly, but the gathered commissioners, observers and advisory delegates took a collective breath to quiet their hearts in worship just before lunch. Taizé songs opened the service, each of which had a strong message for the disquieted group: “Come and fill our hearts with your peace …,” “Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten. Those who seek God shall never go wanting,” and “Wait for the Lord, whose day is near, wait for the Lord, keep watch, take heart.” This was followed by one of the most beautiful hand-bell solos those in the press section had ever heard, a rendition of “Be Still My Soul,” performed by Sue Garton from Grove City, Pa. If music sooths the savage beast, this was certainly a gift to the troubled hearts of the assembly.

The Mark 2 passage was read by Jae Bond, a woman confined to a wheelchair. Having her read brought the passage to life in a poignant and powerful way.

Kim, former president of Presbyterians for Renewal, and teaching elder of the Little Church on the Prairie, in Lakewood, Wash., began by referring to a question once asked by John Ortberg from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. “Think about the sweep of Scripture,” he said. “When does God call someone just to give them an easy job?” The weary commissioners chuckled as Kim described first Noah’s call, and the sign he received, a rainbow, and then Abraham and the sign he received, circumcision. Abraham must have said, “Circum-what?!” Kim joked. “Noah got the rainbow–couldn’t we do like a secret handshake or something?”

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General Assembly adopts wide range of social justice issues (including stop spanking children!)

GA220 Communication Center

The 220th General Assembly today (July 5) passed a wide range of social justice policies and recommendations. The report of the GA Social Justice Issues committee was divided into a number of areas, including environmental justice, economic justice and safety and justice.

Debating whether to support a fifty-year farm bill that promotes sustainable agriculture, some commissioners spoke against any action that would add more economic burdens to stressed family farmers. But the Rev. Seth Svaty of South Kansas Presbytery said that as a fifth-generation family farmer, he understands economic pressures. “But this bill will promote the development of perennial grains that will make marginal land around the planet arable. But only if groups like ours support it,” he said.

The Assembly passed a resolution encouraging the use of discipline methods that do not include corporal punishment of children. It was opposed by the Rev. James Emig of Denver Presbytery, who said, “Most people know the difference between discipline and abuse. I would like us to trust parents that most of them can responsibly corporal punishment.”

[Editor’s note: Original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid, so the links have been removed.]