Key Topics on final afternoon/evening: Administrative housekeeping, Interchurch Relations, Chaplains Commission, Budgets, Common Songbook, Elections, and Plans for 2012

July 30, Afternoon

Early in the afternoon, Synod dealt with procedural matters. With minor amendments, Synod acceded to Overture 11 to amend Article 32 and Appendix 4 of Church Order. Ratification by the consistories shall be completed by March 15, 2011. Synod adopted the Regulations for Synodical Procedure as amended (minor amendments) and declared that the answer to Overture 4, Overture 10, and Recommendation 2 of the CERCU report. It also voted that these procedures will be on the federation’s website.

The committee on credentials was up next. The recommendations of the advisory committee that were adopted were that Synod declare the credentials to be in order while noting that 14 congregations sent only one delegate and two sent no delegates, with regret, that the report of the convening consistory is received, not to accede to Overture 9 (which aimed to instruct the Stated Clerk to make the information in the directory available to one or more organizations for the publication of the directory in a booklet format), that Synod not accede to the Stated Clerk’s interim report recommendation 2 that Synod should determine what information is to be published in a directory or a yearbook, that Synod refer the Stated Clerk’s interim report, appendix 1, rec. 3 concerning a consistent policy on how to categorize emeritus ministers who are listed as associate ministers to Advisory Committee 4, that Synod accept the all outstanding reports of the Stated Clerk, that Synod accede to Overture 17 amended to be 180 days instead of 90, and that Synod acknowledge with appreciation the receipt of two letters from the CanRC.

The committee dealing with the CECCA Report (The Committee for Ecumenical Contact with Churches Abroad) was next to bat. The Synod voted to enter into ecclesiastical fellowship (phase two) with the Reformed Church of New Zealand.

While the advisory committee recommended to follow the advice of CECCA to also enter into ecclesiastical fellowship (phase two) with the Reformed Churches in South Africa (GKSA), there was widespread concern with the GKSA interpretation of Scripture and the confessions that they would allow women in the office of deacon as well as their ecumenical relationship with the Christian Reformed Church. The representative of the GKSA responded that the office of deacon in the GKSA is not the equivalent of the office of deacon in the URCNA.

An attempt was made to table the issue but it failed. Ultimately, the recommendation was rejected. Synod voted to remain in phase one ecumenical contact with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN[v]), and enter into that same phase one contact with the United Reformed Church of Congo (CRCC) and the Calvinistic Reformed Church in Indonesia. Rev. Dick Moes was appointed to serve as a delegate to the next ICRC meeting and Rev. Paul Ipema as second delegate. Synod has also agreed to inform the ICRC that the URCNA is willing to host the 2017 meeting of the ICRC. Rev. Ray Sikkema was appointed CECCA member-at-large.

Overture 2, Emeritation of Ministers: The advisory committee recommended to revise CO Article 10 to remove “” and add, instead, “The emeritation of a minister shall take place with the approval of his consistory and with the concurring advice of classis, which shall include consideration of his financial needs and credentials.” A delegate reminded those assembled that the historically regulation has been that the church will take care of a pastor until the day he dies. There was no clear consensus on this and, ultimately, it was referred back to committee for more work.

July 30, Evening

The PRJC (Presbyterian and Reformed Joint Commission on Chaplains and Military Personnel) recommended that Synod direct the Stated Clerk to the United States Armed Forces officials in accordance with the beliefs of the URCNA, urging them to maintain the current policy on homosexuals serving in the military.

The Synod did approve of this recommendation as well as appointing Faith URC of Beecher, IL to send one observer in two years to the PRJC meeting, direct the Stated Clerk to give contact information of the URCNA to the PRJC.

The committee dealing with the emeritation of Ministers (Overture 2) returned for another whack at a recommendation on this overture. Earlier in the day their recommendations had not been satisfactory to the Synod and it had voted to send it back to committee. The new proposal of the committee is to have Synod appoint an Ad Hoc committee with the mandate to study and report on the:
Status of an emeriti Minister’s credentials
Status of membership upon their emeritation
The role of Consistory, Classis, and Synod in these matters
Financial support of emeriti Ministers
The bearing of potential dissolution of a congregation and/or implementation of Church Order Article 11, or a geographical move on the above items
Review of previous Synodical decisions and CO related to the above items
How the above mentioned matters are interconnected.
The proposed committee membership is Rev. Harold Miller (chairman), Elder Mark Van der Meulen, Rev. Hank Van der Woerd (reporter), Rev. Dennis Royall, Rev. Joel Dykstra, and Elder Art Miedema. The committee will report at the next Synod.

The Synod turned to financial matters. The committee created a spreadsheet depicting total budget including committees. An honorarium of $3,000 was approved for the treasurer. The 2007 Synodical budget was $31,725. The 2010 Synodical Yearly Average Budget was $55,885.

Committee 7 (Overture 13) returned to the podium yet again for their fourth try. Delegates continued to express concern on both sides of the issue as passionately as they had throughout the week. When the question was called, delegates applauded. Their new recommendations and results:

1. That Synod accede to Overture 13 as follows: to conclude the mandate of the Songbook Committee to produce a common songbook with the Canadian Reformed Churches (CanRC) for use in the federation. ADOPTED

2. That Synod remind the Songbook Committee that they be in dialogue with the CanRC in a manner consistent with Phase 2 relations. ADOPTED

3. That Synod declare that recommendations 1 and 2 above and the actions already adopted by Synod regarding the Theological Education Committee and the Joint Church Order Committee constitute its answer to Overture 13. ADOPTED

The Synod’s final work was to go into executive session to deal with judicial appeals.

Plans for 2012

After completion of judicial business, the final acts of Synod London were elect Clerks and determine a place for 2012 Synod.

Nominees for Stated Clerk were Bradd Nymeyer and Adrian Dillon. Mr. Nymeyer was elected.

Nominees for Alternate Stated Clerk were Ralph Pontier and Dennis Royall. Mr. Royall was elected.

By common consent with only one nominee, Mr. Gary Fisher was elected as Webmaster.

Proposed locations for the 2012 Synod were Visalia, CA and Pompton Plains, NJ.
The next Synod will be held in Pompton Plains, NJ in June of 2012.

The Aquila Report received permission from the coordinator of the Web Log that is reporting on the URCNA synod in London, Ontario, Canada on the campus of the University of Western Ontario. We are indeed grateful for the hard work of the unofficial blogger (who has chosen to remain publically nameless).
These are edited extracts from the Blog. For more details visit: http://urcnasynodreports.wordpress.com/