Assembly votes to send to presbyteries for their approval a revision of 6.0106b

The atmosphere was electric as the assembly prepared to vote on a complete the revision of 6.0106b. This revision removes the phrase, "Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness."

To be clear-the PCUSA has not removed 6.0106b. That change requires the affirmative vote of the majority of presbyteries. Over the next several months all presbyteries in our denomination will vote on this measure.

New AI for Freedom of Conscience

The commissioners surprised all those gathered in the hall by adopting a new authoritative interpretation for 6.0108. This broadens freedom of conscience to all standards of ordination. Historically our denomination has swayed in the balance between community standards and freedom of conscience. In the last few decades the denomination has swayed increasingly towards a greater emphasis on community standards. This might be the first sign of a swing toward community standards.

Election of the Stated Clerk

It began with the candidates sharing their vision. Questions then challenged the candidates such as "What failures have you experienced that will help you serve as Clerk?" and "What blind spots do you see as a result of our inward focus?" The candidates all seemed to respond well under the pressure answering forthrightly and passionately. One commissioner's question referred to Doc Rivers word he used to inspire the Celtics to victory, 'ubuntu', which roughly means deep community. The candidates were invigorated by the question disclosing this hunger we all have for deep community. At the end of the hour as the assembly turned to voting a quiet descended on the Hall for the first time all week as the normal buzz of background conversations and the click of computer pads fell away in anticipation of the election. Gradye Parsons current associate stated clerk and the choice of the nominations committee was elected on the first ballot with 57% of the vote.

Time Travel

At this point the assembly is moving backwards. They have voted to reconsider and it seems as if the commissioners are somewhat befuddled. They have a long night in front of them and are getting bollixed up as multiple points of orders are regressing them even further. They voted to reconsider and now are considering whether or not they are going to reconsider the recondsideration.... It's going to be a laaaaaaaaaattttttte night.

Debate leads to 'Hyper Hyperbole' and a 'missionally missional' polity

...It's interesting to listen to the commissioners facile use of hyperbole as they make their case. I heard such phrases as "fatal to the denomination" and "this will help God get involved," as if God couldn't get involved until a particular motion is passed. Others make arcane references to theological language suggesting that FOG does not derive from the Marks of the Church but the Notes of the Church which is more inwardly focused. "They are not monolithic idiots we are not idiots", one commissioner quipped in defense of the work of the task force and the committee. My compadre and I were playing buzz word bingo and we lost count as our minds were frapped with the over use of that eloquently loquacious non- word word 'missional'. Yes you might accuse me at this point of engaging in hyperpolysyllabicsesquipedalianism..

Torpor

The endless dizzying parliamentary gymnastics almost induced torpor many times but the regular moments of passion for justice, work on the environment and the call for a more missional environment kept committee visits exciting and inspiring for momentary glimpses. Many advocates spoke against the F.O.G. project but its authors continued to insist that the small church would benefit through such avenues opened for a more flexible call process

Day two Foggy

This morning began with glorious worship. The hymns, communion, commissioning were all profound moments of reverential ecstasy. The most moving part for me however was the necrology, pages and pages of names, of the ministers who had died since the last G.A. They were names I didn't know but I imagined all the years, sermons, prayers, miles, marches, baptisms, and funerals these saints of the church had engaged in all over the country and the world. It was profoundly moving and a momentary glimpse of the breadth and depth of the divine hand reaching into the lives and places of small towns, wide open plains, bustling cities, remote jungles indeed into all this world of ours with the good news of Jesus Christ. The immense breadth of giving to humanity in service to God left me in awe of the power of Christ to send his children into all places of human need...

...however after this all too fleeting moment things slowed down for a time into a crawl and a caffeine crash which picked up with the nomination of 4 for the stated clerk who will be elected on Friday..
...I am off to venture into committee land where motions, substitute motions, referring, deferring and inferring will be the order for the next few days...

Moderator Election

The assembly has just reconvened at 7 p.m. The excitement is mounting (after a slow afternoon filled with instructions ) for the election of the moderator. Everyone is asking each other who they think will be our new leader. I have already seen scores of Sheppards and Lapsley people and former members. Leeann Scarbrough, Conrad Sharps, Greg Bentley, Mert Byram, and Bev Dodson all are darting about discovering little bits of grace as they find their fellow presbyters.

GA Convenes

It's 10 am on Saturday. Cliff Kirkpatrick is commissioning the commissioners and we are off! You can feel the anticipation in the air as those who are given this awesome task respond to his words. I saw Monty this morning and he says he is ready to get moving.

Last night over 400 were at an informational meeting to learn more about the Form of Government project. It was a mass of information trying to digest all the changes along with their implications. The task force called people to a season of trust. Asking the commissioners to live into this trust rather than waiting for all details to be worked out for in many ways the new polity deals with empowerment and trusting the guiding of the Spirit in the hearts of those ordained rather than an endless list of rules.

We are sining my favorite hymn "Come O Spirit"...

Welcome!

The 218th General Assembly convenes in San Jose, CA five days from now on Saturday, June 21, 2008. The Presbytery of Sheppards & Lapsley, located in Central Alabama, will have several members participating. This blog is for our commissioners and attendees to record their impressions, news, and anything else they want to comment on from the General Assembly. Please keep them and the entire Assembly in your prayers this week. See 'Praying Our Way to San Jose' and 'Prayer for a meeting of the General Assembly'.