Day 3 - Saturday

Today's notes coming up.

It was a great day for my committee. It was so good... we got a lot done. I'm not thrilled with a few of the motions, but they are confirmed by the majority of the committee, so I can accept it.

We even had a complicated one that we amended 3 times (once by ME) and then had a substitute motion proposed... and defeated. :)

It was neato.
Tomorrow is sleep in, church, free time, worship, party... it'll be good.

Hopefully I'll find time to update with a story or two tomorrow.

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Notes from today:

• Saturday, June 17, 2006: 9:00am – 12:00pm (Committee #08)
• Open Hearings – 08-08, 09, 10, 13, 14, 15
• Dave Dawson – 08-10 5% administrative fee
• GAC failed to communicate fee to people involved
• No report to GA
• Unfair to recipients of money
• Expects people will pull out/stop giving
• Not arguing fee, but application of fee
• Alma Jean Marion – 08-08 Reorg of GAC
• GACOR member
• Approve with 2 changes
• Composition of 36 elected members
• “Synod executives” – “Ordained Synod staff”
• “Presbytery executives” – “Ordained Presbytery staff”
• G 9.0105a6
• Include provision for participation by persons with disabilities
• 08-15 – Confirmation of Linda Bryant Valentine
• Motion to approve recommendation (confirm)
• 53 for, 0 against, 0 abstentions – Motion carries unanimously
• 08-10 – Elimination of Administration Costs on Restricted Mission Gifts – From Presbytery of Baltimore
• Charles – Overture Advocate
• History of church that gave 50% of budget to missions
• Hard to convince people to give when not all money goes to a place
• Changes need to be made to budget in future
• Discussion
• Conrad Roach – Chair of Mission Funding Task Force
• This is the committee that is looking at this issue already
• No report this year because it was too much work to do in one year
• Will most likely deal with this issue in report to GA218 in 2008
• Lowered charges (less than 5%) assigned to groups that already have
• Motion to refer overture to the Mission Funding Task Force
• Carol – against
• Not appropriate to assign to this particular group
• Other Carol (MAD) is afraid of it being lost in committee
• 22 For, 31 Against, 0 Abstentions – Motion fails
• Motion to recommend overture to GA
• Motion to amend to accept and specify budget cycle when this will take affect
• 40 for, 9 against, 3 abstentions – motion carries
• New form of motion:
• The Committee recommends that the 217^th General Assembly (2006) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) instruct the GAC to eliminate the administrative surcharge recently imposed on restricted mission giving effective in the 2009-10 budget cycle so that all moneys submitted to the General Assemble for distribution to specific mission programs are forwarded to the specific mission programs without the withholding of an administrative cost.
• Motion
• Financial implications: $800,000 in 2009 and $800,000 in 2010
• 6 For, 46 against, 0 abstentions – Motion fails


• Motion to disapprove recommendation to GA
• No discussion
• 48 for, 4 against, 1 abstention – Motion carries
• Motion:
• The Committee recommends that the Assembly instruct the GAC to assist congregations in communicating to assist congregations in communicating to their membership the reality of changed patterns in unrestricted giving and the resulting cost implications of administering restricted funds, and implore the GAC and the Mission Funding Task Force earnestly to seek alternative ways of budgeting in order to deal with this changing reality.
• 47 For, 1 Against, 2 abstentions – Motion carries
• 08-08 – Reorg of GAC
• Motion to approve with GACOR modifications
• G 9.0105 – listed in BoO under Diversity
• 51 For, 0 against, 1 abstention
• 08-09 – Changes to GAC Manual of Operations
• Motion to recommend approval to GA
• Motion to amend
• 2.4 – Ministries of Enrichment => Spirituality & Discipleship
• 52 For, 0 against, 0 abstentions – Motion carries unanimously
• 53 For, 0 against, 0 abstentions – Motion carries unanimously
• Saturday, June 17, 2006: 1:30pm – 5:30pm (Committee #08)
• Open Hearings
• 08-06 – On Funding the Fight Against HIV/AIDS and Diseases of Poverty – From the Presbytery of Ohio Valley
• Alice Davis – Elder from New Castle (DE) Presbytery
• Consider the faces/people
• Leslie Casper – Munster Indiana
• In support
• Brother died in ’93 from AIDS
• Overture is to advance the fight against AIDS
• Bob Schminke – New Castle Presbytery
• Africa
• Transportation = bike
• Other things provided = soap
• Not trying to “Rob Peter to pay Paul”
• Bob Gillespie
• Serves on Presbyterian AIDS Network
• Passionate and out-spoken, but not much substance
• Vanessa Sharp
• Approve
• Creating a stronger voice – we already do some
• Diagnosed 1990
• 08-07 – A Recommendation to Study the Status of Women in the PC(USA)
• Patty June
• Recommending amendment to the overture
• Address theological balance – liberal/conservative


• 08-12 – Joint Resolution from ACWC and ACREC Regarding the Women of Color Consultation Report and Recommendations
• Neeshwala Watts-??
• Approve
• Katherine Chang
• ACWC - approve
• Cynthia Joel
• In support
• Women of Color and “other women” need to be in partnership
• 08-03 – On Adding a Representative from the Presbyterian Men, with Voice and Vote, to the General Assembly Council – From the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia
• ??
• Working on improving men, etc…
• Need a voice to parallel with women
• 08-16 – Recommendation for latitude
• Valerie Small
• “latitude” – going to a smaller GAC they would like to freeze the nominations – but this will mean that we need to live with who we have and not force compliance to status (1/3 laymen, 1/3 laywomen, 1/3 pastors; etc)
• Motion to recommend approval
• 52 for, 0 against, 0 abstentions – Motion carries unanimously
• 08-14 – Amendments to the Organization for Mission
• Overture Advocate
• Attempt to put things in the right file
• Moving language from one location to another to be in the correct place
• Motion to recommend approval
• 53 for, 0 against, 0 abstentions – Motion carries unanimously
• 08-13 – Recommendation Pertaining to Budgetary and Financial Concerns of the Church
• Motion to recommend approval
• We didn’t discuss this AT ALL… just approved.
• 53 for, 0 against, 0 abstentions – Motion carries unanimously
• 08-03 – On Adding a Representative from the Presbyterian Men, with Voice and Vote, to the GAC – From the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia
• Motion to disapprove this recommendation
• 27 for, 23 against, 3 abstentions – Motion carries
• Move to reconsider 08-08 – Nancy Smith
• Recommend to GA that the Nominating Committee seek to get a man from Presbyterian Man as either the 1/3 pastor or 1/3 layman
• 15 For, 35 against, 2 abstentions – Motion fails
• 08-06 – On Funding the Fight Against HIV/AIDS and Diseases of Poverty – From the Presbytery of Ohio Valley
• Overture Advocate – Ann Jones from Ohio Valley
• Amended version by both Presbyteries
• CMD – approve/endorse Amended version
• Motion to recommend overture
• Amend the motion with recommended text:
• 53 for, 0 against, 0 abstain – Amendment carries
• 54 for, 0 against, 0 abstain – Motion carries


• 08-07 – A Recommendation to Study the Status of Women in the PC(USA)
• Overture Advocate
• Motion to approve recommendation
• Financial Implications
• $62,500 over 3 years
• $101,000 total cost for entire study (~5 years)
• From per capita budget
• ~$.04/person over 4 years
• Information existing already will be included – to defray costs and reduce the possibility of duplicate work
• 15 For, 36 against, 3 abstentions – Motion fails
• Motion to disapprove recommendation
• No discussion
• 35 For, 14 against, 5 abstentions – Motion carries
• 08-02 – revisit
• Motion to disapprove recommendation
• 50 for, 1 against, 3 abstentions – Motion carries
• 08-12 – Joint Resolution from ACWC and ACREC Regarding the Women of Color Consultation Report and Recommendations
• ACREC and ACWC
• Financial Implications
• $74,000 over 2 years from per capita
• Additional $21,000 for 2007 and 2008 – regarding #3
• Motion to approve recommendation
• Amend item #1 to read “This task force will report to the 218^th General Assembly (2008).”
• 53 for, 0 against, 0 abstentions – amendment carries unanimously
• Official FI = $76,000
• $.03 per capita
• 48 for, 3 against, 2 abstentions – Motion carries


• Saturday, June 17, 2006: 8:00pm – 10:00pm (Committee #08)
• CR 08-17 – On the Moderator Convening a Meeting Regarding Worldwide Mission Work of the PC(USA).
• New version of the Resolution on our table after dinner – typists error
• Oscar McCloud – Presbytery of New York City
• In order to continue the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s long tradition in worldwide mission and the evolution of our relationships with partner churches overseas, that the 217th General Assembly (2006) direct the Moderator to convene a meeting with the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council (GAC) and the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, with representation of the GAC and staff, The Outreach Foundation, Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship,Medical Benevolence Foundation, PC(USA) organizations, and other persons concerned about the future of the worldwide mission work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for the 21st century. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure the continuity of our commitments to ecumenical responsiveness, holism in mission, and respect for the responsibilities give to the General Assembly by meeting to:
• Basic issue:
• Diffusion in mission activity in sending personnel that is not helpful to congregation
• Groups that should be coordinating/cooperating with Worldwide Ministries Division
• Creating confusion in congregation
• Personnel being sent by outside orgs, NOT officially from PCUSA… and are approaching congregations on their own
• Worldwide Ministries Resource person – Marianne McClure
• Outreach, Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship – 2 groups sending
• Hopes/goals
• Meetings are planned at a lower level, resolution “kicks it up a notch” by adding GA Moderator, GAC ED, Stated Clerk, etc.
• Motion to recommend approval
• Move to amend with names of: Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, The Outreach Foundation, Medical Benevolence Foundation
• 48 For, 0 against, 2 abstentions – Amendment carries
• Move to amend with new ending sentence
• 47 For, 0 against, 4 abstentions – Amendment carries
• Financial Implications = $21,670 over 2 years
• 10 people for each of 2 3-day meetings
• Conference call meetings
• 2 people @ 2008 GA to report
• Administration
• From per capita
• Move to amend Point #4 to add “to the 218^th General Assembly (2008).”
• 48 for, 0 against, 4 abstentions – Amendment carries


• Substitute motion from Rob
• Move to instruct the Moderator of the 217^th General Assembly to convene a meeting to include the Executive Director of the GAC, the State Clerk, representatives of each goal area of the GAC, and other Presbyterian organizations interested in the sending of mission personnel (specifically PFF, OF, and MBF), in order to confer and define their respective roles and responsibilities with particular attention to the specific role of the GAC in carrying out our Presbyterian commitment to global mission including the identification of mission objectives, recruiting of persons to accomplish these objectives and the securing of financial support for the global mission of the PCUSA and to report to the 218^th GA (2008).
• Shall the substitute motion become the main motion?
• 15 for, 33 against, 4 abstentions – substitute motion is defeated
• 39 For, 10 against, 3 abstentions – Motion carries
• CR 08-18 – On Theological Diversity and the Women’s Ministries Program Area
• Timothy Smith – Commissioner
• Experiential perspective
• From the job listing
• Liberation theology perspective
• Womanist theology
• Motion to disapprove recommendation of resolution
• 46 For, 5 against, 0 abstentions – motion carries
• Meet after GA closes on Wednesday against the physical back wall of East Hall