Plenary Meetings

Yesterday morning was spent with the others of our committee leadership writing our committee report and working with the support team to insure that PC Biz contained all the correct information for access by the full General Assembly. The hidden staff of volunteers supporting the GA is impressive. Report finished , we met with the GA Moderator and platform manager - we are to report late today or tomorrow to the full assembly. I thought I might get a nap before the first full General Assembly meeting but my cell phone rang as I walked back toward my hotel. "Come back early in suit and tie in time to meet with the financial staff tracking the financial impact of matters that are to be considered - be prepared for a report at the beginning of the plenary session."

With the GA in plenary sessions in the afternoon and evening our committee report was called, rescheduled by motion and rescheduled again and again continuing into this morning when we actually started to present and were again escorted from the stage to present after lunch and then rescheduled by motion to allow presentation of the FOG recommendation first. Well, this is my very personal view of the mechanics of process, but the work of the full GA was progressing throughout. We engaged in thoughtful debate on the overture respecting interfaith relations and the GA adopted a statement that is true to our belief in one triune God, respects that those who have differing understandings are alone those who can express their understandings (and we must be sensitive not to assert what "they believe") and yet find common ground for true interfaith dialog. We also dealt with the question of translation of the Heidelberg Confession, an overture of concurrance for Pittsburgh Presbytery.

Finally, the Mission Coordination and Budgets Committee reported its recommendations. Rev. Sevier and I had the joy of sharing the presentations of the recommendations with the recommendations grouped into four overall themes: Commitment to Mission, Organization & Stewardship Obligation to Support Mission, Review of Mission Stewardship Effectiveness and Maintaining Our Historic Trust Relationships. With the exception of adding a special PCUSA-wide offering for mission, all recommendations were adopted. Most significant in my view are two: Expanding Partnership in God's Mission (an increase in mission workers in the field for the first time in fifty years) and the establishment of a means to review and resolve ambiguities respecting restricted funds and donor wishes that maintains appropriate checks and balances between the role of protecting assets and that of spending to carry out mission.

Peace, Kears