Live blogging the Saturday morning concluding session. If you are following along live you will want to hit refresh periodically to reload the post. (And please excuse the typos as my fingers fly – even more so with the fatigue at the end of the week.) The business for the morning is to finish all unfinished business, worship and adjourn the Assembly

[As a courtesy to my family members I am staying with I departed around midnight last night so I am still piecing together the business that happened after I left. I have not found a definite time that the Assembly adjourned but it was around 1:30 AM.]

The Assembly is dragging itself back and as the house band gets started they being with an instrumental version of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” Got to think they had the “I am tired, I am weak, I am worn” line in mind, if not the rest of the verse “Through the storm, through the night/ Lead me on to the light/ Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.”

[Yes, I just got confirmation that the Assembly recessed at 1:30 AM due to a combination of factors, but mostly because the buses would stop running at 2 AM. Thanks Andy]

So, all the usual – The band warms us up, the Moderator calls us to order at 9:00 AM and a ruling elder commissioner leads us through the prayer cycle.

The Moderator thanks the band and the Assembly gives them a standing ovation.

1001 Worshiping Communities – Common Table, Bend, Oregon

Bills and Overtures
   Committee 4 will report
   Final set of minutes will be reviewed by the members of the Bills and Overtures committee
   Thanks, and standing ovation, for the Moderator and Stated Clerk

Committee on Review of Biennial Assemblies – Committee 4
Arrested last night Item 04-01 Recommendations 3, 5, 8
Motion to refer on the floor – To ask the Special Committee to continue its work with emphasis on certain specific areas
   Can this be done by COGA?
   This motion negates the work we on the committee did
   These are good recommendations – let’s let them develop them more
   This motion is too prescriptive
Commissioner asks for reality check of where we are – “My body was here last night but my brain checked out.” In response even the Committee Moderator needs to be corrected about this
Two motions tried to be made but not in order at this time since they do not apply to the motion on the floor
Commissioner comment – We must aggressively work to empower those under 35 in this church
Commissioner argues that while further work might be good the Special Committee’s work is lacking from the beginning and the Assembly Committee had better ideas
Call the question – approved on voice vote
Vote on the motion to refer
   Advisory delegates [is there a problem with the voting system – nothing is happening. Awkward long pause. Now Gradye whispers something to Neal. Consultation with someone else. Gradye leaves.] The video system is having technical difficulties so the results will be delivered on paper. Singing while we wait.
OK, we go to hand vote – debate closed. The motion to refer is defeated

Back to the main motion
Committee recommends that Item 04-03A be approved with amendment
Commissioner speaks to trusting the committee, especially when they vote 24-2
Item approved without objection

Committee recommends that Item 04-03B be approved
Committee recommends that Item 04-03C be approved with amendment (that an overture from a presbytery asking for a constitutional change have the concurrence of one other presbytery, not 10% as proposed by the Special Committee)
Amendment from the floor – After making it and getting clarification the commissioner withdraws it
These items approved without objection

Item 04-08 Regarding Extending the Timeframe for the Work of the Review Committee
Recommend approval with amendment
Commissioner argues against – we have created enough task forces, this will cost $38K
Committee member responds that there has to be a better way to do business and they have ideas they would like to try
Talking polity of how to replace this with something else – recommendation of Moderator is to vote this down and them move something else
Commissioner argues for crowdsourcing as less expensive
[The keypads are working again]
Voting
    Commissioners – 347 yes, 128 no

Item 04-05 Regarding Young Adult Commissioners
Committee recommends that it be disapproved and referred back to the Special Committee
Commissioner, who I think said he was a stated clerk, asks if you can disapprove and refer
Substitute motion – Direct the Stated Clerk to communicate with the presbyteries to prioritize sending young adult commissioners to Assembly
Commissioner speaks to it and asks how we can be better structured to get young adults involved
Moderator suggests that it be an amendment to the comment
Commissioner objects and wants it to be an action item
Stated Clerk suggests adding it to the action item and it will be acted upon – Commissioner agrees
Commissioner argues that “We need to think outside the box and one of the boxes is General Assembly.” Need to think alternately to a week long meeting
YAAD objects – it gives us too little credit. Need to take action to bring young people in as commissioners not advisory delegates (Well received by assembly)
Is there anyone on the Committee under 35? Answer – almost half of the committee is under the age of 40 (And the Review Committee Moderator is the only one eligible for AARP)
More polity confusion as to what is on the floor
Commissioner speaks in defense of young people who will come to meetings – but want the time to socialize outside of the meeting
Amendment passed on voice vote

Substitute Motion – Actually, this will probably be done by amendment as it adds a paragraph that is the original language
Agreed that the best way to do this would be to vote down the current motion and then propose the new language
YAAD argues against – nice idea but there are better ways to do it as Assembly Committee discussed
Commissioner – We don’t need young adult synod representation. We need young adult leadershp
YAAD – There is no lack of young adult leadership at this assembly
Without objection the question is called
Vote on the Item
  Advisory delegates TSADs 31% yes, YAADs 50% yes, EADs 75% yes, MADs 67% yes
  Commissioners – 387 to 77
The committee’s recommendation is approved

This concludes the committee’s report

Questions: The property trust clause motion earlier was ruled out of order. Could the Stated Clerk please explain further?  Stated Clerk – There was language missing from the motion regarding business at a congregational meeting which if it had been added would have made the motion in order.

Report on the Encountering the the Gospel of Peace Anew Initiative
From the Peacemaking and International Issues

Commissioner moves reconsideration of 10-15 on the Status of Women in the PC(USA)
Information I did not hear last night – The report was mandated by the 218th GA
[Polity point – one Assembly’s action does not bind future committees]
Commissioner speaks in favor – also did not understand ramifications, we need to take this issue seriously
Commissioner argues that the money is better spent supporting women in ministry instead of studying it
Commissioner reminds Assembly that the cost is over four years so annual impact is small
Commissioner argues that this late in the Assembly, with some commissioners having left, this is not a good time to move reconsideration
[A couple of short fuses in the room – “we are tired, we are weak, we are worn.”]
Question for clarification and response: This is not just about the status of women but the view of women by men.
Vote on motion to reconsider
   Advisory delegates – TSADs 75% yes, YAADs 22% yes, EADs 60% yes, MADs 50% yes
   Commissioners – 127 yes to 305 no, 3 abstain
The motion to reconsider is defeated

Commissioner apologizes for being so vocal about the point of order and compliments the Moderator

Mission Coordination
  This Assembly has added $929,054 to the 2013 budget and $823,186 to the 2014 budget
     The GAMC will have to figure out how to pay for it
Commissioner points out that certain numbers don’t add up. Checking the written it is a typo and the screen is corrected
The recommendation is approved without objection
The outgoing GACM chair, Mike Kruse, makes remarks and thanks Linda Valentine for all the work she has done and the transformations that have happened
He passes the stole to the new GAMC chair, the first young adults GAMC chair – Matt Schramm
The new chair thanks Mike for his leadership and encourages young adults to get involved
This concludes our report

Linda Valentine and Gradye Parsons give a promo for Big Tent

The Committee on Local Arrangements is recognized and gets a standing ovation
Makes presentations to Moderator and Vice-Moderator
Thanks to the c
ast of thousands who helped out at this GA including the executive committee of COLA

General Assembly Procedures
  The Committee Moderator reports the membership numbers that were used for calculations in response to an earlier question
  Cost of actions for 2012 – $240 (has to be absorbed)
  For 2013 the Assembly’s actions will add 0.15 to per capita budget
  For 2014 the Assembly’s actions will add 0.08 to per capita budget
  There has been an agreement to absorb some costs from reserves so impact on assessed per capita will be lower –  $0.07 in 2013 and $0.04 in 2014. That brings the total per capita assessment to $6.87 for 2013 and $7.02 for 2014.
Approved on voice vote
Committee leads a short song of their own composition based on “We are one in the Spirit” thanking COLA

COGA makes some final announcements and thanks

Thanks and presentation from OGA to COLA
COLA Chair is presented with a commemorative plate

The Committee on Local Arrangements for the 221st General Assembly reports
Gives thanks that their video person produced a long and short version of their video and will now show the short version (applause)

The Stated Clerk gives thanks to all the people that have run the platform and worked backstage and behind the scenes.
And thanks to the commissioners for their hard work.

Moderator makes his thanks for the help of “his people”

Announcements – Leave the keypads on the table.

We now go into closing worship.

[My live-blogging ends here. Thanks to all who have followed along.
Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for letting me crash at their place.
I have posted my regular summary sheet on the GA on www.ga220.info
Now to worship and after that to go be a tourist for the rest of the day. And get some sleep.

Grace and peace to all of you.]