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Live blogging the Friday evening session. (And I hope I don’t have to change that title to include Saturday Morning) 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.) I think I have some control on the technical difficulties with my connection. It is better but not perfect. I will do the best I can. Others have agreed that the wifi in the room is so saturated and they are also having problems staying connected. The order agreed to in the afternoon session is:
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[And an apology for all those who are rejoining this in progress based on my inaccurate restart time of 7:30 PM]
Get ready folks – it is not clear if we go until we are done or if we have to adjourn at 11 PM due to shuttle bus schedule. Brings to mind my post about the Church of Scotland being able to take an afternoon off.
The house band gives us some nice music to get seated by
Brought to order by Moderator Presa and led through the prayer cycle led by two YAADs.
1001 Worshiping communities video
Bills and Overtures
We need to finish the Civil Union and Marriage Committee and then we have eight more committees to go.
Memorial Minute for Howard Rice, Moderator of the 191st General Assembly of the UPCUSA
Committee on Civil Union and Marriage – Committee 13 – In progress
Item 13-NB
Motion from the floor – Amendment that the action on 13-04 answer this item and all other items
Amendment to the amendment to remove 13-05 from the item
Discussion on the amendment to the amendment
Please let us have the discussion on 13-05
We have just been through a four hour discussion (actually 3.5) and we don’t need to do it again
Questions about where we are parliamentary process wise
We need to talk about the AI – reformed and always reforming
Call the question – approved on voice vote
Vote on the amendment to the amendment
Advisory delegates – TSADs 71% yes, YAADs 58% yes, EADs and MADs even split
Commissioners – Defeated 307-334-4
[Sorry, just had a lovely conversation with an ecumenical representative and missed a bunch of the action]
Amendment to the amendment – Move to consider 13-02 on its own
Commissioners – 257 yes, 378 no
Vote on original amendment – Item 13-04 being answered by 13-NB and 13-NB answers all other items
Commissioners – 480 yes, 157 no, 3 abstain
Debate on the amended motion
Commissioner speaks to the tension of doing ceremonies where it is legal and being public about it. Draw attention to it.
Call the question – no objection
Will all other items be answered by 13-NB as amended
Advisors – Yes except TSADs
Commissioners – 489 yes, 152 no
With thanks this concludes our report
The motion to create a Relief of Conscience fund relative to divestment was out of order earlier today. Now back but first need agreement to suspend the rules
Motion to suspend the rules (requires 2/3 or 460 commissioners)
Advisory delegates – No
Commissioners – 180 yes, 451 no, 2 abstain
[This Assembly knows it will be a long night and is now into streamlining mode. Sorry.]
Foundation video held over from earlier – in the interest of time has been skipped
The Vice-Moderator assumes the chair
Motion – can we compile a mega-consent agenda (my term) for all remaining items that passed unanimously.
Since this is going to take time the Moderator directs each remaining
committee to compile a consent agenda of items that passed by a large
majority.
Committee on Church Growth and PILP – Committee 16
Financial impact of committee’s report
Introduces the director of PILP – Thanks and good news. Up for reelection
Consent agenda approved
Video on College Ministry – UKirk ministries
Item 16-02 1001 Worshiping communities
Commissioner points out they won’t pay per capita until they become churches and they should have Presbyterian identity
Approved on voice vote
Item 16-07 The Church in the 21st Century
Moves all 10 recommendations
Request to remove recommendation 2
Request to remove recommendation 5
Without objection proceed to a vote on all other recommendations
Passed on voice vote
Item 16-07 Recommendation 2 – Bivocational Ministry
Report asked for a task force, Committee recommends just referring it to OGA
Amendment for a 7 member task force
Question about financial implications – $21,805 per capita
TSAD speaks against because it does not address ethnic groups
TSAD asks why there is no seminary representation since it affects seminary students
Commissioner speaks in favor but says that in actuality none of this goes far enough
Commissioner speaks against – committee dealt with it and trust the committee
Call the question – approved on voice vote
Voice vote – amendment fails
Voice vote on Item 16-7 Rec 2 – approved
Item 16-07 Recommendation 5 – Dealing with online information, committee modified for financial implications
Amendment to restore much of the original language
Committee says that of all 10 recommendations this had the largest impact – $1.2M. Cost savings
Question: Who decides what is essential? Answer: GAMC itself
Question: What does GACOR think of this? GACOR makes all its resources available in English, Spanish and Korean
Question: Why is this so expensive? Translation services
Commissioner in favor of the amendment because it is welcoming
Commissioner against the amendment asking to trust the committee work
Question called – passed on voice vote
Amendment defeated on voice vote
Item 16-07 Rec 5 approved on voice vote
Item 16-03 African American Church Growth Strategy
Commissioner rises to commend the action and the work of the task force
Debate closed on voice vote
Approved on voice vote
Item 16-06 On growing a diverse church
No discussion
Approved on voice vote
Information items – Affirmed the recepients of Women of Faith Awards; Affirmed the recipients of the Sam and Helen Walton Awards
This concludes the report
5 minute break – Music for the house band joined by the Vice-Moderator of Bills and Overtures on drums/bongo
[9:17 PM Seven committees to go]
Committee on Church Orders and Ministry – Committee 7
Financial Implications
Consent agenda – 12 items
Remove 07-08
Approved on voice vote
Group – Freedom of Conscience – Items 07-10 and 07-11
Recommend disapproval with comment
No discussion
Passed on voice vote
Group – Honoring Christ
Item 07-17 Recommend Approve as amended with comment
There is more than one way to interpret scripture
Minority Report – Substitute 07-02 to amend G-2.0104b with language that includes “marriage between a man and a woman”
Perfecting the main motion – declared perfected
Perfecting the substitute motion
Amendment – asking presbyteries to delay ordination debates and votes
No discussion
Fails on voice vote
Amendment – change “holy marriage” to “the covenant of marriage”
No discussion
Approved on voice vote
Substitute motion declared perfected
“Shall the substitute motion become the main motion?”
Debate
The effect of the substitute will be to place back before the presbyteries the language that was removed by 10-A. This is not the season to go through this debate
This will help heal the breach and bring unity
The only thing this minority report has the capacity to do is plunge us into turmoil
This amendment draws from the Heidelberg Confession [sic]
Question has been called – 96% yes
Shall the substitute become the main motion?
Advisory delegates – TSADs 14% yes, YAADs 23% yes, EADs 50% yes – 50% abstain, MADs even split yes/no
Commissioners – 169 yes, 437 no
Debate on the Main Motion
Generational difference
Scriptural support
The questions has been called and debate is closed with 95% yes
Main motion
Advisory delegates – TSADs 79% yes, YAADs – 74% yes, EADs – 67% yes, MADs – 60% yes
Commissioners – 405 yes, 230 no
This is not a good sign – the caterer has brought out coffee and tea…
Prayer
Move that 07-18 and 07-24 be answered with 07-17
No discussion
Approved on voice vote
Move that 07-02 be disapproved
No discussion
Approve on voice vote
Group – Ordination Standards
Move that Items 07-03 and 07-06 be answered with the action on 07-02
Move to approve Item 07-05 addition of “repentance of sin” and “means of grace”
Debate
Commissioner asks disapproval since it is redundant and confusing
What is wrong with “repentance of sin” If you are against repentance of sin vote against this overture (got groan from Assembly)
Question: What is meant by “means of grace.” Committee chair – we are not sure [May I suggest the Theopedia entry]
Question: This was divided in committee but was approved. What was committee sense? Answer – why would we not want to state these things
With a bad theological pun that is probably only funny when you are this tired the question has been called
Debate closed on voice vote
Advisory delegates – TSADs 35% yes, YAADs 70% yes, EADs one voting abstained, MADs 33% yes
Commissioners – 329 yes, 275 no, 9 abstain
[We now start the EAD watch – it happens every year: how long will the remaining EAD stick it out]
Group – Titles used for those in ordered ministry
Committee recommends disapproval
Return to Minister of Word and Sacrament and Elder
Does this really help? This is an internal title and others can be uses as appropriate
ACC – Teaching elder is that name of that order of ministry. There are other titles for what a person does.
Voice vote unclear
Electronic vote
Advisory – TSADs 84% yes, YAAD 82% yes, EAD 3 no, 1 abstain, MADs 80% yes
Commissioners – 412 yes, 200 no, 3 abstain
Item 07-08 Operations manuals
Removed from Consent agenda
Committee recommends disapproval
This will make it more difficult for some presbyteries [I’ll have to read it to figure out exactly what]
Voice vote is unclear
Electronic vote
Advisory delegates – TSADs 88% yes, YAADs 86% yes, EADs 2 yes, 2 no, 2 abstain; MADs 83% yes
Commissioners – 461 yes, 151 no, 5 abstain
This concludes the report
[10:38 PM Six committees to go]
Committee on Immigration Issues – Committee 12
Every item amended: Remove us versus them language and current legal language
Now place every item of Committee 12 on the consent agenda (wild applause)
Remove 12-03 and 12-09
Consent agenda approved as modified
Commissioner wants to pull 12-04 – too late
Item 12-03 Section 2
Move to amend to have language that would encourage GA to assist immigrant churches to get ministers from overseas
The question has been called [There is now a commissioner who has the job of formally calling the question and has his own subtitle on the screen – “Call
the question, Edd!”]
Motion to amend does not pass
Committee recommends approval
Debate
Debate suspended without objection
Approved on voice vote
[Gradye returns and lets commissioners know that the buses have been extended and will run “for a while.” Yes it is now 11:00 PM. And Gradye is squeezing on a stress ball.]
Item 12-09
Amend to include the PC(USA) to develop initiatives that will enable theological institutions in affiliate countries to include Presbyterian Polity education in training
Maker of motion speaks to importance of knowing local language of immigrant fellowships but need the polity training
Questions: Have schools asked for this? Yes and no
Call the question, Edd! Debate is closed
[The Vice-Moderator is getting tired and stumbling over his words]
Amendment disapproved on voice vote
Main motion approved on voice vote
That concludes the committee’s report
[11:07 Five committees to go]
The Moderator resumes the chair and to the strains of Also sprach Zarathustra and with a spotlight removes his dress shirt to reveal a t-shirt, presumably from the that says “I’m Freaken Awesome” on the front and “Mr. Moderator” on the back. [So is the use of Also sprach Zarathustra the promotion of a non-Christian religion? 
]
Committee on Mission Coordination – Committee 10
Nine items plus five parts of another item placed on the consent agenda
Items 10-03 and 10-21 removed form the consent agenda
The remainder of the consent agenda agreed to
Item 10-03 Young Adult Volunteers
Recommend approval of an alternate resolution
Person who pulled it just wanted to lift up this program and not have it fly through on the consent agenda
Approved on voice vote
Item 10-21 Christmas International House
Again – Just wanted to highlight this program
Approved on voice vote
Item 10-15 Study on status of women in the church
Recommend approval
Stained glass ceiling is still present
Question: How will money be spent? Answer: Survey interviews and compiling data
Question: The expense is $127K over six years. Is it worth it? Answer from Committee: Committee felt worth is. Expert: First study of its kind
Commissioner speaks against it as a lot of money to spend on studying the obvious. Could be used for mission
YAAD – Cost is high but change is crucial
Defeated on voice vote
Motion to disapprove 10-15, approved on voice vote
Item 10-16 Women of Color Consultation
Recommend approval with comment, there are financial implications
Item 10-17 Hispanic/Latino/a Leadership Convention
Recommend approval as amended
Answer by item 16-07
Approved on voice vote
Item 10-14 Special Offerings Task Force
Minority Report
The minority report reflects the original recommendations of the Task Force
The goal of the substitute motion is not to do away with beloved special offerings – the truth is our system is doing away with them if only 14% of our congregations are taking them
Commissioner requests the chair of the special offerings task force speak
Moderator says we are not there yet
Commissioner says they want to amend both main and substitute motion. Stated Clerk point out that you can only amend the one you are going to vote for.
And at this point I need to catch a ride back to my lodgings. Check twitter for continued updates, I know @landonwhitsitt and @andyjames are still in the house
Good night
[Logging off at Midnight local time]