Click here for a guide to our reports from the 217^th GA,
which was held in Birmingham, AL, June 15 - 22, 2006.

The Covenant Network announces its policy recommendations for the 218^th GA
[posted 5-10-08]

This G.A. can make real progress:

In light of the recent GA PJC decision in Bush V. Presbytery of Pittsburgh, the Covenant Network believes that our hopes for a just and gracious church require working at this Assembly both to reaffirm the traditional Presbyterian process ratified by the 2006 Assembly and to change the standards for ordination.

To that end, we urge the General Assembly to take several actions:

From Presbyterian News Service -- May 9, 2008 --

The Stated Clerk Nomination Committee announced today that three applicants, the Rev. Winfield Jones, the Rev. Edward Koster and the Rev. Dr. William Tarbell have declared to the committee that each intends to stand for Stated Clerk against the committee's nominee, the Rev. Gradye Parsons. The election for Stated Clerk will take place at the General Assembly meeting June 21-27 in San Jose, California.

The Rev. Jones has served since 1979 as pastor in Presbyterian churches in Texas and is currently pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Pearland, Texas. Jones has served on several presbytery committees and was a candidate for Stated Clerk of the General Assembly in 2000.

The Rev. Koster has served since 1995 as the Stated Clerk of Detroit Presbytery. He was pastor of Calvary Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan for 10 years (1976-86) and is currently parish associate at First Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor. Koster is also an attorney in private practice since 1992.

The Rev. Dr. Tarbell has served since 1975 as pastor for several Presbyterian churches in South Dakota, Oregon, Wyoming, Missouri, and South Carolina. He is currently pastor of the Saluda Presbyterian Church in Saluda, SC.

Jones, Koster, Tarbell and Parsons were among fourteen persons who applied to the Stated Clerk Nomination Committee to be considered for Stated Clerk of the General Assembly.

Deadline for GA ticket orders is May 19e
[Posted here 5-8-08]

Except for commissioners and advisory delegates, advance assembly registration closed on May 5.

Advance ticket sales remain open through May 19 and tickets are still available to all but a few of the events and mission tours. 

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship invites you to its GA
Peace Breakfast

Wed., June 25, 2008, 6:45 a.m.
The Fairmont Hotel, San Jose, CA

Jonathan Kuttab, Speaker, Palestinian Christian Attorney, on
“Following Jesus to a Just Peace in Israel-Palestine”

Peaceseeker Awards

2007 Beth Pyles & Anita David -- For their nonviolent work in Iraq with Christian Peacemaker Teams

2008 Gary Cozette – For decades of dedication to human rights in Latin America

Order your tickets soon!
Details >>

On the issue of lgbt ordination --
and the need for some demythologizing

We have recently posted two essays by the Rev. Ray Bagnuolo:

We recently posted a link to a listing in PDF format of GA Committee Leadership (the moderator and co-moderator, plus Committee Assistant and Parliamentarian Recorder for each of the 17 committees.

Among other things, they provide helpful information and brief comments on overtures dealing with:

The Office of the General Assembly has now posted lists (in PDF format) of

Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock, who will be a main speaker at Witherspoon's Semper Reformanda Conversation on Friday, June 20, before the official opening of the General Assembly, will be signing her new book Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire, on Tuesday, June 24, from 12:00 to 1:30, at the Cokesbury Bookstore in the Exhibit Hall. Cokesbury will have that book for sale, as well as several of her earlier ones.

GAPJC rules that by definition, same-sex ‘marriage’ cannot be performed     [posted by Doug King, 4-29-08]

Presbyterian News Service reports from Louisville: In a reversal of a lower church court ruling, the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr has been found not guilty of violating the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s constitution by performing same-sex ‘marriages’ for two lesbian couples.

The complicated verdict of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the General Assembly (GAPJC) — the church’s highest court — was released on Monday (April 29).

It found that Spahr, who conducted two same-gender marriages in 2004 and 2005, could not be “found guilty of doing that which, by definition, cannot be done.”

The ruling reverses a decision by the PJC of the Synod of the Pacific, which on appeal had ordered the PJC of Redwoods Presbytery to “rebuke” Spahr for conducting the ceremonies after the presbytery’s court had found her “not guilty.”

The full news report >>

For the full text of the GAPJC decision (about ten pages in PDF format)

Just added:

More Light Presbyterians call for Marriage Equality with GAPJC decision and support for the Baltimore Overture at 218th G.A. in San Jose      
[Posted by MLP, 4-26-08]

 "Each person --- regardless of gender, sexual orientation or bodily condition -- has a moral right to love and be loved." This excerpt is from "More Light on Marriage," teaching resource on marriage equality included as a file with this email from the MLP web site: www.mlp.org

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has two upcoming opportunities to recognize and affirm that moral right to love and be loved. First, this next week in the decision its highest judicial court, the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, will render in the case against the Rev. Janie Spahr for officiating at weddings of same-sex couples; and this June in San Jose with consideration of the Baltimore Overture to the 218th General Assembly on marriage equality. ...

As More Light Presbyterians, we stand with all Presbyterians who experience the gifts and joys of love, intimacy, relationships and family. We believe and we know that the most important thing is the quality of the relationship, not the gender of someone's spouse, beloved or partner. Body and soul are one, they cannot be separated; and when the Church attempts to do so, or legislate that separation, great harm is done.

The full MLP statement >>

As you book your flight for GA ...
pause for a moment of reflection

Looking toward our General Assembly, we encourage you all to

PRAY                CONNECT                ACT

PRAY

Keep our Assembly and our organizations your prayers as we work to bring God's vision for a world of peace and justice, and a truly inclusive Church, a little closer to reality.

CONNECT

Stay connected with developments as we move toward GA, and follow events when the Assembly convenes, whether you’re in San Jose or not, through this website and the many others mentioned here.

We will post news and commentary as the week progresses, and will be inviting you to offer your own observations, comments, questions and concerns during the Assembly.

ACT

Tell your friends about this JustPresbys website and the others through which they can keep in touch with the Assembly, and with our organizations.

If you’re at the Assembly, whether in some official capacity or as an observer, get in touch with one or more of our groups, attend our events, find our booths in the Exhibit Hall, and let us involve you in what we’re doing. (Crudely put, that means we’ll put you to work, if you’re willing.)

If you’re in touch with commissioners, let them know about this site and the many kinds of help our groups can offer them. And you may find it appropriate to help them understand some of the issues in light of our long Presbyterian commitment to peace and justice.

Our thanks to the Reconciling Ministries Network of the United Methodist Church, whose emails have suggested this call for prayer, connection, and action.

As the United Methodist General Conference convenes on April 23 in Fort Worth, Texas, the Reconciling Ministries Network, which advocates for the full inclusion of persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities into the life of the United Methodist Church, has called on its members and friends to do three things: Pray, Connect, and Act.

You can follow their General Conference, which will be dealing with many of the same concerns that we will face in a few weeks, by going to the Reconciling Ministries Network website >>

The Rev. Dr. Christian T. Iosso, on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy which he staffs, has sent a letter to an e-list of interested people around the church, detailing the reports that ACSWP will be submitting to the Assembly, a little more fully than we have done previously. He has graciously agreed for us to share it here.   He begins:

Dear Friends interested in Social Justice and Social Witness Policy:

At tax time, with a recession taking hold – in the midst of a very exciting political primary season—with two wars grinding on – and before Pentecost, I write to share with you information on a number of items going to this year’s General Assembly and on several other matters. We use links rather than attachments and I urge you to look at the resources made available, especially posted copies of the policies themselves. The core of all this effort is the conviction that the Church must speak and act on matters of grave social concern as part of our witness to Jesus Christ.

The Office of the Stated Clerk has just published a packet of information on the four candidates for Moderator of the 218^th General Assembly. For each candidate you will find a photograph and biographical sketch, a personal statement by the candidate (including a statement regarding the candidate’s sense of call to office), an announcement of the commissioner each candidate has selected to be presented to the assembly for confirmation as Vice Moderator, and the responses of the candidate to a questionnaire developed by the Stated Clerk.

He is now responding to what he calls "Myth 1: We Threaten the Unity of the Church."   After all, he argues, LGBT Christians have been serving in ordained and non-ordained status since its beginning.  Now it is becoming more possible for them to serve and witness openly, and that is a step forward, not backward.  So, he explains:

The presence or increase of LGBT people in ordained and leadership roles in this church is not a threat to its unity. What is a threat to the unity of this church is the misleading of its members. It is a misleading teaching that insists upon diminished status for the LGBT community, in order that the church remains "whole." This great error is at the core of the threat to the unity of God's church, not those of us who are LGBT. It is an error that has taken on a near-mythological status. And, there are other myths.  More >>

ACSWP (the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy) is bringing a number of reports to the Assembly. These have been called for by previous Assemblies; they are in continuity with a long history of Presbyterian statements on social issues; and they have gone through a detailed study and consultation process that is outlined toward the end of the Manual of the General Assembly, under the title "Forming Social Policy."

People will be coming to San Jose from east and west, from north and south – and also from right and left and center. It might be helpful to approach the Assembly with some awareness of the concerns and proposals that our fellow Presbyterians will be bringing from the conservative side of the denomination.

This request comes to us from Lyndsey King, Cokesbury’s Event & Conference Coordinator:

In order for Cokesbury to supply the best possible resources for the 218th General Assembly, we need your help by suggesting books to have there for sale. Please take a few minutes to fill out the information on the attached form and return it via e-mail, fax or mail by Friday, May 2, 2008. Remember to include ISBN, title, author, and publisher. Looking forward to seeing you in San Jose!

Many Thanks,

A Call to Knit and Pray our Way to the GA in San Jose!
[4-11-08]

Richard J. Mouw, who is president and professor of Christian philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, offers thoughts on the generosity of God, and the ways we keep trying to limit that generosity. It’s a perspective – undeniably evangelical – that might be helpful in our own lives, and also in our encounters and debates in the coming General Assembly.

He writes:

In a speech I heard several years ago, the Japanese-American theologian Kosuke Koyama put it nicely: We all have to decide, he said, whether we have a generous God or a stingy God. And the truth is that we evangelicals often give the impression that we have decided to be a spiritually stingy people. A recent Barna Group survey, for example, offers evidence that many young people in the larger society think of evangelicals primarily as "judgmental" types, hostile toward folks in other religions and mean-spirited in our attitudes about homosexuality. Even many young evangelicals share some of these assessments of the older generation. A leader at an evangelical college said it this way: "A lot of our students worry about typical evangelical attitudes toward people who have different belief systems and lifestyles. It's not that they don't take the Bible's teachings seriously. It's just that they have gotten to know Muslims and gays, and they are embarrassed by the harsh spirit toward such folks that they see in the older generation. If we don't do something about this negative image soon, we could easily lose them for the evangelical cause."

Mouw also quotes one of his predecessors in the presidency at Fuller Seminary, Edward John Carnell, who talked in his inaugural address in about the need for theological humility – “an emphasis that so disturbed many of his colleagues that Carnell never quite recovered from the gloom that descended on the beginning of his presidential career. I would like to think that evangelicals are now ready to affirm the wisdom of what he said in that address.”

We have not yet had time to gather our own information on the many overtures that have been submitted for consideration by the General Assembly.

For now, though, we are happy to offer links to discussions elsewhere – on the websites of some of our progressive sponsoring groups, on the PC (USA) website, and elsewhere.

So far, we're offering:

You can help us build this resource for the Assembly!

In posting a variety of resources dealing with overtures coming to the 218^th GA, we invited responses and comments.  This communication, and the long essay which it introduces, seem to offer both a thoughtful response and a call for action.  We welcome your comments!  Just send a note, to be shared here.

Dear Friends:

GA218 has the promise to become a time for the PC(USA) truly to move beyond the obstacles of exclusion of our LGBT sisters and brothers, and into the time of healing and mission that awaits a powerfully united church, even if not in total agreement.

The attached article: "Moving Beyond The Theological Task Force Report: A Call for Progressive Advocates to Unify for GA 218" is written with the hopes that we can find a way to work as one in this time leading to GA, at the Assembly, and following its decisions. Please take some time to review its contents and then decide how you might encourage the advocacy groups you support to unite.

You may also download the document in PDF or Word format at www.raybagnuolo.net . Additionally, your thoughts are welcome in response to this Email or through the blog at www.bagnuolo.blogspot.com .

I invite you to distribute this, as you wish.

In peace,

Ray Bagnuolo, Minister of the Word and Sacrament
Interim Minister, Palisades Presbyterian Church
Presbytery of Hudson River
Ordained as an Openly Gay Man, November 2005

Tuesday, June 24, 7:00 - 8:15 a.m.       Details >>

On February 14, following a a joint meeting of the General Assembly Council (GAC) Executive Committee and the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA), Presbyterian News Service published a listing given by State Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick of what he saw at that time as the likely "top ten issues" likely to concern the General Assembly.     [posted here 3-28-08]

There will be a special opportunity to meet with the Rev. Joel Ruml, Moderator of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren (ECCB), our Presbyterian counterparts in the Czech Republic. Luncheon on Tuesday, June 24^th, signup at the GA – look for announcements. Learn how a Christian church survived under a communist regime and how they are dealing with a completely new understanding of "church" in a country that is self-defined as "the most atheistic in Europe."    [3-28-08] 

The members and leaders of the committees have not yet been announced, but here's the list of the committees, along with the brief description of tasks assigned to each committee.

Here's what we're posting today:
[3-25-08]

Do you want to be notified whenever something new is added to this web site?

Just send a note, and we'll add you to our e-list for brief notes when something new is posted here.

1.  We want to share our concerns and views with commissioners and others attending the Assembly, and with anyone else who is watching from afar.  While some of our groups focus on one area of concern and others are more general in their focus, we are all committed to the wholeness of our world, which we understand to involve justice and peace and the well-being of all people; and we are committed to the wholeness and health of our Church and its witness and service in the world.

2.  We want to get to know you better and serve your concerns and needs in any way we can.  So we will invite you to share your views with us and with one another with any email responses or questions.  We'll invite your responses with links here and there, and we'll try to post those that seem to contribute to our conversations.  Just send a note now, and tell us how we can be helpful!