Reports to the General Assembly 2009
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Tuesday Business Union Commission Presbyterian Women Overseas General Wednesday GENERAL ASSEMBLY General Youth and Children’s 2010 Committee Mission in Ireland 2009 2009 Communications Thursday Trustees ANNUAL REPORTS Trusts Finance and Personnel Education Christian Training Social Witness ORDER OF BUSINESS United Appeal Notes: (i) Business commences at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and Judicial Commission at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. (ii) An “Introduction to Assembly Business” wil be given in the Assembly Hall on Tuesday at 9.15 a.m. (iii) Communion will be held on Tuesday at 12 noon and Worship on Wednesday and Thursday at 12.15 p.m. The break for lunch will be at 1 p.m. each day. (iv) Figures in brackets refer to page numbers in the Annual Reports. NOTES ii MONDAY, JUNE 1 Within Church House 7.00 p.m.— Service of Worship Constitution of Assembly Memorial Roll Election of Moderator TUESDAY, JUNE 2 10.00 a.m.— 1. BUSINESS BOARD: Report and Resolutions (1-7). 2. Reports of Presbyteries (8-16). 3. Reflection on 1859 Revival. (10.30) 4. Reception of Corresponding Members and Delegates. Church of Scotland: Rt Rev Bill Hewitt, Rev Lorna Hood, Mr Stuart Robertson. United Reformed Church: Rev John Marsh. Presbyterian Church of Wales: Rev Hayden Thomas. Church of Ireland: The Methodist Church in Ireland: Rev Roy Cooper, Mrs Louise Wilson. Irish Council of Churches: Rev Fr Irenaeus du Plessis. Conference of European Churches: Rev Matthew Ross Presbyterian Church USA: Rev Doug Baker. The Waldensian Evangelical Church: Rev Laura Testa Presbyterian Church of Australia: Rev Stuart Bonnington. Gereja Masehi Injili di Timor (GMIT), Indonesia: Rev Ebenhaizer Imanuel Nuban Timo, Rev Welmintje Kameli- Maleng, Rev Bendalina Souk, Mrs Ince Damaris Pitronela Sayuna Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA): Igreja Evangelica Presbiteriana de Portugal (IEPP): Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. iii NOTES iv (11.00) 5. UNION COMMISSION: Report and Resolutions (112-126). 6. Overtures anent Pars 236(2), 274(6)(e) of the Code (126). (11.40) Intermission 12.00 noon Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper 2.00 p.m.— 7. PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN: Report and Resolution (164-169). 8. Overtures anent Pars 114(2), 114(2)(a), 114(3) and 115(2) of the Code (169-170). (2.30) 9. BOARD OF MISSION OVERSEAS: Report and Resolutions (127-147). Leadership Development; Mission Involvement; Outreach Ministries; World Development. (3.45) Intermission. 4.00 10. GENERAL BOARD: Report and Resolutions (17-108). Priorities; Moderator’s Advisory; Doctrine; Global Concerns and Church Relations. (6.00) Close of Business. 7.45 PRESBYTERIANS TALK : HEALTHY CHURCH — CARING COMMUNITY. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 9.30 a.m.— 11. GENERAL BOARD (cont’d): Report and Resolutions (17-108). Church and Society; Pastoral Care Panel; Ministries Panel; Centres Panel. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. v NOTES vi (10.45) Intermission (11.00) 12. GENERAL BOARD (cont’d): Report and Resolutions (17-108). Church House Panel. 13. Overtures anent Pars 81(3), 33(4), 62, 98 of the Code (108-109). 12.15 p.m.— Worship. 2.00 p.m.— 14. BOARD OF YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRY: Report and Resolutions (193-207). Training; Research and Education; Resources; Ministry Opportunities; Ministry Events. 15. 2010 Committee (305-306). (3.30) INTERMISSION 16. BOARD OF MISSION IN IRELAND: Report and Resolutions (148-163) Communications; Strategy for Mission; Research and Resources. 17. Overtures anent Pars 305(9), 40(4) of the Code (163). (5.15) 18. COMMUNICATIONS BOARD: Report and Resolutions (239-244). Lapsed Business. (6.00) Close of Business. 7.45 p.m.— Evening Rally. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. vii NOTES viii THURSDAY, JUNE 4 9.30 a.m.— 19. TRUSTEES: Report and Resolutions (301-304). 20. COMMISSION ON TRUSTS: Report and Resolutions (300). (10.00) 21. BOARD OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL: Report and Resolutions (266-293). Finance, Legal and IT; Personnel; Property Management; Pensions and Assessments. 22. Overtures anent Pars 124(1), 125(1), 125(A), 318A(1), 318A(2)(b), 318B(3)(b), 319(1), 320(3), 321(4), 324(1), 325(3), 326(1)(b), 326(1)(c). (10.45) Intermission (11.00) 23. BOARD OF EDUCATION: Report and Resolutions (245-265). State Education. Lapsed Business. 12.15 p.m.— Worship 2.00 p.m.— 24. Calvin Remembered. 25. BOARD OF CHRISTIAN TRAINING: Report and Resolutions (208-238). College and Magee Management; Ministerial Development; Ministerial Studies; Training of Church Members. 26. Overture anent Par 78(b) of the Code (238). Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. ix NOTES x (3.15) Intermission (3.30) 27. BOARD OF SOCIAL WITNESS: Report and Resolutions (171-192). Specialist Ministries; Older People Services; Family Services; Adult Services. 28. UNITED APPEAL BOARD: Report and Resolutions (294-299). In private (5.00) 29. Recognised Ministries Report and Resolution (70-73; 107). 30. Reception of Ministers and Licentiates Report (73). 31. JUDICIAL COMMISSION (110-111). (6.00) Intermission In Public 7.00 pm Late Business, if any. Lapsed Business. BUSINESS BOARD: Final Report. CLOSE OF ASSEMBLY. If it seems possible to finish business by 6.30 p.m., the afternoon session will continue to the close Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. xi NOTES xii BUSINESS BOARD A Guide to Assembly Procedure 1. Members of Assembly consist of all ministers in active duty or retired and some elders, ex officio, together with a representative elder from each established congregation plus other elders commissioned by Presbyteries to correspond with the number of ministers serving in special appointments. Deaconesses, representatives of the Women’s and Youth Movements and some others have now been invited to “sit and deliberate” as associates – i.e., to take part with members freely in debate but without voting. The Assembly quorum is fifty members. 2. While members should bear in mind any opinions or concerns of their Congregations, Kirk Sessions or Presbyteries, neither ministers nor elders attend as “delegates”, obliged to vote as instructed by any of these. The Assembly should be a gathering of fully responsible, free Christian men and women, always open to spiritual guidance and information on a Church-wide basis, not a device for counting up decisions already made elsewhere. 3. The Moderator is chairman of the Assembly, in charge of proceedings, but he should not take sides in debates. Former Moderators may deputise from time to time at his request, should he wish to take part in debate or to withdraw from the House. When the Moderator rises to speak at any point all other members must yield to the Chair. Members should stand when the Moderator enters or leaves at the beginning or end of proceedings. Members may enter or leave at any time during proceedings, but should do so with as little disturbance as possible. It is a courtesy in so doing to give a slight bow to the Chair. 4. The recommended form of address to the House is simply “Moderator” (not “Mr.” Moderator, etc). Speakers should face towards the House and the microphones, not towards the Moderator. 5. Committees: Work for which the Assembly is responsible is generally entrusted to various permanent or temporary (“ad hoc”) Committees. These must each present a report to the Assembly. Working Committees concerned xiii with related matters are grouped under a supervising Board. A Commission of Assembly is a Committee entrusted with the executive powers of the Assembly, within the terms of its appointment. Members of Committees, etc., are appointed by the Assembly on the nomination of various bodies and have a Convener in charge. 6. Reports. While the Assembly is obliged to “receive” the report of each Committee, etc., it does not “adopt” or accept responsibility for the contents of any report. Reports carry only the authority of the Committee concerned and not of the Assembly. If found too unsatisfactory the report or a section of it, may be received and referred back. This is done by an amendment to resolution 1. Any matter to which the Assembly is to be committed must be stated in a specific resolution. Resolutions should be kept to conclusions, rather than include arguments in support such as are appropriate to speeches. Similarly, speeches in the Assembly carry the authority only of the speaker. 7. Reports, together with any appended resolutions, are first of all “presented”, usually by a Board or Committee Convener. There is then an opportunity for questions to be asked. These should quite strictly be asked only for further information or explanation, whether of something in the report or not in the report but for which the Board, etc., carries responsibility; they should not be rhetorical or debating “questions”, to score a point. 8. Questions, which should be written out and placed in the box provided in good time, will normally be limited to two per person and ten minutes in all, unless the Moderator judge that a particular subject merits an extension of these limits. 9. After Questions, the presenter of the report formally proposes the appended resolutions in block and another person seconds, with a speech taking up any other aspects requiring treatment. Where it is considered helpful the seconder may speak before questions to clarify issues which may arise during questions. 10. The Resolutions are then taken in succession. The first of these is always “that the report be received”. This is the point where members may discuss (not ask questions xiv about) any matters in the report or for which the Board, etc., should bear responsibility, but which do not arise under any subsequent resolution.