30Th General Assembly to Meet in Birmingham Briarwood Presbyterian Will Host GA for Third Time
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P&R News ² March 1999 Recording the Presbyterian & Story of the Presbyterian Reformed News Church in America $4.75 per issue/$15.00 per year Volume 8 Number 2 Published by Presbyterian International News Service, Inc., Coeburn, Virginia April - June 2002 30th General Assembly to Meet in Birmingham Briarwood Presbyterian Will Host GA for Third Time The 30th General Assembly of the Presbyterian debate, including theological subscription, the The Assembly itself will begin on the evening Church in America (PCA) is slated to convene in proper role of denominational management of the 18th, with an opening communion service. Birmingham, Alabama, June 18-21, 2002. This will personnel, and whether individuals have the right to Bringing the message will be the retiring moderator, be the third time that the PCA Assembly has met in inspect the records of denominational agencies. Mr. Steve Fox of Montgomery, Alabama. A ruling Alabamas largest city. Other controversial issues include whether to elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Alabamas Host church for this years gathering will be replace the Standing Judicial Commission, and capital city, Mr. Fox is a printer by trade. His Briarwood Presbyterian Church, whose large overtures on racial reconciliation. announced message, based on Jeremiah 1:4-19, is facilities will house the Assembly itself as well as On Monday, June 17th, various committees of entitled, The PCA . A Fortified City, numerous meetings of committees connected with commissioners, as well as the Committee on Review After the communion service, a new moderator the annual meeting. This will be mark the third time of Presbytery Records, will begin their work. On will be elected. By custom, the PCA alternates that the PCAs second largest congregation will have Tuesday, the 18th, the remaining committees of between electing ruling elders and teaching elders hosted the General Assembly. The other two commissioners will undertake their tasks. as moderator, and this is the year for a minister to occasions were 1973, when the First PCA Committees of commissioners, comprised of be selected. Assembly met, and 1991, when the 19th Assembly representatives from the presbyteries, bring most In past years, up to 1400 or more was in town. of the motions that will be voted on to the floor of commissioners have attended the General This years Assembly promises to be lively. On the Assembly. Assembly. With the meeting being held in the heart the agenda for the highest PCA of Dixie, where most PCA churches judicatory are issues are located, a heavy turnout guaranteed to is expected. spark The skyline of Birmingham The Riverchase Galleria The Art Museum 2 P&R News ² April - June 2002 Overview of the Overtures Most of the items of business which parliamentary procedure, the Committee can records of controlled corporations, then the New River, and Potomac Presbyteries have will generate the most discussion come in accept any of these overtures either en toto General Assembly will have lost effective overtured the Assembly to allow for a diversity the form of overtures from the presbyteries or in an amended form. Or, the Committee control of them. The overture petitions that of views on the matter and to dismiss the Women of the denomination. This year, at least 34 could recommend that any or all of these a sunshine policy would apply not only to in Military Committee with thanks. Northern overtures and three communications have proposals be voted down. Or, the the Foundation but to all the committees California Presbytery has also sent a been sent to the General Assembly. Committee could recommend that the matter and agencies of the church [see story on communication to the same effect. On the other However, in reality, many more overtures be studied, perhaps by a special committee page 4Ed.] hand, Mississippi Valley Presbytery has sent its have been received, as several of the appointed by the General Assembly. own communication, expressing an affirmation overtures dealing with theological of the Committees work, particularly the view subscription and the assumption of original that women abstaining from combat is a Christian jurisdiction over a minister have been duty. adopted by multiple presbyteries. Race and Ethnicity Theological Nashville Presbytery has sent in a controversial overture on racial Subscription reconciliation, which calls upon the Generating the most number of Assembly to repent of our pride, our overtures this year is the matter of complacency, and our complicity for the theological subscription. Arising from the sins of our fathers. Overture 20 states discussion at the pre-Assembly seminar last that the heinous sins attendant with year, numerous presbyteries are asking that unbiblical forms of servitudeincluding the Book of Church Order be amended in oppression, racism, exploitation, man order to specify that a candidate for the stealing, and chattle slaveryremain ministry does not have to subscribe to every among the defining features of our national statement of the Confessional Standards in history. Chesapeake Presbytery has sent order to be in agreement with the system of Overture 19 calling for a study committee doctrine. on ministry amidst ethnic diversity. In meetings in January 2002, Missouri, Evangel (eastern Alabama), Susquehanna Judicial Process Valley, Northern California, and Central Tall office buildings constructed during the early 20th century caused an Florida Presbyteries adopted the same intersection in Birmingham to be dubbed the heaviest corner on earth. The city In Overture 6, Westminster Presbytery overture, in order to advocate what is being has continued the trend of building skyscrapers. calls for the replacement of the Standing called good-faith subscription. Judicial Commission (SJC) with regionally- Also in January, Ohio Valley Presbytery based judicial commissions. The overture sent in its own version of the same overture. Original expresses great dissatisfaction with the Also in January, North Georgia, Politicking present system. Currently, the SJC is Tennessee Valley, Rocky Mountain, Jurisdiction Overture 34 from Westminster comprised of 24 men in four classes of three Nashville, North Florida, and Heartland Overture 5 requests that the BCO be Presbytery asks the Assembly to teaching elders and three ruling elders each, Presbyteries adopted a third version of the amended so that at least ten percent of the disapprove of denominational management elected directly by the General Assembly. same overture. presbyteries, rather than only a couple of personnel using their posts of prestige and The Westminster proposal would have Still in January, Metropolitan New York presbyteries, would have to petition the influence in ecclesiastical politicking. commissions selected by lot from among Presbytery adopted a fourth version of the General Assembly for the assumption of Expressly targeting the Presbyterian the commissioners of the previous General overture. original jurisdiction over a minister when Pastoral Leadership Network (PPLN), the Assembly. Later in January, North Texas his presbytery has refused to act. Sixteen overture states that denominational Overture 28, also from Westminster Presbytery adopted a fifth version of the presbyteries adopted that overture. A personnel were used in order to create the Presbytery, asks that proposed changes to overture. similar overture (Overture 30) was sent up organizations web site, to send emails, and the SJC Manual be rejected. Concern is In March, Iowa Presbytery adopted a by Philadelphia and Iowa Presbyteries. to assist in the meeting in Atlanta. The especially expressed over the way in which sixth version of the overture; and Potomac Presbytery has sent in its own overture asks the Assembly to counsel said the SJC has proposed the handling of Philadelphia Presbytery followed the same version, which would specify that at least personnel that the use of denominational Memorials, with the Presbytery suggesting month with its particular version of it. five percent of the presbyteries would have resources for such political activities is that at least some of the changes may be Among the variations found in these to petition for jurisdiction. Overture 18 also inappropriate. un-Constitutional. Last years General overtures from sixteen presbyteries are calls for amending the BCO with regard to a Assembly had referred these proposed differences of wording of the proposed presbytery assuming original jurisdiction changes to the presbyteries for comment. change to the BCO, and differences in the over a church member. Under Potomacs Women in the WHEREAS clauses. For example, North plan, at least five percent of the Sessions of Texas overture omits all of the WHEREAS a presbytery, rather than the current two Military Report Concern Over clausesstatements which assert, among Sessions, would have to petition in the In 1998, the General Assembly other things, that the PCA was not founded matter. appointed a study committee on the subject the TNIV as a strict-subscriptionist church. of women in the military, especially in Concern over a new gender-neutral Countering the proposals promoted by combat. Only a portion of that committees translation of the Bible, Todays New the Presbyterian Pastoral Leadership Open or Closed report was adopted at last years Assembly. International Version, prompted Central Network (PPLN) is Overture 29 from The crucial issue, viz., whether forbidding Carolina Presbytery to send up Overture 33. Westminster Presbytery. Like the PPLN Records