Reports to the General Assembly 2016
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2016 2016 ANNUAL REPORTS Tuesday H GA Business Committee – 1 Initial Report Presbyteries 2 General Council (Section 1) 3 Honouring Christ in the 4 Public Square CHURCH IN IRELAND Presbyter an Church in Society 5 Social Witness 6 GENERAL ASSEMBLY Wednesday H Congregational Life and Witness 1 Training in Ministry 2 2016 2016 Listening to the Global Church 3 General Council (Section 2) 4 General Council (Section 3) 5 Thursday H ANNUAL REPORTS Mission in Ireland 1 General Council (Section 4) 2 People Matter to God 3 ORDER OF BUSINESS Global Mission 4 General Council (Section 5) 5 Notes: (i) Business commences at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday, 9.15 a.m. on Wednesday and 9.30 a.m. on Thursday. Friday H Judicial Commission 1 (ii) An “Introduction to Assembly Business” will be given in the Assembly Hall on Tuesday at Special Judicial Commission 2 9.00 a.m. Commission on Applications 3 (iii) Communion will be held on Tuesday at 11.45 Linkage Commission 4 a.m. and Worship on Wednesday and Thursday at 12.15 p.m. The break for lunch will be at 1p.m. Trustees 5 each day. Nominations Committee 6 (iv) Figures in brackets refer to page numbers in the Finance and Staffing Commission 7 Annual Reports. GA Business Committee – 8 i Second Report NOTES ii MONDAY, JUNE 6 Assembly Buildings 7.00 p.m. – Service of Worship Constitution of Assembly Election of Moderator TUESDAY, JUNE 7 9.30 a.m. – 1. GENERAL ASSEMBLY BUSINESS COMMITTEE: Initial Report and Resolutions 1-4 (pages 3-4 and 105). 2. Reports of Presbyteries (pages 143-149). (9.45) 3. GENERAL COUNCIL: Section 1 of Report and Resolutions 5-8 (pages 1-2, 14-37 and 105). Priorities Committee; 2017 Residential Assembly Conference Task Group; Engagement and Consultations Task Group; Memorial Record. 4. OVERTURE: General Council Priorities Committee (page 109). (10.45) 5. Reception of Corresponding Members and Delegates. Church of Scotland: Rt Rev Dr Russell Barr; Rev Ian Y Gilmour; Mrs Marjory Vennelle United Reformed Church: Rev David Grosch-Miller Presbyterian Church of Wales: Rev Dr Elwyn Richards Church of Ireland: Ven George Davison; Mrs Hilary McClay The Methodist Church in Ireland: Rev Peter Murray; Mrs Joan Doherty Irish Council of Churches: Dr Kenneth Milne Religious Society for Friends: Rosemary I Sinton Greek Evangelical Church: Rev Dimitris Boukis CCAP, Synod of Blaytyre: Rev Moyenda S Kanjerwa; Rev Edina Navaya (Please note: Additional Corresponding Members and Delegates will be reported in the Supplementary Reports) Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. iii NOTES iv (11.30) Short Intermission. 11.45 a.m. Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper including the Memorial Roll. 1.00 p.m. LUNCH 2.00 p.m. – 6. HONOURING CHRIST IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE - Building our Vision for Society. (3.00) Tea/Coffee Break. 3.30 7. COUNCIL FOR CHURCH IN SOCIETY: Report and Resolutions (pages 281-313). 4.45 8. COUNCIL FOR SOCIAL WITNESS: Report and Resolutions (pages 268- 280). Lapsed Business (if any). (6.00) Close of Business. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 9.30 a.m. – 9. COUNCIL FOR CONGREGATIONAL LIFE AND WITNESS (including ‘A Community of Global Concern’): Report and Resolutions (pages 193- 219). (10.45) Tea/Coffee Break. 11.15 10. COUNCIL FOR TRAINING IN MINISTRY: Report and Resolutions (pages 220-237). 11. OVERTURES: Council for Training in Ministry (pages 109-114). Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. v NOTES vi 12.15 p.m. – Worship. 1.00 p.m. LUNCH 2.00 p.m. – 12. LISTENING TO THE GLOBAL CHURCH - The Welcoming Church. (3.00) Tea/Coffee Break. 3.30 13. GENERAL COUNCIL: Section 2 of Report and Resolutions 9 & 10 (pages 38-41 and 105). Moderator’s Advisory Committee; Dialogue and Resources Task Group; Republic of Ireland Marriage Task Group. 14. OVERTURE: General Council Republic of Ireland Marriage Task Group (pages 114-115). 4.30 15. GENERAL COUNCIL: Section 3 of Report and Resolutions 11-15 (pages 42-54 and 106). Charities Legislation Task Group; Communications Review Task Group; Historical Archiving Task Group; Guysmere Redevelopment Task Group. 16. OVERTURES: General Council Charities Legislation Task Group (pages 115-122). Lapsed Business (if any). (5.45) Close of Business. Please – At 6.15 p.m. SPUD will serve a light tea in the Note Minor Hall and then share their insights, contributions and stories in areas of our culture with which they have been engaging: Sexuality, Secularism, Selfies and Science. 7.45 p.m. – Evening Celebration: A Community of Global Concern Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. vii NOTES viii THURSDAY, JUNE 9 9.30 a.m. – 17. COUNCIL FOR MISSION IN IRELAND: Report and Resolutions (pages 238-267). (10.45) Tea/Coffee Break. 11.15 18. GENERAL COUNCIL: Section 4 of Report and Resolutions 16-22 (pages 55-90 and 106). Support Services Committee; Commercial Use of Assembly Buildings Task Group; United Appeal Committee. 19. OVERTURES: General Council Support Services Committee (pages 122-123). 12.15 p.m. – Worship 1.00 p.m. LUNCH 2.00 p.m. – 20. PEOPLE MATTER TO GOD - Caring for our Older Members. (3.00) Tea/Coffee Break. 3.30 21. COUNCIL FOR GLOBAL MISSION: Report and Resolutions (pages 314-329). 4.45 22. GENERAL COUNCIL: Section 5 of Report and Resolutions 23-29 (pages 91-103 and 106-107). Church Relations Committee; Organists and Employment Task Group; Doctrine Committee; General Business of the Council. 23. OVERTURES: General Council General (pages 124-141). Lapsed Business (if any). (6.30) Close of Business. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. ix NOTES x FRIDAY, JUNE 10 In Private 9.30 a.m. – 24. JUDICIAL COMMISSION: Report and Resolutions (page 152). 25. SPECIAL (JUDICIAL) COMMISSION: Report and Resolution (page 153). 26. COMMISSION ON APPLICATIONS: Report and Resolution (page 154). In Public 27. LINKAGE COMMISSION: Report and Resolutions (pages 155-192). 28. OVERTURES: Linkage Commission (pages 141- 142). 29. TRUSTEES: Report and Resolutions (pages 330- 336). 30. NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE: Report and Resolutions 29-35 (pages 103-105 and 107). (10.45) Tea/Coffee Break. 11.15 31. FINANCE AND STAFFING COMMISSION: Report and Resolutions (pages 150-151). 11.45 32. GENERAL ASSEMBLY BUSINESS COMMITTEE: Second Report and Resolutions 36-39 (pages 4-13 and 107-108). Lapsed Business (if any). CLOSE OF ASSEMBLY. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. xi GENERAL ASSEMBLY BUSINESS COMMITTEE 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. The Assembly quorum is fifty members. (a) Deaconesses, Licentiates, Presbytery representatives of Presbyterian Women and youth, representatives of SPUD and some others are invited to “sit and deliberate” as associates – i.e., to take part with members freely in debate but without voting. Kirk Sessions have been given permission to name an additional elder who may sit and deliberate when the representative elder is not able to attend. (b) 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. 2. The Moderator is chairman of the Assembly, in charge of proceedings, but should not take sides in debates. Former Moderators may deputise from time to time, should the Moderator wish to take part in debate or to withdraw from the House. (a) When the Moderator rises to speak at any point all other members must yield to the Chair. (b) 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. (c) 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. xii 3. Councils & Commissions: Work for which the Assembly is responsible is generally entrusted to various General Assembly Councils and Commissions. These must each present a report to the Assembly. Councils normally have a number of General Assembly Committees working under them, along with permanent Panels and ad-hoc Task Groups. A Commission of Assembly is entrusted with the executive powers of the Assembly, within the terms of its appointment. Members of Commissions, Councils and General Assembly Committees are appointed by the Assembly itself, on the nomination of the General Assembly’s Nominations Committee. Councils and Commissions are led by a Convener, supported by a Secretary, with the latter often being a senior member of staff. In what follows the word “Councils” covers Councils, Commissions and the General Assembly Business Committee. 4. Reports of Councils: While the Assembly is obliged to “receive” the report of each Council, it does not “adopt” or accept responsibility for the contents of any report. Reports carry only the authority of the Council concerned and not of the Assembly. (a) If found too unsatisfactory the report, or a section of it, may be received and referred back.