Annual Reports 2008 2008
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Tuesday Business Youth and Children’s PWA Mission in Ireland 2010 Committee Education GENERAL ASSEMBLY Union Commission Wednesday Mission Overseas Social Witness 2008 2008 General Thursday Trustees ANNUAL REPORTS Trusts Finance and Personnel Communications Christian Training United Appeal ORDER OF BUSINESS Judicial Commission Notes: (i) Business commences at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and 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 2 Within Church House 7.00 p.m.— Service of Worship Constitution of Assembly Memorial Roll Election of Moderator TUESDAY, JUNE 3 10.00 a.m.— 1. BUSINESS BOARD: Report and Resolutions (1-11). Arrangements Committee. 2. Reports of Presbyteries (12-20). (10.30) 3. Reception of Corresponding Members and Delegates. Church of Scotland: Rt Rev David Lunan, Rev Iain A Laing, Mrs Sheilah Steven. United Reformed Church: Rev Dr Stephen Orchard, Rev Simon Walkling. Presbyterian Church of Wales: Rev John Owen. Church of Ireland: Very Rev Patrick Rooke, Rev Dr Maurice Elliott. The Methodist Church in Ireland: Rev R Ivan McElhinney, Mrs Hazel Loney. Irish Council of Churches: Mr Derek Woods. Presbyterian Church USA: Rev Doug Baker. Presbyterian Church of Australia: Rt Rev RPF Benn. Hungarian Reformed Church in Transcarpathia: Rev Gyorgy Szanyi. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. iii NOTES iv CCAP Synod of Blantyre, Malawi: Rev McDonald Kadawati. Presbyterian Church of Pakistan: Rev Maqsood Kamil. (11.00) 4. BOARD OF YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRY: Report and Resolutions (190-203). Training; Research and Education; Resources; Ministry Opportunities; Ministry Events. (11.40) Intermission 12.00 noon Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper 2.00 p.m.— 5. PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION: Report and Resolution (157-162). 6. Overtures anent Pars 114(2), 114(2)(a), 114(3), 115(2), 279(1), 279(3)(b), 279(3)(c), 280(1), 280(2)(a), 280(3)(b), 280(3)(c), 281(1), 304(1), 304(3), 305(1), 305(2), 305(8), 305(11), 306(2), 307(1), 307(5), 308 of the Code (162-166). (2.30) 7. BOARD OF MISSION IN IRELAND: Report and Resolutions (139-155). Education and Promotion; Home and Irish Mission; Congregational Life; Shankill Road Mission. 8. Overtures anent Pars 300(1), 300(2), 300(3), 300(5), 302(1)(b), 302(1)(c), 302(3)(a) of the Code (155-156). 9. 2010 Committee: Report and Resolutions (291-292). Lapsed Business. (3.30) Intermission. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. v NOTES vi 3.45 10. BOARD OF EDUCATION: Report and Resolutions (220-232). State Education. (4.45) 11. UNION COMMISSION: Report and Resolutions (98-114). 12. Overture anent Par 190(2)(b) of the Code (115). Lapsed Business. (5.45) Close of Business. 7.45 PRESBYTERIANS TALK: LIFESTYLE. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4 9.30 a.m.— 13. BOARD OF MISSION OVERSEAS: Report and Resolutions (116-138). Leadership Development; Mission Involvement; Outreach Ministries; World Development. (10.45) Intermission (11.00) 14. BOARD OF SOCIAL WITNESS: Report and Resolutions (167-189). Adult Services; Family Services; Older People Services; Specialist Ministries. 12.15 p.m.— Worship. 2.00 p.m.— 15. GENERAL BOARD: Report and Resolutions (21- 93). Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. vii NOTES viii Church & Society; Global Concerns; Church Relations; Doctrine; Priorities; Moderator’s Advisory; Recognised Ministries; Reception of Ministers and Licentiates. 16. Memorial of the Kirk Session of Saintfield Road (93-94). 17. Overtures on the Books anent Pars 29(1)(b), 97(h)(iii), 137, 63, 126(5), 127, 129, 225 of the Code (94-96). 18. Overtures anent 81(3), 200(1), 200(5) of the Code (96). Lapsed Business. (6.00) Close of Business. 7.45 p.m.— Evening Rally. THURSDAY, JUNE 5 9.30 a.m.— 19. TRUSTEES: Report and Resolutions (286-290). 20. Overture anent Appendix 15 of the Code (290). 21. COMMISSION ON TRUSTS: Report and Resolutions (285). 22. BOARD OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL: Report and Resolutions (233-275). Finance, Legal and IT; Personnel; Property Management; Pensions and Assessments. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. ix NOTES x 23. Memorial of Miss Molly Deatherage (275-276). (11.00) Intermission (11.15) 24. COMMUNICATIONS BOARD: Report and Resolutions (215-219). Communications Administration; Communications Development; Church Architecture. Lapsed Business. 12.15 p.m.— Worship 2.00 p.m.— 25. BOARD OF CHRISTIAN TRAINING: Report and Resolutions (204-213). College and Magee Management; Ministerial Development; Ministerial Studies; Training of Church Members. 26. Overtures anent Pars 193(1)(b), 198(1), 214(4), 214(5), 215(1), 215(4), 215(6), 215(7)(a), 215(7)(b), 216, 216(5), 217(1)(a)(i)(x2), 217(1)(a)(ii)(x2), 217(1)(b)(i), 217(1)(b)(ii), 217(1)(b)(iv), 217(2)(b), 217(4), 217(6)(a), 217(7)(a), 217(b)(ii), 217(8)(c), 217(8)(d)(i)(x2), 218(1)(b), 218(2)(a), 268(4)(c), 280(1), 303(4)(d), 309(1), 78(b)(x2), 193(1)(a)(ii), 198(2), 207(2), 285, 285(1), 285(4), 272 of the Code (213-214). (3.30) Intermission Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. xi NOTES xii 27. UNITED APPEAL BOARD: Report and Resolutions (277-284). (5.00) 28. JUDICIAL COMMISSION (97). Late Business, if any. Lapsed Business. BUSINESS BOARD: Final Report. CLOSE OF ASSEMBLY. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. xiii NOTES xiv 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. With the changing composition of the Assembly 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. xv 5. 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 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 (i.e., executive secretary, in Irish usage) 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 may be received and referred back. 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.