GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2012 2012 ANNUAL REPORTS PresbyterCHURCH IN IRELAND an Tuesday Business United Appeal Christian Training Presbyterian Women Union Commission PresbyterCHURCH IN IRELAN D an Mission in Ireland GENERAL ASSEMBLY Trustees Trusts Wednesday Mission Overseas 2012 2012 Social Witness General Thursday ANNUAL REPORTS Education SPUD Youth and Children Finance and Personnel Judicial Commission ORDER OF BUSINESS Notes: (i) Business commences at 9.45 a.m. on Tuesday and at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. (ii) An “Introduction to Assembly Business” will be given in the Assembly Hall on Tuesday at 9.15 a.m. (iii) Communion will be held on Tuesday at 11.45 a.m. and Worship on Wednesday and Thursday at 12.15 p.m. The break for lunch will be at 1p.m. each day. (iv) Figures in brackets refer to page numbers in the Annual Reports. i NOTES ii MONDAY, MAY 28 Assembly Buildings 7.00 p.m. – Service of Worship Constitution of Assembly Election of Moderator TUESDAY, MAY 29 9.45 a.m. – 1. BUSINESS BOARD: Report and Resolutions (1-6). Arrangements Committee. 2. Reports of Presbyteries (7-13). 3. Reception of Corresponding Members and Delegates. Church of Scotland: Rt Rev Albert Bogle, Rev Iain Cunningham and Mrs Ann Mitchell United Reformed Church: Rev Dr Kirsty Thorpe and Rev Martin Smith Presbyterian Church of Wales: Rev. Robert Owen Roberts Church of Ireland: Rt Rev Patrick Rooke and Rev Canon David Crooks The Methodist Church in Ireland: Rev Paul Kingston and Miss Rosemary Rainey Irish Council of Churches: Rev Fr Godfrey O’Donnell Presbyterian Church USA: Rev Doug Baker The Presbyterian Church of Pakistan: Rev Maqsood Kamil The Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Synod of Livingstonia: Rev Levi Nyondo, General Secretary The Evangelical Reformed Church of Latvia: Rev. Alvis Sauka and Rev Ungars Gulbis The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon: Rev Mikhael Sbait The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands: Rev Norbert Stephens, General Secretary Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. iii NOTES iv 4. UNITED APPEAL BOARD: Report and Resolutions (252-257). (11.30) Intermission. 11.45 a.m. Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Memorial Roll. 2.00 p.m. – 5. BOARD OF CHRISTIAN TRAINING: Report and Resolutions (185-196). Training and Resources; Ministerial Studies and Development; UTC Management. 6. Overture anent Par 209 of the Code (197). 7. PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN: Report and Resolution (149-153). 8. UNION COMMISSION: Report and Resolutions (88-107). 9. Overtures anent Pars 128(1); 193(1)(c); 195(11) (d); Appendix 5A; Appendix 5D of the Code (107- 108). (4.00) Intermission. (4.15) 10. BOARD OF MISSION IN IRELAND: Report and Resolutions (130-147). Strategy for Mission; Research and Resources; Church Architecture. 11. Overtures anet Pars 204; 210(1); 212(1) of the Code (147-148). (5.30) 12. TRUSTEES: Report and Resolutions (259-263). 13. APPOINTMENT OF NEW TRUSTEES (264). 14. COMMISSION ON TRUSTS: Report and Resolutions (258). Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. v NOTES vi Lapsed Business (if any). (6.00) Close of Business. WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 9.30 a.m. – 15. BOARD OF MISSION OVERSEAS: Report and Resolutions (109-129). Outreach Ministries; Leadership Development; World Development; Mission Involvement. 16. BOARD OF SOCIAL WITNESS: Report and Resolutions (154-171). Specialist Ministries; Older People Services; Family Services; Adult Services. (11.00) Intermission. (11.15) 17. GENERAL BOARD: Report and Resolutions (14- 73). Memorial Record; Priorities; Doctrine; Moderator’s Advisory; Church Relations; Reception of Ministers and Licentiates; Church and Society; Global Concerns; Planned Giving; Fixed Terms. 12.15 p.m. – Worship. 2.00 p.m. – 18. GENERAL BOARD (cont’d): Report and Resolutions (14-73). (3.45) Intermission. (4.00) 19. GENERAL BOARD (cont’d): Report and Resolutions (14-73). 20. Overtures anet Pars 76(e); 235; 313(1); 318(B)(2); 320(2); 325(2) of the Code (73-74). Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. vii NOTES viii Lapsed Business (if any). (6.00) Close of Business. 7.45 p.m. – Evening Rally. THURSDAY, MAY 31 9.30 a.m. – 21. BOARD OF EDUCATION: Report and Resolutions (198-206). 22. SPUD YOUTH ASSEMBLY: Report and Resolutions (265-270). (10.45) Intermission. (11.00) 23. BOARD OF YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRY: Report and Resolutions (172-184). Ministry Opportunities; Research and Education; Ministry Resources; Ministry Events. Lapsed Business (if any). 12.15 p.m. – Worship 2.00 p.m. – 24. BOARD OF FINANCE AND PERSONNEL: Report and Resolutions (207-251). Pensions and Assessments; Personnel; Property and Management; Finance, Legal and IT. 24. Overture anent Par 315 of the Code (251). (3.15) Intermission. Times in brackets may be anticipated but should not be passed. ix NOTES x In Private (3.30) 25. JUDICIAL COMMISSION: Report and Resolution (75-85). 26. SPECIAL COMMISSION: Report and Resolution (86-87). In Public Lapsed Business. BUSINESS BOARD: Final Report. CLOSE OF ASSEMBLY. 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 xiii 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 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 about) any xiv matters in the report or for which the Board, etc., should bear responsibility, but which do not arise under any subsequent resolution. 11. Unless otherwise arranged, speeches are limited as follows:- Presenting a group of reports and resolutions 10 minutes Seconding a group of reports and resolutions 7 minutes All other speeches 5 minutes If lapsed business accumulates, the normal abbreviated timings are as follows:- Proposing a group of Reports 10 minutes reduced to 7 Seconding a group of Reports 7 minutes reduced to 5 Other speeches 5 minutes reduced to 3 A flickering light is given 1 minute before the end, a steady light for 30 seconds and a buzz when the time is up.