Monday and Tuesday have been busy days. Monday we had committee meetings all day – morning, afternoon, and evening. We held hearings on the recommendations we were assigned, heard expert testimony, and then debated the recommendations among our committee until we reached a decision as to whether the majority of us voted in favor of it. Sometimes we amended the recommendation, and a few times we referred it back to the office that proposed it for revisions or new considerations. It isn’t easy to spend hour after hour that way, but we did, and came back for more on Tuesday. I took a little break at noon Tuesday to join a protest in a little park against the Trump immigration policies. We finished our work about 3 in time for me to join a march involving most of the GA participants. If you remember I wrote earlier that our offering at the opening worship service was going to go toward helping those imprisoned because they couldn’t afford their bail, a situation that affects only the poor and causes further poverty in their lives. Today we marched to the St. Louis jail and delivered $47,000 to be used for that purpose. Presbyteries and congregations all over the country added their funds to our offering. It’s been a long time since I was part of a march like this, and I’ve never done it in temperatures so hot and humid, but it was a good thing to do.
Here are just a few of the issues we debated in our committee:
We compromised on a proposal to raise the per capita amount by raising it next year but not the following.
We passed a proposal to change the annual questionnaire that churches (usually the clerks of session) have to fill out, but we added a comment that it go back for further clarification and expansion.
We debated a proposal that the Young Adult Advisory Delegates be allowed to vote, not just advise, for the moderators.
Now our recommendations go to the entire body at the plenary session tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday, with the hope that all will be finished up by Saturday noon.
I know that you can see GA events on Facebook if you look for PCUSA General Assembly.
Here are just a few of the issues we debated in our committee:
We compromised on a proposal to raise the per capita amount by raising it next year but not the following.
We passed a proposal to change the annual questionnaire that churches (usually the clerks of session) have to fill out, but we added a comment that it go back for further clarification and expansion.
We debated a proposal that the Young Adult Advisory Delegates be allowed to vote, not just advise, for the moderators.
Now our recommendations go to the entire body at the plenary session tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday, with the hope that all will be finished up by Saturday noon.
I know that you can see GA events on Facebook if you look for PCUSA General Assembly.