PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - The Discernment journey

 
 

 
 

 
 

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09967

November 9, 2009

The Discernment journey

A monthly column for the PC(USA) by the General Assembly Stated Clerk

by the Rev. Gradye Parsons

PC(USA) General Assembly stated clerk

LOUISVILLE — Folks often wonder how an overture makes its way to a General Assembly. It is not a speedy process, but it's an effective one that involves discernment through prayer, the study of Scripture, and careful listening to others.

An overture generally starts with an individual idea or inspiration. From there, one of the foundational understandings of our polity is lived out: Decisions are made not by one person, but by people discerning together the mind of Christ.

Often, an overture's first step involves members of the session of a congregation discerning together whether the issue on their hearts should be addressed by the whole PC(USA). In my experience, this is rarely done at one meeting, but over time.

The session sends the overture to the presbytery, where it is considered by a committee. The committee members prayerfully discern together the mind of Christ about the issue, listening to the voice of the session and to one another, as well as their own understanding of Scripture. The committee then sends the overture to the full presbytery, where elders and ministers discuss its merits and answer the critical question: Is this an issue for the whole church?

If approved by the presbytery, the overture goes to the General Assembly, where it will carry the presbytery's name and require the presbytery's support.

General Assembly commissioners and advisory delegates consider the overture in committee, discerning together by listening to voices with wider experiences, to different understandings of Scripture, and to the Spirit speaking through prayer. The item then goes to the whole assembly where, again, listening and seeking are the primary discernment actions.

If the overture passes, its journey continues as congregations, presbyteries, synods, and General Assembly agencies discern what it means for their ministry and witness.

The journey of an overture involves the entire Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It travels the long distance through our discernment as the whole church, listening for what God is calling the church to be and to do.

Let us all be ready to listen.

 
 

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PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - ‘We cannot agree,’ says marriage/unions panel

 
 

 
 

 
 

Home > News Service > 'We cannot agree,' says marriage/unions panel

 
 

09807

September 21, 2009

'We cannot agree,' says marriage/unions panel

GA special committee's preliminary report includes no recommendations

by Jerry L. Van Marter

Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — The Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Unions and Christian Marriage has acknowledged what has been clearly demonstrated in debates, governing body votes and judicial decisions throughout the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): Presbyterians are not of one mind on the role of same-gender relationships in the church.

The special committee, authorized by the 2008 General Assembly, unanimously approved its preliminary report to the 2010 Assembly here Sept. 17, answering the central question before it — What is the place of covenanted same-gender partnerships in the Christian community? — with a three word response: "We cannot agree."

Though it reached unanimous agreement on the preliminary version of its report — the group will receive feedback from the church until Nov. 15 and prepare a final report at its Jan 22-25, 2010 meeting — it tabled action on any recommendations it might make.

In convoluted parliamentary maneuvers, the committee decided to discuss possible recommendations that had already been included in publicly distributed papers prior to the meeting after it had voted not to take any votes on them until January. At the request of the chair, the Rev. James Szeyller of Charlotte Presbytery, the Presbyterian News Service relinquished its copy of the draft recommendations.

Those recommendations would reaffirm the PC(USA)'s current constitutional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman; would advise ministers and commissioned lay pastors not to officiate at same-gender marriages even in states where they are legal but would continue to permit appropriate religious services to same-gender couples; and would continue the church's longstanding support for full civil rights for same-gender couples that married couples enjoy; and ask the General Assembly Mission Council's Theology and Worship office to examine the PC(USA)'s constitutional provisions regarding marriage in light of the legalization of same-gender marriage in several states.

"We see no agreement in the laws around this issue, on any level of government, and these very laws have changed even as we have embarked on this study," the preliminary report states. "We have reached no consensus on a faithful response to the changing nature of civil marriage."

The complexity of the relationship between church and civil law is particularly troublesome, said special committee member the Rev. William Teng of National Capital Presbytery.

"I believe we have to address two issues," he said, "Practical help on how to deal with ministers and sessions in states where same-sex marriage is legal and the whole relationship between church and state. Personally, I think we should encourage ministers not to serve as agents of the state [in formalizing civil marriage contracts] as a practical solution."

The report states, "We acknowledge that current law, in which clergy act as agents of the state, is a source of confusion. On behalf of the state, ministers are granted the authority to officiate at marriages, and yet no authority is granted them to dissolve such unions. Some argue the church should relinquish its state-sanctioned power to marry. Others feel that, even in confusion, it should be retained to further the cause of the gospel."

The report poses three prevalent perspectives it says are held in the church, with "proponents of each view believing that their position is rooted in Scripture":

• That "laws that fail to give benefits equal to marriage to same-gender couples and their families violate the standards of social justice/equal protection," noting "the different cultural settings between modern society and biblical times ..."
  
• That differences in benefits don't violate social justice/equal protection norms because "traditional marriage is foundational" and that it's not true that "all family formations are equally stable and nurturing for children ..."
  
• That the church should not be complicit in "further separating appropriate sexual activity from marriage between a man and a woman" because such sexual activity is "explicitly proscribed by Scripture."
  

As with other PC(USA) bodies that have debated human sexuality over the years, the special committee's report includes a plea that the church stay together in the face of stark disagreements. It urged the whole church to adhere to a covenant it labels "Those Whom Christ Has Joined Together, Let No One Separate."

The covenant calls on Presbyterians "to listen to one another with openness and respect"; "to honor the truth that Christ has called and God works through each member"; "to support and pray for each other ..."; "to earnestly seek and carefully listen to each person's discernment of God's will found in the Scriptures"; "to struggle together with perseverance to find God's will ..."; "to love one another even when we disagree and to commit ourselves to the reconciliation of any broken relationships ..."; and "to honor who we are as Presbyterians by respecting the provisional discernment of the body, bearing in mind that individual consciences cannot be bound."

But special committee members acknowledged that won't be easy, given the strong feelings in the church.

"I do have a conscience problem with encouraging same-gender couples," said the Rev. Tracie Mayes Stewart of Salem Presbytery in North Carolina.

The Rev. Margaret Aymer Oget of Greater Atlanta Presbytery urged greater reliance on individual conscience and less on church disciplinary procedures. "We've gone from discipline to discipline as a way to bind the conscience," she said. "This report is theologically and biblically grounded and Christ-centered. I'm not arguing against discipline, but I perceive this denomination as trying to bind the consciences of those who are trying to stay in the church and at the table, on both sides of issues."

"What is forbearance?" asked the Rev. Clay Allard of Grace Presbytery. "What is the limit of forbearance? How far can I bend before I break?"

And Elder Tony de la Rosa, an attorney in Pacific Presbytery, predicted that the 2010 General Assembly will receive overtures proposing a change in the PC(USA) constitutional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

"I harbor no illusions that [the report] will be a turning point," acknowledged the Rev. Earl Arnold of Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery, "but maybe it can be a tool for greater understanding."

 
 

Inserted from <http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2009/09807.htm>

The Place of Covenanted Same-Gender Partnerships in the Christian Community | Presbyterians For Renewal - Missional Leadership for Presbyterian Congregations

The Place of Covenanted Same-Gender Partnerships in the Christian Community

Written by Presbyterians For Renewal

Thursday, 13 August 2009 00:00

TO: The Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage RE: The Place of Covenanted Same-Gender Partnerships in the Christian Community DATE: August 13, 2009     Download this article in a PDF file.     One of the treasures of Presbyterian worship is the "Statement on the Gift of Marriage" found in the Service for Christian Marriage, Book of Common Worship.1 Its great theme is that the marriage of a man and a woman is not a human invention, but the good gift of our loving God. The Statement, intended to be read aloud at the beginning of the marriage rite, includes variations of the phrase, "God gave us marriage…," no less than six times, ultimately declaring that marriage, "…is a new way of life, created, ordered, and blessed by God."     This Statement is not some liturgical invention. The vision of creation found in Genesis 2 makes explicit that God's gift of marriage is inextricably linked to our creation as male and female beings in God's image. After the creation of humanity as male and female comes a sentence: "For this reason a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh."2 When some Pharisees challenged Jesus with a question on divorce, he answered, "Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."3 The Apostle Paul also referenced Genesis 2 in urging the Corinthian believers to avoid any kind of sexual immorality.4 The author of Genesis, Jesus, and Paul are clear: the creation of the sexes is the creation of marriage. Marriage is given to us as a gift. It is to be received with humility and gratitude. The shape of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is not ours to alter.     The biblical understanding of marriage is that of a union bridging the differences between male and female. Men and women are literally "made for each other," not only in their similarities, but especially in their profound differences — differences also ordained by a loving Creator. When a man and woman are united in marriage they become a whole being in a way that same-gender individuals cannot. A same-gender relationship brings together like with like, and thus can never be considered the equivalent of marriage.     It is on the foundation of its teaching on marriage that the Bible in various contexts forbids and condemns all homosexual relations. (See Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, Romans 1:24-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-11.) These are not isolated "clobber texts" as has sometimes been alleged. Rather, the biblical prohibition of same-gender relations is in full unity with the Bible's teaching on God's gift of marriage and the life-giving pattern of Christian discipleship. As followers of Jesus, we are committed to live in faithfulness to Scripture, regardless of the license that may be given by secular law or the current caprice of an ever-changing culture.     The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) recently affirmed, for the fourth time, that officers of the church are "to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness."5 This standard is explicit for ordained officers, but as Reformed Christians we reject any two-tiered system of righteousness that would hold those called to ordained ministry to a higher standard than any other Christian. There is but one calling, and it is the same for all members of the Christian community. Our Savior commands, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."6 In calling officers to live in fidelity in marriage or chastity (abstaining from sexual relations) in singleness, we express the church's expectation that officers will model the way of life that is God's calling for all people.     Presbyterians For Renewal believes that for the PC(USA) to bless or tolerate any kind of same-gender partnerships within the Christian community, or sexual relationships outside the covenant of marriage, would be to violate the expressed will of Christ set forth in Scripture. In an age of sexual chaos and confusion, it is imperative that the Christian community reaffirm in word and in practice that marriage between a man and a woman is God's good provision for human well-being, for the ordering of society and family life, and the only relationship within which sexual union is appropriate and blessed by God.     At the same time and with equal urgency, the Christian community must learn to extend the love and grace of Jesus Christ to people who experience same-gender attractions. The Body of Christ has too often excluded gay and lesbian persons, or hypocritically held them to one standard, while having another standard for heterosexuals outside the covenant of marriage. In sexual behavior, as in all other areas of Christian discipleship, we must hold together truth and compassion, godliness and grace and apply the same standard to all.     In a post-Christian culture, it is time for the followers of Jesus to return to our counter-cultural roots, drawing our identity and norms not from a lost and confused world, but from Christ alone. The Corinthian believers of the first century also lived in a context of sexual license and confusion, yet the Apostle Paul called them to a better way: "Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers – none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."7     1 Book of Common Worship, Westminster/John Knox Press, '993, p. 842 2 Genesis 2:24 (NRSV) 3 Matthew '9:4-6 4 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 5 Book of Order G-6_0106b 6 Luke 9: 23 7 I Corinthians 6:9-11 (emphasis added)

 
 

Inserted from <http://pfrenewal.org/issues/343-covenanted-same-gender-partnerships-in-christian-community>

Presbyterian Elders in Prayer :: Prayer

August 2-8: Psalm 51:1-11 "Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." As we enjoy the relaxation of summer, remind us, Lord Jesus, that we are always in need of repentance. There is never a "season" of life when we do not need Your saving grace. Hear our prayers of very personal repentance...and create within us a clean heart...

 
 

August 9-15: Psalm 130 "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice." As we cry out to You, our God, our minds know that You hear us. Help our hearts to receive that truth, and continue forever in prayer. Hear us as we cry out for the lost, the broken-hearted, the discouraged. Hear us as we cry out for our churches...weak, divided, disillusioned, unfaithful. Help us to remember that with You there is forgiveness...and our hope is in Your word.

 
 

August 16-22: Psalm 111 "Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them." (v. 2) Lord God, You are worthy of our praise now and forever. Receive our prayers of praise as we lift them in private, and in public worship. May your Holy Spirit fill us with delight as we ponder what You have done in the past, and what You are doing even now in Your church and in our lives. The works of Your hands have been and continue to be faithful and just. We praise Your Name!

 
 

August 23-29: Ephesians 6:10-20 "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." Jesus, our Teacher, we lift up to Your care, guidance, and protection our own children and the children of our churches who are preparing to return to school in the coming days. In particular, we lift up those who will be going away to colleges and universities, often far from family and local congregation. We pray the full armor of God over each one, and we pray they will be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

 
 

August 30-31: Mark 7:1-8 "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human tradition." (V. 8) Merciful Christ, forgive us for making decisions in our churches and in our personal lives that are guided more by "human tradition" – what is easy and comfortable in the world around us – than by what is obedient to Your commands. Forgive our hypocrisy on every level of church and personal life...and may we receive the grace to honor You with our lips and with our hearts.

 
 

Inserted from <http://presbypray.org/index.php?page=prayer>

Statement by The Presbyterian Coalition

Subject	Statement by The Presbyterian Coalition
From	The Presbyterian Coalition
To	The Presbyterian Renewal Network
Sent	Saturday, April 25, 2009 4:15 PM

Deciding vote is cast to defeat Amendment B April 25, 2009

[Fellow Presbyterians, Others Praying for Renewal in the PCUSA:]

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has decided for the fourth time in twelve years to uphold the ordination standard in its constitution (G-6.0106b). On April 25--today--the Presbytery of Northern Plains cast the deciding vote. Attempts to repeal the standard of Scripture and Confessions regarding the acceptability of sexual behavior outside the marriage of a man and a woman have failed again. In spite of cultural pressures to normalize non-marital relations, the PC(USA) stands with the Body of Christ around the world and across the ages in affirming God's plan for marriage as the proper place for human sexual intimacy. The effort to substitute a meaningless paragraph for the current language of "fidelity and chastity" in the PC(USA)'s constitution has failed in the recent round of voting by presbyteries. The decision means that examinations of and judgments about candidates for office, based on the G.A.'s response to the Peace, Unity, and Purity (PUP) report of 2006, must comply with this explicit standard, which has just been reaffirmed by the presbyteries. Thank you! I want to thank each of you who helped clarify the issues of this vote by what you said in the debate, who helped your presbytery plan for the vote, and who actually cast your vote. Your work has served the Church well. It is time to accept the Church's decision Since the 1970s the PC(USA) has heard, considered, and responded to appeals to change her standard of sexual morality. Those who wish to change the biblically-rooted standard have continually pressed the matter and required repeated votes that have had the same outcome each time. It is well past time to acknowledge that the Church today, as throughout her history, knows her mind on this matter, and that it is the mind of Christ. It is time to call for forbearance from those who constantly disturb the peace and unity of the church. It is time to live into our decision about sexual morality Now it is time to live out the decision pastorally, leading people out of our society's sexual confusion into repentance and newness of life. The decision gives witness to the Church's strong conviction that the Savior came to offer redemption to those held captive by any sin, including the prevailing sexual sins of our time. We have the Savior's promise that he will care for us, forgive us, and tenderly lead us to repentance. This is the standard. Our repentance and newness of life is the qualification for office in the Presbyterian Church (USA), as it is in the Church Universal. In that we rejoice. We rejoice in the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died that we might have life abundant. A faithful witness and ministry in the areas of sexual morality is a distinct part of the Church's calling in our day. We urge the churches of the PC(USA), in looking to the future, to recall these words of Reformer Martin Luther: If I profess with loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that one point.

The PC(USA) has just taken its stand with the message of Scripture where it is most fiercely contested today: in its call to repentance and newness of life in the areas of sexuality and marriage. Terry Schlossberg Coordinator, Campaign to Defeat Amendment B

This email was sent by office@presbycoalition.org.

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PC(USA) - Presbyterian News Service - Youth Ministries Task Force membership is announced

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Youth Ministries Task Force membership is announced

09284

April 6, 2009

Youth Ministries Task Force membership is announced

15-member panel is the last of six groups named by GA Moderator

by Sharon Youngs

Office of the General Assembly communications coordinator

and Jerry L. Van Marter

Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — Fifteen members of the General Assembly's Youth Ministries Task Force have been named by the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The task force is the sixth and final special committee to be named by Reyes-Chow upon direction by the 2008 Assembly last June in San Jose, CA.

The Assembly, upon recommendation of its Assembly Committee on Youth, directed the moderator "to appoint a task force to seek input from youth, young adults, and adults … find and present model programs, and focus on the needs and development of youth ministries and report back to the 219th General Assembly (2010) specific recommendations for designing and conducting various youth ministries under a 'new vision' for youth."

In its rationale for proposing the task force, the committee wrote, "It is undeniable that investing valuable General Assembly time and energy to consider youth, a crucial generation in our faith communities, was an essential exercise and is one that merits more time, attention and resources than could be offered in the short time available at the General Assembly."

The rationale continued, "Though the committee sought to discern God's vision for youth and the PC(USA), this is a task that will require more time and more intensive youth involvement for its adequate completion. The Assembly Committee on Youth has begun an important dialogue that should be continued in a task force with a two-to-one youth-to-adult ratio. We became convinced that youth are best equipped to articulate the needs and possibilities for effective youth ministry and for a more comprehensive inclusion of youth in the life and mission of the church, but also that intergenerational collaboration contributes to fruitful discernment."

Young people ages 15-21 named to the task force are: Jordan Akin (Arkansas Presbytery), Hakeem Jerome Jefferson (New Harmony Presbytery), Austin Lane (Grace Presbytery), Kristy Lauron (Stockton Presbytery), Jessie Light (Heartland Presbytery), Alex McDonald (Greater Atlanta Presbytery), Madison Munoz (St. Augustine Presbytery), Elder Clara Pauw (Mid-Kentucky Presbytery), Brittney Shook (Western Reserve Presbytery), and Elder Rachel Van Marter (Mid-Kentucky Presbytery).

Adult mentors are G. Jacob Bolton (New York City Presbytery), Elder Karen Ceaser (Pacific Presbytery), and the Reverends Rex Espiritu (Whitewater Valley Presbytery), Michelle Thomas-Bush (St. Augustine Presbytery), and Kelly Wiant-Thralls (Carlisle Presbytery).

Wiant-Thralls will serve as chairperson of the group.

Staffing the task force will be Adrian McMullen and Gina Yeager-Buckley, General Assembly Council staff associates for youth ministry in the Office of Theology Worship and Education.

The 219th General Assembly will meet in Minneapolis, July 3-10, 2010.

Inserted from <http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2009/09284 >

Presbyterian Elders in Prayer :: Prayer

March 1: I Peter 3:18-22 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Thank you, our God, for this gospel truth. Help us to hold onto it, to preach and teach it, share it in our churches and around the nation and the world. Forgive us for taking it lightly...or being embarrassed by it. Give us courage to turn away from cheap grace that is no grace at all. Give us faith to let the gospel bring us to You every day.

 
 

March 8: Romans 4:13-25 "The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him [Abraham] alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness–for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." Too often, Lord, when we hear the world "credit" we think only of our financial troubles. Help us to hear this word and think about what we believe, and meditate upon another word, "righteousness". We pray for faith and righteousness to grow within our congregations, presbyteries, and denomination.

 
 

March 15: I Cor. 1:18-25 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Lord God, in this holy season of Lent, help each one of us to focus on the cross of Christ. Help us to see its pain, its power, and its wisdom. Give us courage to resist the temptation to follow the wisdom of the world, which is not wisdom at all. May true wisdom grow within Your churches everywhere...even our own.

 
 

March 22: Ephesians 2:1-10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Creator God, thank you for preparing good works for us to do. Help us to seek Your will, Your guidance. Even as we meet in presbyteries and vote on difficult issues, help us to remember that we are Yours...and You have given us good works to do. Give us strength to trust You, and to obey You.

 
 

March 29: Hebrews 5:5-10 "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from what He suffered and once, made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him..." Jesus, we don't like to suffer. We would rather learn what we need to learn another way. Show us places where we are suffering because of our disobedience, then quickly lead us to repentance. You are the source of our eternal salvation...we believe You are also the source of our immediate help and strength.

 
 

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