Church Orders and Ministry Tuesday

The John Knox overture passed, 41-11-No abstentions

Person after person on the committee got up to say why we should
delete or change G-6.0106b.  We were wondering whether the committee
might just decide "we've done enough by passing John Knox" but nope,
they passed 05-09 without any amendment!!!

05-09 is a change-b overture that replaces the language about sex with
language about our actual Presbyterian standards, like the ordination
questions and theologically based material. 

Full text at
http://www.pc-biz.org/IOBView.aspx?m=ro&id=1461

The committee added the comment: "Presbyteries are strongly encouraged
to consider this overture using a process of listening and
discernment."  Is this the first time any part of a GA has said "let's
have LGBT equality AND listening and discernment, AT THE SAME TIME"?

The margin was 41-11.  We did long division and it's a 79% margin.
There's never been a margin like that coming out of committee before,
since b went into the book.

The YADs had a trip to Santa Cruz scheduled for the evening.  The YADs
on this committee decided that serving the committee was more
important than going to the beach, having free food and riding free
amusement park rides.  They skipped the trip, stayed in committee and
were a very important part of the discussion.

The committee closed their business with a short communion service,
and invited all the observers to share in communion as well.

Then we went to an unbelievably amazing revival with the MCC
Transcendence Gospel Choir, and TAMFS' own Richard Lindsey preaching
about how LGBT people are no longer asking for permission, but being
the church, and changing the church.

This will probably come up in plenary Thursday afternoon though we
don't know yet for sure. 

Here is the overture:

05-09  On Deleting G-6.0106b and Substituting a New Paragraph in Its
Place; on Amending G-14.0240 and G-14.0450; and on Providing a New
Authoritative Interpretation.

This is the new delete-B variation that substitutes replacement
language which is both progressive and reformed. 

Here is the proposed language that would replace G-6.0106b:

--------------------------------------------------
Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent
to the constitutional questions for ordination and installation
(W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the
Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the
witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the
instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity
to the standards of the Church. Each governing body charged with
examination for ordination and/or installation (G-14.0240 and G-14.0450)
establishes the candidate’s sincere efforts to adhere to these standards.