WELCOME
INTRODUCTION OF CAP COMMISSIONERS
Teaching Elders
Carmen Goetschius
Earl Bland
Alonza Washington
Ruling Elders
Karen Cookson
Jesse Dove
Mary Robinson
YAD
Hannah Crosby

OPENING LITURGY
LEADER : The God of hope, the God of reconciliation, the God of past promises, the God who makes all things new, has called us to hope .
ALL: so that we may join in one voice, and glorify God, so that we may feel hope grow again.
LEADER: God summons us to welcome one another, just as Christ has welcomed us all,
ALL: so that we may join in one voice, and glorify God, so that we may be filled with hope.
LEADER : May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
ALL: so that we may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER

PERSONAL TESTIMONY FROM A 1 ST TIME
COMMISSIONER
JESSE DOVE
• Why did you choose to serve as a commissioner?
• What did you expect General Assembly would be like?
• What did you find most helpful?
• What was difficult?
• What was committee meetings and plenary like?
• How were your worship experiences?

ROLL OF PARTICIPANTS
COMMISSIONERS 684 Commissioners Elected by 172 Presbyteries
 342 Teaching Elders
 342 Ruling Elders
•
•
Advisory Delegates
172 Young Adult Advisory Delegates (YAADS)
23 Theological Student Advisory Delegates
(TSADS)

ROLE OF PARTICIPANTS
ADVISORY DELEGATES


8 Missionary Advisory Delegates
(MADs)
15 Ecumenical Advisory Delegates
(EADs)
Corresponding Members
• 100 Staff and members of the 6 PCUSA
Agencies

ROLL OF PARTICIPANTS
100 Corresponding Members
 Staff and elected members of the six
PC(USA) agencies
 Members of the Committees on the Office of the General Assembly (OGA), and the moderators(s) or designee(s) of other GA permanent and special committees

ROLE OF PARTICIPANTS
100 Corresponding Members
 The executives of the 16 synods
 Former assembly moderators
 The presidents of the 10 PC(USA) theological institutions and the 2 seminaries in covenant relationship with the denomination

ROLE OF PARTICIPANTS
OGA Staff & Volunteer Assembly Assistants
 100 Office of General Assembly (OGA) staff and volunteer assembly assistants
 360 Staff, elected members, consultants, and guests
 Representatives from six PC(USA) agencies.
 80 Staff of Theological Institutions

ROLE OF PARTICIPANTS
Others
 70 Staff and stated clerks of presbyteries and synods
 23 Ecumenical Representatives
 580 Registered Observers
 OVER 2,000 Volunteers and others from the host presbyteries and the surrounding area.

Earl Bland Mary Robinson

It all can begin with one person on a church committee or Session
COMMITTEE OR SESSION WHO
MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THE
LIFE OF THE GREATER CHURCH

PC-BIZ.ORG IS A GREAT WAY TO KEEP UP
WITH THE GA PROCESS

Karen Cookson & Alonza Washington

)

ELECTION OF THE MODERATOR

st
REC Heath Rada (Western North Carolina)

TEC Larissa Kwong Abazia

Presbyterian Mission Agency
Executive Director Re-elected
Linda Valentine

New President of the
Board of Pensions
Elected
Frank C. Spencer

President and CEO of
Presbyterian Foundation
Re-elected
The Rev. Dr. Tom Taylor

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Approved Pastoral Discretion in
Same-Gender Marriage Where Legal
Please note: Same-gender marriage is not permitted by state law in South Carolina.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Recommended Redefinition of Marriage
The Assembly approved, in a 429 to 175 vote, to recommend rewriting the Book of Order section W-4.900, in which marriage is defined as between "a man and a woman". The new language being proposed for presbytery ratification defines marriage as "a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman , to love and to support each other for the rest of their lives."

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Recommended Redefinition of Marriage
 After several other provisions, it concludes with two important…

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Recommended Redefinition of Marriage
 "Nothing herein shall (1) compel a teaching elder to perform nor (2) compel a session to authorize the use of church property for a marriage service that the teaching elder or the session believes is contrary to the teaching elder's or the session's discernment of the Holy Spirit and their understanding of the Word of God."

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Authoritative Interpretation vs.
A Constitutional Amendment
 An authoritative interpretation (AI) is an interpretation of the Constitution by the General
Assembly or the General Assembly Permanent
Judicial Commission.
 It can only be changed by the action of a subsequent General Assembly.
 It is binding denomination-wide.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Authoritative Interpretation vs.
A Constitutional Amendment
 Now, unlike an authoritative interpretation, a constitutional amendment is first voted on by the
General Assembly, but it must be confirmed by the majority of presbyteries before it is effective.
 A constitutional amendment to the Book of Order requires ratification by a majority of the 171 presbyteries.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Approved Sending Belhar
Confession to Presbyteries for Ratification

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Approved Sending Belhar
Confession to Presbyteries for Ratification
 If ratified by the 171 presbyteries it will be the only confession from the Global South in the Book of
Confessions .

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Divestment from Three US Companies Doing
Business in the Middle East
 The 221 st General Assembly approved a proposal to divest our Presbyterian Foundation holdings in:

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Divestment from Three US Companies
Doing Business in the Middle East
 The action affirms Israel's right to exist securely.
 It disavows association with or endorsement of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Divestment from Three US Companies
Doing Business in the Middle East
 It does not call for divestment from Israel or economic boycotts.
 The church maintains significant investments in companies that do business in Israel.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Divestment from Three US Companies
Doing Business in the Middle East
 It is important to also note that the Assembly stated the following concerning the controversial study called Zionism Unsettled : The General
Assembly "declares that Zionism Unsettled does not represent the views of the Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.)."

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Acted Decisively on Gun
Violence

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Acted Decisively on Gun Violence
 By consent, the Assembly voted to address gun violence by calling for:
Support of legislation to ban semiautomatic assault weapons, armor-piercing handgun ammunition and .50-caliber rifles;
 Advocacy in support of state and federal legislation to regulate ammunition.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Assembly Acted on Other Social Issues
 On other social justice issues, the Assembly:
 Approved 425-170 (71%-29%) a statement of principles and recommendations on justice in taxation, including resources for study, from the
Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy entitled, “Tax Justice: A Christian Response to a New
Gilded Age,” offering recommendations seeking a fairer tax system in the U.S.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Assembly Acted on Other Social Issues
 On other social justice issues, the Assembly:
 Rejected 465-133 (78%-22%) an overture calling for a special committee to review the PC(USA)’s policies on abortion and to propose new policies if needed;
 Approved 317-260 (55%-45%) an overture calling for a two-year church wide study to discern how to advocate for more effective drug policies in the U.S.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 Assembly Acted on Other Social Issues
 On other social justice issues, the Assembly
Approved:
 Measures to call for a national moratorium on the death penalty;
 A study of end-of- life issues;
 Measures to promote “food sovereignty”- The right of all people “to safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food and food-producing resources”;

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Referred Fossil Fuel Divestment
Proposal to:

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Approved Dissolving Hanmi
Presbytery

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Approved Expanding
Peacemaking Offering
 The Assembly voted to retool the annual
Peacemaking Offering after 2016 to include global witness .

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Approved to Reduce
Synod Boundaries
 From 16 to between 10 and 12, including the Synod of Puerto Rico.

221 st GA HIGHLIGHTS
 The Assembly Approved the Interreligious
Stance of the PC(USA)
 The policy states that the denomination “at all levels will be open to and will seek opportunities for respectful dialogue and mutual relationships with entities and persons from other religious traditions.”

GENERAL ASSEMBLY MISSION BUDGET
The Assembly Approved a Revised Mission
Budget for the Next Two years
 The GA Mission Budget for 2015 is
$73.7 million.
 The GA Mission Budget for 2016 is
$78.2 million.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY MISSION BUDGET
221 st GA Actions Impact on Per Capita
 The per capita apportionment will increase by five cents each of the next two years – to:
 $7.07 per member in 2015 and
 $7.12 per member in 2016.

The last part of our
GA Commissioners presentation