Belated…..

Owing to the combination of very long final plenary sessions, difficulty finding an internet connection, and a long travel day on Saturday, I am only now getting around to one final report on (not from) G.A.   And even if you/anyone takes the trouble to check into this blog at this late date, it will like contain info that you already have from other sources. Nevertheless, if only for my own benefit, here are brief highlights frrom the last full day of the 219th General Assembly:

Approved – proposal to insure theological diversity on GA Nominations; approved Mid-East peace report: “Breaking Down The walls”; approved extending Board of Pensions coverage for domestic partners of presbyterian employees; approved instructing Board of Pensions to no longer pay for abortions; disapproved plan for expanding role of CLPs.

So now the 219th is history. Now we will likely hear and share various interpretations of actions taken, of actions that were not taken, and of the impact on our denomination. My hope is that instead of squeezing GA actions into our own preconceived positions and biases, instead of summing up the 219th in a win/lose frame of understanding, we will prayerfully consider how God is speaking to us through each action that was either approved or disapproved…and remember that we will have a chance to cast a vote one way or another at the presbytery level (probably) at our February 2011 meeting.

One final note: our commissioners were a very attentive, positive-minded, committeed to the process group. I was proud to be represented by them. I don’t know how they voted – don’t want to know. But I do know that they each approached their task in a very prayerful manner, and that they felt genuinely honered and blessed to be there – as much at the conclusion as at the beginning of their work. I thank God for their witness, and anticipate their report at our October meeting of Presbytery.

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