Volume VIII, Issue 5
the NEWs
 July-August 2008 
  A Note from Tom Hay, General Presbyter


Reflections on the 218th Meeting of the General Assembly

In June, Rich Reifsnyder (First Church, Winchester) saved you $2,000,000.  That’s right, two million.  He did it by standing up before the General Assembly and offering an amendment to a motion, and then eloquently defending that amendment.
    The original action seemed innocent enough, but Rich was among a few people who realized that, if passed un-amended, it would add $2,000,000 to the budget of the GA and almost $1.00 per person to the per-capita.  So Rich added a simple amendment that created a special giving account to pay for the motion.  This way people who want to, can contribute toward the cause without taxing the budget of the whole [you can read more about the action at:  http://www.pc-biz.org/Explorer.aspx?id=2107 ].  It was a simple solution to a problem most people did not foresee.
    I tell this story, not to embarrass Rich, but to point out something very important about every action of the General Assembly – the possibility of unintended consequences.  In two and a half days the 700 plus commissioners of the 218th General Assembly in San Jose gathered as a whole to consider over 400 items of business and elect a Stated Clerk.  The process is further confused by amendments, substitute motions, minority reports and the enormous task of herding that many people through parliamentary procedures.
    I go to bed every night exhausted and I don’t even get to vote!
    Any management expert will tell you that this is too many difficult decisions to make at one time and would predict that some consequences will not be fully explored.  But it works because when the Assembly meeting is
    This ship of a church turns very slowly.
But you may hear from others that the church was changed radically by the 218th Assembly.  Three items seem of import, none of which were passed by a majority larger than 55 votes out of over 700 cast.  All three involve the standards for ordination.  In the next few months our Committee on Ministry will be asked to guide us in how we will be continuing to live as a faithful witness of Jesus Christ here in Shenandoah Presbytery
But this Assembly also celebrated and re-committed ourselves to mission, re-affirmed our understanding of marriage, elected the youngest moderator (39 years old) in our history and made ministry with youth a new standard for our denomination.
    I am reminded of a scene during the election process for the Stated Clerk.  A commissioner had asked the candidates about fear.  In his response, now-Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons fell to preaching, as they say.  He recalled Luke 8 when a storm arose.  If fear could have capsized their boat, Parsons said, the disciples would surely have been swimming.  But because Jesus was there, the storm and their fears were calmed.
    When over 700 commissioners, 400 items of business, a short schedule and the eyes of the world converge, there is plenty to fear.  But Jesus is with this church.  Again and again people rise to hear his voice and walk us into calm waters where we can be faithful disciples.

Respectfully,
Tom Hay