Joyful Trust

Friday, June 27, 2008

One of the great joys of General Assembly is to see our church in microcosm. Commissioners of all ages and theological "stripes" working together in joyful and prayerful ways. These are the "people of the pews" so to speak. They are at work for us. This years group seems particularly mindful of the issues of trust that are spreading cobweb like cracks through our church. Some of the trust issues are very real, others are perceptions that are mostly unfounded. An observation I've heard from our Pittsburgh Commissioners and those from my former presbytery, Whitewater Valley is the sense of committed community that has been present from the start. We are God's called people. Let's trust God.

The big news yesterday was that the affirmation for the new Form of Government proposals. It was voted to study that with presbyteries and sessions for the next two years in order to test and refine. The new proposals will streamline processes and move us in a more mission centered manner.

Today, Stated Clerk, Cliff Kirkpatrick begins to head toward retirement. The election for a new GA Stated Clerk will be held this morning. You can follow live at www.pcusa.org/ga218. There is a link on the top right corner of this blog page. The Church Orders Committee will report on the many overtures sent by presbyteries to address concerns following the 217th General Assembly Report on Peace, Unity and Purity. There will be a major recommendation to delete G-6.0106b.

I encourage you to follow the proceedings from the web site today. Stay with the conversation until it is over. There will be a multitude of amendments and substitutes - I've learned a lot about parliamentary procedure this week! The entire issue of ordination "standards" are coming back where they have been historically in our church - the presbytery. The ordination of gay and lesbian Elders, Deacons, and Ministers of Word and Sacrament is at the core. Please remember that if G.6.0106b (the requirement for chastity in singleness and fidelity in marriage) is deleted it is not automatically mean that gays and lesbians will be ordained. It means that we in the presbytery body must prayerfully and carefully make that decision.

This is an opportunity also. If, in fact, the clause is deleted, and depending on the final version, we will now be able to more openly help nurture the faith and discipleship of those whose sexual orientation has kept them from the faith community. And Christian faith is such that it is meant to flourish in the context of Christian community. As I make that kind of statement, I recognize that I am asking for a pile of trust from you on my 12th day on the job!

So, today's proposal is not a reality until the motion is perfected and the votes are cast. Please stay with your commissioners in prayer. They need your spiritual and prayerful presence. I've been learning that when we as a faith community are unsettled and in turmoil it is because God is unusually active and busy turning things upside down so that we can see the new thing that God is doing. I've also learned that rarely is God's new thing something that I could have ever imagined. I invite you to join me in the opportunity to live humbly and joyfully today as we trust God with the church that belongs to God, not us. Joyfully trust our ever faithful and surprising God.

Yours in the Peace of Christ,

Bob Anderson

Interim Pastor to Presbytery