Tuesday....and the PUP report passed

What I have found disheartening at this point, is at several times (including the PUP debate) the voices of the Missionary Delegates, Ecumenical Delegates and the Theological Student Delegates was only heard in the statistics of electronic vote. There were many Youth Delegates wanting to speak and I understand the problem with juggling 9 microphones and trying to keep balance, but there have been several times that the MADs, EADs, and TSADs have not been heard and I wonder about the message this sends that they are not important voices as they are rarely even recognized. Below is what I was going to say, but again, debate was cut off.

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We have lost the ability to think, speak, and act theologically. This is the root of the distrust and confusion in the church. Recommendations 1-4 give us a frame work to rediscover our theological heritage. We must begin this process or we will continue to allow ourselves to be held as ecclesiological captives to those who create fear. Fear over losing numbers and money.

Just as the Israelites were scared to step away from the daily lives as slaves and venture into the wilderness with Moses, we are scared to step away from what we hold as current reality and set out to find God’s promised land for us. The Task Force has worked diligently and faithfully, now it is our turn to act in trust and faith, approve all of the report and to begin dialogue through worship, prayer and study.

As a senior seminarian this report directly affects me. I have sensed a call, I have been affirmed by my home community – the last step is being called to a community. Recommendation 5 does not change the process. My call, every seminarian’s call is still affirmed in community and I will be examined by my Presbytery in accordance with the Constitution. We are afraid of that which has not yet happened. The fear is of scrupling – I have no reason to declare a scruple. We cannot project our fear forward – but only upward – to God.

I urge that we accept the entirety of the report in faith and trust of the work done by the task force and with the knowledge that this is God’s church. All governing bodies must take our standards seriously as stated by the Ecclesiology committee. IT is time to trust that God has been in the process with the task force and the committee. It is time to offer trust to our fellow Presbyterians. It is time to trust in God alone.

As former moderator Marge Carpenter stated, it is hurting the mission of the church. This has happened as we have spent more time arguing than working as the Body of Christ in the world. It is time for us to follow G-3.0400 “To undertake mission (part of which is the mission is peace, unity, and purity) to undertake mission even at the risk of the church losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life and we must put our trust in God alone.”

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In case you haven’t heard, the PUP report passed. It has been amended and has been accepted by the assembly. There are those who are filing dissent. It was a very close vote and we spent time before and after the vote in prayer. There will be those on both sides upset, but it is time to get on with the business of being church. There was a lot of negativity in the room and many hurt feelings.

Friends, I ask you to pray for the church. Pray that we can begin to heal and to move on. It will take time and will require all of us to reach out in love to one another.

More later....it has been a long exhausting day....Peace.