Wednesday, July 7 at General Assembly

To: pastors of PbYukon congregations

Hi, everyone,

I just want to give a brief update on GA activities. For my notes on decisions, you or your parishioners and friends can go to my blog online at http://pbyukon.blogspot.com/

For now, though, I want to say that The Presbytery of Yukon has been well represented in the work of the General Assembly Committees. Commissioners served as follows:
• Youth Advisory Commissioner Antonia Penaya from Gambell Presbyterian
Served on Committee

• Elder Commissioner Beulah Nowpokahok from Gambell Presbyterian

• Minister Commissioner Rev. Tom Letts from Trinity Presbyterian
Served as co-moderator on the Committee on Church Growth, Christian Ed and PILP



Wednesday: July 7, 2010 Plenary Business

1. Report of the Committee on Evangelism and Church Growth, and PILP

a. Renewed Grow the Church Deep and Wide
i. Four-fold emphasis: Evangelism, discipleship, witness and service

b. Renewed our commitment to fulfilling the Decade of the Child as an emphasis for churches across the nation.

c. Approved conducting a study on Racial-ethnic and Immigrant Church Growth

d. Approved convening conversations on Hispanic/Latino/Latina church growth at all levels of the church.

e. Established a new nation-wide mission statement on Youth Ministry:
The Youth Task Force recommends that the 219th General Assembly (2010) approve the following as the new vision statement for the church and youth in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):
“In the midst of a beautiful and broken world, we have a vision for ministry with young people that unites youth in Christ with all other generations and proclaims the love of God that is without end. This vision gives us hope for a church that
“• is authentic, comprised of communities of faith that live what they proclaim;
“• participates in, and pays witness to, the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God for the whole world;
“• helps young people to understand what it means to be saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that they will, as God does, view all people with love and possibility;
“• expresses God’s boundless love by embracing young people as they are and where they could be, inspiring them to share their ideas, dreams, and unique gifts with the world and the church;
“• acknowledges and celebrates youth as the keepers of God’s world, capable of serving as agents of healing, friends to the friendless, and leaders along the path of Jesus;
“• encourages young people to live and lead with humility, but also with confidence and joy;
“• accepts that it may be changed, even re-made, through the power of the Spirit by youth’s energy, freshness, and vitality.”

3. Committee on Theological Issues and Institutions
a. Clarified that the Book of Order section on communion being for baptized members is pastoral advice, and not a regulatory requirement. Theologically, people would normally be baptized as a sign of entry into the faith community before coming to communion. However, pastorally this is not always a gracious rule, and should not be considered absolutely required.

b. Voted to authorize a new translation of the Heidelberg Confession from German to English. They reported dozens of errors in translation, affecting a full and clear interpretation of the confession. As an example, they noted that the current English translation is more sexist in language than the original German.

c. Voted to approve recommending the Belhar Confession from South Africa for a vote of the presbyteries as to whether it should become a new confession in the PC(USA). The Belhar confession
i. Notes that unity is and justice are not only a gift of God to the church, but also goals for the church to pursue.
ii. Speaks more clearly on the issue of race and power than the Confession of 1967, and provides theological guidance on dealing with differences in Christian community.
Points for the first time to our need and ability to learn from the whole church, including the Christians located South of the equator.

4. Committee on New Form of Government
a. Voted to recommend the New Form of Government to the presbyteries as a replacement of the Form of Government section of the Book of Order. This now comes to the presbyteries for a vote for or against the change.

5. General Assembly Mission Council Report
a. Voted to affirm the continuation of Linda Valentine’s contract as executive director of the GAMC.