A Happy Ending.

Well, I've come to the end of my journey. Today I have two hours of plenary followed by worship and lots of waiting in the airport until my flight leaves at 6:30pm. This week was longer than any other week I can remember. I doubt I got more than five or six hours of sleep on any given night and the days all seemed to blur together after a while. Thinking back to that first night, when I walked downtown with Juli in search of internet access, I am reminded of where I was before GA and where I stand at the end.

I did not experience any major life-changing epiphanies in the last ten days, but I bore witness to something equally powerful: the unwavering devotion of hundreds, all striving to grow and perfect their walk with Christ. Uncertainty of what the divine truly is has the potential to instill doubt and repel Christians from maintaining their loyalty to religion. By the end of this conference, I realized that discrepancies will always exist in interpreting God's will. All that matters in the end is the fact that God has a will.

Attending the 219th General Assembly was an incredible learning experience for me and I'm glad I was able to share it in some way with others by writing this blog. Thank you all for following me on my adventure to the Midwest, and sticking with me until its conclusion.

I'll end with the verse which served as the focal point of this assembly, in hopes that its words will provide inspiration and encouragement:

"Out of the believer's heart will flow rivers of living water." - John 7:38

-Liz

p.s. If you like what you see here, follow my real blog at http://lizcwilliams.wordpress.com!

Protesters Disrupt Business Meeting!

Today was our second-to-last day of General Assembly. I don’t want to leave! I like this crazy string of debates, free meals, late nights, early mornings, conversations and fast friendships. I was just getting accustomed to the uncomfortably low temperature in the Conference Center, and now we have to leave. I guess the fact that the building was overtaken by a Yu-Gi-Oh! Convention this morning should have served as fair warning of GA’s rapidly approaching conclusion. [insert sad face here]

The excitement of today’s plenary occurred around 5:00pm when a group of protesters (not affiliated with the Presbyterian Church) came into the auditorium and interrupted our business meeting. The moderator was notified of their presence when they had entered the section of the auditorium reserved for commissioners and advisory delegates only, refusing to leave. In response, the moderator called for a recess and asked us to stand and join together in singing a hymn. As we began to sing, the protesters walked down the right aisle towards the stage, carrying signs which read “Prayer: Ordinance, Marriage, Pensions.” Large news cameras followed the procession, and the officials on stage looked on in confusion. Everyone strained to discern what the signs said, and a sense of uneasiness overtook the hall. The hymn ended and the room fell quiet as those in the room looked on in confusion at the group of protesters who had now lined up in a row on the stage. Amid the shifting and whispering, a small voice began to sing. The rest of the protesters gradually joined the voice in a song about prayer, and everyone stood to listen.

The moderator advised us to get up and walk about in recess, therefore ignoring the protesters who had interrupted the meeting and caught the attention of everyone in the room. No one really knew how to react as the people on stage continued to sing, holding their signs above their heads for all of us to see. Observers from the bleachers booed the protesters and delegates on the floor approached the stage with cameras. Police then entered the auditorium, asking the protestors to leave. Several resisted and were arrested, stirring alarm and confusion throughout the hall. Groups of people gathered together immediately to gather in prayer and reflect on what had just happened.

The recent debate over gay rights has caused immense tension throughout the General Assembly and the thought of a possible split in the church is terrifying to those who have loved the Presbyterian Church their entire life. Almost everyone at this assembly has a strong opinion on the subject of gay rights and cannot enter debate with a truly open mind. Trying to find compromises on an issue with such polarized viewpoints is nearly impossible. This controversy will not be resolved easily, and the news attention which the issue is receiving is only one indication of its extreme importance to the Presbyterian denomination as a whole.

YAADs Beat the System FTW

Today has consisted of one big plenary meeting, with breaks for lunch and dinner. We have addressed several controversial topics, debate on some dragging on longer than others. After excessive discussion on one overture, Katie went to the microphone with an orange paddle to call the question…unfortunately, someone got there first, so Katie couldn’t speak (she got her turn to speak later!).

With too much time spent debating the same item of business, it becomes easier and easier to tune the speakers out. Staying focused and alert gets increasingly difficult as the day goes by!

The conference hall has no internet access; we are only granted access to the PC-Biz website where all items of business are posted. This restriction of internet access was probably instilled to keep kids (and adults) off facebook and encourage delegates to pay attention to action on the floor. As most will agree, young people have relatively short attention spans (side note: I’ve seen an equal number of YAADs and adult commissioners playing solitaire on their computers today…just saying). Being the creative and tech-savvy young people that we are, the YAADs quickly developed a method of communicating with each other without the availability of internet access which our generation has grown so dependent on.

Check this out.

On the PC-Biz website, there is a service called “Session-Sync” which syncs the user with the current item of business being discussed on the floor. When the current item is displayed, there is a teeny-tiny button in the right-hand corner which says “Notes,” where a user can jot down notes of importance pertaining to the business on the floor. This device exists simply for personal use; no other user can see these notes.

It is possible, however, for several individuals to log on to one account simultaneously. Once logged on, a person can leave a note which everyone else logged onto that same account can see as well. Tory has offered his account up for use by the YAADs, which means any YAAD who would like to participate in this “chat” must sign onto PC-Biz using Tory’s username and password. Once logged on, users can leave “Notes” in a simple format: [name: message]. Tory cleverly changed the name on his account from Tory Kaspar to John Calvin. Ha.

So why am I broadcasting to the world that we used our sneaky computer skills to beat the system? This ongoing chat has actually been helpful in keeping the YAADs informed of the current business on the floor. General Assembly addresses a huge amount of business each time it convenes. Assuming that all 173 of us have had the time or patience to read through every single overture presented to the 219^th GA is simply unrealistic. Most of the YAADs did their fair share of reading in preparing for their individual committees, but did not read through the overtures from other committees in depth. My committee alone had over 30 items of business to discuss. That’s a lot of reading!

The ongoing chat gives YAADs who have served on a specific committee the opportunity to inform other YAADs of the basics regarding business on the floor. The YAADs can give their opinions on the current item of business and bring up points from previous discussion in their committees which the other YAADs were not able to hear. The chat has been extremely helpful and I think the adult commissioners would be impressed if they were to look at these conversations. Instead of engaging in frivolous banter, the majority of the messages are addressed directly to the business on the floor, keeping all participating YAADs focused and informed of ongoing actions.

Props to the YAADs for being awesome…now it’s back to the floor for some intense debate!

And by intense, I mean intense. We just spent an hour and 45 minutes debating a motion which would potentially allow members of the LGBT community to serve as ordained ministers in the Presbyterian Church:

Shall G-6.0106b be amended by striking the current text and inserting new text in its place: [Text to be deleted is shown with a strike-through; text to be added or inserted is shown as italic.]

“b. Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W-4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self-acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament. Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”

Debate over this issue was the most heated and passionate I have ever seen, and one commissioner declared that he and his family would leave the Presbyterian Church if the motion passed (this delegate was also a candidate for vice moderator of the General Assembly, if that’s saying anything). Katie jumped at the opportunity to represent the Utica Presbytery and expressed her views on the issue by speaking for the motion.

After nearly two hours of growing tension, we finally bowed our heads for a minute of silent prayer in preparation for a vote which could dramatically redefine ordination standards. The motion passed 53%-46%, and the results were met with a room full of silence.

At the moderator’s suggestion, we all stood together to join in singing “Blessed Be the Tie That Binds,” a song I personally associate with the conclusion of Sunday School each week as a kid:

Blessed be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above

For the first time, I really listened to the words of the song as something more than the weekly repetition of a classic hymn. As hundreds of voices sang together, I noted the lyrics’ symbolism of the unity our denomination must embrace in order to survive and function in an ever-changing and reforming world. I hope and pray that we can work together towards achieving the unity which everyone seems to be so focused on attaining, instead of just talking about it all the time.

Eating and Hugging and Such

I decided to be ambitious this morning and woke up early to attend the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) breakfast. The speaker was Don Griggs, the Christian author whom I sat with at the Presbyterian Outlook luncheon earlier this week! His presentation addressed how to stay technologically literate in a world whose forms of media are ever-changing and developing. In hopes of demonstrating how technology has advanced dramatically over the past few decades, Griggs asked for a show of hands to indicate those who had taken a computer class in elementary school. I raised my hand high and was immediately met with stares from the entire room…which was when I realized I was the only YAAD at the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation breakfast. Lovely.

At 8:30, I walked over to the Westminster Presbyterian Church for the Ecumenical Service of Worship & Holy Communion. What a beautiful building! The stone exterior is just as grand as the interior, artistically ornamented with colorful stained-glass windows, intricate wood carvings, and a full pipe organ at the front of the sanctuary. The church was packed and the service included special music from the Minnesota Boys Choir and various other musical groups selected to represent different cultures. We sang music and heard scriptures read in several different languages: Korean, Spanish, German, and French, among others. The service highlighted our diversity as an all-inclusive denomination as well as the importance of unity.

After morning worship, I went to Panera with Annie to meet up with some other YAADs and use our trusty debit cards for Frozen Caramels. Sitting outside, we took full advantage of Panera’s outdoor patio (which is ideal for summer!). Since this was one of our only “free” mornings, we ate leisurely and later strolled over to Target to purchase some essentials. As visitors to Minneapolis, we found the two-story Target absolutely fascinating, especially the escalators designed for carts! In exploring the store, we found Kenny in the luggage section, buying a suitcase to use as extra storage for everything he has accumulated over the past week…probably a wise purchase to comply with the mysterious increase in “swag” which will accompany us on our flights back home. I hope my suitcase doesn’t go over the weight limit for my flight back!

For lunch, I went to Dakota Jazz Club with Annie, Lauren, Emma and Kenny for a salad with spicy walnuts. As if we hadn’t had enough to eat for one morning, we stopped for gelato on the way back to the hotel, doing our best to race against the sun’s melting rays. The white chocolate gelato was definitely worth the extra stop, and gave us the motivation we needed to psyche ourselves up for an afternoon and evening of plenary, plenary and more plenary!

For the first half hour of plenary, we relearned how to use our voting pads, practicing on plenty of fun questions unrelated to the assembly. The first question asked, “Have you hugged a Presbyterian today?” I racked my brain for any instance of hugging this morning…no hugging at breakfast, no hugging at lunch, no hugging my roommate or Janet or Katie. To my disappointment, I was forced to vote “No.” Luckily, the YAAD who sits to my right, Taylor, came to the rescue and hugged me just in time for me to change my answer to “Yes.” It was a close call, but I emerged from the vote a friendly and extroverted Presbyterian. When the commissioners were polled, 68% answered “Yes,” to which Madame Moderator responded, “Well, it looks like 32% of us are introverts.”

I’m hoping the fact that I randomly received voting pad #1 will serve as some sort of a good omen and we’ll get out of plenary early tonight. We already broke an hour early for dinner, so that's a good sign! Now for dinner with the Presbytery, plenary till late and a YAAD gathering after that.

Supermall.

First of all, I would just like to point out where Minnesota is, since my roommate and I were both surprised that the state we are in right now shares a border with places like North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin. Those state names have always sounded so foreign to me, like places I would maybe label on a map but never actually go to. Well, here I am, and I have no idea if or when I will ever be back in this area. After spending the last few days here, I'm really starting to like it!

Anyway, back to GA. Tonight consisted of...Mall of America!

Success!

We're done with committee! Finally! After two days of intense deliberation on all sorts of business...we finally finished and have some solid recommendations going from our committee to the General Assembly over the next few days.

I grabbed some coffee and a muffin on the way to committee this morning and was already in the skyways when I realized I forgot something important in my room (my cell phone...shhhh) so I had to go all the way back and then walk superfast to make up for lost time on the way to committee. Walking to the Church Polity room consists of going down one elevator, up 2 flights of stairs, through four skyways, down an escalator, through a long hallway, down two more escalators, and around a corner to our lovely room in the basement of the conference center. I must say I'll miss that room just a little.

For lunch, I went to Spike's with Tory, Kasia and Abby. Kasia and I split loaded nachos and a chicken quesadilla. Yum yummmmm. After lunch, we went back for more debating and when all the orders of business had been taken care of, the YAADs motioned to reconsider the overture regarding definitions of youths, young adults, etc. This brought on another twenty minutes of debate and we finally passed a comment to be added on to our recommendation of approval to the GA which would suggest creation of a committee to study age groups and representation for consistency in Presbyterian documentation over the next two years. Luckily we passed this before receiving an estimate for the financial implications...which turned out to be $57,000+. Whoops. Support the youth young adults!

Oh and just for the record, I beat Tory 14-8 as you can see from my sidebar (sorry it comes up so small). Also, please note the weather...75 in Clinton, 95 in Gettysburg and 86 in Minneapolis. Interesting.

AI...my new BFF

Last night was our one night to relax before the real intensity of GA began. We had a big picnic and watched fireworks on the Mississippi River which was absolutely breath-taking. We had some pretty wacky entertainment preceding the fireworks including the Westminster High School Belly-Dancing Club, a ventriloquist with his puppet named Dudley, and some intense Christian rapping. The picnic was actually a lot of fun and I ended up walking back to the hotel through downtown Minneapolis with a few friends which was an experience of its own. The streets were crowded with everyone who had come downtown to watch the fireworks display.

After we got back to the hotel, I met up with more friends and we walked to a nearby gas station to buy Arizona Iced Tea and a deck of cards. We played hearts till super late, all sitting around a table in the Hyatt lobby and listening to a man play his banjo on the couch right next to us.

Then I woke up and entered the real world of GA. I spent 10 hours in committee today! Woooo!!!!

Let me just begin with a phrase that I have become well-acquainted with over the past 24 hours:

Authoritative Interpretation (AI)- an interpretation of The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that carries the authority of the General Assembly and is binding on the governing bodies of the church.

Harry Young warned me about the overabundance of AIs which I would be dealing with in committee and he even gave me a printout with the definition of Authoritative Interpretation before leaving home...I had no idea what I was in for.

The committee which I am on is called Church Polity and we basically have a hundred orders of business referred to us from presbyteries all over the country regarding sections of the Book of Order which may need amending. We can recommend to the General Assembly to either approve or disapprove the overtures presented to us, with or without amendments or comments. Before each overture is presented, an advocate addresses the committee on behalf of the overture and a representative from the ACC (Advisory Committee on the Constitution) reports her advice to the committee.

Are you lost yet? This is the least of it. At one point we were voting on whether or not to vote on disapproving the recommendation to recommend the approval of the amendment to the overture to the General Assembly. Trying to figure out what exactly I was voting for often seemed like some convoluted logic problem...

Over an hour was spent debating whether or not to use Authoritative Interpretation in regards to interpreting the rules of Authoritative Interpretation as they appear in the Book of Order...what?? Another tidbit I learned today was the difference between "shall" and "should"...something I vaguely remember Harry warning me of in the days before GA.

The GA is huge on acronyms. There is even a .pdf file made available for us to download which lists all the GA acronyms. The one which gave people in my committee the most trouble today was "GAPJC"- General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission. Even our unenthusiastic moderator (whom we must address as "Madame Moderator" at all times) stumbled over the acronym repeatedly, making the delegates feel a little better about themselves.

We found great ways to keep ourselves entertained in committee. When taking a vote, we were asked to put our hands up in the air so the moderator could count how many stood for or opposed to the motion on the floor. During one vote, one of the YAADs started humming Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA, and all the other YAADs joined in singing, "So I put my hands up, they're playing my song, the butterflies fly away." It only made sense, since we were putting our hands up and all, but the commissioners just looked at us like we were crazy. They must not have understood the reference.

The YAAD sitting to my right, Tory, was my partner for icebreakers on the first day. We became fast friends and entered into a vicious rivalry after the first official vote (on which we voted differently). Throughout the day, we kept track of how many times motions which each of us voted for passed, and kept a running count on our computer screens. By the time committee adjourned at 9:30 p.m., I was winning 12-6. Hopefully I can keep my lead tomorrow!

For lunch, the YAADs in my committee went to Hell's Kitchen (ironic, much?), then Panera for dinner. We were supposed to have a full two hours for dinner, but that got cut down to about one since we were dreadfully behind schedule as the night went on.

One item of business which the YAADs had a big part in was the definition of age categories with regards to representation on committees:

The Advisory Committee on the Constitution recommends that the 219th General Assembly (2010) answer the question with the following authoritative interpretation, adopted in 1991, of G-9.0105a(5)regarding “youth”:

“Different age groups are persons who are unlike each other due to the different stages of life they represent, such as youth, adulthood, or old age. In order to assure greater inclusiveness in the church, persons from all different age groups are needed. The age groups and ages they contain are as follows: Youth—25 and under; Young Adults—26–35; Adults—36–55; Senior Adults—56 and up” (Minutes, 1991, Part I, p. 402).

This stirred great controversy among the YAADs, since we are considered YOUNG ADULT advisory delegates and not YOUTH delegates, bringing forth some inconsistency in how our age group is defined. Tory and I drafted several motions before he finally presented one which would create five categories:

• Youth- 18+under
• Young Adults- 19-25
• Middle Adults- 26-45
• Upper Adults- 46-64
• Senior Adults- 65+up

We figured these categories made a little more sense so 25-year-olds weren't grouped with 5-year-olds and the term "Young Adult" would remain consistent with the "Young Adult Advisory Delegates." Well either way, the motion failed, so I'm still considered a youth. Oh well. Another commissioner (not a YAAD) presented a similar motion and that failed, too. Another loss for the YAADs.

What else...
-The commissioners from South Dakota Presbytery, Washington Presbytery and New Covenant Presbytery are all supercool.
-Beatles music was blasting from the room connected to ours at one point.
-After committee let out a half hour late, we got to go to a YAAD gathering for several hours and pretend that we still had energy.
-At one point we voted down a motion to disapprove a recommendation, then subsequently voted down a motion to approve the same recommendation, then had to vote on whether or not we wanted to reconsider the first motion, then voted to reconsider the first motion, then voted in favor of disapproving the original recommendation. Yay for hours of redundant discussion!