Tuesday at GA

Today was another committee day.  This being my first GA (by choice) I have little to compare the process and proceedings with.  Others indicate that what I experienced on the "Worship and  Spiritual Renewal" committee was mild compared to other committees and other years.  The leadership of the committee did the best they could to help us along but there were a number of grave difficulties.  The orientation to the committee's business was not handled well.  Much of this had to do with misunderstandings on the part of the leaders and the committee members.  The "Worship and Spiritual Renewal" committee was selected to be an experimental committee, avoiding standard Robert Rules of Order procedures for as much of the committee time as possible and instead entering into group discernment, a process that was intended to reduce stress, struggle, division and bring about gracious group consensus.  Frustrations were evident from the start.  Difficulty and division and hurt feelings were obvious among the group.  The biggest problem was a lack of clarity from the General Assembly Council (GAC) who established this committee as an experimental committee.  The Associate Stated Clerk of the GA was asked to come in this AM and talk through the process with the committee.  THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE AND HELPFUL THE VERY FIRST TIME WE GATHERED!  The leadership team was operating as faithfully as they could in a new environment.  the committee members were trying to figure out what we were doing and where we were going.  I ultimately appreciated some of the discernment process we went through (not that different from what we have used in Yakima at Session meetings when we want to stop and pray and ask God for specific direction).  But much was frustrating.  Thankfully we had a good group of people to work through this with.  The table I was a part of had the very best people in the room (Juan, Robert, Kristy, Terry, Dwight, Hanna).  Even though I often held a different opinion than the rest at the table they were very kind and gracious.  Several others either walked out of the committee (and didn't return) or simply stopped attending our meetings.

We only had two pieces of business to address and we finally completed our work at 6pm (slightly later than we had expected but much earlier than most other committees), approved both with comment or amendment to the larger GA plenary sessions for their final vote.

The general sessions of the GA begin tomorrow AM and I expect lots of heated debate and disagreement.  Very contentious issues will be debated and voted on over the next three and a half days (Weds AM - Saturday AM).  I have to decide what is so important I am willing to speak out about (with 800 to 900 commissioners they will restrict how many times an individual can speak during the Assembly).

Thanks again for your prayers.  Pray that I will have courage and wisdom on when to speak and how to speak.  Issues ranging from changing the definition of marriage to those claiming that Jews, Christians and Muslims all worship the same God will be debated and voted on over the next few days.

Humbly, in Jesus,

Curt