789th stated meeting

of the

presbytery of baltimore

november 16, 2000

1:00 p.m.

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church

Joppa Farm Road and Towne Center Drive

Joppa, Maryland 21163

(410) 679-3322

789th Stated Meeting

of the

Presbytery of Baltimore

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church Thursday, November 16, 2000

Joppa, Maryland 1:00 P.M.

 

 

11:30am Pre-Presbytery Meeting: Dennis Smith, Mission Partner in Guatemala

Lower Level of Christian Education Building

12:00 noon Registration and Reading of White Books

1:00pm Call to Order and Opening Prayer Moderator Margaret Ferguson

1:05 Worship

1:50 Opening

Welcome by Host Pastor Daris Bultena

Roll Call, Introduction of New Pastors and Elders

1:55 Report of the Stated Clerk (page *) Charles Forbes

Motion to Approve the Docket (New Business to be submitted by 3:00 pm)

Consent Motion (page *)

2:00 "United in the Midst of Our Diversity"

2:00 Introduction Philip Sorensen

2:05 Keynote Presentation Lewis Daly

2:30 Small Group Discussions

3:10 Reports of Small Groups

3:30 Committee on Youth Mark Sandell

3:40 Committee on Education and Congregational Nurture Harry Holfelder

3:45 Committee on Stewardship and Mission Interpretation Kenneth Pennell

3:50 Committee on Administration (page *) Jaki Westmoreland

4:00 Committee on Ministry (page *) Tom Speers

4:05 Nominating Committee (page *) George Farmer

4:10 Committee on Peace and Justice (page *) Bill Turner

4:20 New Business

Overture from Brown Memorial Park Avenue (page *)

Other New Business

4:30 Council (See White Book Addendum at Registration Table) Fred Spigler

4:45 Adjournment

 

Child care will be available at this meeting. Please call the church by 4 pm, Tuesday, Nov. 14, to request it.

 

CONSENT MOTION

These actions, brought to the Presbytery by its Agencies and Officers, are not considered to be controversial nor likely to require explanation, discussion, or debate. To conduct this routine business efficiently, they will be voted on as a group, upon motion of the Stated Clerk. Members may request the removal of any item from the Consent Motion—either by calling the Stated Clerk prior to the meeting, or so requesting when the Consent Motion is made—in which case it will be considered at the time the agency presenting the motion reports.

From the Stated Clerk:

  1. THAT the Minutes of the 788th meeting of the Presbytery of Baltimore, September 28, 2000, be approved as appended to this White Book.

  2. THAT the Administrative Commission appointed by the Committee on Ministry to ordain the Rev. Jonathan E. Oglesbee as Pastor of Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian Church—consisting of Ministers Margaret Ferguson, Chair; Tom Speers, and Roger Gench; Elders Jerry Egger (Brown Memorial Woodbrook) and Elizabeth Steiner (Dickey Memorial); and Corresponding Members Rev. Ronald Oglesbee (Los Ranchos Presbytery), Rev. Steve Oglesbee (Wabash Valley Presbytery), and Rev. Mary Grey Emmett (United Methodist)—be dismissed in that Rev. Oglesbee answered the constitutional questions in the affirmative and was duly installed on October 15, 2000

  3. THAT the Administrative Commission appointed by the Committee on Ministry to ordain the Rev. Richard J. Link as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Bel Air—consisting of Ministers Margaret Ferguson, Chair; Bruce Barstow, and Robert Ferguson; Elders Anne Keys (Chestnut Grove), William Smith (First of Bel Air), and Ruth Williams (Central); and Corresponding Members Rev. Karen Ballard (Lackawanna Presbytery), Toni Meares (First of Bel Air), and Rev. Stephanie Trobaugh—be dismissed in that Rev. Link answered the constitutional questions in the affirmative and was duly installed on October 29, 2000.

  4. THAT the Administrative Commission appointed by the Committee on Ministry to ordain the Rev. Keith O. Paige as Pastor of the Cherry Hill Community Presbyterian Church—consisting of Ministers Arthur Reynolds, Aaron Lee, Muriel Burrows, Thomas Speers, and Terrence Alspaugh; Elders William Starke (Good Shepherd), Chair; John Brewington (Cherry Hill Community), Anita Johnson (Trinity), and Vincent McCall (Grace); and Corresponding Members Elders Lucille Martin and Selena Hines (both Cherry Hill Community)—be dismissed in that Rev. Paige answered the constitutional questions in the affirmative and was duly installed on October 29, 2000.

    5. From the Committee on Ministry:

  5. THAT the following actions be taken regarding Specialized Clergy for 2000:

  1. Robert Culp: Continue validated ministry as Pastor, Round Hill Community Church, Greenwich, CT.

  2. Phyllis Felton: Continue as Member-at-Large.

  3. Stephanie Graham: Continue in Other Service of the Church (General Assembly).

  1. THAT the Presbytery approve the invitation of the Session of First Presbyterian Church of Cumberland to the Rev. Sue Lowcock Harris to be their Parish Associate.

    2. From the Committee on Administration:

  2. THAT the annual report of the Baltimore Chapter of Presbyterians Pro-Life be accepted. See page 7.

  3. THAT the annual report of That All May Freely Serve: Baltimore be accepted. See page 8.

  4. THAT the Manual of the Presbytery be amended to provide specific authorities for permanent subcommittees of standing committees:

  1. Combine the second two paragraphs of Chapter VIII (Standing Committees), which are Election and Officers, into a new paragraph 2: Election and Officers, with two subparagraphs: a. Election and b. Officers, with no change in wording.

  2. Add a new paragraph 3 to Chapter VIII: Permanent Subcommittees. When this Manual provides for specific permanent subcommittees of standing committees, those subcommittees are authorized to report directly to the Presbytery when they deem it appropriate and request docket time at Presbytery meetings from the Docket Committee. Their chairs may attend Council and may request that they receive Council Minutes.

 

REPORT OF THE STATED CLERK

  1. REPORTS

  1. Necrology

    2. Benjamin W. Anderson, Jr., ordained January 23, 1966 by Harundale Presbyterian Church, died on September 27, 2000.

     

  2. Resignations

    3. Stephanie Trobaugh from New Church Development

    Bill Holbrook from Mission

    Nancy Holbrook from Youth

    Bob Jewett from Mission

  3. Correspondence

The Session of Churchville Presbyterian Church advises the Presbytery that it adopted the following statement in June of 2000: "We, the Session of Churchville Presbyterian Church, make it known to all concerned that we support paragraph G-6.0106b as it [is] currently written in the Book of Order, which calls for fidelity in marriage (defined as between a man and a woman) and chastity in singleness as requirements for ordination of church officers."

The Session of Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church "proclaims that Brown Memorial Park Avenue: stands with the session and members of Christ Church in Burlington, VT, which is being disciplined for simply welcoming all of God’s children to take part in the life and faith of the church; reaffirms its steadfast opposition to Section G-6.0106b of the Book of Order, [which] causes profound anguish in our community and drives many of God’s good-hearted people away from the church; will continue to elect gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered [persons] to help lead the congregation; and opposes the passage of Amendment 00-O…."

  1. THAT the Docket be adopted as printed and modified verbally by the Moderator or Stated Clerk.

  2. THAT the Consent Motion be adopted.

    3.  

    COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATION

  3. THAT the following Standing Rule be adopted:

    4. Standing Rule IV-2:

    The Stated Clerk may retain legal counsel and institute or participate in legal proceedings in civil and criminal courts, in accordance with the following procedures:

    When an issue is presented to the Stated Clerk, the Clerk will consult with the Executive Staff of the Presbytery, legal counsel, and others as appropriate. If upon consultation the Stated Clerk believes that the matter is worthy of continued consideration, the Clerk will prepare a memorandum which provides (1) background to the issue, (2) the proposed action, (3) a statement of why the action is important to the interests of the Presbytery, and (4) an analysis of whether it is consistent with the policies of the Presbytery, Synod, and/or General Assembly. Lengthy statements may be incorporated in the memorandum by reference to a site on the Worldwide Web. The memorandum will be circulated to the Executive Committee of the Council augmented for this purpose by the Chair of the Peace and Justice Committee and the Public Policy Advocate of the Presbytery. If the deadline for the proposed action is before the next meeting of the Presbytery or its Council, the augmented Executive Committee may authorize the proposed action provided there is not more than one dissenting vote. If there is more than one dissenting vote, the Clerk may refer the action to a special meeting of the Council or take no action. If the Council is scheduled to meet before the deadline for the proposed action and the Presbytery is not, or a special meeting is called, the Council may authorize the proposed action by a 2/3 vote. If the deadline for the proposed action follows the next scheduled Presbytery meeting, the Presbytery may so authorize the action by majority vote.

     

    COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY

  4. THAT Presbytery concur in the call of Knox Presbyterian Church to the Rev. Iris Tucker-Lloyd to be their Designated Pastor, effective January 1, 2001; that her transfer be requested from the Presbytery of New York City; and that the following terms of call be approved:

    5. Cash $52,000 Housing Included

    Soc. Sec. Supplement $2,967 Pension 28%

    Continuing Education $900 Vacation 1 month

    Study Leave 2 weeks

    And, upon receipt of vouchers, will pay professional expenses to these limits:

    Automobile, travel $2,000

     

    NOMINATING COMMITTEE

  5. NOMINATES:

    6. Robert Jewett (C,M) to the Committee on Ministry, Class of 2001.

     

    COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND JUSTICE

  6. REPORTS:

  1. The Peace and Justice Committee has joined the following advocacy coalitions based in Maryland:

    2. ACCESS (Assuring Comprehensive Care and Economic Support for Single Marylanders). The lead agencies in ACCESS are Health Care for the Homeless and the Center for Poverty Solutions.

    MSCAN (Maryland Senior Citizen Action Network). The lead agency in MSCAN is the Mid-Atlantic Non-Profit Health and Housing Association.

  2. The Peace and Justice Committee has provided grants to support:

PEN (Public Education Now): $1,000. Presbytery joined PEN which opposes providing public funding for private and parochial schools in February, 2000.

IARJ (Interfaith Action for Racial Justice): $500 to support t "A Walk Through Baltimore’s Racial History," an event which the Presbytery endorsed in September, 2000.

  1. THAT, upon the recommendation of its Peace and Justice Committee, the Presbytery of Baltimore direct its Stated Clerk to write to the Peacemaking Program of the General Assembly affirming the Presbytery's support for the program, and in particular the 2000 Peacemaking Conference in Los Angeles at which the Rev. Dirk Ficca was a major presenter. The letter would affirm the importance of Presbyterian conferences being "open forums" in which all views are welcome and subject to intellectual and theological examination in the open forum. The letter would also express disappointment at a recent statement by the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council which statement failed to support the GAC staff that was responsible for the conference and failed to support the idea that participants at Presbyterian conferences are entitled to an open forum and are to be trusted to be able to properly respond to presentations made in such an open forum. The Stated Clerk is directed to send copies of the letter to the Executive Director of the GAC, the Moderator of the GAC, and Rev. Ficca. [Background information will be available at the registration desk. Commissioners are referred to PRESBYNET, PRESBYNEWS Meeting, Note 6247 which is a PCUSA News Release titled "GAC executive admits initial response to Ficca controversy was ‘inadequate’."]

    2.  

    NEW BUSINESS

  2. THAT, upon motion of the Session of the Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church, the Presbytery Overture the 2001 General Assembly as follows:

    3. Overture 01-##.

    On Deleting GA Standing Rule B.13 Which Prohibits Demonstrations

    —From the Presbytery of Baltimore.

    The Presbytery of Baltimore overtures the 213th General Assembly (2001) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to amend The Standing Rules of the General Assembly by deleting B.13. [B.13 reads as follows: "Peaceful demonstrations shall be allowed twenty-five or more feet outside of the entrances to the building in which General Assembly meets. Spontaneous or planned demonstrations by individuals or groups are prohibited inside the building where the General Assembly meets. The Moderator of the General Assembly shall declare all demonstrations that occur in plenary session out of order and, if demonstrators fail to immediately disband and desist, may recess the General Assembly to a fixed time and place. This rule does not prohibit the spontaneous or planned celebration of an action of the General Assembly or of any event in the life of the Church."]

    Rationale

    The presence of B.13 in The Standing Rules of the General Assembly is an abandonment of the great respect dissent has held in the history of the Reformed tradition. Born in dissent, the Presbyterian Church from its inception has recognized the importance of dissent. "There have at all times been great contentions in the Church, and the most excellent teachers of the Church have differed among themselves about important matters without meanwhile the Church ceasing to be the Church because of these contentions. For thus it pleases God to use the dissentions that arise in the Church to the glory of his name, to illustrate the truth, and in order that those who are in the right might be manifest (I Cor. 11:19)." (Book of Confessions, 5.133)

    The presence of B.13 is a failure of the General Assembly to recognize that its own deliberations, actions, and desires for good order are not the final word. From the time of Calvin, the Reformed tradition has insisted that the sole sovereignty of God over creation makes it impossible for any human institution, including the Church, or any person, to claim absolute power or final truth.

    The presence of B.13 unduly restricts the moderator's "authority necessary for preserving order and for conducting efficiently the business of the governing body." (Book of Order, G9.0202a) General Assembly demonstrations in recent years have occurred only at the discretion of the Moderators. B.13 prohibits future moderators from full exercise of their authority, as well as their pastoral judgment. It is an affront to past moderators and an undue restriction on future ones.

     

    COUNCIL

  3. REPORTS that because the Presbytery meeting is scheduled early in the month due to Thanksgiving and therefore publication of the White Book had to precede the Council meeting, the Council report will appear in a White Book Addendum.