The May 16 meeting of San Diego Presbytery will be held at Fallbrook Presbyterian Church. After May 2, the date the Presbytery Council meets to approve the agenda for the May 16 meeting, go to the Meetings Page on this website to download posted reports and documents for the meeting.

Rev. Chris Lenocker, pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in San Diego, will serve as vice moderator of Committee No. 5, Church Polity, at the 217th General Assembly meeting in Birmingham in June. Moderator of the committee will be Rev. Lynne Myers, First Presbyterian Church, Chicago Heights, Ill. The committee's primary task will be to consider an overture calling for repeal of Chapter 8 - the church property chapter - of the PC(USA) Book of Order.

The Book of Order states:
Ownership of Property-Interests of the Congregation and the Presbytery Legal title to property may rest with a congregation in its capacity as a corporation or an unincorporated association, or with trustees, according to the laws of the state where it is located. However, G-8.0201 of our constitution declares that all property of a local church is held "in trust nevertheless for the use and benefit of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)."

"Having read through all the overtures listed for the Polity Committee, some are of great gravity and others are rather trivial, but altogether it will certainly be a challenge," Lenocker said. "I am looking forward to representing San Diego Presbytery at General Assembly."

1. FINAL REPORT OF THE THEOLOGICAL TASK FORCE ON PEACE, UNITY & PURITY:
   In 2001, the 213th General Assembly appointed the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church. This year, the task force presents its final report and recommendations. The task force proposes a new authoritative interpretation of our Constitution, which, if passed, would affect the way all of our ordination standards are applied (or not applied). In short, the task force has recommended that sessions and presbyteries be permitted to declare violations of the national ordination standards on a case-by-case basis and determine at a local level whether or not any departure from those standards is "essential." This report-especially controversial recommendation number 5-will be the central issues of this assembly with several overtures being considered. The report is online at www.pcusa.org/peaceunityharmony.



2. ENDING PHASED, SELECTIVE DIVESTMENT IN ISRAEL:
   The Jewish community, Presbyterians, and believers around the globe have raised questions and concerns about specific actions taken at the 216th General Assembly (2004), relating to our relationship with the Jewish community. One major issue has caused the most discussion: a decision to "initiate a process of phased, selective divestment in multinational corporations operating in Israel." This year, several dozen overtures relate to justice in Israel/Palestine and directly or indirectly respond to the GA's 2004 action on divestment from companies doing business in Israel. Three overtures seek a change or a complete rescission of the actions of the 216th GA. This year's assembly will entertain new proposals for positive steps toward peace in the region. Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase requested that the General Assembly Council establish a task force to "listen to Jews, Christians and Muslims and to monitor the politics of the Middle East for the next two years."



3. ORDINATION STANDARDS RELATING TO G-6.0106b:
   A substantial number of overtures (22) call for the removal of Section G-6.0106b from our Constitution. That section limits ordination to individuals who practice "fidelity in marriage or chastity in singleness." The 217th General Assembly will also address the continued debate over the authoritative constitutional interpretation that forbids the ordination of "self-affirming, practicing homosexuals". These two issues (removal and authoritative interpretation) will receive much attention and energy at this year's assembly.



4. KEY ELECTIONS INVOLVING FUTURE LEADERSHIP:
   The commissioners to the 217th General Assembly will elect Presbyterians to several key positions. The assembly will express appreciation to John Detterick, as he retires from service as the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council, and will confirm the election of his successor. In addition, four minister candidates are running for Moderator of the 217th General Assembly: (1) Reverend Kerry Carson, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Conrad, Iowa, who has been endorsed by the North Central Iowa Presbytery; (2) Reverend Tim Halverson, the pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Cape Coral, Florida, who has received a unanimous endorsement from the Peace River Presbytery; (3) Reverend Deborah A. Block, the pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who has received a unanimous endorsement from the Presbytery of Milwaukee; and (4) Reverend Joan S. Gray, a faculty member at Columbia Theological Seminary, Johnson C. Smith Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary, who has received a unanimous endorsement from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. Other key elections at this assembly include members of the Permanent Judicial Commission, the Nominating Committee, the General Assembly Council, and other assembly boards and committees.



5. MAJOR CONSTITUTIONAL REVISIONS:
   The Office of the General Assembly (OGA) has responded to a referral from the 216th General Assembly, which directed consultation across the denomination regarding a revised form of government. This referral followed more than 15 years of requests to substantively revise the Book of Order. The OGA has consulted with many groups in the church and offers a three-fold proposal: (1) appoint a task force to draft a new, simplified form of government for consideration by the 218th General Assembly; (2) immediately simplify Chapter 14 of our form of government, to provide more flexibility to presbyteries in candidacy and minister placements; and (3) present six other amendments to Chapter 14, each to be voted upon separately, in response to requests from around the denomination.



6. THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY:
   One of the most significant matters before the 217th General assembly is the paper entitled, "The Trinity: God's Love Overflowing." This paper is a response to a request from the 212th General Assembly (2000), which asked that a study group be formed to consider the doctrine of the Trinity, particularly the question of inclusive language for references to God. The paper's stated aim is to assist the denomination "in reclaiming the doctrine of the Trinity in theology, worship, and life…that Presbyterians will once again find this doctrine good and joyful news" (L15-16, 23-24). The paper offers many good theological insights that extol the virtues of the ancient catholic faith, but it has sparked concern among evangelicals by using "freshly imaginative" ways of referring to God. The paper offers an array of three-fold metaphors as alternative female names for God. For example, "Mother, Beloved Child, and Life-Giving Womb" is suggested as an alternative to "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". The paper teaches that by creatively stringing metaphors together in threes, the church's language will better reflect the mystery of the Trinitarian nature of God. The report is online at www.GA2006.com.



7. FINANCIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL CUTBACKS:
   The church's growing financial crisis will be addressed this year. The General Assembly Council has approved a radical restructuring of the denomination's mission program and is reducing the 2007-2008 General Assembly mission budget by $9.15 million. In all, 75 staff positions in Louisville have been eliminated (most effective May 1), plus 55 overseas mission positions. Staff cuts in Louisville account for $4 million of the budget reduction, while the price tag for the overseas positions is $1.2 million. These staff reductions represent the most expansive layoff of denominational staff and the most significant cuts to programs and services since the Presbyterian reunion in 1983. These organizational changes will eliminate the existing ministry divisions (Congregational Ministries, National Ministries, and Worldwide Ministries), as well as their senior executive and administrative staffs, by October, 2006.



8. ISSUES RELATED TO LATE TERM ABORTIONS:
   In the past few years, the issue of late term abortions has received much interest at the General Assembly. This year, the presbytery of Redstone presents overture 10-01 requesting the GA to... "Affirm that the lives of viable unborn babies - those well-developed enough to survive outside the womb if delivered - ought to be preserved and cared for and not aborted. In cases where problems of life or health of the mother arise in a pregnancy, the church supports efforts to protect the life and health of both the mother and the baby…We affirm adoption as a provision for women who deliver children they are not able to care for, and ask our churches to assist in seeking loving, Christian adoptive families." This overture is intended to provide the church with a clear moral and pastoral position concerning late term abortions.



9. ECONOMIC JUSTICE CONCERNS:
   Major proposals/overtures will be coming before this assembly to address concerns of poverty, economic justice, sexual exploitation of children, as well as issues concerning usuary, social insurance for older adults, and global economic justice.



10. ANNIVERSARIES FOR WOMEN IN MINISTRY:
    This year marks the 75th anniversary of the ordination of women elders and the 50th anniversary of the ordination of women as ministers of Word and Sacrament in our denomination. These anniversaries will be a significant focus at this year's assembly.

The 217th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will consider what may be a record number of overtures when it meets in Birmingham on June 15-22.

The Office of the General Assembly reports that it has received 120 overtures, with more expected. The final tally will probably be more than double the average number of overtures (62.6) considered per year during the five General Assemblies between 2000 and 2004. The deadline for submitting overtures to the Office of the General Assembly was May 1.

One of the reasons for the avalanche of overtures is the two-year lag between the 216th and 217th General Assemblies, the first time in the history of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that it skipped an annual meeting. But another reason is the strong reaction from Presbyterians to controversial issues.

Three issues stand out and account for more than half of the overtures:

• There are 30 overtures related to G-6.0106b, the constitutional "fidelity/chastity" ordination requirement and/or the Authoritative Interpretation that undergirds that standard. Twenty-two ask the commissioners to call for a constitutional referendum to allow the presbyteries to repeal the standard. Most of those same overtures ask the General Assembly to repeal outright the 1993 Authoritative Interpretation that says practicing homosexuals must not be ordained. One would tweak the language of the 1993 Authoritative Interpretation to remove "offending language" - in effect, rendering it meaningless. Six overtures call for maintaining the requirement. One seeks a constitutional referendum that would add this sentence to G-6.0106b: "This paragraph may not be amended prior to 2018."



• The committee reviewing the report and proposed Authoritative Interpretation of the Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity already has 16 overtures on its agenda. Most would either extract Recommendation 5 - which would allow ordaining bodies to decide on their own whether to waive the requirements of G-6.0106b - or call for further consideration of whether a requirement is actually a requirement. Only two overtures fully endorse the task force's recommendations.



• Twenty-four overtures have been submitted in response to the 216th General Assembly's resolution calling for phased selective divestment of Presbyterian holdings in corporations that do business with Israel. Only two of the overtures state their support for moving ahead with the divestment process. Several overtures support divestment and reinvestment - in corporations that are noted for their peacemaking. Others call for modifying the 216th resolution so that it no longer can be criticized as pro-Palestine and anti-Israel.

From the Presbyterian Coalition

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has a constitutional form of government. There are two parts to our constitution:

Part I is The Book of Confessions. The Book of Order

Part II, consists of our Form of Government (G section), Directory for Worship (W section), and Rules of Discipline (D section). It is our constitutional book of polity, defining how we agree to live together in unity.

Taken together, and taken seriously and obediently, our constitution is an important source of peace, unity, and purity for our denomination, because of its obligation and intent to be faithful to Scripture.

Constitutions must be interpreted and applied to specific situations. Authoritative interpretations carry the weight of telling the church the meaning of some part of the constitution.

Only two bodies in the PC(USA) can issue authoritative interpretations. One is the church's high court; we call it the General Assembly's Permanent Judicial Commission (GA-PJC). Whenever the court renders a decision, it is interpreting the constitution; hence, authoritative interpretation. The court gives us authoritative interpretations of the constitution regularly.

The other body that may render an authoritative interpretation is the General Assembly. The G.A. does that only on rare occasions. Most decisions of General Assemblies do not constitute interpretations of the constitution, even though no decision of a G.A. should be made without reference to both parts of the constitution.

The most referred to, and most contested, authoritative interpretation is the one adopted by the General Assembly in 1978. It says, "homosexual practice does not accord with the requirements for ordination set forth in Form of Government." It is an interpretation of Scripture and of our Book of Confessions (4.087 and 7.249). It also is applied to our Book of Order.

Because this AI has been challenged repeatedly, it has been repeatedly reaffirmed since 1978 and stands as the authoritative interpretation of the church constitution on this matter.

The oft-reaffirmed 1978 authoritative interpretation will be challenged again at the General Assembly in June. There will be overtures seeking to remove it and any other AI on the subject (including numerous rulings of the GA-PJC that have upheld and interpreted the constitution on this matter). And there will be Recommendation 5 in the PUP report that will interpret another paragraph of the Book of Order (G-6.0108) to permit what this AI does not allow.

Interpretation of the constitution is a powerful tool. When its effect is to change the meaning of the constitution, as in the case of the proposed AI of the PUP task force, it is an illegitimate tool. And the only recourse is its defeat by a General Assembly unwilling to change the constitution without the consent of its presbyteries.

Thirty-five ministers of some of the largest congregations in the Presbyterian Church (USA) have issued a statement about "our deep concern for the most troubling implication of the Peace, Unity and Purity Task Force Report - the adoption of a new Authoritative Interpretation regarding standards for ordination creating 'local option.'"

They also said they "grieve the continuing decline of our denomination on multiple levels. Something is deeply flawed at the core." They said they are "longing to retain our unity," but added, "we are ready for a redefinition of that unity and the structural realities that hold us together. God help us."

Among the 35 pastors are two from San Diego Presbytery: Rev. Mike McClanahan of Solana Beach Presbyterian Church, and Rev. Bruce Humphrey of Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church.

Rev. Joan S. Gray, a member of the Greater Atlanta Presbytery and a former member of the General Assembly Permanent Judicial Commission, has become the fourth candidate for moderator of the 217th General Assembly.

She joins Rev. Kerry Carson, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Conrad, Iowa; Rev. Tim Halvorson, of Faith Presbyterian Church in Cape Coral, Fla.; and Rev. Deborah Block, pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

According to news reports, Carson is an evangelical and pastor of a Confessing Church; Halvorson describes himself as a centrist; and Block, a former co-moderator of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, has been among the leaders of Presbyterians who work to repeal the denomination's prohibition on ordaining practicing homosexuals.

According to Rev. Tim Beal, Executive Pastor of the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church, the congregation there views their church as a regional church serving not just the RB community but people all up and down the Interstate 15 corridor.

And while the RBCPC is large, serving a membership of over 2,600 in six worship services -- one Saturday evening and five on Sunday -- and a myriad of other programs ranging from preschool to the arts, the church is seeking a way to attract and serve more of the community with the many programs they have to offer.

This is a tall order requiring expansion of both programs and space. The solution: build a neighborhood porch.

To do this, the Rancho Bernardo Church is developing plans to expand its operation to what has been known until recently as the south campus, 24 acres of land about 2.2 miles south of the present church on Pomerado Road in Poway. The land was purchased in 2000 for $1 million. Plans for the site, which has been named "The Porch," reminiscent of the home space where families would meet and reach out to their neighbors, call for it to provide space for ministries that will build community between members of RBCPC and the various neighbors of the North County.

The vision is for an outreach center for all ages with four components -- worship, recreation, music and theater arts, and pre-school. The RB church wants The Porch to be so attractive to its neighbors, that half of the people utilizing the campus will be unchurched people from the community, thus offering the congregation the opportunity to bring them into a relationship with the church.

"We hope to build a community with our neighbors," Beal said. "It will be designed with community service in mind first. We want people to come onto the facility for the programs we offer and, in addition, find a church there. Our present campus is a church where people find many community services. The Porch will be a community center where people will find a church."

The Porch has been called a place where everyone in the existing congregation can participate in building relationships with the community on neutral ground.

Plans for The Porch are big. It includes outdoor ball fields, a multi-purpose gymnasium and worship center, a fellowship center with kitchen facilities and a stage, a preschool, KidsLife classrooms, a music and theater arts center, and an outdoor amphitheater.

Most of these programs will be expansions of those already in operation at RBCPC. The preschool currently in operation at the Rancho Bernardo church, which has a waiting list of 200, will expand to operate at both sites. The performing arts programs now serving students from elementary through high school will have additional space. And the outdoor facilities will add a dimension that is not currently possible at the home church.

A capital campaign is currently underway. Beal estimates the cost of the entire project at $25 million and, depending on how successful the appeal is, ground could be broken on the project in early 2007. "If we could get the entire amount we need we could develop the entire project," he said. However, he added, it is more likely the site will be developed in two or three phases over multiple years.

In a message to the RBCPC congregation, Senior Pastor Bruce Humphrey wrote, "Our mission on The Porch will be to engage more and more non-religious neighbors in ways that will build relationships, and share our conviction that encounters with Jesus Christ transform lives. Our hope is that we will be most effective by striving for significant community appeal. At any point in time, we hope at least 50 percent of the people using the campus will be neighbors who don't currently attend our church."

For more information, call Rev. Beal at 858-487-0811, ext. 205.

Three local Presbyterian churches -- Graham Memorial in Coronado, Westminister Point Loma. and Pacific Beach -- represented the San Diego Presbytery at the 2006 Annual Conference of Endowed Presbyterian Churches of Southern California held at Grace Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach on Saturday, April 1.

John Turner, Southern California representative of the Presbyterian Foundation, presented the various types of endowment available today through the New Covenant Funds and the Presbytery Foundation. All but one church represented at the conference was already investing in the New Covenant Fund, which was established in 1999 to meet a need not covered by the Foundation.

Workshops by church size helped stimulate ideas on how to pursue the expansion of endowments by using charitable trusts and annuities. Turner suggested many ways to present charitable trusts and annuities using education, flyer inserts, brochures and bulletin teasers. He stressed the need for planning ahead and educating parishioners to the advantages of setting up a flow of money from an endowment of invested capital and as well as federal and state tax advantages.

	Jointly sponsored by Baja Presbyrterian Missions and Pueblos Hermanos, a bi-national project of Presbyterian Border Ministry, the 7th Annual Presbytery of San Diego Mission Tour visited Mexicali on April 1. BPM president Bob Battenfield urges you to mark your calendars for the first Saturday in April in 2007!

The Peacemaking and Social Justice Ministry Team of San Diego Presbytery will sponsor a Race and Reconciliation Workshop, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, at Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church (Calvin Hall), 1675 Garnet Avenue.

"The goal of this workshop is to provide an opportunity to affirm our diversity and seek common ground," said a ministry team spokesman. "The activities for the day will center on promoting dialogue about race and reconciliation issues, sharing and listening, to others' experiences, and problem solving.

The workshop will be professionally facilitated by Dr. Henry Payne, a Human Resources and Organizational Development Consultant, who has conducted training workshops on race and reconciliation for the Healing and Reconciliation Committee in South Africa. Cost: $10 (lunch included). Limited scholarships are available.

For additional information and a registration form, contact Geoffrey Hollenbeck at 858.488.4582 or contact the Presbytery Office. Registration deadline is May 19.

The LJPC Concert Series will present the La Jolla Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir and Orchestra performing Brahm's Requiem on Sunday, May 21, at 7 p.m. The Requiem will be directed by Dr. Keith Pedersen with soloists Dr. Bettina Pedersen, soprano, and Christopher Stephens, bass-baritone.

No tickets are required and there is no admission charge. A free will offering will be taken.

According to Tanya Chen, LJPC Concert Series Manager, the Requiem occupies a very special place among the works of Johannes Brahms. "It is perhaps not too much to call it the most personal musical expression to which he ever gave utterance," she said. "It was to him not only a means of rising above the grief he felt in losing two of those who had been closest to him, his mother and the composer, Robert Schumann, but also a kind of musical coming of age, the full mastery of his technique and the definite establishment of the Brahms' style. "