Dateline: Minneapolis, July 9, 2010

Be assured that the de Cristo commissioners and YAAD worked hard at the Assembly. (In fact, each of them has exercised significant leadership here). The big news on Friday was the passage of the study paper on the Middle East, "Breaking Down the Walls." The paper underwent a series of revisions which sought to strengthen a perceived lack of support for the nation of Israel. Seven previous moderators of the Presbyterian Church USA including John Fife, Rick Ufford Chase and Fahed Abu-Akel joined in support of recommending this study paper to the church. I commend the study paper to you; it will be important for us to understand the witness the PCUSA chose to make as we interpret this, as we will surely be called upon to do, in our own communities.

Two items of interest related to the Board of Pensions. First, the funding of abortion came up. The Board of Pensions currently covers medically related abortion procedures. It also provides a "relief of conscience" recourse to any church which does not wish for any of its BOP dues to be used in such a way. Dues from those churches are set aside in a special fund that provides financial grants to families who are adopting. The Assembly also directed the Board of Pensions to include "domestic partners" in its benefits plan. Our pension/medical plan is somewhat unique in that it automatically covers the children and spouse of its members at no additional cost. Now those benefits will be extended to the domestic partners of covered plan members. The Board of Pensions anticipates that this will require up to a 1% increase in pension dues beginning in January 2012. You may recall, from an earlier blog, that the Assembly chose not to change the definition of marriage (which is still considered a covenant between a man and a woman). This action in no way changes that definition. Rather, it merely extends the same human right/need for health insurance to domestic partners as it does to spouses.

Friday evening, a visibly weary Assembly considered mission funding and the allocation of our mission resources. We heard inspiring stories of how communities around the world are being transformed by Christ through the PCUSA's mission funding. It was here that the de Cristo overture regarding funding for the Young Adult Volunteer in Mission Program was acted on. The bottom-line is that this Assembly recognized that the USA itself is part of the global mission field and that the coordinators of YAV sites in the USA will be treated, as they are in non-USA sites, as mission co-workers. Both Jason Chavez, YAAD and Commissioner Dave Rockwell addressed the Assembly eloquently on this matter. I learned in the process that the three USA Young Adult Volunteer sites whose continued financial viability was at stake (the Tucson site among them) provide placements for nearly half of the young adult volunteers the PCUSA places in mission. As an aside, alumni of the Young Adult Volunteer Program were very much in sight at this assembly - as a significant contingent of the volunteers who helped this assembly run, as the majority of the youngest commissioners taking their place at microphones during discussion, as actively engaged participants in all aspect of the church's life and witness. One twitter comment put it this way, "We're not going to have a church if we're not intentional about young adults. Look around. Add 10 years. Who's left?" I am proud of de Cristo's investment in the YAV program and very proud of the outstanding YAV alumni who are changing the world and the church!

By Saturday morning, the bags were packed, the goodbyes said and, with the music of the closing hymn still ringing in their ears, the several thousand commissioners and guests of the 219th General Assembly headed back into the world. That God was present in the worship and work of the 219th General Assembly was compellingly evident. What God will do with that now, remains to be seen.

With you, I wait and work and pray.

In Christ,

Sue

PS. For more informationn on the Assembly, please check out the new PCUSA web site at www.pcusa.org.