Goose and the gander treated differently by the assembly By Paula R. Kincaid The Layman Online Thursday, June 22, 2006 217th General Assembly Birmingham, Ala. BIRMINGHAM – Saying what is "good for the goose is good for the gander," a male commissioner asked the 217th General Assembly to give Presbyterian Men a seat on the General Assembly Council. The assembly did not agree with him. It voted to follow the advice of the Committee on Mission Coordination, which recommended that it not approve the overture from Eastern Virginia Presbytery that called for adding a representative of Presbyterian Men to the General Assembly Council with full voice and vote. Presently, Presbyterian Women is not only represented on the council, but also has a place on the council's executive committee. To a loud chorus of boos in the assembly hall, Elder Toni Spieth of John Calvin Presbytery asked how much money Presbyterian Men contributed to the denomination. Presbyterian Women gives more than $1 million to the denomination. Vice-Moderator Elder Robert Wilson of North Alabama Presbytery did not answer the question and immediately began directing the assembly to vote. The committee's recommendation to not add a representative was approved by 52 percent of the vote.

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