Assembly wants independent groups to provide information By John H. Adams The Layman Online Thursday, June 14, 2001 LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The General Assembly has decided that the Presbyterian Church (USA) should ask "affinity groups" to provide information about their organizations, budgets and donors who give more than $1,000 a year. The information – assuming that some organizations submit it voluntarily – will be distributed to commissioners before the annual meetings of the General Assembly. The resolution, adopted June 13, also "refers consideration of the impact of the affinity groups, their funds and their strategies to any special commission/task force designated to investigate the causes of division in our church." The so-called "affinity groups" - including the Presbyterian Lay Committee and other renewal organizations, as well as organizations that oppose evangelical renewal – are independent of the denomination in their programming and funding. The Presbyterian Lay Committee does provide its annual audit to anyone who requests it in writing. It does not, however, violate the confidentiality of its donors – and neither does the denomination, synods, presbyteries, local congregations or other Presbyterian bodies. The Lay Committee's mission statement and objectives are clearly stated in each edition of The Presbyterian Layman. The vote on the resolution, which was the response by the Committee on General Assemblies Procedures to a commissioner's resolution, was 420-84. No commissioner spoke against the resolution. Three commissioners spoke in favor of the resolution, including Dean Lindsey of the Presbytery of the Peaks. "There are powerful forces who are trying to influence us," he said. "This is political giving."

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