Coalition leader suggests swimming lessons By Parker T. Williamson The Layman Online Monday, October 7, 2002 ORLANDO, Fla. – "The value of treading water is that when it comes time to swim, you're strong and ready to do so." That was the Rev. Carmen Fowler's response to a concern raised in a "speak out" session on the final day of the Presbyterian Coalition's annual gathering Oct. 5. Fowler was responding to a lament, often voiced in the halls of this meeting of renewal-minded Presbyterians, that the denomination is experiencing a lethargic stupor following last year's Amendment 01-A contest in which almost 75 percent of its presbyteries rejected an attempt to roll back its ordination standards. "I feel like we're just treading water," announced one of the speak-out participants. 'Corpuscle work' Mrs. Peggy Hedden, a Coalition board member, described Coalition activities on two fronts. "We're doing both white and red corpuscle work," she said. Some renewal leaders are working on the disciplinary front, an activity that involves getting rid of infections that threaten the church's health. That's white corpuscle work, Hedden explained. Other renewal leaders are placing their emphasis on increasing the denomination's commitment to missions through restricted, "extra commitment opportunity" accounts that cannot be siphoned off by Louisville personnel for other purposes. This mission activity builds up the body of Christ. It is red corpuscle work, she said. Hedden compared this double-focused activity to the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls as described in Nehemiah. "Building the walls in the midst of enemies required both swords and stones," she said. Exploring the maze The Rev. Douglas Pratt, co-moderator of the Coalition, described the state of the church as "an incredibly complicated maze." Presbyterians are demanding Biblical fidelity from their leaders by increasingly wider margins, he said. But, at the same time, there is evidence of resistance from those who occupy judicial and administrative leadership positions. "It is hard to see the right path through these hedgerows, so the Coalition is sending scouts down several paths. We're looking for one – maybe several – ways through this maze," he said. Pratt said some of the Coalition-endorsed paths reflect a commitment to "work from within" the system, and others are "clearly outside the box. We're exploring all options," he said. Pregnancy work The Rev. Anita Bell, the Coalition's newly-elected co-moderator, encouraged the gathering not to view the current "quiet period" as a time of inactivity. She likened the current situation to that of a pregnancy. "Those of us who have been pregnant know what it means to wait, sometimes longer than the due date that we expected. But this is certainly not a passive time. It is a time of nesting, active waiting, preparing for that future event. It is a very busy time," she said. Bell said she observed that, throughout the gathering event, groups were meeting in hallways, conference rooms, at dinner and in hotel lobbies, sharing strategies and action plans. Discipline for the whole church The Rev. Jerry Andrews, a former Coalition co-moderator, echoed Bell's observation. Noting that there are several disciplinary and remedial cases working their way through the judicial system, Andrews said, "We're not just sitting around, waiting to see what the courts will do. There is a lot of careful working going on. We understand – and the church will understand – that discipline does not apply only to part of the church, but to the whole church." Fowler said she is keeping a focus on Baltimore Presbytery which, as of this date, has refused to ensure compliance with the constitution. The judicial process is not complete, she said, but when it has run its course, "if Baltimore is still in defiance, that could be a precipitating event. People will not sit still and allow a presbytery to violate the constitution." In the meantime, Fowler said, there are things we can and must do. "We can communicate with John Detterick [executive director of the General Assembly Council]. We can confront the fact that the GAC makes cuts in missions and evangelism, the very areas that the church has said are essential. At the same time they are making these cuts, they are superfunding a dead curriculum that is sitting in a warehouse. We can remind the GAC of the church's priorities," she said. "So, it's OK to tread water," Fowler concluded, "just so you're getting yourself ready for the swim."

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