Assembly faces divisive issues By Paula R. Kincaid The Presbyterian Layman Volume 34, Number 4 Posted May 30, 2001 The 213th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be held June 9-16 in Louisville, Ken., the hometown of the denomination’s headquarters. This year’s assembly has the potential to further divide the denomination. Following a two-year sabbatical on overtures related to G-6.0106b, the “fidelity and chastity” clause of the denomination’s Book of Order, commissioners to the assembly will face numerous overtures on the issue. At last count, more than 30 of the PCUSA’s 173 presbyteries have sent or concurred with overtures on G-6.0106b, varying from deleting the clause, to rewording it, to declaring that adopting the clause was “in error.” The defeat of Amendment O, which would have banned same-sex unions in the PCUSA, may impact the upcoming assembly. Following the defeat of the amendment, church sessions across the country began adopting statements affirming uncompromising commitment to the person and work of Jesus Christ, the authority of Scripture and Biblical standards of holiness. Other issues cited by the confessing churches include the General Assembly Council’s refusal to require that salvation through Christ alone – a core tenet in Scripture and The Book of Confessions – be reflected in denomination-sponsored programs, conferences and curriculum. It remains to be seen what effect the movement will have on the assembly. One of the first items of business for commissioners is the election of a moderator. Candidates include Sandra Hawley, an elder at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, Minn., an electrical engineer, mathematician and statistician; Nancy Maffett of First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs, a former president of Presbyterians for Renewal; Dr. Jack Rogers of San Francisco, a retired seminary professor; and the Rev. M. Anderson “Andy” Sale, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of the Peaks. The election will be on the evening of June 9. Earlier that morning, the commissioners will attend a 4½-hour mandatory session on antiracism sensitivity-training.

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