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January 26, 2010: Physical education and COTE

Many meetings and not many hours today; thus, a day like a General Assembly day. It reminds me of a topic worth addressing now; because if you start now, the week in Minneapolis will be a lot easier.

Exercise.

General Assembly is a physical marathon. It is long days and short nights:

That said, it also is a lot of fun. There are some tips and tricks -- mundane things -- that help make the week a little better.

Many first-time Assembly attenders are surprised at how tired they get. It is why I am writing now to encourage you to do a couple of things:

a. Think about getting your walking shoes now -- and breaking them in. Even though the hotels and convention center are very close, there will be a lot, a lot, a lot of walking. You should figure that you will be walking 3 or 4 miles per day; perhaps not all at once, but up and down throughout the day. There will be long periods of sitting followed by long walks several times throughout the day. Much of it will involve carrying a laptop (at least) and other notebooks and papers. 

I know this is easier for me than many who live in areas with snow and ice. Even so, I have already started regularly walking a route of several miles with hills to build up stamina. An Olympian, I am not; however, it was nice to not be dragging on Monday and Tuesday because I started early before the last Assembly. Unless you are getting younger, physical preparation now will make a big difference in your ability to be productive during morning, afternoon, evening, and late night meetings.

b. Think about the clothes you will be bringing -- think differently than you would a vacation. As much as you would like to think you will have plenty of time to sight-see around Minneapolis and the Mall of America -- it is not real unless you are going to arrive several days early or stay several days late. Thus, plan on clothing for air conditioned hotel rooms.

c. Think about the other stuff you will be bringing. Your ability to pack and bring things to Minneapolis will be dependent upon your mode of travel. I will be flying, making packing a serious consideration. There will be a limited list of the "absolutely necessary." One important thing: chapstick. Air conditioning is often dry.

d. Think about what you will be eating. This is particularly true if you are planning on attending a lot of the meals in the convention center. If you eat differently than normal during the week, your body will feel different. Hotel and convention center coffee is not the same as your own (I will supply the Peets if someone local has a coffee pot and a thermos...let those of you with ears to hear...).

e. Think about your time. Plan times in your schedule for prayer. Make a mental commitment to stick to those times, regardless of what else is happening. The temptation will be to think, "Oh, I'll just make time later to pray." Don't succumb. You won't. Plan times in your schedule for alone time. Just because there are multiple events available does NOT mean that you must be doing something at all times. Just because you have purchased a ticket for something does NOT mean you must go. Go only to the things that will bless you.

More as we get closer.

Acronym of the Day: COTE

The General Assembly is filled with acronyms. There is a page dedicated to all the different shorthand references on the denomination's site. I am going to (try to) go the acronyms most often heard/used at General Assembly in alphabetical order.

Today's acronym of the day is: the Committee on Theological Education (COTE). COTE "has General Assembly-mandated responsibility for developing and maintaining a comprehensive, denomination-wide plan for theological education. COTE seeks to identify, develop and propose strategies for a systemic approach to theological education within the PC(USA)."

There are ten Theological Seminaries affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.): Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; Columbia Theological Seminary; University of Dubuque Theological Seminary; Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary; McCormick Theological Semminary; Pittsburgh Theological Seminary; Princeton Theological Seminary; San Francisco Theological Seminary; Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary; and Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education.

The major place you will see COTE involved at this Assembly will be in discussions regarding the increasing utilization of Commissioned Lay Pastors. CLPs are becoming more common for new church developments and pastoral care in congregations unable to financially sustain a full-time ordained minister of Word and Sacrament. In February, 2009, COTE wrote to the General Assembly Mission Council (GAMC) (it was still the GAC at the time, the official reporting of the approval of the name change did not come until later in the Spring, 2009) requesting the "[GAMC] and COGA to commission a comprehensive study of the role of CLPs in the PC(USA)."

(To digress for a moment; that last sentence is why I am going through the Acronym of the Day exercise. Look at that sentence: COTE = Committee on Theological Education; GAMC = General Assembly Mission Council; COGA = Committee on the Office of the General Assembly; CLP = Commissioned Lay Pastor; and PC(USA) = Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Five acronyms in one sentence. That's the lingo you have to know; it needs to be second nature. If you get to Minneapolis and try to learn it there, the week will be over just as you are getting up to speed.)

In September, 2009, COTE approved a motion (item 25, beginning on page 6) "for COTE to convene a Joint Committee on Leadership Needs with the General Assembly Council (GAC)[sic] and Committee on the Office of the General Assembly (COGA) to:

a. Study PC(USA) pastoral leadership and leadership development needs and their impact on and in the following areas: Commissioned Lay Pastors, Small churches (especially rural, urban and/ or Racial-Ethnic), and leadership structures in consultation with key partners including presbyteries and seminaries alongside the Office of Vocation and Office of Theological Education.

b. Report and recommend possible strategies and policies that address those needs to COTE for comment by October 2009 and the GAC and/COGA by February 2010.

That report and those recommendations are due out soon. This report is going to come into play with Ovt-003 which seeks to expand the role of CLP's and Ovt-021 which would categorize CLP's as serving in validated ministries. (Please note: the Ovt-0xx numbering will go away once these items are tentatively assigned to a commissioners committee. It is better to NOT get used to referring to them by overture number.)

I am not going to use this space today to analyze the different approaches to the use of CLP's. The point for today is to demonstrate the roots of what will be a topic discussed by the General Assembly.

The other primary action proposed by COTE is the approval of new trustees elected by the theological institutions in the time between Assemblies. Here is the action from the 218th General Assembly.

 

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