February 17, 2010: It's Official and Resources
It's official. I have been elected to serve as a minister commissioner from San Diego Presbytery to the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
So, now, let me renew my invitation: if you have been elected by your presbytery to serve as a commissioner or advisory delegate, please let me know: presbybob@me.com . I want to keep these notes more general but would be glad to communicate with you more specifically.
A hodge-podge of other things:
1. The overture I used as an illustration yesterday was approved by San Diego Presbytery last night. Also passed were the other two overtures presented (to delete G-13.0103q and to amend G-18.0301c to require 2/3 majority at the Assembly and in the presbyteries for Book of Order changes).
2. There are a number of new overtures posted on pc-biz. Now is the time to get used to working with it.
a. Go to pc-biz (www.pc-biz.org ; it would probably be a good idea to bookmark it).
b. Click on the "Explorer" tab.
c. In the "Event" scrolldown menu, make sure it says, "219th General Assembly."
d. Click Search without putting anything in the keywords filter.
Then, on the right side of the list, there is a scroll bar. As you scroll down, you will see overtures up through OVT-046. Skim -- do not memorize -- these overtures. At this stage it is better to know the general subject addressed than the specifics. Later, as the business gets sorted out into likely committee assignments, you can begin to delve into the nuance. Don't invest the energy now -- you will end up having to re-learn it later. The system is designed to be inefficient, the best preparation is not. Skim now, nuance later.
3. Other resources: Pc-biz and this site cannot be your only sources of information. Where are some other places to look? Here's my daily checklist (yours may vary):
a. Presbyweb: absolutely essential. Yes, it is a subscription site. It is worth the subscription. Presbyweb is the Google news of the Presbyterian world. It is a one-stop shop for a quick abstract of news, analysis, and resources. Here's the truth: if forced to choose, I would rather you make the habit of checking Presbyweb daily than reading this site. Fortunately, you can do both.
b. Presbyterian News Service: the official media outlet of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Reporting will pick up the closer we get to the Assembly. You likely will read about the publication of reports from the General Assembly Mission Council entities on PNS first. It is the insider's look at what is happening.
c. The Presbyterian Outlook: Visually, I find the site hard to read and navigate; but The Outlook is where you are going to get the benefit of great reporting and the perspective of established Presbyterian voices. During my time in the denominational world, Leslie Scanlon consistently has been the best and most reliable reporter in the business.
d. The Layman: Love 'em or hate 'em, you cannot be prepared without reading the Layman. Me? I love them. I love them as one loves a sibling -- I will defend their love for Jesus and desire to see the church reformed, always to be reformed according to the Word of God; but there are times when they can make me a little crazy. (I am positive that they would -- with justification -- say the same about me.) I cannot read an entire published Layman in one sitting; but there is no question that they cover and analyze things that you will not see elsewhere.
That is my "daily" list. I will cover some of the more specialized sources and sites later like (not exhaustive and in alphabetical order): Coalition, Covenant Network, GA Junkie, MLP, VOW, Witherspoon Society.
That's it for today. I need to get ready for Ash Wednesday services tonight.
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