May 2003
Dear Friends,
This month the church will gather again in General Assembly. We look forward as always to this opportunity for the church to become reacquainted and to seek together God's guidance for our church and our world. We hope to see many of you in Denver.
We'll be meeting at a time when events in the Presbyterian Church may seem rather secondary. As all of us this spring have been riveted by war and rumors of war, and now by the awesome responsibility of war's aftermath, those of us entrusted with pastoral ministry have sought a faithful path, trying to discern God's hand in distant events, but certain only that God accompanied every frightened soldier and every terrified civilian facing the power of military might.
Particularly in times like these, our churches have a special role as places where all may come to seek God's mercy and listen to hear what God may be trying to say to us. In our churches we can respect and care for each other despite disagreements; we can do our best to model the peace and good will for which we long and pray in the wider world.
This General Assembly will have another opportunity to consider removing G-6.0106b from our Constitution. We in the Covenant Network continue to believe that this provision is pastorally, theologically, and evangelically wrong, and we are committed to its removal.
The recent defeat of the attempt to delete G-6.0106b leads us to conclude that at the moment the church would be most helped by time: time well spent to inform, to build bridges, to organize and plan, to open our hearts and minds to one another, to await God's movement among us time to create a climate in which change can and will occur. We therefore, reluctantly, will not work for the passage of overtures to delete G-6.0106b this year. This is not an easy position for us to adopt; but we are concerned that another divisive vote may in fact delay the change we seek.
We await with confident anticipation the Spirit's movement among the commissioners in Denver, and in all our churches as we witness to the One who alone offers that peace which surpasses all understanding.
Grace and Peace,
Joanna M. Adams
Co-Pastor, Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago
Eugene C. Bay
Pastor, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, PA
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