News
November 9, 2002

To Commissioners to the 214th General Assembly (2002)

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

I bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As we near the Thanksgiving holiday, I give thanks for the bounty of God's many blessings. I am most grateful for the gift of the Prince of Peace, whose coming we anticipate again in the season of Advent and Christmas.

I also bring you greetings from the many places across the denomination I have visited on your behalf as Moderator. As I approach the midway point of my year as Moderator, having visited churches large and small, presbyteries, and synods, I can share and celebrate with you that our church is alive and busy in mission! Even as I have encountered presbyteries that are dealing with judicial issues and other pressing matters, I am grateful for the commitment and care people show to one another and for the way in which our Presbyterian system works.

Hanging over the celebration at present, however, is a cloud. As commissioners, you have been contacted to ask for your signatures on a petition calling for a special meeting of the General Assembly. One of the letters you received may give you the impression that I support a called Assembly. I am not in favor of such a meeting. I want to thank my brothers in Christ, Laird Stuart and Jerry Tanskerley, for their joint letter that discouraged support of a called meeting. In addition, the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly has offered to you wise counsel in stating reasons why a special meeting would not be helpful to the life of the church.

I want to offer to you my reasons for not having a called meeting. I ask you prayerfully consider or reconsider the following: The reason for the special meeting given in the petition requires an interpretation of the Constitution. According to G-13.0112c of our Book of Order, this requires a 120-day notice prior to the meeting. This means that I would not be able to call a special assembly until late March at the earliest – right before the 215th General Assembly convenes in May. Even if we had a special meeting, we could not intervene in the judicial system, which is one of the reasons being given for calling the meeting. Further, the time, energy, and money that we would spend on a special meeting need to be spent in mission in the name of Christ. Spending our resources on a called meeting seems to me to be out of place, given the current global situation and the possibility that our country may begin a war with Iraq in a very short time.

In Columbus, our theme was "Ambassadors for Christ." We made many decisions that contributed to the peace, unity and purity of the church. We are called to continue as ambassadors even now – praying for our church and focusing on unity and mission.

May God give you wisdom and strength in your work and witness in this great church in the name of Jesus Christ.

Peace/Salaam,