the Outlook Blog

Well, at least the New York Times does. Yesterday morning I was sitting in the Peacemaking and International Issues Committee, as they discussed and passed recommendations related to issues in Zimbabwe, Columbia, North Korea and Israel/Palestine. I was sitting between a reporter from the New York Sun (article here) and the New York Times. I'll have to admit, I was a little surprised to see a New York Times reporter covering a Presbyterian committee meeting. Perhaps that's just the part of me that wonders if anyone outside of the PC(USA) really cares what is going on here in San Jose this week. But it did remind me that there are folks, outside of the Presbyterian Church (USA), who are interested in what official statements come from the 218th General Assembly.

I have many friends who are even more cynical than I am concerning the significance of events like this, and seriously question the form of government and bureaucracy that exists in our denomination. I am equally as skeptical about our bureaucracy at times, and find it very frustrating as I sit through these committee meetings, hearing motions, amendments, substitute amendments and substitute motions made. But there is one thing I have found today: there is a host of people in our denomination who are passionate and committed to this church and care about a variety of issues within the church and in our world.

I sat in the Peacemaking committee and heard pastors, elders, activists and world leaders give impassioned pleas for voting for or against certain overtures related to Israel and Palestine. There were over 70 people who wanted to speak on the issue - both Presbyterians and others who came to lobby for their cause, including His Eminence Elias Chacour, Archbishop of the Melkite Catholic Church of Israel, and representatives from Jewish Voice for Peace, the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Committee to End Divestment Now and many other groups. If what the Presbyterian Church said about these important issues and policies meant nothing, why would people like this show up? Why would it even matter?

As much as I get frustrated by Robert's Rules, and the way in which committees have to make these decisions (and I haven't even gotten to the plenary discussions that start today...), there is also part of me that has to realize that to at least some degree, what we say, what we proclaim, does make a difference. And that is why events such as the 218th General Assembly matter. Because, at least some people do care what the PC(USA) thinks.