The Assembly is the governing and decision-making body of the Church and approximately 1,000 people from its 545 congregations from across Ireland will be involved in the three and a half days of worship, prayer, Bible study, celebration and decision-making – closing on Friday 10th June.
The vast majority of proceedings will be streamed live and can be viewed at www.presbyterianireland.org. For live updates and comment you can also follow @pciassembly on Twitter using the hashtag #PCIGA16.
Today’s Business
Reports and Supplementary Reports mentioned can be found here.
9.30am – 10.45am
General Council
The General Council has many functions. Principally it acts on behalf of the General Assembly between meetings, as and when appropriate. It co-ordinates the remit of the other Councils and nominations to them, orders the business for the General Assembly and in discussion with others prioritises the work of the Assembly.
The Assembly will receive its initial report on the Council’s Business Committee’s Draft Order of Business for the 2016 General Assembly. Members will be asked to receive the Reports of Presbyteries. The Assembly will also receive a report and details on the proposed Residential General Assembly ‘Everyday Disciples’ that will take place at the Ulster University, Coleraine next August. The Assembly will be asked to encourage all Congregations to pray for, and send delegates to the meeting
Resolutions
Initial Report & Resolutions 1-4 (pgs 3-4 and 105)
1. That the Draft Order of Business for the 2016 General Assembly be approved.
2. That the ‘Guide to Assembly Procedure’ (yellow pages) be approved, including the amended speaking times, with the appropriate General Assembly Standing Orders suspended.
3. That a grant of £20,000 be made from the Incidental Fund to the Arrangements Panel of the General Assembly Business Committee.
4. That the Initial Report of the General Assembly Business Committee be received.
Proposer: Very Rev. Dr. Roy Patton
Seconder: Rev. Andrew Thompson
General Council
Section 1 of Report & Resolutions 5-8 (pgs 1-2, 14-37 & 105).
5. That the General Assembly encourage all Congregations to pray for, and send delegates to, ‘Everyday Disciples’, the Residential General Assembly being held at the Ulster University, Coleraine from Monday 21st-Thursday 24th August, 2017.
6. That the portion of the report on engagement between Presbytery and Congregations be sent down to Presbyteries for comment and report back to the Convener of the Engagement and Consultation Task Group by 31st December 2016.
7. That as part of the Review of Consultations process, the General Assembly approve a pilot of the new scheme be run in two Presbyteries in 2017. 8. That Section 1 of the Report of the General Council (with the exception of the General Assembly Business Committee) be received.
Proposer: Rev. Rob Craig
Seconder: Rev. Gordon Best
Reception of Corresponding Members & Delegates
Guests from 11 Churches will be received and officially welcomed by the Moderator. A representative of one of the churches will speak on behalf of the other guests. They include:
• Church of Scotland
• United Reformed Church
•
Presbyterian Church of Wales
•
Church of Ireland
•
The Methodist Church in Ireland
• Irish Council of Churches
•
Religious Society for Friends
• Greek Evangelical Church
•
Church of Central Africa Presbyterian, Synod of Blantyre
• Presbyterian Church of Myanmar
• Hungarian Reformed Church.
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper: 11.45am-1.00pm
The General Assembly Communion Service will also take place today and is open to everyone. This part of the Assembly will also include the Memorial Roll.
LUNCH
2.00pm–3.00pm
Council for Church in Society
Honouring Christ in the Public Square - Building a vision for society
In the first of three hour-long ‘Alternative Presentations’ during this year’s General Assembly, the Council for Church in Society will encourage the Assembly to think about what it means to honour Christ in the Public Square and to build a vision for our Society.
This session will consider why and how the Church should play its part in dealing with the past and fostering reconciliation as it witnesses for Christ in the public square. The presentation will include contributions from Northern Ireland’s first Victims Commissioner, Bertha McDougal and Rev. John Hutchinson, who will talk about his time in prison before becoming a Presbyterian minister.
3.00pm–4.45pm
Council for Church in Society
The Council’s primary role is to identify current issues that the Church needs to address; helping to develop its thinking in these areas and communicating the General Assembly’s views in the public square. A critical element of its role is to ensure that the issues are thoroughly and biblically explored.
The Council has responsibility for developing relationships with the Westminster and Dublin Governments and Parliaments and the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly.
The Council’s report will detail the work of the Council, its Task Groups and public consultations responded to. The General Assembly will be asked to consider encouraging Church members to join the organ donor register, proposals will also be set out for a research project entitled, ‘How did Presbyterians respond to the Troubles?’ The Council believes that this proposal will make a positive contribution to the ongoing societal discussion about how to deal with the past.
The Assembly will also be asked to consider and adopt a revised version of the General Assembly’s 1994 Peace Vocation, entitled ‘Vision for Society’. The Council believes that this revised version of the 1994 Peace Vocation entitled ‘Vision for Society’ will send a strong and positive message to political parties and others that the Church is committed to playing its part in helping to build better relationships in civic life and in local communities.
A paper on Freedom of Conscience will be brought forward, to contribute to the ongoing debate about how society manages moral and religious diversity. A report will also be brought forward to assist the Assembly in setting out its position on abortion.
Report & Resolutions (pgs 281-313).
Resolutions
1. That the General Assembly encourage Church members to join the Organ Donor Register in their jurisdiction, advising their families and close friends of this decision, and ask the Council for Church in Society to liaise with others in the promotion of blood and organ donation.
2. That the General Assembly:
(a) Reaffirm the position that human life begins at conception and that from that moment the human embryo should be treated in a manner in accordance with full human dignity.
(b) Restate their opposition to abortion on demand for purely social reasons, or as a means of birth control.
(c) Recognise that while the termination of pregnancy may be morally preferable to any alternative when continuation of the pregnancy would involve a serious risk to the life of the mother, the most stringent safeguards should be provided to prevent abuse.
(d) Believe that the provision of readily accessible and appropriate care in the perinatal period for every woman, child and family should be a high priority for society, and ask the governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to ensure such provision.
(e) Welcome the report on abortion as a considered and cogent theological and moral reflection on the issue.
3. That the General Assembly welcome and adopt the ‘Vision for Society’ statement and that:
(a) 1,500 copies of the ‘Vision for Society’ statement be printed for distribution to Congregations as a charge on the Incidental Fund.
(b) Congregations be encouraged to display a copy of the ‘Vision for
Society’ statement in a prominent position on the Church premises.
(c) Presbyteries, Kirk Sessions and Congregations be requested to reflect upon the ‘Vision for Society’ statement and actively explore how to live out its principles in local communities.
4. That the General Assembly approve the proposal by the Council for Church in Society’s Dealing with the Past Task Group (see Pars 29-37).
5. That the General Assembly commend the paper on ‘Freedom of Conscience’ and encourage the Council for Church in Society to facilitate engagement and discussion within the Church and in the public square on the issues raised.
6. That the Report of the Council for Church in Society be received.
Proposer: Rev. Norman Hamilton
Seconder: Prof. Stephen Williams
4.45pm-6pm
Council for Social Witness
The Council is responsible for delivering an effective social witness service on behalf of the Church and to the wider community in partnership with many different organisations.
With an operational budget of £10 million, the Council has overall management responsibility for the Church’s diverse range of services across 17 locations in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, employing 450 staff, utilising the support of 200 volunteers, providing 373 bed spaces.
The Church is a key player in the provision of services, which currently includes Residential Care for older people Supported Housing for older people, Nursing Care for older people, Day Care for people with a learning disability, Residential Respite Care for people with either a physical or learning disability, sensory impairment and for older people, Supported Living for adults with a learning disability and those with a physical disability, working with people with addictions and with offenders. The Council also has responsibility for Taking Care, the child protection policy and programme of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
Among a number of resolutions, the General Assembly will be asked to welcome the introduction of the National Living Wage and call on the Northern Ireland Assembly to adequately fund the Department of Health (formerly the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.)
It will also be asked to give thanks for the 150 years of the Presbyterian Children’s Society (formerly the Presbyterian Orphan and Children’s Society) and express its thanks to the office bearers and all who have supported its work. The Council will also report on its plans to create a new residential care home for older people in Garvagh, County Londonderry, which will involve the relocation of services from its Londonderry and Portrush residential care homes. It will also announce developments in residential care services for adults with a range of disabilities.
Council for Social Witness: Report & Resolutions (pages 268-280).
Resolutions
1. That the General Assembly welcome the introduction of the ‘National Living Wage’ and call on the Northern Ireland Assembly to adequately fund the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to increase
2. That the General Assembly approve the ‘Taking Care of All Statement’ in paragraph 58 of the Report of the Council for Social Witness.
3. That the General Assembly give thanks to God for one hundred and fifty years of the Presbyterian Children’s Society (formerly The Presbyterian Orphan and Children’s Society) and express thanks to the Governors, Office-bearers and all who have supported this work by their generosity and their prayers.
4. That the Report of the Council for Social Witness be received.
Proposer: Rev. Trevor McCormick
Seconder: Mr Lindsay Conway