July 2, 2010
“A Session characterized by change” is how many would remember the 59th General Conference Session as this session winds down its work.
Key elements of this change would be:
1. New Leadership, with a new GC president, several new vice-presidents, Division and Departmental leaders.
2. The Church Manual revision implements ordaining Deaconesses.
3. An affirmation of Creation statement voted and a process for integrating it into our Fundamental Belief # 6.
4. A vote to definitely define marriage as a monogamous relationship between one heterosexual male and female.
5. GC Leadership indicates a study on the Theology of Ordination will be processed.
Friday saw the delegates finish work on the General Conference Constitution and By-laws. One of the more interesting aspects of what can sometimes seem and pretty dry and tedious, was a discussion and later motion, that up to 30 seats on the General Conference Executive Committee (which handles business of the World-wide Church between General Conference Sessions every 5 years) must be young adult laypersons. The general idea of who young adults are, would be those up to about age 30. This motion received overwhelming support.
The Session Steering Committee brought back a report on a motion that I offered from the floor on Monday. The motion offered and referred to the Steering Committee, was that the incoming General Conference Officers provide a process whereby a Theology of Ordination be studied and then presented to the Annual Council by the year 2013. I went on to observe that the World Church when it meets struggles with various views on the topic of ordination and does not have a key theological position from which to draw up when then trying to decide on applications on ordination. I went on to state that we do not want to have a view on ordination that is a Roman Catholic view, we do not want a culturally limited view, and we do not want a politically influenced view. We want a Theological view. This motion was intended to be entirely gender neutral and not endorse women’s ordination, not oppose women’s ordination, but get us as a World Church into giving a careful study to the topic of ordination from a comprehensive spiritual position.
The Steering Committee reported today, that the General Conference Officers would start a process to address this topic and report back during this 5 year term between General Conference Sessions. Quite a few of the world delegates were very supportive of this way of approaching a topic that has swirled across the World Church without much consensus.
Early this morning, the North American Division local Conference presidents gathered for breakfast to especially honor and show our affirmation and support for Don and Marti Schneider, outgoing North American Division president. Don has served as the North American Division president for the past 10 years. During the many other positions he has served, include time in the Columbia Union as the New Jersey Conference president. He also served as president of the Northern California Conference, the Rocky Mountain Conference and the Lake Union. Many warm and precious stories (along with several humorous ones) were shared by those in attendance. Don and Marti were especially appreciated by many of us leaders in the Columbia Union, as 2 years ago, they led us on a trip to study and grow in understanding of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. What a powerfully spiritual experience that was to walk in the footsteps of the courageous men and women of faith that put their lives on the line for the sake of following Christ and the Holy Scriptures.
Marti has also been highly influential in the life of the mission of the Pennsylvania Conference as she coordinated the first Equipping University with Bill Peterson, and under Marti’s support, the NAD helped to fund much of the cost of our Church Work’s Presents Equipping University. She was a delight to have with her joyful and eager attitude toward mission and empowering each person in our Pennsylvania Conference churches.
While visiting a few of the exhibits today, Jeanne and I meet Art Randal who for a number of years served as a lay pastor in Seneca, PA., and has been a presenter at our PA Camp Meeting. Art and Beth were with us this year at camp meeting and served as our hosts in the Boy’s Dorm.
We also saw Stephen Bohr at his booth, who provided the evening messages during the week of our PA Camp Meeting this year. We were privileged to be blessed by his ministry.
Tonight, Jeanne, her parents and I were invited as guests of Bill Knott and the Adventist Review and to sit in one of the private stadium sky boxes for the evening worship service. Along with us, were Dr. John McVay, president of Walla Walla University, and his wife Pam, and Esther Knott, staff pastor at the Pioneer Memorial Church at Andrews University. We were almost directly at the back of the stadium and high above the floor and bleachers. What a perspective to view the large attendance spread across the entire Georgia Dome listening to the power message presented. Again, it is thrilling to see our world church delegates on the floor of the stadium, and then the many visitors, some from around the world, and quite a few from local churches, in attendance together for the Friday evening worship.
After the evening meeting, Bill Knott took a few minutes to give us his perspective on some of the dynamics involved with this General Conference.
One GC visitor we met in the exhibit area was this many, who had ridden his bicycle all the way from Brazil to Atlanta, Georgia for this Session. He was 10 months biking all the way up from Brazil.
Walking the half-mile from the Georgia Dome back to my hotel tonight (Jeanne and her parents took the shuttle bus, but I beat them back to the room!) I met Vernon Bramble and his wife who are here for the weekend. Vernon is the head elder of the Bucks County Church.
What a beautiful Sabbath evening to begin the Sabbath hours.
One of the things you are reminded of at a General Conference Session is that with all the problems you can see around you, with the issues in your own local church or Conference, even with the pressures facing God’s work in various countries and regions, there is still a tremendous blessing God pours out on His work and through the Adventist Church family. Over and over we see evidence of God’s leading, of answers to prayer, of mission moving forward, through us as an Adventist Church, working together, even when we express our differences at a General Conference Session. We still come together around the basic Biblical beliefs that God has called this church into existence to proclaim, we come together around the fact that Jesus is our Savior, and around the joy of the second coming.
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