the Outlook Blog

Last night, it seemed that plenary would never end (although, it did, finally, around 11pm). We seemed to continue to get caught in parliamentary circles: never-ending amending, motioning and calling for the question. Back at the press tables, we had to keep asking each other, "What in the world are we doing now?"

Apparently some of the YAADs were getting a little frustrated by some of the procedures as well, and some started putting together some haikus in honor of the General Assembly and our wonderful "process." Through the wonders of technology, the haikus slowly started to leak out to some of us, and I wanted to share with you a couple of my favorite YAAD Haikus:

The world is ending.
Presbyterians don't know.
Stuck in plenary.

Stop amending things,
please just trust the committee,
my soul is dying.

In Erin Dunigan's article "Youth reach out to the church", you may have learned about a youth group from Central Presbyterian Church (Atlanta, GA) who wanted to help volunteer at GA but were told they were too young. The current age limit is 18 years old, and many of the students from Central were under 18. Together with their session, they created Commissioners' Resolution 17-01 which encourages the General Assembly "to celebrate youth and affirm their unique gifts and talents by welcoming and encouraging their full participation at each General Assembly, including service as volunteers."

This resolution was disapproved by the Youth Committee (49-1) and was presented last night to the General Assembly. I was shocked to see that it had been disapproved in the committee, and it didn't make much sense to me. Also, I felt bad for the students who came all the way here from Atlanta, just to get voted down by such a huge margin. Unfortunately, it didn't go over any better with the Assembly. It was also voted to be disapproved by a vote of 605 to 77. This didn't seem like a very good vote for a denomination that is trying to say that they're trying to get the youth more involved in the church.

When the committee was asked why it was disapproved, the only reason that was given to the assembly was that there were insurance, liability and legal reasons that inhibited such inclusion for youth under the age of 18. They didn't seem like very good reasons, but I'm guessing there is a lot more behind the scenes that is going on I don't know about.

The students were visibly upset about the vote last night; as I walked out of the plenary hall, I saw them all watching from the television outside. They didn't really understand why the vote went the way it did. 14 year old Wes wondered how his youth group is "able to travel to Mexico, build houses, put in water purification systems, and then they don't think we can volunteer here, and their main concerns are liability?" 12 year old Anna said, "I can handle it - pressing a button as people walk in."

One of their advisors, Andrew, said "before the vote came up, they talked about the importance of reaching youth...they thought they could do that through a DVD. But the reality is that the best way to find a way a way for youth to be involved is to let them do it in real life."

While it was disappointing for the youth from Central Presbyterian Church to have their resolution voted down, they have gotten the chance to volunteer, unofficially, in some capacities this week, and they have been enjoying the week. Olivia said, "Even though they disapproved our resolution - still, coming out here and trying to get it approved was a great experience for everyone. Maybe we can get them to support it some day - maybe a new generation will come in."

Last night I was told I should swing by the Youth Advisory Delegate (YAD) Caucus to listen to their evening committee reports. And I'm so glad that I did. First, because Bruce Reyes-Chow was given some time to address the YADs; it was great to hear some of their questions (ranging from polity questions to "How do I get you to come to my Presbytery?). You can read more about his visit here.

But secondly because it was so great to hear their committee reports. I wish there was a way that everyone else at GA was able to hear their reports; primarily because they're absolutely hilarious, but also because it gives one some perspective on all that happens throughout the day. The YADs shared stories of their committee spending hours debating about whether the word "one" or "a" should be used in an overture that was eventually voted down. They shared stories of amending an amendment, that was a substitute amendment for the original amendment, and then spending an hour or so discussing whether the substitute amendment should replace the original amendment, and then voting that the substitute amendment should not replace the original amendment, and then they were back to discussing the original amendment.

And it's not that they don't get this stuff - I'd say there are some YADs here who get this polity even better than I do. Some did share of controversial overtures that were talked about and passed through, of heated arguments over some important issues, and they were clearly in-the-know, smart and passionate about many of these issues. One YAD shared about his work on the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee. They passed 07-02, which was an invitation to interfaith dialogue, supporting the document written by 138 Muslim clerics, "A Common Word Between Us and You" and I was pleasantly surprised to hear they also passed 07-01 which calls for tolerance and peaceful relations between Christians and Muslims and states that "though we hold different understandings of how God has been revealed to humankind, the PC(USA) affirms our belief in one God, the God of Abraham, whom Jews and Muslims also worship."

I'm very impressed with this group of YADs this year, and I know that while they get this stuff, and the importance of some of these issues, they also recognize the limitations to things like parliamentary procedures and Robert's Rules and offer a good perspective on the process as a whole. So, if you want to hear the "youth perspective" and feel like you need to laugh after a long day, stop by the YAD caucus Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.