I was honored to be elder commissioner to the 215th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA in Denver, Colorado. This was my first time ever as a commissioner. Last year I attended GA in Columbus, Ohio as an alternate.

When I arrived at general assembly this year, I did not have a clear vision of what I was supposed to do in the midst of all the bills and overtures and papers to read. I was assigned to assembly committee 04 (Church Orders and Ministry). We had various items on the docket. One of the items of business was 04-06 (Overture 03-7) from the Presbytery of Des Moines. Our committee voted 35/29/2 for sending this back to the presbyteries for a vote. I was one of the people who voted against doing this.

During the 2 plus days of our hearings, very few references were made to scripture. Most of the time was spent in polity and parliamentary discussions. At times it got very confusing, trying to follow the discussions at hand and the confusing procedures. My focus is on the theological reasons for the need to have ordination standards. Our committee finally ended on Tuesday afternoon.

Late Tuesday evening and into early Wednesday morning, I was reading the Coalition’s pamphlet on Fidelity and Chasty: Understanding G-6.0106b. Right after midnight, I finally got a sense of calling & direction on why God called me to general assembly. It was as if something in me was congealing and solidifying. My purpose in being here is to come to the defense of section G-6.0106b of the Book of Order. If I had nothing else to do, then this was it. It was through this published pamphlet that I received this call.

I would like to share the text of my speech that I was unable to share before the floor of the General Assembly, due to a parliamentary substitution on Overture 03-7. I wish to share this because there are still some fundamental issues that need to be addressed, namely that of homosexuality and how the church is responding. It goes as follows: