General Assembly Digest for June 12
By Staff

Below is a summary of the decisions made by the Overtures Committee of the 46th General Assembly on June 12. The committee will reconvene on Wednesday, June 13, at 8 a.m. 

Overtures Committee voted to answer Overture 21, Amend BCO 36-5 to Add a Paragraph of Introduction Before Imposition of Censure, in the negative.

Overtures Committee voted to recommend answering Overture 26, Amend BCO 14-1.1 and the Corporate Bylaws of the PCA VI.2 so that a Minority of Seats on the Board of Trustees of Covenant College May Be Open to Non-ordained Members, in the negative. The vote was 76-32-3.

The Overtures Committee voted to divide Overture 13, Revise BCO 14-1.11 and the Corporate Bylaws of the PCA Article VI.1, 4; VI.2, 1; VI.3, 1, 2; VI-4, 1, 2; and VI-5, 3 to Allow Women to Serve on Boards of Agencies, into two questions. The sections dealing with changes to the Corporate Bylaws were ruled out of order. Overtures Committee then voted to answer Overture 13 as amended to only deal with changes to BCO 14-1.11 in the negative. The vote was 66-40-3.

Overtures Committee recommended answering Overture 27, Amend BCO 8-1; 8-3 regarding Qualifications of Elders, in the affirmative as amended and answering Overtures 11 and 15 with reference to its actions on Overture 27. The vote was 72-35-3.

Overtures Committee voted to recommend answering Overture 10, Amend BCO 25-11 to Require Thirty-Days’ Notice to Withdraw from PCA, in the affirmative and answer Overtures 12 and 17 with reference to the committee’s action on Overture 10. The vote was 84-22-4.

Overtures Committee voted to recommend answering, Overture 9, Amend BCO 9-7 Regarding Assistants to Deacons or Deaconesses and Amend BCO 24-11 by Adding New 24-11 regarding Women Officers, in the negative. The vote was 104-4-3. 

The Overtures Committee voted to recommend answering Overture 16, Amend BCO 46-8 Regarding a Deposed Minister, in the negative. The vote was 99-6-2.

The Overtures Committee voted to divide Overture 20 into two questions dealing with revisions to BCO 30-1 and 30-3 and recommended to answer both questions in the affirmative as amended. The overture will come before the General Assembly as two questions.

Overtures Committee votes to answer Overture 8, Revise BCO 34-8 and 37-8 regarding Restoration of a Deposed Minister, by referring it back to the presbytery of origin without prejudice. The vote was 98-3-2.

Overtures Committee voted to answer Overture 6, Revise RAO 9 to Require that Recommendations from Ad Interim Committees Be Referred to OC, in the negative. The vote was 72-28-6.

Overtures Committee voted to answer Overture 4, Amend RAO 9-4 to Require Three REs on Each Ad Interim Committee, in the negative. The vote was 65-41-1.

Overtures Committee voted to answer Overture 3, Amend BCO 32-19 to Allow Counsel by Any Communing Member in All Levels of Courts, in the affirmative as amended. The vote was 100-4.

The Overtures Committee voted to recommend that Overture 24 be answered in the negative. The vote was 64-44-2. The committee also voted to answer Overtures 1,2, and 5 with reference to their answer to 24. All four overtures deal with granting constitutional authority to Chapter 59 of the BCO. A minority report will be presented regarding actions of the Overtures Committee on Overtures 1,2,5,and 24.

Overtures chairman has ruled overtures 31, 32, 36, 37, and 38 out of order because they request the General Assembly to take an action that RAO 13-6 does not allow. The committee upheld the chairman’s ruling upon appeal.

TE Bruce O’Neill elected moderator of Overture Committee.

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