Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
On January 14, 2003, Elder Alexander Metherell, a commissioner to the
214th General Assembly, presented to the Moderator of that assembly
petitions to convene a special meeting of the 214th General Assembly to
address widespread defiance of the laws of our church by individuals,
sessions and presbyteries. The petitions were signed by 57 fellow
commissioners, representing 26 pastors and 31 elders from 46
presbyteries and all 16 synods, meeting the requirements that our Book
of Order sets out in G-13.0104. That section guarantees to commissioners
the right to call a special meeting of the Assembly (similar to the
guarantee that elders have to call a meeting of session). The Assembly
is the highest representative body in our system of government.
Instead of executing the call for the meeting as required by the
Book
of Order, the response of the Moderator, as well as members of the
Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, the General Assembly
Council and the Office of the Stated Clerk, who were present when the
petitions were presented, has been to try to prevent the gathering by
misconstruing procedural requirements and making personal appeals that
are beyond the proper exercise of office. The officers claim that the
meeting may not be called sooner than 120 days, rather than the 60 days
clearly provided in the
Book of Order. Such timing would bring
the special meeting so close to the timing of the 215th General Assembly
as to cause alleged confusion and disruption. Instead of merely
verifying the signatures of the commissioners who signed, the Moderator
has sought to persuade them to rescind their signatures by sending them
a personal letter imploring them to change their vote, and the Stated
Clerk has sent them a communication asking them to vote again.
We have watched with alarm the actions of our denomination's officers
and agencies these past several days as they try to thwart a meeting
that is guaranteed in our democratic procedures. It is clear to all
fair-minded Presbyterians that the duty of these officials is to perform
their responsibilities of office impartially and to execute evenhandedly
the provisions of our constitution as they vowed to do when they became
officers. Whatever privilege these officers may have had to advocate
against such a meeting before the petitions were presented ceased the
moment that the requisite petitions from commissioners were handed to
them.
Such disregard of their plain duty engenders the very behavior that the
special meeting seeks to address. Any further defiance and disregard of
their plain duty dishonors the head of our church, Jesus Christ, and
further corrodes that trust among Presbyterians that is the basis of
decent and orderly governance in our life together.
We call upon the Moderator and Stated Clerk to fulfill their
obligations of office now and to call a timely special meeting of the
assembly as required by G-13.0104 of the
Book of Order.
In the Service of our Lord,
Peggy M. Hedden
Chairman
The Board of Directors
The Presbyterian Lay Committee