First Votes

I think the winds of change are blowing across the Presbyterian Church.  I have been surprised at the voting.
There appears to be little opposition to most questions.  Thus far, there should not have been much opposition, but Presbyterians always seem to bring opposition to the meetings.  If not for a valid reason, then for the exercise.  This afternoon we passed the Belhar Confession to be voted on by Presbyteries.  Very little debate.  The Heidelberg Catechism was referred to the 2012 GA after it has been re-translated.  Some discussion, but all are winning by large margins.
Tonight we had a reasonable debate on the nFOG.  I was really surprised when it passed at more than 2-1.  I now feel like a Congregationalist.  nFOG will have to be approved by 2/3 of the Presbyteries and that may be hard.  Perhaps the delegates just think the Presbyteries need to make that decision and maybe they thought that the committees that have studied and debated the issue have done all the work.  I don't know, but I do know that it is going to take Sessions and Presbyteries many hours of work to frame the policies that must now be done by local option.  States rights...that's what it is.
We will see.
This morning I went to the COM conversations and they were interesting and revealing.  Our INP COM have great policy papers and good hard working liaisons that keep us out of so much trouble.  Some of those folks ask questions that made me wonder what their COM did!!  I was going to the CPM conversations, but ours lasted so long and was so interesting I didn't go.  But I saw Greg after and he attended, so we will talk and see what overlaps we can find.  I suspect INP is at the top on both committees.  Yeaaa for our EP.  He keeps us going and on a pretty straight line.  We miss having him here with us, but he sent goodies so we are not going hungry and our energy levels and kept high.  I did have to chastise him...the folks next to us were given toys to play with by their EP.  Do you suppose Aaron thinks we are here to work???
Tomorrow is another day and will be a long day, so it's off to bed.  Shalom