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Contact person: Gary Demarest at (626) 914-4833, or Jenny Stoner at (802) 586-6913

August 5, 2002

Press Release of August 2002 Meeting
Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church

At its third meeting August 1-3 in Chicago, the Theological Task Force on Peace, Purity and Unity adopted a Plan for Moving Ahead, laying out its course for the next three years. Anticipation grows for the next session when the group will start delving into the specific theological issues in its mandate.

The plan first articulates four issues lifted up in the Task Force mandate. These outline the basic theological topics and themes of Presbyterian polity, governance and history to be explored as a way of responding to the issues. It then presents a pairing of topics to be discussed at the next six meetings. For the next four sessions: October 2002, February 2003, August 2003 and October 2003, a theological topic is paired with a polity/governance/history topic that illuminates it. Over those four sessions, the Task Force will lay the groundwork necessary to address the divisive issues of the day with an understanding of Presbyterian tradition and theology. Then in February 2004 and August 2004, the Task Force will bring this background to bear as they address the most contentious issues in the mandate.

In addition to adopting a plan for engagement with these issues, the Task Force addressed ways to communicate and consult with the church. Results of initial consultations with the church already undertaken were shared through reports of interviews, responses to questionnaires received and the results from three focus groups held at the 214th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in June 2002. Further, the Task Force is exploring feasible ways to implement the mandate to "develop a process and an instrument by which the church may reflect on and discuss the issues that unite and divide us," as instructed in the mandate.

When asked about the meeting, co-moderator Gary Demarest stated, "During the last few days, our members have organized the vast scope of our mandate in a meaningful and thoughtful way. I am deeply grateful for the energy and intelligence that they have brought to the work of addressing the issues before us. Extraordinary progress was made in our time together, resulting in a solid plan for going forward."

Co-moderator Jenny Stoner added, "The plan seeks to explore, in creative and diverse ways, the broad issues that face the church, taking into account of the wide range of thought on these theological and ecclesiological matters. We seek to bring the full resources of both the Task Force and the larger church to help guide us. We are also committed to finding ways to engage the broader church in our on-going work."

The Theological Task Force on Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was mandated by the 213th General Assembly in 2001 to "lead the church in a process of discernment" relating to "our Christian identity" and "the issues that unite and divide us." The 20 person Task Force of people selected to reflect the diversity of the church was appointed by the moderators of the three previous General Assemblies. The final report of the Task Force must be made to the 217th General Assembly in 2006.

A summary of the Plan for Moving Ahead adopted at this meeting is attached.

Plan for Moving Ahead (adobe acrobat file)