The Bi-annual Synod meeting is like a mini General Assembly. It has all the drama of elections, the discussions of overtures and the diversions with friends.
The first item of business was the election of the new leadership. Because of earlier actions taken by the assembly to remove two of the top officials for their unauthorized involvement in political issues, all four top offices were up for election. The international partners were asked to serve as the electoral commission for the proceedings, so two from Canada, one from Zambia, one from Scotland and one from USA (me) counted the ballots. This was not as easy as it might seem (but not as difficult as if we were in Florida). The GAC did not narrow the number of candidates, so there were seven or eight standing for each position. There were 398 delegates eligible to vote. We began with the top office, that of General Secretary. All ballots were hand written on individual slips of paper. Our task was to sort the ballots according to candidate, count them and then double check the count. To keep things moving, while four of us were counting, the chair of the commission, my friend Glenn Inglis from Canada, moved the group on to the election for the Deputy General Secretary. The assembly voted as we counted. We finished our counting for the GS and began counting for the DGS as Glenn announced the results for GS and then moved the assembly onto the vote for Moderator and then Vice Moderator, with this same system. It was orderly, but it took time. There were no favorites, with so many candidates, so there were no real surprises. Whoever was elected was a surprise in such a large field of candidates. Each candidate in each category got a fair number of votes so no one was embarrassed, but the winners for each post had a clear lead so there were no questions of close votes. That was a blessing. The new General Secretary is Rev. Alex Maulana. He has served as the director of Chilema Lay Training Center for the past 5 years, so he has administrative experience. His deputy is Rev. Cliff Nyekanyeka, a young pastor who has served for the past two years as the schools’ chaplain. The Moderator is Rev. Mercy Chilapula. She has served as Vice Moderator for four years and as acting Moderator for the last six months, since the shake-up with the former officials. This was an historic vote. She is the first women to be elected as moderator in all of the CCAP. Her vice is Rev. Andrew Kamponda, the pastor of St. Michaels and All Angels Church in Blantyre.
The biggest item of business was voting on revisions to the constitution. A constitutional review had been ordered at the last Bi-annual meeting because of confusion over some proceedings. The committee took a comprehensive look at the constitution and brought their recommendations to the assembly on Wednesday of the gathering. This was enough to have all the delegates stay. In the past, some have left after the elections, feeling there was nothing more than committee reports to debate. The revisions proved to be plenty of fodder for debate. The most substantive changes came in the qualifications for those standing for Synod offices and in the ruling that to vie for a higher post in the Synod, one must step down from the present post held, if one holds an office. In the original constitution, no qualifications were stipulated, so anyone could stand for the top positions. This included this year’s elections. The revision committee recommended that the candidates have at least a bachelors’ degree, be at least 35 years old, have served as a pastor or elder for at least 10 years, have served as a presbytery clerk or moderator or comparable position of leadership, and be a person of proven integrity. The debate was on the educational qualifications especially. Many of our pastors have only a license to preach or only a diploma, but not a degree. The debate focused on the reasons for education in the present church climate. The recommendations passed. Ironically, two of our newly elected officials would not have been eligible for election, not because of education but because of years of service and past experience. The issue of stepping down to run for a higher office was not discussed. The fire came with a recommendation for the composition of the Women’s Work Committee. In an attempt to be inclusive, the Review Committee recommended that all women clergy serve on that committee. At present there are 13 female pastors. The question was what about the future when there could be 25 or even 50. That is not a workable committee size. Then the question was why they all should serve. There was no agreement on a compromise, so that recommendation was rejected. The rest of their recommendations were accepted without major discussion. The revisions will now go to the presbyteries for their approval, much like amendments to the Book of Order in PC(USA)
In between sessions and in the evenings, the delegates had time for fellowship. My two sons chose to stay at home instead of at Grace Bandawe Conference Center, just across the road from the Synod, but I saw little of them. This was their opportunity to catch up with colleagues they had gone to school with and friends from other presbyteries. That was the pattern for all the delegates, just like any conference. The organizing committee planned entertainment each evening and Thomas and Charles stayed to enjoy that as well. They can visit with Mom anytime, but this comes only every two years, so they needed to take advantage of the time, they and all their colleagues.
Now that everyone has gone home, the new Synod officials can get to the business to which they have been elected and the rest of us can get back to our work, until the next gathering.
The delegation before the elections, a full house.
No comments:
Post a Comment