“Open your heart,” Fransisca Rumokoy reminds General Synod
“The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit who dwells in you and me right now,” preached Rev. Fransisca Rumokoy to the General Synod on Saturday morning. “Are you prepared to listen to the Lord and trust him when you come to him? Is there room for him to speak or do you have a lot on your mind right now? Allow his Holy Spirit to speak to you, empowering you to open your heart.” The liturgy was led by members of the Council for Asian American and Pacific Ministries: Rev. Kelvin Kong, Das Rendla, Jidong Shan, Melani Situmorang, Rev. Thomas Song, Rev. Drew Yamamoto, and Gerri Yoshida.
Restructuring team proposals considered at length
Delegates met in discussion groups on Saturday morning, considering the framework outlined in the interim report from the restructuring team. In the evening, the synod came together for a plenary discussion with the full assembly. In both settings, delegates provided substantial feedback for the restructuring team’s work over the coming year. The team will bring recommendations for synod’s consideration in 2024.
Learn about the team’s proposals and the process for discernment.
Encouragement and action from racial and ethnic councils brought to synod
General Synod heard reports from its three racial and ethnic councils on Saturday morning. Rev. Sharon Atkins represented the African American Black Council, Rev. Fredy Gutierrez represented the Council for Hispanic Ministries, and Gerri Yoshida represented the Council for Pacific Asian American Ministries. While a recommendation to reinstate the Native American Indigenous Ministries Council passed at last year’s General Synod meeting, bylaws are currently being drafted as part of the process to officially reconstitute the group.
The councils shared:
- A celebration of the faithfulness of AABC congregations who are the heartbeats of their communities, and urged the church to follow the council’s lead to focus on what God requires of us at this time. Review the council’s recommendation to the General Synod Council about responding to gun violence, and the actions GSC took in response.
- The reality that many Hispanic churches and pastors are ready to join the RCA. The Hispanic Council members expressed their willingness to serve as a partner to churches and classes so they can intentionally recruit or train pastors looking for opportunities to be part of the RCA.
- Encouragement regarding the greater involvement of CPAAM ministers, leaders, and churches within General Synod and also the RCA. CPAAM also called for the RCA’s dismantling racism policy to go beyond black and white thinking, and to include racism faced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Inaugural rate for covenant shares set by General Synod
The Finance report was offered to General Synod at the afternoon session, including a recommendation to set the rate of covenant shares at 2.7 percent. That motion carried and will go into effect January 1, 2024.
This change reflects a shift in the way each classis will be assessed by the denomination, with the intention of a more equitable system of funding denominational work. Covenant shares allow churches and classes to pay in at a rate in accordance with their means.
Read a comprehensive summary about how covenant shares work.
Synod honors archivist emeritus Russ Gasero
On Saturday afternoon, General Synod gave thanks to God for Russ Gasero for his 42 years of service to the RCA and named him archivist emeritus. From preserving more than half a mile of paper records to helping save the acronym RCA from a legal battle involving the record label RCA Victor, Gasero has become, in the words of the resolution passed by synod, “the living institutional memory of the RCA.”
Other business
General Synod heard reports from many of its 11 commissions, including Judicial Business, Nominations, History, Christian Worship, and Theology. Other commissions will report on Monday.
The Commission on History presented a paper on the history of regional synods, which is relevant to the ongoing discussions about restructuring the denomination.
On Saturday afternoon, after lengthy debate, synod voted against a recommendation to share the paper “Together in Difference” with RCA classes and consistories for discussion and input. The paper, written by the Commission on Theology, was a response to a referral from General Synod 2021, which instructed the commission to review the “Affirmed and Celebrated” paper written by the Classis of New Brunswick, and to report back to General Synod 2023.
A packed banquet room of women and men gathered for a special dinner to celebrate the important and vast work of women in RCA ministry, including marking five decades of women’s ordination in the RCA. The meal was hosted by women’s transformation and leadership.
Saturday photos
For full coverage of General Synod 2023, visit www.rca.org/synod.
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