
Proposed Agenda*
Monday, Nov. 9 (Executive Board)
1:00 p.m. -- NCC President Craig
Anderson leads opening procedures
1:30 p.m. -- NCC General Secretary Joan Brown
Campbell gives an overview of the week
1:45 p.m. -- Lois Dauway presents the Human Resources Committee Report
2:30 p.m. -- Mia Adjali and Dennis Frado introduce an opportunity for "Ecumenical Discernment" on "Sanctions as Foreign Policy: Ethical and Theological Considerations"
4:00 p.m. -- Reports from the Inclusiveness and Justice Standing Committee
(Rebecca Cruz); Communication Commission (Eric C. Shafer); Membership and Ecclesial
Relations Standing Committee (Bruce Robbins), and Public Witness Advisory Committee (Thom
White Wolf Fassett)
5:10 p.m. -- President Craig Anderson
offers a closing comment
Tuesday, Nov. 10 (Executive Board)
9:15 a.m. --
Reports of the Officers (Melvin G. Talbert), Transformation Review Committee, (Belle Miller McMaster) and Pappas Consulting Group2:00 p.m. -- Administration and Finance Committee Report including action on
NCC 1998 Budget (Margaret J. Thomas); Constitution and
Bylaws Standing Committee Report (Anthony Barsamian)
3:00 p.m. -- Preview of the General Assembly (NCC General Secretary Joan B. Campbell)
3:15 to 5:15 p.m. -- Teach-In on the Pillars of Peace for the 21st Century. The original "Pillars of Peace," adopted by churches in 1942, were instrumental in the founding of the United Nations. A proposed new NCC policy on the United Nations is based on the new pillars (first of two readings, 10:45 a.m. session Thursday).
Wednesday, Nov. 11 (General Assembly)9:00 a.m. -- Worship in the tradition of the Greek
Orthodox Church
9:30 a.m. -- Welcome, Overview, Opening Procedures
10:00 a.m. -- Reception and seating of the NCC's 35th member communion, the American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, and vote on eligibility for membership of The Alliance of Baptists, which began as the Southern Baptist Alliance, a movement within the Southern Baptist Convention, in 1987 and has since separated and renamed itself.
10:20 a.m. -- Constitution and Bylaws Report (Anthony Barsamian)
10:45 a.m. -- National Ministries Unit Report, led by its
chair, Elenora Giddings Ivory
{NOTE: this is one of
the two major units of the National Council of Churches}
A "Policy Statement on the Churches and Disabilities" (2nd
Reading)
{"2nd
Reading" means that this policy statement will be VOTED at this time}
"Public Education: An Ecumenical Calling"
Guest Speaker: Dr. David Hornbeck
Superintendent of Schools, Philadelphia, PA
Policy Statement on Public Education (1st Reading)
{"1st Reading" means that comments will be heard and the document
taken back for refinement}
Racial Justice and
Reconciliation
"Images of Race at the Movies"
"Hope Out of Ashes"
{These
two programs were seen on NBC and ABC stations, as produced by the NCC}
Noon -- Community Concerns and Celebration, Introduction of New Business
12:15 p.m. -- Lunch Recess; Women's Caucus Luncheon (by reservation)
1:30 p.m. -- Gathering in Music, Introduction of New Business, Greetings from local ecumenical partners including the Rev. David A. Anderson, Executive Director, Illinois Conference of Churches; Report of the NCC General Secretary; Greetings from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops
2:45 p.m. -- "Pentecostalism
Today"
A Presentation and Ecumenical Table
Talk
Special Guest: Dr. David Daniels
Church of God in Christ
4:00 p.m. -- Gordon Sommers brings a report from the NCC
50th Anniversary Planning Committee
4:30 p.m. -- Recognition of New Member Communion Leaders, Acknowledgement
of Retirements, Community Concerns and Celebrations
7:30 p.m. -- Festive Evening Worship and Celebration of the World Council of Churches Jubilee...being held for all NCC General Assembly participants and guests at the First United Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois
Thursday, Nov. 12 (General Assembly)7:00 a.m. -- State/Local Ecumenical/Interfaith Breakfast (by reservation). The 1998 Ecumenical/Interfaith Service Award recipients will be featured in a discussion of "best practices and models."
9:00 a.m. -- Worship in the tradition of the Swedenborgian Church
9:45 a.m. -- Margaret O. Thomas offers an Interfaith Relations Commission report, followed by the 1st reading {see definition above}of the Interfaith Relations Policy Statement
10:45 a.m. -- Church World Service and
Witness Report led by a recent chair, Belle Miller
McMaster
{NOTE: this is one of the two major
units of the National Council of Churches}
Jubilee 2000 Resolution (Debt Cancellation)
Pillars of Peace (UN Policy Statement - 1st
Reading -- see definition above)
CWSW Study Paper, Resolution on Humanitarian Impact of Economic
Sanctions
Noon -- Ecumenical Greetings brought by the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord, National Ecumenical Officer of the United States, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
12:15 p.m. -- Lunch Recess, "Africa Reflections" luncheon (by reservation)
2:00 p.m. -- A Comment by NCC
President Craig Anderson, followed by reports from the NCC
Officers, Executive Board, Pappas Consulting Group and Transformation Review Committee
3:50 p.m. -- John Boonstra presents the 1998
Ecumenical/Interfaith Service Recognition Awards
4:25 p.m. -- Gert van Maanen gives a look
at the Ecumenical Development Cooperative Society
5:20 p.m. -- Greetings from International Ecumenical Partners
David Kamau, Refugee Desk Coordinator, National Council of
Churches of Kenya
Nelson Kumodzi, Refugee Secretary, Evangelical Presbyterian
Church of Togo
White Rakuba, Refugee Secretary, South African Council of
Churches
7:00 a.m. -- Interfaith Breakfast with Curtis Zunigha on issues of land and Native American spirituality (by reservation)
9:00 a.m. -- Worship in the tradition of the Church of the Brethren
9:30 a.m. -- Administration and Finance Committee Report, including 1999
Budget
10:15 a.m. -- Ecclesiology Study Implementation
Report on Orthodox Consultation by Bishop Dimitrios
Report on the Lutheran/Reformed Church Agreement by Cynthia Campbell
President, McCormick Theological Seminary
11:00 a.m. -- Andrew Young, NCC President-Elect, brings a report on behalf of the NCC Delegations to: China,
Indonesia, and Cuba
Noon -- Report of the Reference Committee, Opportunity to Register
Dissent, Closing Prayer and Adjournment
* Times are Subject to Change