Article from Presbyterian News Service
August 11, 2008

by Sharon Youngs
Communications Coordinator
Office of the General Assembly

LOUISVILLE—The Form of Government Task Force (FOGTF), expanded in size and loaded with comments from this year’s General Assembly, is scheduled to meet for the first time since the 218th General Assembly adjourned in June to begin revising the original task force’s report.

Three new members will join the original nine when they gather Aug. 21-22, 2008, at First Presbyterian Church in Arlington, VA: Elder Carol Hunley (Pittsburgh Presbytery) and the Revs. Grace Bowen (New York City Presbytery) and Dan Williams (Shenandoah Presbytery).

The assembly directed that three additional members — drawn from this year’s Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions — be appointed to the original FOGTF by the Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), in consultation with the moderator and vice moderator of that assembly committee.

This year’s General Assembly referred the FOGTF report to the Office of the General Assembly “for a period of consultation and study with churches and presbyteries through a system or systems designed and implemented by the Form of Government Task Force and members of the 218th General Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions.”

The assembly’s action calls for the new task force to “revise the Form of Government Task Force Report, taking into account the concerns and suggestions gleaned from the consultation and study process. The guidance of the Advisory Committee on the Constitution, the overtures, and the testimony received by the 218th General Assembly (2008) Assembly Committee on Form of Government Revisions and the committee’s comments are referred to the task force for serious and studied consideration.”

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), will join the task force for its meeting.

Reyes-Chow said, “This first gathering is so important for this newly expanded group. I am very hopeful that the input from the thorough discussions at the assembly, as well as the prayers of all of us, will provide the task force members with what they need to do the work that is before them.”

The revised report is due to the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly no later than Oct. 15, 2009. A deadline of no later than Jan. 15, 2010, has been set for the revised report to be distributed to the church-at-large. The report will be submitted for consideration by the 219th General Assembly (2010).