November 29, 2018 Session Email Vote

Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church

Email Vote November 29, 2018

 

Present: Karen Atkins, Barbara Amago, Stan Campbell, Pat Chappell, Paul Harrell, Paul Isom, John McDowell, Maggie Reif, Terry Rudolph

 

Session was asked to vote on the revised Wedding Policy, November 27 revision. Paul Isom offered a friendly revision to the policy as follows

 I understand we don’t want the pulpit and the communion table moved. But saying they shouldn’t be moved because they’re in “a sacred space” is a weak justification in my opinion. I can imagine the counter arguments: Who decided to put them there? Why are they in different places in other sanctuaries? Why do you move them for Strobilus concerts? Why is the baptismal font less sacred than the other furnishings? Saying they can’t be moved because they’re in a sacred space also smacks of using God’s mystery to fend off any disagreement.

I looked in the  Book of Order and the Book of Common Worship. Not only did I not find anything to support the idea that furniture can’t be moved in a sanctuary, I found this is the Book of Order’s worship chapter: ” … the prophets warned of the danger of idolatry: mistaking physical objects for divine presence.” 

I could go on, but here’s my point: Let’s just be straightforward on this item in the wedding guidelines. We don’t want our furniture moved. No inflated reasons required. 

Also, I can vote for the footnote when it’s punctuated and capitalized correctly. Holiday in the first sentence should be lowercase as it’s not a proper noun. There should be a comma after that “holiday” because that is the end of an introductory clause. Also, the sentence “Holiday is any three-day federal holiday” should end with a period. The parenthetical needs to have a period at the end inside the parenthesis. The way it’s punctuated now, it’s one long run-on sentence. “Weekend” in both cases should be lowercase.

 

The amendment was approved unanimously for the November 29, 2018 Wedding Policy.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Marcia Ladd

Clerk of session

Approved session 12/17/18