Domestic Engagement Committee

Ruling Elder Dustin Wilsor, moderator of the Domestic Engagement Committee and Jenny Wells, vice-moderator, during the second day of committee meetings. Photo by Randy Hobson

On its second day of meeting, the Domestic Engagement Committee of the 226th General Assembly concluded its work with the approval of two overtures, a recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy and a commissioners’ resolution, all but one with amendments. The full day included robust conversation on the diverse profile of domestic issues, with insights and passionate arguments from a number of overture advocates and committee members who spoke from personal experience.

The committee began its work by considering DOE-02: On Supporting An Amendment to the United States Constitution to Abolish the Exception in the 13th Amendment That Permits Those Who Are Convicted of a Crime to be Enslaved. Discussion centered on highlighting pervasive ignorance among many American about the existence of modern-day slavery justified by the exception clause of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The clause allows for the enslavement of those convicted of a crime and is the basis for prison labor.

The committee heard from the Rev. Jermaine Ross-Allam, director of the Center for Repair of Historic Harms, as well as from the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Office of Public Witness, about the far-reaching impact of this issue on incarcerated people and their families. Ruling Elder Commissioner Bill Hargrove from the Presbytery of New Covenant shared the harrowing story of 95 African American prisoners buried in unmarked graves in Sugar Land, Texas, who died as a result of back-breaking labor performed as part of Texas’ convict leasing program.

An amendment was proposed and passed to strengthen the language of the overture and explicitly name some of the ministries and offices that would do the advocacy work the overture calls for. With this amendment in place, the committee voted to send the overture to the Assembly with a vote of 42 in favor and 2 against.

After a break for lunch and several unanimously approved changes to the agenda, the committee moved on to consider DOE-05: Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) White Christian Nationalism Recommended Study. After resources to the committee addressed questions regarding the decision to focus on white Christian nationalism specifically, the committee voted to approve the item as written, with 38 in favor and 4 opposed.

The next business the committee took up was DOE-03: An Overture Calling for Action so that Children May Live Free from Gun Violence. The overture, which was originated by the Presbytery of Chicago and had concurrences from 11 presbyteries around the country, calls upon all PC(USA) congregations to take some action to protect children from gun violence and offers a variety of potential action steps ranging from education around proper gun storage to working against gun marketing to children.

The committee heard from five overture advocates along with one video, each sharing impassioned and often deeply personal arguments for why such an action item is important for the work of the church. Young Adult Advisory Delegate Meredith Welfare of Providence Presbytery shared her own experiences as a young person living in the modern reality of gun violence against and around youth and urged her fellow commissioners to vote for their safety and well-being.

A number of amendments were proposed on the item over the course of the discussion, but only one passed. The amendment altered Part A of the overture to say: “Call upon every congregation in the PC(USA) to take some specific action of love and responsibility for children as part of the movement to prevent gun violence[, understanding that taking any action collectively as a church is a witness of what it means to be united in Christ]” with the underlined portion being added.

With final language agreed upon, the committee voted on the original item as amended and approved recommending it to the Assembly with a vote of 37 in favor and 2 against. At the conclusion of a weighty and heart-wrenching discussion, committee Moderator Dustin Wilsor led the commissioners in a time of prayer.

After breaks necessitated by an Assembly-wide pause for technical issues and the required timeframe for considering commissioners’ resolutions, the committee resumed its work in the evening to consider a final action item. This item, DOE-09, is a commissioners’ resolution on solitary confinement that was submitted during the first day of committee meetings and subsequently added to the docket. The resolution calls for Presbyterians and denominational ministries to advocate against the use of solitary confinement, particularly for vulnerable populations, and recognizes solitary confinement as a form of torture.

Testimonies and arguments from several overture advocates, including committee member Judy Slater (a teaching elder commissioner from the Presbytery of the Redwoods), again took on a heavy tone, with stories sharing about the profound impact of solitary confinement on those who survive it, as well as the many who do not, and their families. One advocate clarified that solitary confinement was being defined as 22–24 hours per day in an isolated cell with no other human interaction for anywhere from one day to six years. Another speaker described the many inmates she encountered while working as a hospital chaplain who engaged in self-harm and even attempted suicide as alternatives to ongoing solitary confinement.

Mission Advisory Delegate Ryan White proposed an amendment to the resolution explicitly naming “LGBTQIA+ persons, including those who are gender-nonconforming” as a vulnerable population especially impacted by solitary confinement. The amendment passed 37 to 5. Beth Olker, a teaching elder commissioner from the Presbytery of Charlotte, proposed an amendment to reorder the three main components of the resolution in order of actionability, and that amendment also passed by a margin of 25 to 16.

With these amendments in place, committee Vice Moderator the Rev. Jenny Wells discerned that the body was ready to vote on the main motion, and they voted to approve the commissioner resolution with 40 voting in favor and 1 voting against. With this vote, the committee completed all items presented to them for consideration.

The committee will meet Thursday morning for a brief time of worship and communion and then be dismissed.