Proposals to move the election of General Assembly moderators from the beginning to the end of the biennial meeting and to permit assembly committees to begin meeting electronically before it begins were both rejected Monday by the Committee on General Assembly Procedures of the 222nd General Assembly (2016).

As the National Black Presbyterian Caucus prepares for its 50th year, President David L. Wallace said Monday that he expects it to continue to be a voice drawing attention to social-justice issues, equality, and inclusion in the church and in society.

Recognizing that helping congregations find new pastors is one of the most important responsibilities they face, mid-council leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), gathered during the 222nd General Assembly (2016) to talk about the best ways to accomplish that task.

The Bantu people of Cameroon have a proverb: Those who never visit think mother is the only cook.

“That implies that people who never leave their familiar culture have difficulty connecting with a culture other than their own,” Victor Aloyo Jr., director of multicultural relations at Princeton Theological Seminary, told about 80 people at the Presbyterian Intercultural Lunch on Monday.

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s efforts against human trafficking in the nation and in the world were highlighted Monday by a panel assembled by the denomination’s Human Trafficking Roundtable.

There is a new tool for measuring participation in General Assembly committees. The Process Observation Web Application (POWA) is in its initial roll out at GA222. Process Observation is measuring who participated, when, and if there are changes when a committee shifts its practice. The GACOR (General Assembly Committee on Representation) began experimenting in 2012 to find ways to measure participation in assembly committees. This new app allows more observers to take part and makes process observation more accessible.

After an hour-long education session and nearly two hours of debate, the Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations overwhelmingly recommended Monday that the full 222nd General Assembly (2016) take the final step to include the Confession of Belhar in the Book of Confessions of the PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.).

After several hours of debate Monday, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) Committee on Middle East Issues recommended approval of a lengthy report re-evaluating the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s historic support of a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine.

A roomful of Presbyterians paid a fitting and moving tribute to the late Kelly Allen, a San Antonio pastor and human- rights advocate, while commemorating World Refugee Day on Monday during the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

A recommendation that all agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)stop investing directly in fossil-fuel companies was approved Monday by the Immigration and Environmental Issues Committee of the 222ndGeneral Assembly (2016).