You are now part of the amazing history of God’s Church. Thank you for your willingness to serve.

Councils of the Church are gatherings of believers called by God to conduct the business of the church and rule upon spiritual questions. Throughout the history of the Church, councils have been convened for many reasons. Council of Jerusalem – Circumcision 1 st Council of Nicaea – The Divinity of Jesus Council of Chalcedon – 2 Natures of Christ Council of Trent – Condemned Luther 2012 Council of Leesburg -- ????????????

Synod Assembly is composed of elected, “Voting Members” of the congregations and the rostered leaders of the synod. You are a “Voting Member” of the Assembly. You are not a “delegate”. Why is that important??

Delegates are instructed by their constituents how to vote. Decisions are majority rule. Members are called by God and guided by the Holy Spirit in their deliberations. Their decisions bind the Church.

You will experience many things in the next days. There will be reports – presentations -- debates -- fellowship -- and WORSHIP! The Assembly will open with worship as we call down the Holy Spirit upon this community. We will pray together regularly. We are God’s Church in Assembly. Here, we are more than a collection of individuals. Here, we are the People of God guided by the Holy Spirit.

You will be hearing about the various components of the wider Church including their work and their budgets. The ELCA functions through several expressions each with their own authority and responsibilities. ELCA Churchwide Region 8 (DE, MD, PA, VA, WVA) Synod (Metropolitan Washington DC Synod) Conferences (DC, MD, Montgomery, VA, Potomac, Fairfax) Congregation (Holy Cross …)

Each of these expressions has their own leadership which leads the Church during times Assemblies are not in session. ELCA Churchwide Presiding Bishop - Church Council Synod (Metropolitan Washington DC Synod) Synodical Bishop - Synod Council Congregation (Holy Cross …) Pastor - Congregational Council

Each of these expressions has responsibility for specific work in the life of the Church. For example, the Congregation is responsible for providing worship opportunities in a specific neighborhood. Synods are responsible for assuring that a congregational has a pastor whose skills are suited to the needs of that location. And the National Church is responsible for training pastors for the work of the Church. Some of the discussion, especially about the budget, you will hear at this Assembly will revolve around how those roles may have changed

The Synod has a structure. Under the Synodical Bishop there are several Offices: Office for Personnel Office for Multi-Cultural Ministries Office for Ecumenical Affairs Office for Finance

Under the Synod Council there are several Divisions & Tables: Division for Congregational Life Division for Higher Education and Schools New & Renewing Mission Table Division for Ministry Stewardship & Mission Support Table

The Synod Assembly itself has its own teams to facilitate the work of the Members. They are: Nominations Elections Reference & Counsel Assembly Planning

Reference and Counsel may bring a number of resolutions to the Assembly for debate. Some of these will be mundane, such as, thanking the staff at the National Conference Center. Others may lead to future modification or clarification in Church teachings, such as, the adoption of Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust as the ELCA’s 10 th social teaching statement at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. Issues slated for discussion this year include: Greetings to other Synods in Assembly Support of MD Civil Marriage Protection Act A Resolution for Peace with Iran A Discussion of the Dream Act in MD

To conduct the business of the Synod in an orderly, fair, consistent, and efficient manner; we will use parliamentary procedure. Some of the advantages of using parliamentary procedure are: It maintains order by considering one matter at a time. It helps the group make clear decisions efficiently. It carefully balances the rights of persons and subgroups—the rights of the majority; the rights of a minority, especially a strong minority, greater than one third; and the rights of an individual member. It assures members that business is conducted fairly in their absence

The Synod Assembly will adopt an agenda as a first order of business. The agenda informs members of when each matter will be considered. It keeps the assembly focused and avoids distractions. The particular parliamentary procedure the assembly will use is Robert’s Rules of Order, as modified by our Synod Constitution and Bylaws, and by special rules the Synod Assembly itself will adopt. Robert’s Rules of Order is 669 pages long Please memorize it this morning! A high level summary of Robert’s Rules was provided in your pre-assembly packet and can be found online.

HOW DOES IT WORK ?? A business matter is introduced to the assembly by making or “moving” of a “main motion.” A more complicated main motion may be introduced in the form of a “resolution.” Introduction of a main motion is in order only when there are no motions pending before the assembly. Secondary motions may be introduced while the main motion is pending. Secondary motions affect how a main motion is handled, relate to the welfare of the assembly or of an individual member, or deal with questions of procedure.

HOW DOES IT WORK ?? Some secondary motions have a ranking, known as precedence. Lower ranking secondary motions are not in order; that is, not permitted, while a higher ranking motion is pending. Action and debate are usually limited to the immediately pending motion. The pending motion may also be referred to as the “question.” Most motions require a “second,” which indicates to the chair and to the assembly that the motion is of interest to more than one person.

HOW DO I MAKE A MOTION ?? There is a six step procedure for motions: 1) When the previous speaker is finished, approach a microphone, state your name and congregation, wait for the chair to recognize you, then state your motion. Do not explain your motion at this time. You will have the opportunity to do this when you speak first in debate. (A lengthy motion should be written and a copy given to the Secretary.)

HOW DO I MAKE A MOTION ?? There is a six step procedure for motions: 2) Wait for someone to second the motion. (Motions from a committee or board do not require a second, because the committee or board already has 2 or more members who want the motion considered.) 3) The chair will state the motion, formally bringing it before the assembly.

HOW DO I MAKE A MOTION ?? There is a six step procedure for motions: 4) The motion is debated. (certain secondary motions are not debatable.) The mover is afforded the opportunity to speak first and last. To speak, please approach a microphone and wait to be recognized by the chair. The chair will alternate between persons speaking for and against the motion. Generally, no person will be permitted to speak a second time. 5) A vote is taken, and 6) The chair announces the results of the vote.

The next two days will bring many things: New experiences New knowledge New friends And hopefully, a closer relationship with God. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask someone. And remember: We are the People of God!! Thanks be to God!!