In the months before each meeting of the General Assembly (GA) presbyteries send overtures to the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) to be considered by the GA. Each overture must have the concurrence of at least one other presbytery to be presented to a GA committee for consideration. As of December 12, 2017, a total of 19 overtures have been sent to OGA as shown on this table.
Click here to read the current list of 2018 Overtures
More overtures will be added to the list in the coming months.
The Coordination Committee is not aware of any overtures being developed by church sessions or committees within Albany Presbytery. However, it wants to give committees and church sessions the opportunity to review the overtures from other presbyteries and determine if they wish to recommend that Albany Presbytery act to concur with any of them. GA committees that receive overtures with many concurrences typically allow each concurring presbytery to have time on their dockets for a presentation by its overture advocate.
Here is the schedule for when overtures and concurrences must be received by the OGA for consideration by GA in June 2018:
February 16, 2018 – 120-Day Deadline
Overtures proposing an amendment to the Constitution or requiring an interpretation by the GA of the Book of Order must be delivered to the Stated Clerk.
Concurrences to any overture with constitutional implications shall be received.
All reports of entities, commissions, and committees of the GA shall be delivered to the Stated Clerk.
April 17, 2018 – 60-Day Deadline
All papers intended for consideration by the GA that are forwarded to the Stated Clerk and postmarked less than 60 days, but no later than 45 days prior to the convening of the General Assembly, shall be reviewed by the Stated clerk, who shall determine whether or not to refer them to the Assembly Committee on Business Referral.
May 2, 2018 – 45-Day Deadline
All other overtures and communications intended for consideration by the GA shall by forwarded to the Stated Clerk, postmarked no later than forty-five days before the convening of the GA.
All concurrences with overtures meeting the criteria for the February 16, 2018, deadline will have to be considered by Albany Presbytery at its meeting on February 10, 2018. All concurrences with overtures meeting the criteria for the May 2, 2018, deadline will have to be considered by Albany Presbytery at its meeting on April 21, 2018.
Presbytery committees and sessions are encouraged to review the overtures and if they want to recommend action by the Presbytery to concur, to notify the Stated Clerk at least 14 days before each Presbytery meeting so that adequate time can be docketed for that action. Please contact the Stated Clerk if assistance is required to access the text of any overture.
Dan Rogers
Stated Clerk, Albany Presbytery
Email: drogers@albanypresbytery.org
518-273-4991
