ADLEY CAMPOS: [Invocation.]

CALVIN B. ROCK: We will now give attention to two special items. The first is a report from the Nominating Committee, and then we will hear from one of our general field secretaries, the director of Biblical Research, Dr. George Reid. Please give attention to these presentations.

NIELS-ERIK ANDREASEN: The Nominating Committee report comes in two parts. Part one deals with the general vice presidents of the General Conference. At the request of some delegates we will first read the names that have been nominated, and then we will ask our General Conference president to make a few comments, especially about the new names, so that all delegates may be acquainted with them. And following that, we will ask the chair to help us with the voting. Now, Mr. Secretary, please read us the names.

DELBERT BAKER: Calvin B. Rock; Leo S. Ranzolin; Lowell C. Cooper; Ted N. C. Wilson; Armando Miranda; and Gerry D. Karst.

JAN PAULSEN: The new individuals may not be known to all of you, and you should know a little about them before voting. Of course, the three reelected�Calvin Rock, Lowell Cooper, and Leo Ranzolin�are all known to you. You have seen them and you are seeing them in action, and Dr. Rock will head the chair while the names are being considered.

But there are three new names. Elder Armando Miranda serves currently as the president of the North Mexican Union. Our work in Mexico is a rapidly developing work, and of course, we have a well-developed expanding work among our Spanish people in both North America, Inter-America, and South America. Elder Miranda has served as a local pastor, evangelist, departmental director, conference president, union secretary, and union president of the North Mexican Union.

Ted Wilson is known to many of you because he has served internationally and was a division president at one time. Ted Wilson comes from North America but has had much of his leadership, at least general church administration work, overseas. He served in the Africa-Indian Ocean Division for a number of years, then came back to the United States as an associate secretary of the General Conference for a shorter period, then was elected president of the newly established Euro-Asia Division, comprising the territories of the former Soviet Union. Five years ago he returned to the United States, again to an assignment as an associate secretary of the General Conference, but was not allowed time to take up his duties before being appointed Review and Herald Publishing Association president. This is his present assignment. He knows the church internationally and is known by many segments of the church.

The third name is that of Elder Gerry Karst. Elder Karst began his ministry in the North American Division in Canada. He was then called overseas and for a number of years served as president of the Middle East Union, one of the delicate assignments in the world, because one is on the crossroads of so many cultures and so many religions and at times has to move gingerly. He showed both leadership skills and sensitivity to the multicultural situation that the Middle East Union presented to our church and our leadership. He was then called to the General Conference as one of the associate secretaries, a position that he filled for a while before being invited to join the Office of the President as assistant to the president, a position that he has had for the past seven or eight years. So he has been my closest associate for the past year and a half. Elder Karst is a man with great sensitivity to the needs of the church, and great understanding on how the church functions, as well as patience and skills of communication.

His background in church leadership, his direct involvement in the worldwide life of the church, makes him a very suitable candidate. So Brother Chairman, those are the three new names that we are presenting.

DELBERT BAKER: I move the name of Calvin B. Rock as general vice president.

[The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Leo S. Ranzolin as general vice president. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Lowell Cooper as general vice president. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Ted N. C. Wilson as general vice president. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Armando Miranda as general vice president. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Gerry D. Karst as general vice president. [The motion was seconded and voted.]

NIELS-ERIK ANDREASEN: The second part of our report has to do with the division presidents, who are also considered vice presidents of the General Conference. For those of you who are new as delegates, let me explain how that process works. The division delegates caucus. They meet together and come up with a recommendation for leadership in each division, and these recommendations come to the Nominating Committee. Yesterday we received nine recommendations, and we would like to present them now and put them in nomination one at a time.

DELBERT BAKER: Mr. Chairman, I move the acceptance of Laurie J. Evans for South Pacific Division president. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the acceptance of Violeto F. Bocala for Southern Asia-Pacific Division president. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Pardon Mwansa for president of the Eastern Africa Division.

JAN PAULSEN: Brother Chairman, a word about Dr. Pardon Mwansa. He comes to us from the country of Zambia�he began his work in the ministry and was then elected to leadership positions. He has served as departmental director in the union there, and he became union president in Zambia. And then he was elected five years ago as an associate director of the Stewardship Department of the General Conference. He is one of our trusted staff members who has given excellent, outstanding leadership in the role he has filled at the General Conference. As indeed he did as union president in Zambia. Thank you. [The motion was seconded and voted.]

CALVIN B. ROCK: Is the newly elected president with us? Would it please the delegation to have him come forward with his wife? We know the other division presidents, but this distinguished couple should also be known to our people. Thank you. So, Elder Paulsen, we leave to you the formal introduction of the president and his wife.

JAN PAULSEN: We have also among the general vice presidents some new faces. It is our intention to introduce them to you all on Sabbath. But we are delighted, Brother Pardon, that you and your good wife can meet this body. I am particularly delighted that you have accepted willingly the new assignment. You leave us with another challenge, and that is to find someone who can ably fill the vacancy created in the General Conference. But I know that you will give fine leadership to the very challenging work in the Eastern Africa Division, and I welcome you to the presidential family. I have utmost confidence in God equipping you for the task. May God bless you.

DELBERT BAKER: I move the name of Ruy H. Nagel for president of the South American Division. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of D. Ronald Watts for president of the Southern Asia Division. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Israel Leito for president of the Inter-American Division. [The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Luka T. Daniel for president of the Africa-Indian Ocean Division.

[The motion was seconded and voted.] I move the name of Ulrich Frikart for president of the Euro-Africa Division. [The motion was seconded and voted.] And finally, Mr. Chairman, for the president of the Trans-European Division I move the name Bertil Wiklander. [The motion was seconded and voted.]

CALVIN B. ROCK: Thank you, Dr. Baker and Dr. Andreasen, and we�re praying for the Nominating Committee and the serious work that it is doing.

Now then, we will ask that Dr. Reid and those with him proceed with the next presentation. All right, Elder Ranzolin, you are going to lead us in this presentation.

LEO S. RANZOLIN: George Reid is the director of the Biblical Research Institute at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and he has something that he is going to present to us that has been in the works for about 12 years, and I think that you will be thrilled and delighted to hear this.

GEORGE REID: In 1988 an Annual Council in Nairobi, Kenya, asked the Biblical Research Institute to put together a basic reference work dealing with Adventist theology. And that has been in process since that time. We had 27 people who were cooperating in preparing materials for this volume, and I would like to make the presentation of the volume this morning. First I would like to invite those who are participants�that is, writers who are represented in this volume�to join me here on the platform, and also Ted N. C. Wilson from the Review and Herald.

First of all, I would like to tell you a bit about our editor. Dr. Raoul Dederen is the editor of this volume, and he has spent quite a number of years working his way through it. I would like to give him opportunity to explain the purpose for it.

RAOUL DEDEREN: What shall I say! This volume, as Dr. Reid mentioned, has come at the request of the GC Executive Committee, which asked the Biblical Research Institute to organize the matter and come up with a volume that would help the church come to an understanding of what we stand for and why. You know, this is a pluralistic world in which we live. With the church growing as rapidly as it has been, it was felt by the leadership in Nairobi in 1988 that something should be done, not just to help the church organizationally, but also to try to express our common faith and make it accessible, not only to Seventh-day Adventists, but also to people from outside who quite often enquire about what we do believe.

The volume itself is a little more than 1,000 pages. It is the contribution of 27 scholars and administrators, the fruit of a wide cooperation from the Biblical Research Institute that included 40-45 people. It can really honestly claim to be international. There are more than 30 different nationalities on that committee. The intention was not to come up with a theologically progressive work or with speculative theology. This is a solid theological volume that expresses as well as possible the beliefs Adventists hold today in the modern world.

All the doctrines are presented from a biblical standpoint. In addition, there is a historical overview of each doctrine, and there are statements from Ellen White.

The book is not a scholarly attempt, although it is solid biblically, and it should be able to help you in your ministry, especially as you share with clergy of other denominations. I have many reasons to believe that you will be happy with it.

GEORGE REID: You can see that when we were looking for an editor to work with this volume, we found the very best, and we are very grateful for the eight years of work Raoul Dederen has placed into the volume. We believe it will be a real blessing to the church as a whole. I would like to present an official volume to the president of the General Conference, and with this we will introduce it to the church. If Dr. Paulsen could join me, we will make this presentation.

Dr. Paulsen, thank you very much for your encouragement on this project. I believe that you recognize, as do we, that it will make a real contribution to the unity and the understanding of God�s Word among Seventh-day Adventists. It is my pleasure to present it to you, and we wish you God�s blessing, and the same for the entire church.

JAN PAULSEN: May I also thank Dr. George Reid and his team of several writers who have done outstanding work over a long period of time. This particular volume covers a felt need that we have had for a long time, and will be volume 12 of our SDA Commentary Reference Series, which would not be complete without a study of this kind. So I want to thank George Reid and his many colleagues, both in the office and at various places in the world field, who have contributed to the production of this. Thank you all very much.

CALVIN B. ROCK: We are prepared now to resume our discussion of the Church Manual agenda.

LOWELL C. COOPER: A number of delegates have wondered when we might come to some weighty issues. Perhaps we could inform the delegation, Brother Chairman, that tomorrow morning, regardless of where we are in this particular sequence of the agenda, we will deal with chapter 15 of the Church Manual.

But at this point we will ask the secretary of the Church Manual Committee to make a comment.

MARIO VELOSO: On page 30 of the Church Manual it is suggested that in the section title the word �Commitment� be changed to �Vow.� We are talking about the baptismal vow. I would like to move it, Brother Chairman.

CALVIN B. ROCK: It is seconded. Are there any questions now relative to what Dr. Veloso has explained?

ALAN DAVID C. CURRIE: I just have a question, not on the vow, but on part of the ending of the commitment that reads, on page 87 of the agenda book, �have, in the presence of the church membership, answered the questions of the vow in the affirmative.� The commencement of the vow says that the vow should be done in front of the church membership or other properly appointed body. I�m wondering if that shouldn�t also be in the commitment, because sometimes in a large baptism you have a lot of non-Adventists.

CALVIN B. ROCK: Well, brethren, how would you respond?

MARIO VELOSO: We could respond positively, Brother Chairman.

CALVIN B. ROCK: You would respond positively to that? It does make sense, does it not? That we protect ourselves and make certain that an individual would truly know and be consistent about that provision. So would you simply accept this editorial inclusion?

SIGRID SCHULZ: I have a question covering line 6 on page 87. I believe that Seventh-day Adventists know the Bible and are looking forward to heaven, but I don�t believe that we will be the only ones. There are also other Christians who will be in heaven later. I would like the sentence changed to read: �I accept and believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is part of the remnant church.�

CALVIN B. ROCK: You move to amend line 13 to read �I accept and believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is part of the remnant church of Bible prophecy�?

SIGRID SCHULZ: Yes.

CALVIN B. ROCK: The amendment is before us. We will discuss the amendment and then vote on it. Are there those who wish to comment?

DANIEL BELVEDERE: I do not believe we are part of the remnant. We are the remnant.

DENTON RHONE: I believe that if we vote that motion this morning, it will tend toward fragmenting the church. I believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the remnant church, and we need to stand in that conviction.

LASSEW RAELLY: If we vote the amendment as stated, we are indeed going to be voting a rift in our understanding of Bible prophecy. So I speak against the amendment.

CALVIN B. ROCK: I request that we restrain ourselves from applauding. It is not really statesmanlike, and if you would help us by restraining yourself we would appreciate it. Thank you.

JOHN FOWLER: Brother Chair-man, I speak against the motion. Claiming the status of being the remnant church is not theological arrogance, but rather a humble acceptance and an affirmation that we as a church have been called in these last days for a very specific purpose.

CALVIN B. ROCK: I think maybe we have heard enough statements against the amendment.

JAMES ZACKRISON: Mr. Chairman, I�m sorry, but I cannot resist the temptation of saying simply that my grandfather and grandmother were married by Uriah Smith at Battle Creek, Michigan. And for three generations, we have believed this is the remnant church and continue to believe that. Therefore, I�m against this motion.

ALFRED BIRCH: I believe that we need to consider whether it is appropriate to have this discussion. This is one of the fundamentals doctrines of the church.

CALVIN B. ROCK: You are correct, and I sense from the speeches that have been made that it is fairly clear as to how the delegation feels. But let�s ask you to vote. [The amendment was defeated.] Now, that takes us back to the main motion that Dr. Veloso placed before us. Are there any other comments on this item?

RONALD BISSELL: Now, Mr Chairman, I would like to put my previous suggestion into the form of a motion. I move that we change �commitment� to �vow� and add the word �visible� in front of �remnant.�

CALVIN B. ROCK: Is there support for this motion to amend, which includes placing the word �visible� before the word �remnant� so that the passage would read �I accept and believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the visible remnant church . . .�?

LASSEW RAELLY: I speak against the motion to amend, because it is just another way of stating that which we defeated earlier on. While it is true that there is an invisible church, I believe there is also an invisible within the visible Seventh-day Adventist. And we cannot really express it the way stated. The Seventh-day Adventist Church theologically remains the remnant church. The idea of people being saved outside the remnant church is in Scripture itself. Israel was recognized as of God. And yet there were other people outside Israel that were God�s people.

CALVIN B. ROCK: I am sobered by the comment made a little earlier�that to change the wording of what I take to be the way it�s stated in the 27 fundamental beliefs is worthy of much more time and attention than we can give in an assembly like this. Elder Cooper and Dr. Veloso, if this is in fact a serious concern of the delegation, would we not be better served if your committee or other special groups of study took this up and gave us some recommendation later? We probably don�t want to insert any words or change any specific language that would seriously or even slightly alter the way we state things in so many other places throughout our fundamentals. That would mean changing a lot of wording in many places.

The chair would like to rule that if there are enough votes to support the amendment, we, with the agreement of the motion maker, agree that this is simply a recommendation to the Church Manual Committee or the appropriate committee to study this. We cannot change what is clearly stated so many places in our descriptions and fundamentals. We always take time to look at all the places these wordings occur, to make sure it all hangs together. If the gentleman who gave us the amendment would either withdraw it or allow us to vote it with that understanding, it would be very helpful.

  RONALD BISSELL: I would be happy to have it considered by the appropriate committee.

  CALVIN ROCK: We are going to ask Elder Brown to give us the benediction on this item.

  GEORGE BROWN: I would simply suggest it be referred. I would like to suggest that that committee remember a very important philosophy: �If enough is sufficient, more can�t be better.� We have from the very beginning of this church held firmly to the biblical belief that this church is the remnant church without qualification. Therefore, to add anything to it or to subtract from it would be to destroy a basic fundamental doctrine. Let�s be extremely careful; we are moving on thin ice.

  CALVIN ROCK: The chair would like to remind us, as we prepare to vote, that we have been told by the chairman and the secretary of the Church Manual Committee that the proposed amendments have been cared for in other wording in other places. We don�t have time to research or present all of that today. But we all understand that Seventh-day Adventists won�t be the only people in heaven. They are telling us that this is cared for in various ways.

However, the proposer of this amendment agrees with the chair here that if you approve the amendment, it is with the understanding that study of this inclusion will be made by the Church Manual Committee or the appropriate body for a later reference. [The amendment vote failed.]

NORBERT MAKKOS: On page 86 of the agenda book, line 29 reads �I believe in church organization.� I would like to propose instead �I believe that the organization is ordered by God.� I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe that the church is ordered by God. I do not only believe in the church organization.

CALVIN ROCK: The wording you propose is �I believe that church organization is ordered by God�? Does anybody support that? [A motion was made and seconded.]

ISRAEL LEITO: I will vote against the amendment. The church organization is what we have today. In 1901 it was not like this. Who knows how it will be later? Proposing that the organization that we have today is ordained by God makes it very difficult for any adjustments.

CALVIN ROCK: Dr. Gregory Allen has proposed cutting off discussion on this particular item. Is there support for that? That will call us to a vote on item 411. [The motion was approved as read.]

MARIO VELOSO: Brother Chairman, item 420 declares that the deacons cannot preside over the church board or the executive committee of the church. Also, a few subheadings are added to make the paragraph more clearly understood. At the bottom of the page the duties of the deacon are struck out. In some churches there are committees set up to take care of this business, and in other churches there are just the deacons, because of the size of the church.

VERNON B. PARMENTER: Mr. Chairman, on page 98, line 20: �The deacon is elected to office, serving for a term of one or two years as determined by the local church.� Then on line 29: �Deacons Not Authorized to Preside�The deacon is not authorized to preside at any of the ordinances of the church, nor can he perform the marriage ceremony. He may not preside at any of the business meetings of the church, neither may he officiate at the reception or transfer of members. Where a church has no one authorized to perform such duties, the church shall contact the conference/mission/field for assistance.� Then on page 99, line 1: �The Duties of Deacons�The work of the deacons involves a wide range of practical services for the church including,� and I think, Mr. Chairman, they are just the new headings there. Perhaps I should pick it up at line 20: �Assistance at the Communion Service�At the celebration of the ordinance of foot washing, the deacons or deaconesses provide everything that is needed for the service, such as: towels, basins, water (at a comfortable temperature as the occasion may require), buckets, etc.� Then we go to page 100, line 14: �Care and Maintenance of Church Property�In some churches, where the responsibility for the care and maintenance of the church property is not assigned to a building committee, the deacons have this responsibility. It is their duty to see that the building is kept clean and in repair, and that the grounds upon which the church stands are kept clean and made attractive. This also includes ensuring that the janitorial work is done. In large churches it is often necessary to employ a janitor. The deacons should recommend a suitable person to the church board, which takes action by vote to employ such help, or the church board may authorize the deacons to employ a janitor. Church board authorization should be obtained for all major repair expenses. All bills for repair, as well as for water, light, fuel, etc., are referred to the church treasurer for payment.� Mr. Chairman, if thi has not been moved previously, I would move its adoption. [The motion was seconded.]

VIOLETO F. BOCALA: �The deacon is elected to office, serving for a term of one or two years as determined by the local church.� Mr. Chairman, for the sake of uniformity, I am a little bit concerned that later on people will be confused as to why the term of office in one church is two years and in another is one year, and each congregation will go its own way. I propose to make an amendment of this for the sake of uniformity by stating that the deacon is elected to office, serving for a term of one or two years as recommended by the local conference/

mission/field. In that way, it is brought into the constituency, and it is a collective voice of the people in that local conference or mission, rather than each congregation going its own way.

CALVIN B. ROCK: Before we have any second to that, Elder Bocala, what you are proposing would require a change on page 45. Again, changing one thing sometimes means pulling a thread that is going to unravel in several other places. So you can ask that the Church Manual Committee study that, but the chair will have to rule that the motion is out of order.

LOWELL C. COOPER: Brother Chairman, we are attempting to be sensitive to the teaching function of the Church Manual in the way this material is presented. If the leaders of a local church read the entire Church Manual, we would organize the material differently. But often when a question arises in a local church, it arises on one single point, and somebody will say, �Well, the answer is on page so and so in the Church Manual.� For that reason we have tried to group information together in discrete packages and, where necessary, to make references to other places in the manual where additional information is available. The presentation of this particular section on the role and function of the deacons has been reorganized to assist the teaching function of the manual. It would not be necessary to include the statement about the deacon being elected for one or two years if, when we referred to the manual, we referred to the whole thing. But so often we refer to just a single section, and so we felt it important to have that particular piece of information included where we are talking about the office of the deacon. It is already in place, as we pointed out, in the office of the deaconess. The question of the correlation of this agenda item with something that is coming much later will be understood when we deal with the issue of format.

CALVIN B. ROCK: We will trust you brethren on that one.

MATTHEW BYRNE: I was baptized at 17, and at 19 I was ordained a deacon and then was sent to a remote aboriginal community a great distance from our conference office. I had to deal with up to 100 people at any given time. Often it would be six to seven months before I would actually see a pastor. I held Communion services, and did that because I felt it was the right thing to do. Is there some way the committee can look at putting this in here? Is there some way to empower people like me to be able to do the Communion service when pastors are not available?

CALVIN B. ROCK: Please.

LOWELL C. COOPER: Thank you, Brother Chairman. We appreciate the issue. I believe that the Church Manual does provide a mechanism whereby members in remote places can be served. That mechanism can be through the authorization of an elder or a company leader to serve in certain functions. It has not been extended to the office of deacon.

EDDIE HARRIS: I have a concern about the word �burned� on page 99, line 39. Line 38 reads: �Any of the bread remaining which was blessed should be burned.� Now, our practice is to bury such. I wonder whether it would be possible to refer this back to the Church Manual Committee to include the words �or buried,� especially considering the proposal of chapter 1 coming up soon. Thank you kindly.

CALVIN B. ROCK: We will call for a response from the Church Manual leadership. Is there any particular reason we specify the word �burn� on line 39? Why isn�t allowance made for other means of disposal of the remaining bread?

MARIO VELOSO: We could accept, Brother Chairman, a new reading for that. It is not really intended to be only this way, so we could incorporate another word.

CALVIN B. ROCK: The request that was made for the Church Manual Committee to take a look at this as accepted, and they will do that. Whether that can be accomplished while we are here, you�ll have to determine for us, but it is certainly a viable point.

ADEKUNLE ALALADE: I am concerned with the duties of the deacon. I observe that all along the duties of the deacons have been limited to the practical services. I feel that in my own experience as a minister, we have been losing the services of those deacons that have the gift of teaching and preaching. I think the time has come for us to make provision for deacons who have the gift of teaching and preaching.

CALVIN B. ROCK: Good point. Will you take this up in your discussions, gentlemen?

REUBEN MATIKO: We have to remember that the bread is sacred. It is not meant to be for rats to dig up and eat, or vermin to eat. I think it should remain as �burned.�

� CALVIN B. ROCK: We will ask the committee to consider that as they deliberate. Now, are there other questions concerning this particular item? We are dealing with the language of item 420 on pages 98-100, �The Deacon.� We are ready to vote. [Motion was voted.]

ULRICH UNRUH: On page 99 line 36 begins: �Following the Lord�s Supper, great care should be exercised in disposing of any bread or wine left over after all have partaken of these emblems. Any wine remaining that was blessed is to be poured out.� Yet there is no description or direction given as to where it should be poured out. The practice I have noticed in some churches is to pour it down the drain in the kitchen or down the toilet. And I wonder if the Church Manual Committee would consider looking at this to give a little further direction. And, as far as I understand, we are to pour the grape juice or wine upon the ground. There may be a reason that isn�t stated here. But the committee could perhaps study this and give further direction.

LOWELL C. COOPER: Well, Brother Chairman, the Church Manual Committee can certainly look at that. We did not bring a particular recommendation on that. We were dealing with formatting of the information, not so much the content, and it is difficult for us as a body to begin processing both sides of the issue. But yes, we can hear the question and give it due deliberation.

CALVIN B. ROCK: And again, this is something that the Church Manual Committee can look at in the future.

MARIO VELOSO: Now we are dealing with the duties of the deaconesses. We are suggesting the restructuring of the content and making a few changes in this item regarding the duties of the deaconess.

VERNON B. PARMENTER: �The Duties of Deaconesses�Deaconesses to serve the church in a wide variety of important activities including:

�1. Assistance at Baptisms�Deaconesses assist at the baptismal services, ensuring that female candidates are cared for both before and after the ceremony. They also give such counsel and help as may be necessary regarding suitable garments for baptism. Robes of suitable material should be provided. Where robes are used, the deaconesses should see that they are laundered and carefully set aside for future use. (See p. 32.)

�2. Arrangements for the Communion Service�The deaconesses assist in the ordinance of foot washing, giving special aid to women visitors or those who have newly joined the church. It is the duty of the deaconesses to arrange everything needed for this service, such as seeing that the table linen, towels, etc., used in the celebration of ordinances, are laundered and carefully stored. (See p. 70.)

�The deaconesses make arrangements for the communion table including: preparing the bread and wine, arranging the ordinance table, pouring the wine, placing the plates of unleavened bread, and covering the table with the linen provided for that purpose. All these matters should be cared for before the service begins.

�3. The Care of the Sick and the Poor�Deaconesses are to do their part in caring for the sick, the needy, and the unfortunate, cooperating with the deacons in this work. (See p. 54 above.)� I move that we accept this item, Brother Chairman. [The motion was seconded and voted.]

MARIO VELOSO: Item 432 concerns the interest coordinator. On page 112, line 21 makes the coordinator�s duties more directly related to witnessing and missionary outreach. Then lines 23-25 are deleted, and in line 27 the name of the Personal Ministries Department is adopted. [Motion was made, seconded, and voted.]

MARIO VELOSO: In item 433 on page 113 we are suggesting changing the word �disfellowshipped� to �removed from membership.� [Motion was made, seconded, and voted.]

Item 434, page 114. Here we have an addition to chapter 7, concerning the purpose of the services and meetings of the church.

CALVIN B. ROCK: We will ask Elder Parmenter to read that, please.

VERNON B. PARMENTER: �The Purpose of the Services and Meetings of the Church�The experience of a Christian is one of spiritual rebirth, joyful reconciliation, faithful mission, and humble obedience to God (2 Cor. 5:17; Phil. 2:5-8). Whatever a Christian does, or participates in, including the services and meetings of the church, is a testimony of this new life in Christ and a sharing of its fruits in the Spirit. The purpose of the services and meetings of the church is to worship God for His creative work and for all the benefits of His salvation; to understand His Word, His teachings, and His purposes; to fellowship with one another in faith and love; to witness about one�s personal faith in Christ�s atoning sacrifice at the cross; and to learn how to fulfill the gospel commission of making disciples in all the world (Matt. 28:19, 20).� [Motion was made and seconded.]

HUMBERTO RASI: My question is whether the wording embraces cases in which there is a meeting dealing with the status of members in the church. A business meeting�is that encompassed in the setting of this section? If it is, does the wording itself cover that type of activity?

LOWELL C. COOPER: Brother Chairman, we are beginning in chapter 7 a review of the information about the meetings of church. The matter of business meetings and discipline is dealt with separately, but we found, in looking at this chapter and in trying to be sensitive to the teaching function of the manual, that we wanted to have an introductory statement that served as a foundation for our understanding of what we are attempting to do in Sabbath school, in the worship service, in the AY meeting, and so forth. These are the meetings that are dealt with in chapter 7. [Motion was voted.]

ROBERT HOLBROOK: [Benediction.]

CALVIN B. ROCK, Chair

VERNON B. PARMENTER, Secretary

BILL BOTHE and LARRY R. COLBURN, Proceedings Editors

[Correction: The June 29, 2000, 3:00 p.m. statement by Dragutin Matak should have read �Croatia� rather than �Greece.� Our apologies.]