12' For a Church Convention or Meeting BCP p'818

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12. For a Church Convention or Meeting (BCP
p.818)

• Together Almighty and ever living God, source
  of all wisdom and understanding, be present with
  those who take counsel in the upcoming General
  Convention of the Episcopal Church, and for the
  renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in
  all things to seek first your honor and glory.
  Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us
  both the courage to pursue it and the grace to
  accomplish it through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  Amen.

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Key Concepts to a rule of order

• Majority Rule requires more than half of an
  organizations members who cast a vote to agree
  in order for the organization to make a decision
  on the measure being voted on.
• Minority Voice a part of a population differing
  from others in belief, opinion, or point of view.
• Balancing the two
• by using a rule of order, we ensure that all
  voices are heard equally, and that decisions are
  made by the majority of the members with voting
  rights.
• But by creating a space for anyone to voice
  opinions, we allow for hearing both the Majority
  and Minority Voice. For instance, you as a young
  person have the opportunity to voice your opinion
  just like anyone else to sway the majority in
  your favor. But if the majority doesnt buy in,
  the system ensures that you cant make them.

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Making Decisions

• We have a decision to make. Resolution 2003-A014
  Support Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research has
  come to our committee to discuss and vote in
  favor or against. Our job is to make a decision
  in our own way about whether we support it or
  not. We have 15 minutes to reach a majority
  consensus, using whatever method you students can
  imagine. Time beginsnow.
• Resolved, That The Episcopal Church through its
  General Convention call upon its members and its
  congregations to take the lead in insuring that
  all methods used to prevent the spread of HIV are
  taught in school curricula, church school
  curricula, and in other educational settings.

4
Roberts Rules of Order as a guide to procedure.

• Originated in early English parliaments
• Came to America with settlers
• Used at General Convention
• Unified form of decision making
• (there are others drawing lots, consensus,
  etc...)
• Expectation of people to speak
• Each voice is equal

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Process for all procedures

• Motion
• bring business before an assembly
• Second
• assembly agrees the motion is worthy of
  discussion
• Discussion
• debate about the business pending
• Vote
• decision made what to do with the business

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Canon Law

• Constitution
• defines structure of church governance
• more difficult to change (2 General Conventions)
• organized by Articles
• Canons
• defines rules of church
• easier to change (1 convention)
• organized by Title and Canons

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Making Decisions

• Using Roberts Rules of order, your group must
  make a decision about the following
• Resolved, That the 74th General Convention of The
  Episcopal Church, believing that a wider
  availability of embryonic stem cells for medical
  research holds the potential for discovery of
  effective treatment of a wide variety of diseases
  and other medical conditions
• (A)Support the choice of those who wish to donate
  their early embryos, remaining after in vitro
  fertilization (IVF) procedures have ended and
• (B)Urge that the United States Congress pass
  legislation that would authorize federal funding
  for derivation of and medical research on human
  embryonic stem cells that were generated for IVF
  and remain after fertilization procedures have
  been concluded, provided that
• these early embryos are no longer required for
  procreation by those donating them and would
  simply be discarded
• those donating early embryos have given their
  prior informed consent to their use in stem cell
  research
• the embryos were not deliberately created for
  research purposes
• the embryos were not obtained by sale or
  purchase and be it further