After doing an analytical piece yesterday I wanted to share with you a little about the mechanics of the Assembly. The 217th Assembly was touted a month ago as a paperless Assembly with all the reports available ahead of time on the web and the results of the committee work posted on the web before they came to the Assembly for action. We were all asked to bring lap top computers with wireless cards, and the Assembly contracted to provide the laptops for any commissioner who could not bring one (observers could rent computers for the week). All of the hotels had free internet access (those who didn’t normally provide this for guests had to make it available free to commissioners to be on the Assembly hotel list.) In committee meetings and in the Assembly Hall a wireless Intranet was installed to provide the information without allowing access to the Internet.

It became evident before the Assembly started that there were too many people who were unable or uncomfortable with the technology and the emphasis shifted to being a Less Paper Assembly.

The system to access all information was called Les. No one explained what it stood for, some people thought that the es in Les was electronic system, while others assumed it was for paperless or Less Paper. The system continues to be up and running and anyone in the world can read the complete actions of committees and the Assembly at les-pcusa.org, check it out.

Prior to the Assembly all was well, a ton of paper and postage was saved by transmitting papers electronically. Once we got there however and 1000 computers all tried to log onto the system at the same time the Les slowed to a crawl. They increased the number of wireless routers. In the Committee I was advocating before the chair asked observers to shut off their computers so committee members could log onto the system. It got better, they added more wireless routers and everyone was able to log onto the system by the time voting began, but the system ran very slowly. There were many times that we had voted before many of us were able to get the resolution we were voting loaded and on up on the screen before us. There was supposed to be an AUTO-LES system that would bring up the current business on the computer screens without our navigating to it. That never worked for me, or anyone else I talked to. They ended up printing up the controversial business of the Assembly and the committee’s recommendations for every commissioner plus more for observers.

They did have a cadre of Computer Savvy Seminary students who helped those who were having troubles making their computers work. When necessary they would disable firewalls and security settings, replace non functioning wireless cards and help people understand how to log onto a wireless network. In committee or on the floor of the Assembly you would hold up a purple card and soon a Seminarian with a Purple Les Apron was at your side.

I think it was a great effort, and am sure with advances in technology, and more servers for the system that it will work flawlessly at the next General Assembly in 2008.

Other technology worked well, the speakers faces were on the big screens when ever they were speaking, either from the podium or at one of the 8 floor microphones. An electronic system keyed to numbers on our nametags verified that the person was a commissioner before they were recognized to speak. Video clips played flawlessly, and motions from the floor were projected on the screen in a timely fashion.

We voted on electronic Key pads at our places, first the Advisory Delegates and then the commissioners. It took at little as 10 seconds before results were displayed on the screen. Before commissioners voted we knew the vote by the Youth Advisory Delegates, Theological School Advisory delegates, Missionary Advisory delegates, and Ecumenical Advisory delegates. Then the vote was called “You have been advised, Commissioners vote now!” and an 8 second clock appeared on the big screen.

At the beginning of business every speaker had 3 minutes to speak (with the time projected on the screen below their face). As we got behind the docked Bills and Overture committee recommended reducing the time to 90 seconds, and the next day as we got still further behind a motion from the floor prevailed to limit each speaker to 60 seconds.