The Caterpillar Corporation, which was vilified by the 216th General Assembly, will have its day in court during the 217th General Assembly when it meets in Birmingham, Ala., on June 15-22.

The Presbytery of Great Rivers has submitted an overture asking the commissioners to remove Caterpillar from the denomination's hit list of corporations targeted for divestment because they do business with Israel. Furthermore, the overture asks the commissioners "to recognize Caterpillar for its responsible actions as a global corporate citizen."

The divestment resolution "was perceived by many as an attempt to damage corporate reputations. The action has, instead, damaged the reputation of the PCUSA," Great Rivers says.

The presbytery's office is in Peoria, Ill., which is the site of Caterpillar's world headquarters.

But Great Rivers is not alone in its opposition to the divestment resolution – which targeted only corporations doing business with Israel and included no sanctions against Palestinian terrorists. The Great Rivers overture is one of 14 sent to the 217th General Assembly calling for rejection of the one-sided economic policy in the Middle East. Only one overture supported the 2004 divestment resolution...

By the numbers:

• 14 - Number of overtures calling on changes to 216th General Assembly's divestment resolution.
• 1 - Number of overtures affirming the divestment resolution.
• $2.5 million - Increased value of PCUSA holdings in Caterpillar stock since General Assembly adopted divestment resolution in 2004.