General Assembly -- Day 1
What a day--one hopeful and challenging.
The General Assembly elected Revs. Jan Edmiston and Denise Anderson as co-moderators, a move made special by the fact that this year marks the 60th anniversary of women being ordained as clergy in the PC(USA). They bring grace and compassion with them as they lead us. They bring the experience of being people empowered in the face of voices sure they have no power whatsoever. As women, they bring a face of inclusion in a time when powerful political demagogues win votes for trying to silence voices such as theirs. With one Caucasian and one African American they bring witness in their partnership that we can be together, a moving witness on the anniversary of a deadly shooting within an African American church. They both bring enthusiasm and energy, a personal engagement with people in a time when folks demand to see the church be a body of engagement--don't TELL us what to be or do, SHOW US! That resonated as they overwhelmingly won the approval of the Young Adult Advisory Delegates, a group growing ever louder in demanding the church be a place outside a building, a fellowship in active service to the world.
There is much to be hopeful about.
Outgoing moderator, Heath Rada, ended his term with a sermon proclaiming the call to put communion--the gathering of all people, opinions, positions, ages, genders, races at the table--FIRST. Our last few Assemblies ended with division and discord, making it imperative we figure out how to deal with a multiplicity of thoughts, beliefs, and stances while remaining whole as a body of Christ. He then assessed the church as he ended his time of travel and discourse within it, finding that Presbyterians love their church, most often defined as their own local congregation, opening the need to reclaim our union as larger fellowship. He found we are concerned about justice, value education, and hunger to find a way to embrace the diversity of the world.
There is so much to be hopeful about.
But...
There are challenges before us.
First, we are smaller. There are between 3000 and 4000 people attending this Assembly. That's a drop from the 10000 to 15000 attending previous Assemblies. There are a lot of empty seats in the hall. I had a lovely conversation with my fellow Presbyter, Gordon Raynal, and the Dean of Union Seminary in Charlotte, Richard Boyce, about what the smallness means. We found an analogy in the stars--fitting since this is a full moon Assembly. Our diminishment is like a star growing smaller. Stars can collapse into black holes, a gravity pit so dense not even light can escape, sucking everything into its collapse. Now there's a cheery thought! Or stars can become smaller, brighter, and some of the most powerful lights in the cosmos. I choose to think that this is who we are. My own presbytery has grown smaller, losing churches in the aftermath of previous Assemblies in battles that hurt everybody. The group I work with is smaller, but I find them committed to being together, to finding the means by which to welcome one and all to the table, even if we hold disparate beliefs, opinions, and ideas. God is greater. God is good and grace abounds! Being small, we can know one other, really and truly listen to one another--hearing--one another. We can ably embody the love, grace, and compassion of Jesus as we completely embody welcome.
Second, we are older. The median age of Presbyterians is now 62. 62! That means many congregations will lose chunks of their fellowship in the next decade simply because we are finite, grow old, and, yes, die. We need to build the foundation back up, replenishing the group under 62. We need to listen to young people--the idealists, the hopers, the dreamers--and find ways to channel that energy into the church. This Assembly is gray--there is no escaping that. That means there are a lot of young folks waiting to be touched by something that matters, that means something, and that offers life. That's Jesus, right?
So, Day 1 is done.
There is so much to be hopeful about.
The General Assembly elected Revs. Jan Edmiston and Denise Anderson as co-moderators, a move made special by the fact that this year marks the 60th anniversary of women being ordained as clergy in the PC(USA). They bring grace and compassion with them as they lead us. They bring the experience of being people empowered in the face of voices sure they have no power whatsoever. As women, they bring a face of inclusion in a time when powerful political demagogues win votes for trying to silence voices such as theirs. With one Caucasian and one African American they bring witness in their partnership that we can be together, a moving witness on the anniversary of a deadly shooting within an African American church. They both bring enthusiasm and energy, a personal engagement with people in a time when folks demand to see the church be a body of engagement--don't TELL us what to be or do, SHOW US! That resonated as they overwhelmingly won the approval of the Young Adult Advisory Delegates, a group growing ever louder in demanding the church be a place outside a building, a fellowship in active service to the world.
There is much to be hopeful about.
Outgoing moderator, Heath Rada, ended his term with a sermon proclaiming the call to put communion--the gathering of all people, opinions, positions, ages, genders, races at the table--FIRST. Our last few Assemblies ended with division and discord, making it imperative we figure out how to deal with a multiplicity of thoughts, beliefs, and stances while remaining whole as a body of Christ. He then assessed the church as he ended his time of travel and discourse within it, finding that Presbyterians love their church, most often defined as their own local congregation, opening the need to reclaim our union as larger fellowship. He found we are concerned about justice, value education, and hunger to find a way to embrace the diversity of the world.
There is so much to be hopeful about.
But...
There are challenges before us.
First, we are smaller. There are between 3000 and 4000 people attending this Assembly. That's a drop from the 10000 to 15000 attending previous Assemblies. There are a lot of empty seats in the hall. I had a lovely conversation with my fellow Presbyter, Gordon Raynal, and the Dean of Union Seminary in Charlotte, Richard Boyce, about what the smallness means. We found an analogy in the stars--fitting since this is a full moon Assembly. Our diminishment is like a star growing smaller. Stars can collapse into black holes, a gravity pit so dense not even light can escape, sucking everything into its collapse. Now there's a cheery thought! Or stars can become smaller, brighter, and some of the most powerful lights in the cosmos. I choose to think that this is who we are. My own presbytery has grown smaller, losing churches in the aftermath of previous Assemblies in battles that hurt everybody. The group I work with is smaller, but I find them committed to being together, to finding the means by which to welcome one and all to the table, even if we hold disparate beliefs, opinions, and ideas. God is greater. God is good and grace abounds! Being small, we can know one other, really and truly listen to one another--hearing--one another. We can ably embody the love, grace, and compassion of Jesus as we completely embody welcome.
Second, we are older. The median age of Presbyterians is now 62. 62! That means many congregations will lose chunks of their fellowship in the next decade simply because we are finite, grow old, and, yes, die. We need to build the foundation back up, replenishing the group under 62. We need to listen to young people--the idealists, the hopers, the dreamers--and find ways to channel that energy into the church. This Assembly is gray--there is no escaping that. That means there are a lot of young folks waiting to be touched by something that matters, that means something, and that offers life. That's Jesus, right?
So, Day 1 is done.
There is so much to be hopeful about.
Comments
Post a Comment