photo captions from top to bottom: scenes from the opening worship procession (top two), banners from the opening worship (next two), General Assembly participants enjoying the 4th of July picnic

July 4, Independence Day, the first full day of business of the 219th General Assembly, in true Presbyterian fashion kicked off with the worship of God by over six thousand participants. And boy did we worship! If any of you have seen the Broadway production of The Lion King, imagine the opening number in worship in the form of a prayer led by Commissioned Lay Pastor, Fern Cloud, in the style of a Native American prayer. Liturgical dancers led a procession of banners, kites, children, and animal puppets. Upon the completion of the procession the congregation joined in singing All Creatures of our God and King. The out-going moderator, Bruce Reyes-Chow, offered the message from Isaiah 64. He stressed that mountains are moving in our denomination. The challenge before us is whether or not we are ready to embrace that movement. We were able to celebrate both sacraments at the service. It was wonderful to witness a local congregation come forward to celebrate the baptism as well. Each commissioner and delegate was asked to bring two ounces of water from a meaningful source in our area. That water was used for the baptism testifying the cloud of witness by which we all are surrounded. Did I mention that we did all of this in 2 hours and 20 minutes?

Then it was off to committee meetings after a quick lunch. My committee is Committee 19, Health Issues. We have six items of business coming before us which means we will have plenty of time to debate and I'm sure we will use as much time as we are allowed! We are slowly getting our feet under us as we get used to the more formal use of Robert's Rules used at this level. We muddled our way through over an hour of debate trying to figure out how amendments worked and eventually were able to reach a decision. Integral to this process were our Young Adult Advisory Delegates. Their voices in debate reminded us why we are here, what it means to be the church, and played a key role throughout the debate.

It would not be July 4th without fireworks and fortunately they were the real kind and not the theological kind! Our day ended with an opportunity to meet the new moderator and vice moderator and enjoy a picnic together on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Challenges along the way

Monday was a challenge. Challenges are good. Wrestling with issues is good. Committee work (especially committee work that has the potential of effecting every church in the denomination) with members whom you do not know and with whom trust is still developing is challenging. Yet somehow, we get things done. None of this would happen without direction from God. There were a couple of times today when we had to stop, step back, breathe, pray, and then continue. We managed to make decisions on every item before us with nothing carrying over to today. Do I think everything that came out of our committee is perfect and necessary? No. Do I think that the General Assembly will struggle with some of the same issues? Yes. Do I think our Presbytery will also struggle with some of the issues? Yes. But we will struggle together. The Holy Spirit will be with us and we will be a stronger church because of our willingness to be in conversation with each other.

YAAD thoughts/reflecions

I preface this post by saying that I do include my stance on a particular issue, but I also remind myself and everyone that I am open to listening, and continue to work with all the advisory delegates and commissioners to discern together what God is saying to us about every issue. This is just my reflection of the day and the things that took place.

Today was the most challenging day for me so far. It was also a good day. I will speak to one thing that was discussed in our committee today and that was on recommending the Belhar Confession to be sent to Presbyteries for vote to be added to our book of confessions.

My frustration was this, there is a complacency in the church. We as a denomination are really good at pushing things under the rug and putting them off. And that is what many in the committee wanted to do and it is my fear that this is true throughout the denomination. I was also frustrated that I did not get the opportunity to express my opinion yet others continually had opportunity to speak and speak and speak, finally after saying something about the recognition of those who had not spoken during a break it was too late and time to vote. So I was a little upset that discussion was squashed and there were others besides me who had something to say but yet a few were left to dominate the discussion.

So reflecting on that experience I think about 2 statements the confession makes, in the second section it says this,
"We believe
-that Christ's work of reconciliation is made manifest in the church as the community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another;
-that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus Christ; that through the working of God's Spirit it is a binding force, yet simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought; one which the people of God must continually be built up to attain;"

The church has expressed many times over the last few days that something needs to change, that we need to move forward and continue to be relevant in the here and now. This confession of Belhar calls for unity and reconciliation not just within our own denomination but unity in Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, the only one in which this unity can come. This confession is bold, there is no doubt about it, it calls for something radical and difficult. But what does it say to the world when we stand together as a church and say that we are willing and committed to stand together in the world around us for unity and reconciliation of all of God's people, all around the world, so that we can all stand hand in hand against the injustices of the world, so that we can be the voice of the voiceless, the hope to the the hopeless, and that we seek the wholeness of all people in a broken and unjust world?

If we can stand together on the boldly in the here and now (not 2, 4, or 6 years from now) but NOW and confess together that we are one body, united by Christ, reconciled to God and one another through Christ, and that Christ alone is head of the Church...we will become the church that stands relative for all time, we will be the church that serves the world around us as Christ would have us do, and we will become a church that makes a difference.



Obviously the Belhar confession has spoken to me, and mostly because of the awesome privelage of working with other young preachers from many denominational backrounds. We are working in unity to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to celebrate that Gospel. I do believe that it is a gift and an obligation that is set before us as a Church, to work for the unity and reconciliation that we so desperately need. Not that we agree on every issue, but that we agree on one thing, Jesus Christ is head of the Church, Lord of our lives, and calls us to work towards unity and reconciliation with God and one another.

I continue to keep this in my prayers and look forward, hopefully, to the opportunity to share my thoughts with the entire assembly when it comes before us.

Today was also awesome because I got to catch up with an old friend...old not in his age...well maybe that too...but none the less it was great to see a familiar face of a friend who has meant so much to me in my discernment process. Someone who has encouraged me along the way, pushed me, challenged me, prayed for and with me, and listened to me. God is so good to providing us with people in our lives who care enough to reach out and believe in us when we often do not believe in ourselves. I am thankful for Chris and for him claiming me as one of his own children (I don't know if he's really sure he wants to do that), for showing me the love of Christ in practical ways, for believing in me, for stretching me, and for letting me be myself. He is just one reminder of many people who have been supportive throughout my lifetime, and a reminder of how connected we are as Presbyterians to come to this place and connect again with one another to remember the times we had and look forward to the times to come. I pray that he continues to do the work he is called to do and that he is encouraged as much as he encourages me.

Now it is time that I encourage my body by going to bed because I am absolutely worn out and sore. Sorry no picture today, I'm not patient enough to upload one tonight...hence why I need the sleep :D

Tomorrow looks to be an easier day than today ;D...for that I am thankful...

Peace,
Krista

4th Of July Reflection

The 4th of July, our nations Independence Day and a day where the freedom of speech was exemplified...to say the least.

We started the day off in worship, a worship with thousands and thousands and thousands of Presbyterian brothers and sisters gathered from around the world. The walls of our individual opinions were all left at the door as we gathered together to worship the God who has called each and every one of us here, in this place and in this time to discern together as a community where God is leading us. We gathered and celebrated the sacrament of baptism as a child was baptized during the service. We gathered from the north, south, east, and west, around Christ's table to share in the sacrament of Communion. We listened as former Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow challenged us with a sermon focusing on the mountains we have before us as a denomination. Now we embark upon a week of mountains, trembling mountains, mountains that need to be addressed here and now.

After lunch we headed off to our first committee meetings. My deepest prayer for these committee meetings, is that we are all looking and listening to discern the voice of God in each person who steps to the mic to speak. INCLUDING those people who we think to ourselves "There is no way that he/she could possibly be speaking the voice of God on this issue." The reality is that it is very easy for us to think that our opinion is the voice of God and that is the end of the story, but the reality in Christ is that God speaks to each of us and through the power of the Holy Spirit we discern that voice and should share it with the body of Christ because it is in listening to one another, the many voices, the many opinions, the many accents, and the many languages, that we can together as one body discern together what God is saying to us as a church and as the arms, legs, and mouths of Jesus Christ in the world today.


I have been asked many times today "So, how is the YAAD (Young Adult Advisory Delegate) experience? And I have thought about it a lot. So far these are my responses.
1) It is overwhelming and tiring. This work is not a walk in the park. Any time that we commit ourselves to discernment it takes patience and commitment. Serving the church in this capacity is exciting and scary at the same time. BUT it is work that we all feel called to do and because of that we challenge our bodies and minds to carryout the task that is before us.

2) It has been AMAZING, especially to see the YAAD's so excited about the church. It is not everyday that I get to see young people excited about the PCUSA and with that being said, I hope that this excitement flows from this Assembly into our everyday lives so that others might see the excitement and share in it with us.

3) I have made a personal decision, in lunch/dinner/free-time to sit or "hang-out" with people who are not YAAD's for many reasons. The main reason is because we as young people have heard for many years that we are the "future" of the church, and yes that opinion is changing, but if I claim to be the church here and now, then I feel that I need to make an effort to get to know and share with my brothers and sisters of all ages. So I have had conversations with many people of all ages, ethnicities, and walks of life. It has been the most rewarding experience for me to get to know them, to ask them questions, to answer the questions they ask of me, and to walk with them in this journey that is before us.

Lastly, the picture for today's post was taken at the Moderator's reception before dinner and fireworks. From left to right you see Gradye Parsons, Vice Moderator Landon Whitsitt, Moderator Cynthia Bolbach, and Myself. Unfortunately the lifesize cutout of John Calvin was not there, but I will post a picture of it sometime soon.

Continue to keep the 219th General Assembly with all of its commissioners and delegates in your prayers. As well, keep the church in your prayers as we make decisions this week that will impact the future for all of us. This is not my journey at General Assembly, but our journey as a community of believers.

Peace,
KP

PIctures of the day

photo captions from top: Out-going moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow begins the 1st official business meeting; Out-going moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow welcomes in-coming moderator Cynthia Bolbach following her election; John Calvin has made a couple of appearances: 1st in front of Stated Clerk Grayde Parsons computer and then again after Cynthia Bolbach's installation as moderator

I just want to add some pictures from the first day of business. Krista's post sums up the day nicely and is listed below. It is amazing to see the process at work. I walked in completely torn about who to vote for to become the next (now current) moderator. Through much prayer throughout the day, things began to clarify slowly as the Spirit moved among the assembly, resulting in a decision to elect Cynthia Bolbach as moderator after 4 votes.

Experiences from the YAAD

My name is Krista and I am the Young Adult Advisory Delegate, so I am going to share some reflections from my first 3 days of being here at General Assembly.

From YAAD Orientation (My second day in Minneapolis)
Where to begin? This day has been full of activities and excitement. Continuing to meet new people and make connections that are far reaching.
I guess I will just list a few of the things that happened today

-We had worship not once, not twice, but three times today.
-I got to lead the call to confession in the last service.
-We had a bunch of woman from the office of Christian Vocation come and speak with us.
-We had a presentation on Parliamentary Procedures (so exciting :D)
-Dinner was sponsored by the seminaries, got lots of info and free stuff from them (plus I rocked at seminary trivia).
-We met all of the candidates for moderator/vice moderator.
-We also met the outgoing moderator and his vice moderator.

One of the things I heard echoed by many today, is something I have been saying for the last year and it's that the church has to realize that we as the young people are not the future of the church. We are the church now, in this time, doing the work of Christ in the world around us. TOGETHER we ALL are the future of the church and we have to be willing to listen with open minds and hearts with one another in order to move the church in new directions to follow where God is leading.

The scriptural theme for GA219 is from John 7:38 "Out of the believers heart shall flow rivers of living water." We have all come from many places around this nation and around the world, to gather as the body of Christ to discern where God is leading us as the Church, and as we come, we bring many gifts, many talents, many voices, many concerns, many lifestyles, and many struggles. But we all come on the common ground of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2) and we all come discerning, seeking the will of God, and listening to that still small voice in the midst of sometimes loud commotion around us.

This morning in quiet time I was reading some Bonhoeffer and he said this, "Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one's heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty. No man can do that by himself. For that he needs Jesus Christ."

There will be times in the week ahead where I may feel empty, and times like now where I feel really full, but no matter what I know that I have to seek God and speak to God. This is where the rivers of living water will flow from, the outcome of our time spent discerning the will of God will flow for years to come. The rivers will cut through many lives leaving lasting impressions and flowing into other rivers and streams, forming new stronger currents that will lead the church in the years to come. It all starts here, it all starts with the voice of God, the love of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit within us to get the spring started so the rivers can flow, so lives can be changed, and so the Church can move forward in unity.

My prayer in the days to come is for patience, for strength, and for a discerning heart and mind.

From GA Day 1 (My 3rd Day in Minneapolis)

So it is now 1:11am on Sunday morning. I am just getting back to my room after the first official day of business here at the General Assembly. Where to begin on the day?

For the first time today I walked into the plenary hall and found my seat as a Young Adult Advisory Delegate and it is a moment I will never forget. Most people who know me know that I am pretty enthusiastic about the church. I love the Presbyterian church, I love the reformed faith, the ability of the body to agree to disagree and yet come together on the common ground of Christ. A little more about that later...

Walking into the plenary hall, I saw chairs sitting out and realized just how big this is. I realized that I along with a little over 200 other people are here so the Church can hear our voice and engage with us in discerning where God is moving in the Church. I realized that together the commissioners and delegates are making decisions that will leave a lasting impact on the church in years to come. And I realized just how awesome our God is, to give us grace and mercy, patience, love, and kindness when we are cranky, when technology is posing problems, and when we just want to go to bed.

Tonight we elected a new moderator. It was exciting, not because the candidate I wanted to win won, but because we saw the body of Christ, divided in a vote come together even after the new moderator was announced and join in welcoming her as our chosen moderator. Unity, it is something we as humans often have a problem with. And after a few votes, a few technical difficulties, a few unhappy moments, the decision was final and we stood on the common ground that in the end Christ is head of the church and we work for the common good of all people around the world.

That is exciting, that is encouraging, that is what makes me proud to be a part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It was barely a month ago that I found out I would be coming to the 219th General Assembly, and while I was excited I was also nervous. I have prayed, discerned, prepared, and listened in the last month. I have opened myself up to the Holy Spirit and to the people around me (especially in the last two days) and I have fallen deeper in love with the Church I have loved for years.

Before I left for GA my Grandmother told me that I am a 5th Generation Presbyterian (that she knows of) coming down from my Grandfathers side of the family. Why she decided to tell me, I may never know, but what I do know is that I am thankful for a rich Presbyterian tradition within my family. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow up in a church that encourages education, community, and social justice. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve this church in many ways over the last few years. But more importantly I am thankful for Jesus Christ who calls us, who leads us, and who breaks down barriers so that we can listen to one another and together discern what is God's will for our future.

My prayer is that as we move into the business of our committees we continue to listen for the voice of God from within scripture, from our confessions, from within ourselves, and from those around us. This is my prayer so that together all of us, from all ethnic backgrounds, from all ages, from all areas of the world, from males and females alike, and from all social and economic classes can together be Christ's church in this 21st century. So that we can rise up to the challenges of the world around us, to accept one another as God's beloved children, as brothers and sisters in Christ, and as equal heirs to the God's grace that is found in Christ. May we work for unity, for reconciliation, and for the hope a bright future in the Presbyterian Church. Thanks be to God for this General Assembly, for calling us as we are in this time and in this place to diligently and faithfully carry out the duties set before us. The road ahead seems long, but we do not travel it alone. Thanks be to God, Amen.

Peace,
KP

Arrival

Cheryl and I have arrived at GA and it has already been a whirlwind. Upon checking into our hotel, we headed over to the convention center to register. We spent a lot of time finding all the official places and checked out the exhibition hall and global market. We've met up with friends from various places.

We were asked to bring two ounces of water from a meaningful source in our area to add to a baptismal font. Above are some pictures from the source I chose, the "River Jordan," a stream that runs through the heart of the IU campus in Bloomington. Cheryl brought some water from the Wabash River. We have brought a part of our Presbytery with us.

Tomorrow, we hit the ground running with Riverside Conversations in the morning and the big election of the Moderator in the evening. This year is unique as there are six candidates for moderator. This person will be the person to lead the Presbyterian Church (USA) for the next two years so this is a big decision. Please hold the assembly in prayer as we discern where God is leading us.