wfn.org | 210th General Assembly Will Meet

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13-June-1998 
GA98005 
 
    210th General Assembly Will Meet in 
    Region Rich in Presbyterian Tradition 
 
    by Nelle Carter McCorkle 
    The Presbyterian Outlook 
 
CHARLOTTE,N.C.-When the 210th General Assembly comes to Charlotte, N.C. in 
June, commissioners will find themselves in an area rich in Presbyterian 
history. 
    Alan Elmore, general presbyter and stated clerk for Charlotte 
Presbytery, cites a quotation from 1760 by North Carolina's colonial 
Governor William Tryon: "Virtually everyone between the Catawba and Yadkin 
rivers is Presbyterian." 
    While that's not necessarily true today, Charlotte Presbytery has the 
denomination's fifth largest number of members, approximately 43,000 in 141 
churches.  Since they're compressed into a relatively small area, it is 
probably third - behind Pittsburgh and Philadelphia presbyteries - in 
Presbyterians per square mile, according to Elmore. 
    And it's not a position Charlotte is likely to lose.  "The churches are 
strong and we're growing," adds Elmore. 
    In a region which is also growing, Presbyterians are active principal 
players.  Two of the largest banks headquartered in Charlotte are led by 
Presbyterians: NationsBank by Hugh McColl and First Union by Ed 
Crutchfield. 
    Local arrangements for the 210th General Assembly are being made by a 
34-member committee led by Moderator Charles L. Norwood of First Church, 
Monroe, N.C., and Vice Moderator John Willingham of Matthews Church, 
Matthews, N.C.  More than 1,500 volunteers are being mobilized to serve as 
greeters, airport luggage handlers, information booth staff, ushers and 
registration packet assemblers. 
    Susan Hickok, an elder in Covenant Church, Charlotte, is the executive 
coordinator for the Committee on Local Arrangements.   A Charlotte native 
and lifelong  Presbyterian, she was hired 
in December and will serve eight months, overseeing all local aspects of 
the Assembly. 
    "We are a natural choice [as a location for the Assembly], because we 
have a rich Presbyterian presence," she said.  "Charlotte is known as `the 
city of churches.'  We also have a rich African-American heritage, and I 
believe we have the most-integrated presbytery, in terms of numbers." 
    Commissioners and visitors may participate in several trips to area 
sites during the Assembly.  These include Charlotte's revitalized 
neighborhoods; historic Cabarrus County churches; Montreat and the 
Swannanoa Valley; and four Presbyterian-related colleges - Barber Scotia, 
Davidson, Johnson C. Smith and Queens. 

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