wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Worship highlights commissioners first day

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ECUNET.ORG>]

Note #8303 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Worship highlights commissioners first day
GA04013
June 26, 2004

Worship highlights commissioners first day

Moderator expresses both hope and concern for PC(USA)

by Corey Schlosser-Hall

RICHMOND, June 26  A huge crowd  including 500+ commissioners from 173
presbyteries, and 216 advisory delegates  gathered Saturday to worship,
learn about General Assembly procedures, and hear from the Rev. Susan
Andrews, moderator of the 215th Assembly.

Andrews and Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick were joined by liturgists of
many races speaking at least four languages in a worship service that
included the official commissioning of delegates to the 216th Assembly.

The Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA) of the Presbytery of the James,
represented by Moderator Jack Sadler and Vice Moderator Pat Valentine, were
honored for their ministry of hospitality with participants in the
Assembly. They presented two videotapes, one celebrating the rich
Presbyterian heritage of the Richmond area, and the other, titled Threads of
Hope, about the Peruvian artisans who made the colorful manta tote bags
presented to Assembly participants.

The commissioners attended three orientation sessions. The first, called Our
Common Life, addressed questions ranging from how the Assembly seeks the
will of Christ for the whole church to safety and voting procedures. The
second, Our Common Work introduced participants to the work of six General
Assembly agencies. Finally, Our Common Mission, featuring GAC Executive
Director John Detterick and Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, was a review of
the mission themes that emerged from their consultations with more than 100
presbyteries and 15 synods in the previous three years.

Participants were asked to reflect on the question, Where is God leading
this Assembly? Corrine Jones, of Arkansas Presbytery, said God is calling
the commissioners and others to listen, pray, and be open to one another.

This was the first year in which orientation was conducted in three separate
sessions.

Excellent, much better than sitting for three hours, was the judgment of
Carolyn White, of the Presbytery of Western North Carolina. I hope it will
continue to be the case that everybody wants to understand and listen to each
other, and not just draw lines.

Allison Glaspey, a Youth Advisory Delegate from Fresno, CA, said coming to
the Assembly was overwhelming at first  but now I have joy at seeing this
very large group of leaders come together in unity, with openness to each
other.

The multi-session format for orientation was adopted in part because 40
percent of commissioners to last years Assembly could not remember the
orientation well enough to evaluate it.

Moderator Susan Andrews, wearing a South African dress, expressed hope for
the church on the basis of what she observed of the mission, worship,
education and leadership of the church; concern about signs of disunity, and
gratitude for the privilege of serving as moderator.

Inviting the assembly to imagine her extensive travel to 80 presbyteries, 16
synods, 11 theological institutions and five countries, Andrews said she was
impressed by our creative, diverse and faithful Presbyterian Church (USA).
She praised the denomination for its involvement in mission partnerships
overseas and in the United States.

Andrews thanked by name many of the people, churches and projects she
encountered throughout the world.

She said she expected to find worship wars in the church but instead found
a creative chaos of worship life.

Andrews said she is hopeful that our solid church will be able to mount
and morph into a liquid church  in a liquid world, but said she is very
worried that our talk about purity  sounds like we are wanting a church
pretty much just like us and that, when we talk about peace it sounds like
lets not talk, and maybe it will go away. She said some Presbyterians
have the attitude, Its in the Book of Order, but lets not do it. That
does not have integrity.

Andrews concluded by offering special thanks to several people, including
Vice Moderator Charles Easley; the session and congregation of Bradley Hills
Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD, of which she is pastor; National Capital
Presbytery; her daddy, the Rev. Mark Andrews, who she said still serves as
her model of ministry; her children, Nathan and Annie; and her husband and
partner in ministry, the Rev. Simmons Gardiner.

This story and many others may have photos, media, video clips that can be
found at http://www.pcusa.org/ga216.htm.

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send an email to
pcusanews-subscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org or
pcusanews-unsubscribe-request@halak.pcusa.org

To contact the owner of the list, please send an email to
pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org