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Note #8400 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

The day the 'frozen chosen' melted
GA04107
July 1, 2004

The day the 'frozen chosen' melted

Andrews says multicultural reality of PC(USA) was her No. 1 delight

by Bill Lancaster

RICHMOND, July 1 - The Rev. Susan Andrews, moderator of the 215th General
Assembly, told her audience at Thursday night's National Presbyterian
Multicultural Dinner that "the number one surprise, delight and gift this
year for me has been the discovery of the multicultural reality, the
multicultural gift and the multicultural possibilities of the Presbyterian
Church (USA)."

"This is our growing edge," she said. "This is our changing reality. This is
how we're going to grow and thrive and become who God is calling us to be in
the 21st century."

Andrews told about a number of multicultural churches she had visited in her
travels as moderator, and how they affected her.

One of the places she visited to preach was Old First Presbyterian Church in
Huntington, NY, on Long Island. "It was an elegant, traditional, formal
worship service, in an entire, 100-percent Caucasian congregation," she said.
"But it was World Communion Sunday. There was not any acknowledgement of any
other cultures. All the music was European 19th century, all of which I loved
- but I was stunned" that there was no recognition of other world cultures.

She said the situation was very different that afternoon, when the Rev.
Arabella Meadows-Rogers was installed as executive of the Presbytery of New
York City.

"What a celebration!" Andrews said. "Six hundred of us gathered at Brick
Presbyterian Church" (which, she said, surely had never seen such a
celebration).

"Less than 20 percent of that gathering was Caucasian," she said. "The
service went for two and a half hours, full of joyful, rich, multicultural
music, with maracas and tambourines from Latin-America, and African-American
dance, Ghanaian dance, Korean scripture, European organ music that was
stunning, and at one point a choir showed up that had not been invited to
participate, and 12 African-American young men sang and all of us began to
clap and sway. The 'frozen chosen' finally melted.

"That worship service continues to be, for me, the image of the reign of God
as we move forward in the Presbyterian Church to include all God's children
from around the world who are in the United States."

After recounting several other multicultural experiences, she told her
listeners: "This is the pure work of the Holy Spirit, not the planning of the
Presbyterian Church (USA). Who's in charge of the church? God!"

One of the challenges church officials face, she said, is to share this
vision with the people and congregations in the denomination that have not
experienced it.

Andrews was introduced by the Rev. Raafat Girgis, the PC(USA)'s associate for
evangelism and racial and cultural diversity, who also presented information
about the Presbyterian Multicultural Network, which was created earlier this
year as a vehicle for lifting up multicultural ministry in the denomination.

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

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