EMerge: The Blog

General Assembly 218: Thoughts from the COLA Chair for GA 219

Here is what Sandra Hawley has observed about the 218th General Assembly in San Jose.  Hawley is an elder at Plymouth Presbyterian in Plymouth and is the co-chair along with Manley Olson with the Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA) for the 219th General Assembly to be held in Minneapolis in 2010:

Things at GA going extremely well. We've had a LOT of interest at our booth even though we are off in a less--than-high-traffic area. Lots of people say they'll be in Minneapolis/St. Paul in 2010, lots with family in Minnesota, lots very excited to come to MSP, lots say they LOVE MSP. Fun!! We're attending the San Jose COLA meeting every evening, which has been excellent and they have been extremely gracious to us. And, as always, LOTS of old friends, hugs, catching up, talking, meeting new folk, information gathering, discovering new resources, extreme walking, too much food, etc, etc. I literally drop into bed at the end of the day.

New Form of Government seeks flexibility, Assembly told

Form of Government Task Force (FOGTF) member the Rev. Gemechisa Guja knows what it means to do a new thing and have the flexibility to make it work.

An immigrant pastor from Ethiopia who started a new fellowship that first opened in Philadelphia and later moved to Lancaster, PA, he has personally experienced how critical flexibility is when you engage in something different.

Sunday, at a FOGTF presentation during the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Guja shared his experience, and related it to the importance of flexibility in the missional polity of the PC(USA).

Both in Philadelphia, under Philadelphia Presbytery; and in Lancaster, under Donegal Presbytery, the Oromoo-speaking fellowship under Guja’s leadership was “accepted and cared for as Christian brothers and sisters in Christ,” he said.

“We knew we were strangers, but they did not see (us) as strangers but as friends in Christ Jesus,” Guja told the group gathered. Office and sanctuary space were provided, and at times worship services were joined, he said. [Read more]

Photo: Form of Government Task Force members the Rev. James Kim, the Rev. Paige McRight, Diana Barber and the Rev. Gemechisa Guja listened to the presentation. Photo by Joseph Williams

Long lines, green lions, mariachis and guacamole

Moderator’s Reception provides view to the future

by Vicki Fogel Mykles

SAN JOSE, June 22, 2008 — A bright green Chinese lion dancing to drums and cymbals greeted Assembly participants as they gathered at the 218th General Assembly Moderator’s Reception at San Jose’s City Hall Plaza.

Elder Charlotte Powers, Committee on Local Arrangements executive coordinator and former San Jose city council member, said, “The local committee wanted to provide a ministry of hospitality and reflect the diversity of face s in the San Jose community. We are a majority of minorities engaged in high technology, forward thinking and rejuvenation. We chose to share that with the Assembly.”

To showcase San Jose’s faces, Powers engaged the Far East Dragon and Lion Dance Association, a non-profit youth group that uses the art and history of the lion and the dragon dance as a vehicle for cultural awareness and youth empowerment. They were joined by Mariachi San Jose, a vibrant semi-professional co-ed ensemble composed of high school, college and graduate students between the ages of 16-23.

Commissioners submit 13 resolutions

by Emily Enders Odom

SAN JOSE, June 22, 2008 — The opportunity to add commissioner resolutions to the 218th General Assembly closed 10 a.m. Sunday morning with 13 of the 17 submitted being referred to committees, based on action of the Bills and Overtures Committee.
The four not referred were withdrawn or declined. Those declined included an expansion of the role of commissioned lay pastors because it involves amendments to the Book of Order are allowed only through committees, not commissioner resolutions. Two others, phasing out advisory committees and opposition to abortion, were declined because the topics are already on the agenda of relevant committees.

Powerful worship unites Assembly in two sites

Thousands of Presbyterians gathered for the opening worship service of the 218th General Assembly, summoned out of the sunny morning by two bagpipes acting as shofar. Simultaneous services for commissioners and visitors ensued at buildings a mile apart with a satellite link connecting them.

Worship occurred at both the San Jose State University (SJSU) Event Center and the San Jose Civic Auditorium, with preacher the Rev. Joan S. Gray, moderator of the 217th General Assembly, at the former and the denomination’s dozens of mission workers, chaplains, young adult volunteers and ecumenical guests from around the world at the latter. Keeping the venues connected were two large screens in front.

With only two rehearsals — and an hour’s warm-up before worship — to prepare for the two-hour experience, the service was lead by two 225-member choirs, two full brass sections and 25 liturgists representing 41 churches in three presbyteries.

Artist Vincent Arishvara provided liturgical banners reflecting the Micah 6:8 theme of justice, kindness and humility, while weaving elements of the Presbyterian seal into the work. Originally from east Java in Indonesia, he has been in youth ministry at Trinity Presbyterian in San Jose since 2002 where he incorporates the arts into the life of the congregation. (Read more)

Photo: Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow offered the blessing and benediction from the San Jose State University Event Center. Worshipers at the San Jose Civic Auditorium watched the broadcast. Photo by Danny Bolin

Walton Award winners announced

Four new church developments honored for innovative ministry

by Jerry L. Van Marter

SAN JOSE, June 21, 2008 — Four Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) new church developments — two in California and one each in Pennsylvania and Oregon — have been named winners of the 2008 Sam and Helen Walton Awards.

Each congregation, selected for its innovative approach to new church ministry, will receive $50,000 to further advance its mission.
The Walton Awards were established in 1991 as part of a $6 million gift from the late Sam and Helen Walton — founders of Wal-Mart — through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation. Half of the gift created an endowment, the interest on which funds the awards.

Since 1993, there have been 84 Walton Awards totaling $3.3 million presented to exemplary new church developments from nearly 60 presbyteries in all 16 synods.

The 2008 Walton Award recipients: (read more...)

218th General Assembly summary — Saturday, June 21

Transcript of Presbyterian News Service VoiceLine recording

by Jerry L. Van Marter
SAN JOSE, June 21, 2008 — This is Jerry Van Marter of the Presbyterian News Service with news from the 218th General Assembly in San Jose, California for Saturday, June 21.

At 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, outgoing General Assembly Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick opened the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with prayer. Present were 752 voting commissioners from the denomination’s 173 presbyteries, 173 Youth Advisory Delegates, 15 Ecumenical Advisory Delegates from partner churches around the world, 15 Theological Student Advisory Delegates, eight Missionary Advisory Delegates and 78 corresponding members from various church agencies. In all, more than 3,000 visitors are also expected to attend the weeklong assembly and more than 6,000 Presbyterians from around the San Francisco Bay Area are expected Sunday morning for the assembly’s opening worship service.

Assembly participants were welcomed to San Jose Presbytery by the Committee on Local Arrangements Saturday morning. The Rev. Bob Bowles, chair of the committee and pastor of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Aptos, CA, described the efforts of the host presbytery to prepare for the Assembly. More than 1,300 volunteers have been recruited to provide hospitality and various services for Assembly participants.

The assembly also heard overview presentations on the work of the General Assembly Council, the mission agency of the General Assembly, as well as from outgoing moderator Joan S. Gray and outgoing vice-moderator Elder Robert Wilson.

Saturday afternoon, commissioners and advisory delegates attended a three-stage orientation to the work of the General Assembly. Orientation included overview presentations by Cliff Kirkpatrick and General Assembly Council Executive Director Linda Valentine, a tour of the General Assembly Exhibit Hall, and instructions on how to use the electronic voting machines in the plenary hall and the intranet system, PC-biz, on which all of the Assembly documents are electronically available. The 218th General Assembly is the most “paperless” yet.

GA Update:Reyes-Chow elected moderator of 218th GA

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, 39, an energetic new church development pastor in San Francisco and leader in the "emergent church" movement, was elected moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Saturday night (June 21), capturing a second ballot victory.
Reyes-Chow — who received 48 percent of the first ballot votes — won an easy majority on the second ballot with 390 votes or 55 percent.

The Rev. William "Bill" Teng of National Capital Presbytery finished second with 255 votes or 36 percent. The Rev. D. Carl Mazza of New Castle Presbytery finished third with 52 votes or 7 percent. Elder Roger Shoemaker of Homestead Presbytery trailed with seven votes or 1 percent.

Reyes-Chow is pastor of Mission Bay Community Church, an innovative new church of San Francisco Presbytery that was recently named winner of a 2007 Sam and Helen Walton Award for outstanding new church development. In his address to the Assembly, he noted that he makes as many pastoral calls by email as by in-person visitation.

Such is the future of ministry, Reyes-Chow said. Mission Bay has a state-of-the-art Web site and extensive electronic communications among members and participants, which he said is absolutely essential for a congregation that is predominantly under-40. (Read more.)

You can also read about Reyes-Chow's first press conference as Moderator.

Photo credit: The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow was elected moderator of the 218th General Assembly. Photo by Joseph Williams

General Assembly Update- June 21, 2008

Bruce Reyes-Chow, a 38 year-old pastor from San Francisco and a leader in the "emerging church" movement, was chosen as Moderator of the 218th General Assembly on the second ballot.  More as it develops.

General Assembly Backgrounders

Presbyterian News Service has released a series of articles on issues that will be addressed at this year's General Assembly.  Below are the links to those articles:

• Form of Government
• Heidelberg Catchecism
• Stated Clerk Election
• Israel-Palestine
• Church Growth
• World Mission