Today is the second time I will be at a meeting of the Presbytery of the Twin Cities Area since my term as Interm Transitional EP began. There is no doubt that I am much more famaliar with a lot of people and I am somewhat acquinted witht the processes used in this organization. Still I am a bit apprehensive about how the meeting will progress today.
There are many people who have done a lot of work in preparation for the meeting. Most of them are volunteers. There are very few of us now who are paid to work for the Presbytery. Therefore like in most of our Presbyterian Church we run on the back of volunteers. I want the meeting to be successful, that is meaningful, for all of those who have worked so hard.
Thinking about that reality--our great dependence on volunteers-- I was marveliing this morning that we do so well. For all the indifference to the "larger" church, that is to Presbyteries, Synods and the GA, there is still tremendous commitment to the mission, ministry and organization of the Church.
It is most obvious to me that the vast majority of persons want the Church to work. They know there is not only need but worth in doing things together on a larger scale than in just one congreagtion or by one individual. Our faith was not discovered in a vacuum it was discovered in the context of the Church. Also historically, it is true individuals have made a difference but it takes a critical mass to achieve a major impact on society.
With a group of friends Carolyn and I have been reading and reflecting on the "Fereralists Papers." You may recall these papers were written in the 18th century by a few of the Fathers of our Nation--USA. I ran across this quote from Paper Number Seventeen written by Alexander Hamilton:
"It is a known fact in human nature that its affections are commonly weak in proportion to the distance or diffusiveness of the object. Upon the same principle that a man is more attached to his family than to his neighbor, more to his neighbor than to his community at large."
Hamiltion, of course, was showing that it took hard work on the larger body (Federal Goverment) to attract the efforts and commitment of the individual persons. For persons by nature are more attacted to family (Congregation) than to the neighborhood (Presbytery) or to the community (Synod) or to that even further away (GA).
Knowing that we are working against the "natural' tendency as Hamilton said it is important to do a good job in making our Governing Body meetings meaningful. With a very large and diverse body this is no easy task. So my hat is off to all those who have spent much time working to make today's meeting make a difference. Hopefully there will be opportunity for personal and spiritual growth and then the business will take care of itself.
