Celebrating Our Diversity

Wash, O God, our sons and daughters, where your cleansing waters flow.

Fill, anoint them; send your Spirit; bless as Christ blessed long ago.

We your people stand before you, water washed and Spirit born.

By your grace, our lives we offer. Recreate us; God, transform!

 Although by Friday morning the attendance at worship had dwindled to about 400, the voices that rang out with the words of this hymn were not lost in this large assembly hall. The local Kenyan Fellowship Choir led a lively, energetic, and joyful procession. Continuing to build on the Assembly theme from John 7:38, we were challenged to remember the power of rivers: many tributaries; ever moving and not stagnant like an isolated pond; flowing capabilities to filter out impurities and pollution. The images projected on the video screen above the preacher reinforced this theme of many waters and stirred the imagination with scenes of creation, floods, storms, showers, washing dishes, baptisms, hand washing, etc. We can’t live without water; it is a sign of God’s creating power and benevolent and continuing presence in this world. The postlude brought tears to my eyes and gave me hope for our church. ‘Ungiona PC(USA) guku uhoro ni murathime” was enigmatic, but like at Pentecost, even though the words were in a foreign tongue, the free-flowing Spirit opened our ears to here the touching testimony of gratitude and grace – “When You See PC(USA) Here, This Happening Is Blessed.”

 Refreshed by worship we began another full day of business with hope and expectation. Social issues of war and peace, mercy and justice filled the docket. The report on Christians and Muslims stirred little debate and was passed with minor changes. Not so for the report on Christians and Jews. Passionate voices challenged the balance of the report as well as the lack of input from Presbyterian and ecumenical partners in the Middle East. The document was sent back for further refinement and balance.

 “In bold accord we celebrate the journey.” This phrase from a hymn which we sang when we took a break had earlier captured for me the imagery of pilgrimage. Now the theme of unity was highlighted as we took up the controversial study on the Middle East. Perhaps no other item of business had generated as much publicity and controversy, and the divisions over support for both Israel and Palestinians had erupted at all levels of our church: local sessions, professors, missionaries, and interest groups on both sides of the issue seemed to dig in, and the deep divide offered little in the way of a compromise. But God’s Spirit was so obviously at work. Over the past few days voices that had so recently shouted in opposition had come together. Engagement and continued dialogue for just practices replaced the call for divestment. A long and somewhat one-sided testimony will be replaced by four succinct and diverse reflections from both sides of the issue. The G A Committee was surprised at the consensus that had been reached, and they made only a few revisions and recommendation before unanimously voting to seek endorsement of the full Assembly. Leaders of our church who had formerly been divided on this issue read a statement of accord, and though reservations remained, especially among ecumenical advisory delegates, you could feel the support building amongst the commissioners, and with little debate and few changes, the report was approved by a vote of 558 – 119; a surprising 82% majority that no one could have predicted a few weeks ago.

As I wrote earlier, the overture from Boston Presbytery about the definition of marriage was passed over, fueled by a desire to provide a balanced atmosphere for the adopted plan for study and discernment. Our other overture was disapproved by the committee, in favor of a similar overture to direct the Board of Pensions to provide benefits to same sex partnerships. This issue of justice and equality had been endorsed as policy on many occasions, but had not filtered down into actual practice. Certainly this will have a high price tag; no one knows for sure how big. Dues will necessarily increase. Small churches may struggle to meet such an increase. But calm and civil debate focused on the facts: this is not about ordination standards, or changing the definition of marriage. Yes, there will be a cost, but does not justice come with such costs? With a 55% majority the overture was passed, and the Board of Pensions representatives pledged their support for full implementation.

 The new President of the Foundation was approved and announced the winners of the youth video challenge. Many of you took time to view and vote for the creative video produced by the youth of Fourth Church in South Boston with their visual interpretation of the Assembly Theme: Rivers of Living Waters. They did not win the competition, but were energized and affirmed by being part of the top ten in voting, and we offer our congratulations for a job well done.

 I’ll try to pull together some final impressions Saturday morning as we wrap up the business, and gather for our final worship service as we celebrate our return journey to our homes and churches. Keep the faith; and let the faith keep you. 

shalom  wayne

Worshipful Work at GA

I was surprised to be reminded in my devotions of this quote from Prince Caspian in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis (my italics) with reflections on the ruins of Castle Cair Paravel: “Fill this place, Lord, with Your glory! Let what happens here in our day be as great as what happened in the past. But don’t let us build monuments to the past. If the foundations were sound, we have hope to build again. We want to work, we must not die. Let your tender mercies come to us that we might live again. The place may have a powerful significance, but it is God’s purposes that must be made visible and tangible. When we say, ‘I’m in charge of these ruins,’ it must mean we are guardians of a vision, not curators for the department of ancient monuments.”

From reading USA Today my impatience to see things happen now was tempered by the quote from Jane O’Reilly, American feminist and humorist: “We must remember the past, define the future, and challenge the present — wherever and however we can. It will take the rest of our lives even to begin. But then, what else have we to do?”

These quotes provided the lens through which I observed the 219^th General Assembly at its business meeting Thursday morning, July 8. With much recent discussion in New England about the future of synods, rather than move to abolish synods by 2012, by a vote of 566-104 a Commission was established to work with Middle Governing Bodies (presbyteries and synods) that seek to move beyond form and functions as they seek healthier relationships to further the mission of the church. Rather than a committee to study these issues, the Assembly recognized that in the midst of rapid change and mounting frustration fueled by diminishing resources, response to requests for assistance required a timely response, rather than waiting to bring proposals to GA in 2012. This new commission would have the authority to act on behalf on the Assembly, at the initiative of synods and presbyteries, with a 2/3 vote of the commission. One commissioner spoke of the necessity for empowering the commission, as we are on the verge of doing radical new things in obedience to Christ’s charge to grow the church deep and wide.

We moved right along after lunch to consider once again the issue of ordination standards. As you may remember from our conversations in 2008 when Boston Presbytery adopted an overture seeking to re-focus ordination examinations on vows in the Book of Order, rather than sexual issues, this is a volatile issue. Even though the so-called “fidelity and chastity” clause is a fairly recent addition, proposals to alter it seem to invoke cries of lowering standards for ordination. So there was both a majority and a minority report for consideration. Concerns were raised about how such action might affect ecumenical partnerships, and many of our non-Euro religious communities who reject LBGT ordination. For many of our YAADS, the potential for ordaining LBGT ministers, elders, and deacons is not an issue. Many commissioners felt a pastoral letter for further study was the way to go, while others cried out at the injustice of the long delay in correcting this so-called two levels of church membership and characterized more study as a mere stall tactic. Some argued that with Presbyteries challenged to study and vote on the new form of government and the approval of he Belhar Confession, this was more than they could handle these next two years. It was by a 50 vote margin that after long and extensive debate, the Assembly approved sending to the presbyteries for their approval an overture focusing ordination examination on calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability. Governing bodies, guided by Scripture and our confession, would also determine candidates’ ability and commitment to fulfilling what is required by our questions of ordination. The overture does more than just remove language – it adds language that is just and constitutional. We look forward to continued civil, faithful conversation as Boston Presbytery considers this change to our Book of Order.

Minister Commissioner Burns Stanfield offered a Commissioners’ Resolution challenging our church to be a counter voice to usurious practices and prayerfully consider moving funds from financial institutions who exploit consumers and into community banks that practice responsible consumer lending practices. The Social Justice Committee unanimously endorsed the resolution, added it to the consent agenda which was approved by the full assembly.

Our work during the evening session did not provide much help for Boston Presbytery and states were same gender marriage is legal. The report of the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union was adopted with minor revisions by a vote of 439-208. Both the majority report and a minority report written by three members of the GA Civil Union and Marriage Issues Committee will be circulated to the larger church for study. A parliamentary maneuver to allow the study process to answer the specific overture requests for guidance meant that these significant issues where never taken up by the Assembly. This means that all attempts to define marriage as between two people, and seek clarity on pastoral integrity for pastors in states where gay marriage is legal were not addressed. Frustrating.

It was a busy day; fatigue and unanswered questions left me tossing and turning, but I look forward to keeping the conversation on these issues alive in Boston Presbytery. The work of this day will probably keep our Presbytery busy for at least 3 meetings. So say tuned for the full report and recommendations of our Commissioners.

Keep the faith, and let the faith keep you.  shalom  wayne

World Mission Commissioning Service

Sharing the Water with All
World Mission Commissioning Service

“In bold accord, come celebrate the journey now and praise the Lord!” The voices of 800 gathered for morning worship in the convention center hall echoed this refrain in our opening hymn. Immediately I noticed once again this emphasis on the journey/pilgrimage. Mr. Hakeem Jerome Jefferson, a member of the Goodwill Presbyterian Church in Mayesville, SC, opened his sermon quoting Psalm 122:1 “ I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” You heard me quote that Psalm of Ascent yesterday. Though my delayed arrival left me feeling somewhat out of the flow and sequence of the work of the Assembly, the eloquent sermon entitled “Hope Is On the Horizon” returned a sense of balance and rootedness; gathered with the community of faith I was washed anew in the rivers of living water that flow from Christ through the hearts of believers.

I was struck immediately by the contrast the beautiful sanctuary at Westminster yesterday, and the cavernous convention hall. People were scattered throughout the hall, which could easily seat 5,000, so in some ways it reminded me of the way 30 members of a congregation spread out and seem to get lost in a sanctuary built to seat 800. I was reminded of Barbara Brown Taylor’s new book An Altar in the World as I thought about creating holy space in the midst of everyday activities in our lives. Greenery and banners of blue, aqua, green, and teal provided a backdrop, and the pulpit was covered in similar cloth, the streams of living water pouring forth from this liturgical enter. The prelude was Handel’s “Water Music” and the Assembly theme of rivers of living water was highlighted in prayer, liturgy, scripture, song, and sermon.

The faithful service of mission co-workers who have 20 or more years of mission service were recognized, along with missionaries who were retiring. In the commissioning service, 55 new and re-assigned missionaries and 122 Young Adult Volunteers stood to affirm their commitment to serve faithfully, and we promised to support our companions in mission with prayer, encouragement, and the resources for effective outreach. Two recent gifts to further our world-wide outreach totaling $650,000 were announced and greeted with applause.

To a jazz rendition of “Down By the Riverside” (that water theme is ever before us) we danced our way to the assembly hall where we would once again take up the work before us. Thanks for your prayers, support, and interest in our efforts to faithfully engage the gifts and resources entrusted by God to the PC(USA) to further the mission of Christ’s kingdom.

Keep the faith, and let the faith keep you. shalom  wayne

Sharing the Water with All
World Mission Commissioning Service

“In bold accord, come celebrate the journey now and praise the Lord!” The voices of 800 gathered for morning worship in the convention center hall echoed this refrain in our opening hymn. Immediately I noticed once again this emphasis on the journey/pilgrimage. Mr. Hakeem Jerome Jefferson, a member of the Goodwill Presbyterian Church in Mayesville, SC, opened his sermon quoting Psalm 122:1 “ I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” You heard me quote that Psalm of Ascent yesterday. Though my delayed arrival left me feeling somewhat out of the flow and sequence of the work of the Assembly, the eloquent sermon entitled “Hope Is On the Horizon” returned a sense of balance and rootedness; gathered with the community of faith I was washed anew in the rivers of living water that flow from Christ through the hearts of believers.

I was struck immediately by the contrast the beautiful sanctuary at Westminster yesterday, and the cavernous convention hall. People were scattered throughout the hall, which could easily seat 5,000, so in some ways it reminded me of the way 30 members of a congregation spread out and seem to get lost in a sanctuary built to seat 800. I was reminded of Barbara Brown Taylor’s new book An Altar in the World as I thought about creating holy space in the midst of everyday activities in our lives. Greenery and banners of blue, aqua, green, and teal provided a backdrop, and the pulpit was covered in similar cloth, the streams of living water pouring forth from this liturgical enter. The prelude was Handel’s “Water Music” and the Assembly theme of rivers of living water was highlighted in prayer, liturgy, scripture, song, and sermon.

The faithful service of mission co-workers who have 20 or more years of mission service were recognized, along with missionaries who were retiring. In the commissioning service, 55 new and re-assigned missionaries and 122 Young Adult Volunteers stood to affirm their commitment to serve faithfully, and we promised to support our companions in mission with prayer, encouragement, and the resources for effective outreach. Two recent gifts to further our world-wide outreach totaling $650,000 were announced and greeted with applause.

To a jazz rendition of “Down By the Riverside” (that water theme is ever before us) we danced our way to the assembly hall where we would once again take up the work before us. Thanks for your prayers, support, and interest in our efforts to faithfully engage the gifts and resources entrusted by God to the PC(USA) to further the mission of Christ’s kingdom.

Keep the faith, and let the faith keep you. shalom  wayne

The Assembly at work

I got back to my hotel room to send off my blog, since we don’t have internet at the convention center, and when I went to check the biblical reference, realized I had left my bible at my desk. So I checked out the drawers in my night table, expecting to find a Gideon Bible. No such luck. In our pluralistic society, it seems hotels have a choice of providing a multitude of religious resources, or none at all. It can’t just be the Bible alone any more. Sounds like the battle we had long ago over the Sabbath.
So I walked back to the Assembly Hall under my unbrella in a downpour, and noticed that all the lawn sprinklers were pumping out water even as the drenching rains came down. I know there is a message there; perhaps even a sermon. Just need to give it more time to develop.

Afternoon discussions included a strong endorsement of the Belhar Confession, and by a vote of 525-150-3 the Assembly endorsed sending what would become the only non-Euro confession to presbyteries for ratification by July 2011. If ratified, Belhar will join the 11 creeds and confessions in the second part of the PC(USA) Constitution known as the Book of Confessions. Discussion then turned to the Heidelberg Catechism. The Assembly asked the presently constituted Special Committee on the Heidelberg Catechism to recommend to the 220th General Assembly (2012) a new translation of the present Heidelberg Catechism in The Book of Confessions in cooperation with the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) and the Reformed Church of America (RCA) and consider including appropriate Scriptural citations and/or textual references that correspond to each article of the Catechism.

The gifts of specific members of Boston Presbytery have already been recognized and acknowledged at the 219^th General Assembly. At Saturday night’s More Light Presbyterian National Celebration dinner, The Rev. Jean Southard was presented the Rev. David Sindt Leadership Award for her nationwide efforts in raising awareness of the necessity of MLP churches.

 Elder Commissioner Peggy MacLeod challenged the nomination of Elder Arnold Rots for the GA Permanent Judicial Commission, and was elected at the Thursday morning business meeting by a 56% majority. Minister Commissioner Burns Stanfield offered a Commissioner’s Resolution on the usury issue highlighted by the dedicated work of our local Greater Boston Inter-faith Organization. I’ll keep you posted as the Assembly considers this.

 ’till my next blog, keep the faith, and let the faith keep you. shalom

wayne

Ecumenical Service of Worship

When they said, “Let’s go to the house of God,” my heart leaped for joy. And now we’re here! (Psalm 122: 1)  As I reflect on the theme of pilgrimage and journey while here at G A, I am reading the Psalms of Ascent which pilgrims sang as they went up to Jerusalem. The Ecumenical Service of Worship was held at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, just a block away from the convention center, and it felt like going home. Memories of past worship at GA, planning worship for GA in 1995  in Cincinnati, the rich reformed liturgical heritage … And yet so much has changed, and not least, the changes in me.

So I was excited to enter the sanctuary flooded with light through stained glass windows, and a rotunda-like ceiling in the “worship in the round” arrangement. The procession included banners reminiscent of Pentecost: flames of yellow and orange on elegant cloth, swirling banners floating over the congregation from the balcony that brought back memories of the winds of change that rocked the fledgling Christian movement just after Jesus’ ascension. A line from the opening hymn seemed to capture the spirit of worship: “We welcome one world family, we struggle with each choice, that opens us to unity and gives our vision voice.” Hearing the voices of this jammed packed assembly reminded me of the significant role worship plays for me at GA.

I looked about and saw familiar faces and felt the bonds of community that reassured me that I belong. And what a beautiful array of faces: young and old; male and female; every ethnic group you might imagine. Songs and prayers and scripture readings in many tongues. Memories of Pentecost; a foretaste of heaven; images I try to remember when we gather at the Table of the Lord for communion.

The logistics of serving 1,000 people were challenging. I watched as plates filled with cubes of moist, dark bread, with some gluten-free crackers in the middle, were passed down each row. Each congregation; each ecumenical tradition, seems to have a unique twist to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. My friend Eugene Sutton, an Episcopal bishop whom I met at a recent continuing education event, was co-celebrating Eucharist with GA Stated Clerk Gradye Parsons. I noted the Presbyterian style of extending the plate so that one can take and eat. I noted the Episcopal style of placing bread in your hands – two different styles of table manners and hospitality.

As worship ended after about 100 minutes with a foot-stomping postlude led by the Minnesota Boy Choir, we drifted back to the convention center to continue our work. I was reminded not only of God’s inclusive love, but the challenge to work for the common good. Like it or not; like each other or not, we are still family – blood kin because of the redeeming sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Surrounded by such a rich diversity of dress, tradition, and belief, we were reminded that our rich ecumenical heritage as Presbyterians does not in any way mean we gloss over our ecclesiastical differences. Dull sameness is not God’s purpose. When differences challenge our unity, love trumps purity. Thanks be to God!

I’ll move on to the exciting work in progress next blog. Keep the faith, and let the faith keep you. shalom wayne

G A Pilgrimage

I paraphrased Psalm 121:7 as I prepared for “pilgrimage” to GA: “God guards your very life: when you leave and when you return; now and always. God guards YOUR life.” This shaped my prayer for departure. Pilgrimage suggests a journey with deep significance: perhaps a place with poignant personal memories; a place where for generations people have prayed and sought God; or not so much a place at all, but a gathering of those seeking to be faithful to God, striving together so that justice and mercy flow like a mighty stream. Everyone’s starting point and journey is different, inside – and outwardly. But there seems to be a shared anticipation and expectation that the movement will provoke change, and create new holy space for God to break into our lives afresh.

I arrived in Minneapolis still dazed by Carole’s accident, and anxious both about leaving her behind, and being able to fit in almost half way into the proceedings of the 219^th GA. I took the light rail from the airport to downtown, and walked 12 blocks to my hotel. I passed the Central Lutheran Church which used its outdoor sign to WELCOME PRESBYTERIAN GENERAL ASSEMBLY. Below the street lamps hung PCUSA banners, and at the bottom of each banner was a local church, or a ministry such as homes for retirees or ministry to the homeless. My heart was warmed – this is not about structure, denomination, or bureaucratic organization, but about the life and ministry that flows out of our 10,000+ PCUSA congregations scattered across this great land we call home: the USA.

Soon I saw familiar faces, and was talking with old friends about the atmosphere and deliberations, worship and laughing over dinner. I haven’t a clue what votes have been taken in the many committee meetings. But I felt at home, and that there was a place for my gifts to contribute to our common work.

I called home to check on Carole, forgetting the time change. I woke her up, but was relieved to hear how well she is doing. And before retiring for the night, I wanted to “call” you via this blog to thank you for your prayers for our time together, and your trust in this, at times, cumbersome process that has served our great church since the founding of our country. Refreshed and rested, I’ll try to catch you up on votes and decisions and possible new directions that will emerge from faithful prayer and dialog as we see God’s provision for streams of living water to refresh our church, our land, our world.

Keep the faith, and let the faith keep you. Shalom, Wayne

Tuesday, July 6 219th GA

http://ga219.pcusa.org/