May 29, 2003
Dear Friends,
It was too late for me to write anything last night, so here I am writing to you as the GA is receiving the report of the Nominating Committee. Right now they are ready to vote on nominating a person to the Permanent Judicial Commission of the GA.
Let me try to bring you up to date, though briefly. When the GA convenes in a plenary session there is always a lot of “stuff” that has to happen. There was a special celebration of the National Korean Presbyterian Council. There was a very cute presentation about the new Presbyterian Curriculum called “We believe.” There was a memorial moment for James Costen, past moderator of the GA who died on May 17th of this year. There is always a moment at the beginning of the session for commissioners to speak out, so people will quite often ask for prayers of all kinds. Sometimes people will have a complaint of a compliment to offer. The business is always interspersed with moments to stand up for singing or reciting a Psalm together. The feeling level is both light and heavy all at the same time.
Our new moderator comes across with warmth and caring, even with this large group of people – there are somewhere around 570 commissioners. She is also excellent at moving the business along with a sense of humor and a spirit of fairness to everyone, but then I’m totally and unashamedly prejudicedJ
We received reports from four committees last night.
First, we heard from Catholicity and Ecumenical Relations. Through this committee we affirmed the Reform/Catholic Dialogue. This means that we will continue to send a representative to the worldwide conversation that seeks to bring the Catholic Church and all churches in the reformed tradition together. We also affirmed the work of the World Council of Churches with recognition that they have their limitations and should be reviewed on a regular basis.
When the Peacemaking Committee reported there was a lot of emphasis on Korea and Iraq. We encourage reunification in Korea. We encourage a careful rebuilding of Iraq. The PCUSA will be calling for all nations to fulfill there commitments under the Nonproliferation Treaty. Hudson River Presbytery’s Overture about “Strengthening Our Christian Peacemaking Vision and Witness in Wartime” passed by about 80%. The professor from Drew that I spoke of in an earlier email – Dr. Long – was a part of writing a document called “Iraq and Beyond.” This document was received with a few editorial comments and will be available for study.
The next to report was the Theological Issues and Institutions committees. The two outstanding portions of this report included an old confession and an award of for Excellence in Theological Education. The old confession is the French Confession of 1559. The GA approved this, not as a new part of our Book of Confessions, but as a work that comes closest to the thought of John Calvin. The award for Excellence in Theological Education went to Jack Stott. Two quotes from Dr. Stott are worth passing on. “Justice is love distributed” and “the finest form of love is gratitude.” I enjoyed his words of reception better than some of the sermons I have heard this week!
The “hot” issue of this committee was a request that the Open Meeting Policy of the GA be amended to include a special provision allowing the Task Force on Peace, Purity and Unity of the PCUSA to meet in closed session. There was some passion around the idea that the press was being censored, but the majority of the assembly (55%) believed that this very important Task Force should be allowed to do sensitive portions of their work without the intrusion of the press.
The fourth committee to report was that of Evangelism and Higher Education. What came out of this report was the approval of spending $137,000 to create a special curriculum for Hispanic children. There was quite a discussion around this because of the money. It is my understanding that this was the highest budgetary request and that was the only reason there was so much discussion. No one disputes the need for special tools to reach out to our Hispanic brothers and sisters. Our national church is having just as much of a budget crunch as the rest of us!
What kept us in meetings until after 10 pm was discussion about an evangelical tool called “The Alpha Program.” I think people were afraid of the theological underpinning of this program, therefore afraid to support the recommendation of it, but the testimony of people having used the program was enough to make me want to look into it! The GA voted to support the recommendation of “The Alpha Program” to the PCUSA.
Very interesting to me was a report from the Task Force on Peace, Purity and Unity of the PCUSA. As Gary Demerest reported about the work of this group of people it was clear they are having a deep and meaningful experience. It was not at all clear what the outcome of this Task Force might be. There will be a resource available to congregations this fall using their process to be able to talk about the issues that divide us. Again, it sounds well worth looking at. I think their report was meant to bring hope to those of us who are watching and waiting, longing to feel hope for the church.
Now, if you are a bit bored reading this message, just remember that I have condensed hours of business into a couple of pages. Much of what is accomplished at GA is important and necessary, but the amount of information a person is required to take in at one time is quite unmanageable.
This will be the last email you receive from me. I will be flying back to New York tomorrow morning. The two committees I followed most at the beginning of the week are the two reports I will miss hearing because of coming home a bit early. I have real mixed feelings about this. I would like to hear the reports of National Issues and Church Orders and Ministry, but I also need a day at home to be able to prepare for Sunday.
Sooooo, see you all Sunday and thank-you for listening. I hope you have all enjoyed getting a taste of what it is like to attend General Assembly. It is thrilling and numbing all in one breath. Looking back at the week I can see that the Holy Spirit HAS been working in the little things much more than the hot and heavy discussions. I have seen the face of Christ in the people I have sat at table with, the friends I have reconnected with, the quiet ministries that have been brought to my attention one more time. I am forever impressed with the amount of mission we can accomplish together rather than trying to “go it alone.” At the Sunday Worship service we collected $33,700 for a mission of the choosing of the outgoing moderator. Can you even begin to imagine being at a worship service where the collection amounts to $34,000? (Maybe I should ask for the GA to take a collection for our new roofJ)
Anyway, I come home with almost more food for thought than I can chew! Thank-you for making this experience a possibility for me.
With love, Pastor Jean
Dear Friends,
Today had some high points and some low points.
The high point was a Mission Trip to St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral. It is a church that was begun in the Denver area in 1860, called St. John’s in the Wilderness because the closest congregation was 500 miles away. After moving to a couple of different locations and suffering a terrible fire in the early 1900’s, plans where made to build this splendid Cathedral with gorgeous stained glass windows and a majestic presence close to the capital building in Denver.
Because I know that Stewart, Ron and Tom are just waiting for me to say this, they have as their sanctuary instrument the last organ ever built by W.W. Kimball. There are four manuals and the instrument looks very impressive. Please forgive me, but I don’t know how many ranks and I couldn’t find the right person to ask.
The high point of my visit there, however, was not seeing the organ. Rather it was being lead in centering prayer and walking the labyrinth that is set up in a special room and is an ongoing part of the ministry of this church. (Andrea, I am bringing home a copy of their brochure that has a picture of Pentecost worship on the front along with “Saint John’s Cathedral; Inclusive and Welcoming To All”)
Following this morning Mission Trip I attended the Network for Churchwide Transformation Luncheon. The speaker was a minister from Collingswood Presbyterian Church in Ohio, Rev. Steve Smith. He had a great sense of humor and began his speech by telling us about the mistake that was made when they printed his name in the promotional brochures. Someone left the “v” out of reverend and he was listed as Reerend Steve Smith!
The low point for me came when I began to check on the work of the committees. Remember how I mentioned that the conservative voice had been very quiet and I wasn’t sure what to make of it? Well, come to find out there seems to have been a strategy whereby the Presbyterian Layman and the Presbyterian Coalition had called certain commissioners together for their own meeting before General Assembly. It sounded to me as if they had a conservative assembly BEFORE they came to the General Assembly. They were fully prepared with a replacement report to submit to committee 7. This report erased any mention of a more open concept of how “family” is defined and the committee voted, by a very small margin, to bring the replacement report to the floor of GA rather than the report that had been worked on since 1997 by a group of people who believed their work would be honored by the GA. It is my understanding that a group of people are working through the night to be able to bring a minority report along with the majority report.
The real damage done is the betrayal to the people who came to GA believing they would be working together with other faithful people to listen to the Holy Spirit and see where they were being lead. My sense of hopelessness comes from longing for the church to really and truly be CHURCH, even as I watch us become more and more a political machine. It is very difficult to love people you do not trust. Without trust, there is no relationship and our representative and connectional system of government is based on relationships.
As I said, there were high points and low points to this day. There was also political finagling going on around the Des Moines Overture and the interpretation of G-6.0106b, but it is too complicated for me to try to explain here. I know Pauline came away feeling as if there had been a very careful plan that surprised her committee at the last minute. So, there will be more to come as the General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday afternoon and does their work late into the
night.
Just an interesting little side line; I attended the Witherspoon Society’s Dance last night. This is something I have never gone to before because it goes until late into the night and I am usually too tired, but this time Jean, Tillie, Betsey and Sharon all dragged me along. (We were home by 11 pm because we are ALL getting older!) Anyway, our Youth Advisory Delegate from Hudson River Presbytery, Amy Bell, came up to me at the dance and said, “That man over there is Paul Rolf Jenson.” I took a look and thought he looked a bit like the picture I had seen on the internet. I had really wanted to meet him so that he could see he had brought charges against another fellow human being and not just a name, so I gathered up my courage and walked over to this man. Over the booming noise of the music I asked this man if his name was Paul Jenson, to which he said, “I hope not. I despise that man.”
Come to find out, the person I was speaking to is the Stated Clerk of the Philadelphia Presbytery and someone I had met before because he gives legal aid to Hudson River Presbytery. He was very gracious and told me how much he supports the stand NPC has taken. He even offered me free legal advice or assistance at any time. One of life’s more embarrassing moments! I just hope he wasn’t too offended. Maybe my friend Wil McKinney from Philadelphia Presbytery can put in agood word for meJ
Before closing, I want Laraine to know that I am coming home with some good ideas about curriculum. To anyone on the Worship Ministry, I have some great new ideas for sermons (adult and children). Jim, I have been talking to the Stewardship people and will be bringing home some thoughts about that. (Be warned that the Board of Pensions is requesting a raise in the dues.) Liz, I’ve taken a look at some simple basic Bible Study material that will be great for very beginners with the bible. Kathleen, I have an idea about buying coffee for coffee hour in a way that supports small farmers around the world. Mary Lee, you don’t need anything, we already get enough juke mail about missionJ In other words, when I begin to feel discouraged about what goes on with the national church I am always comforted by the faithfulness and relationships at NPC. Thank you ALL for being just exactly whom and what you are. We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord.
With Love,
Pastor Jean
May 26, 2003
Dear Friends,
It is nearly 8 pm and the sun is setting behind the Rocky Mountains, way in a distance. The city of Denver sprawls gently beyond the tall buildings of downtown as I look out the window of my 22nd floor room. I have just sat down with a cup of Cozy Chamomile tea and I am exhausted. Can I tell you how much I needed this quiet moment?
I want to begin by telling you of the people I reconnected with today. In the halls outside the committee rooms I just happened to notice this man who looked very familiar. I took a closer look and realized I was seeing Dr. Edward Long, my Ethics professor from Drew Theological. I have not seen Dr. Long since about 1990, and what a delight it was for both Jean Johnston and me to see this wonderful little curmudgeon. He looks fabulous, even though he has struggled with a few health issues, really hasn’t changed at all since Drew. When we told him this he said, “Old fossils don’t change.”
Then, after the Covenant Network luncheon I just happened to notice Ann Weems, the author of most of the liturgy we will be using for Pentecost and Children’s Sunday. Ann was at a preaching conference I attended during my sabbatical leave where we became friendly after I told her I thought she was one of my best friends because I love her books so much. I was so very happy to see her because of all the health problems she has suffered through in this past year. We have prayed for her at NPC and seeing her to give her a great big hug was a wonderful reminder of the power of prayers.
Then, while I was walking around the Exhibition Hall a pretty woman with red hair caught my eye, and there was Pam Bowman, mother of a little boy named Brent that Russell used to play with YEARS ago. What fun we had sharing with one another that our little boys are now all grown up! (For Russell’s interest only, Brent is now a Probation Officer in East Orange, NJ. Remember how little and skinny he was? No more!)
In many ways GA is like a big family reunion. I have seen so many old friends and it is very good to get caught up, but now on to the business of the day.
I began the day by sitting in on Committee 7 – National Issues. This committee was hearing testimony from people wishing to speak to the report called Living Faithfully with Families in Transition. I have not read the actual report as of yet, but it seems this report encourages the understanding that “family” can no longer be defined as a mom and a dad and a couple of kids. The report seems to expand the definition of family to include committed and loving relationships in whatever form they may happen to take. People who were against this report and the recommendations coming from the report seemed to base their argument on Genesis 2:24 “…a man will leave his mother and father and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” One person said this was the very foundation of the church and if this foundation crumbles the church will crumble. I always thought the foundation of the church was the love of Jesus Christ, but what do I know?
The people speaking in favor of the report mostly lifted up stories, stories of blended families, single parent families, same sex parent families, and even single people as a family unit of one. They seemed to lean towards the biblical reference of Jesus saying about his mother and brothers wanting to see him, “Who are my mother and brothers?” (Mark 3:33) There were many more people speaking in favor of the report rather than being opposed to the report. This is interesting and I don’t know what to make of it as of yet. Anyway, now we must wait and see what the committee will bring to the General Assembly which reconvenes at 2 pm on Wednesday.
From committee 7 I made my way over to committee 4 where Pauline is serving as commissioner. This is the Church Orders and Ministry committee and they were just beginning to hear testimony from people for or against the Des Moines Overture. The Des Moines Overture calls for the deletion of G-6.0106b. Surprisingly there were only about 5 or 6 people speaking against this overture. There was probably 3 to 4 times that amount of people speaking for the overture, and the theological theme seemed to be “How long, O Lord?” Again, it will be interesting to see what the committee ultimately recommends.
Out in the hall I ran into David Harkness who is serving on the committee to bring a recommendation about having the General Assembly every year or every two years. He said most of the people testifying were past moderators. Interesting since I cannot imagine anyone wanted to keep the hectic pace of a moderator for two years rather than one. I need to talk to David more about that.
I also heard Harriet Sandmeier, Stated Clerk of Hudson River Presbytery speak to the overture coming from Hudson River Presbytery having to do with the immediate removal of any person serving in any capacity in the church who is accused of sexual abuse by more than one minor. This overture comes from the personal experience of HRP dealing with a case at the Mt. Kisco Church. She was eloquent, as always.
Finally I must share a sadness I had today. I attended the Covenant Network Luncheon featuring the Rev. Tim Hart-Anderson as the speaker. As the people began to gather I lost my good feeling from a few nights before. I looked around me and saw people of privilege and power. The room was filled with past moderators of the GA. There were big and powerful names like John Buchanan and J. Barry Shepherd and Robert Bohl. These were people who had very little experience of what it is like to be on the margins of the church simply because they had not stepped down from the privilege of their positions. So when Tim Hart-Anderson shared with us that his first experience of being on the margins was when he failed at keeping G-6.0106b from going to the Presbyteries for approval I found myself being quite angry.
I confess my own judgmentalism, but I just don’t see how one parliamentary failure can bring a person closer to what it feels like to have the church demand that any person deny his or her true self. There is no violence done to a person’s soul when we don’t get what we want. There is disappointment and discouragement, yes. But there is not a ripping and tearing away at a person’s very individual identity. I got the feeling that Covenant Network is more concerned about being successful than they are about being faithful. I hope and pray that I am wrong.
Anyway, the agony of watching these issues be debated is exhausting to me, I think partly because I am not allowed to speak! There are times when it takes a great deal of energy to remain silent.
Well, the tea is gone, I am ready for bed and the beat goes on in the PCUSA. To be continued…
With love, Pastor Jean
PS: Just the shear numbers of people make me long for my own congregation! I miss you! And someone tell Billie Ellestad that the book she asked me about is a good one. I even bought a copy for myself.
May 25, 2003
Dear Friends,
The last two days have flown by. There is so much to see and do, so much to tell you about. I hardly know where to begin.
Let me begin by saying that the Assembly officially opened at 2 pm Saturday. I finally connected with Pauline who seems prepared and confident. I think she is even happy to be here! Let me also report that the hearing device is absolutely wonderful. When I use it I can hear everything as clear as a bell.
The afternoon session was filled with a lot of house keeping items, instructions for and formal commissioning of the commissioners, and a trial of the electronic voting system. (It didn’t work on the first try, but they fixed it pretty quickly.)
At 5:30 pm the Assembly broke for dinner. I headed to the National More Light Celebration Reception and Dinner. The guest speaker for the evening was Rev. Jim Rigby of St. Andrews Church in Austin, TX speaking on “Turning the Page from Pain to Hope: How a Family Transformed Hate and Violence into a Hate Crime Protection Law.” Rev. Rigby had been pastor to Mrs. Byrd following the horrible, hateful death her son suffered while being bound and dragged behind a truck in his Texan home town. His point was that we can never allow ourselves to be patient when it comes to justice. Again, I heard the theme of the persistent widow.
A very proud moment for me was stepping forward to receive the MLP “All Inclusive Church Award” for some 13 congregations in Hudson River Presbytery including, of course, NPC. Jim Vande Berg (Executive Presbyter of Hudson River Presbytery) was there to receive the awards with me and told the people gathered there about the statement that was just passed by the Hudson River Presbytery at our May 17th Presbytery meeting. The statement basically says that the Presbytery holds
in tension the need to abide by the Book of Order while abhorring G-6.0106b and promising to do everything we can to remove it. We received a standing ovation as well as a rain stick decorated with a rainbow ribbon. The rainbow represents gay and lesbian concerns while the rain stick was to remind us that “justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24)
Following dinner the Assembly reconvened for the election of the Moderator of the 215th GA. There were three candidates; Susan Andrews, Harold Kurtz and James Reese. I have known and been a friend to Susan Andrews since before my own ordination and was totally one-sided in my perspective going in. But the Assembly actually agreed with my opinion by electing Susan on the second ballot with a 53% majority. Susan serves on the board of Covenant Network and is the most liberal of the three candidates. This bodes well for the rest of the business of the Assembly. With 53% of the GA voting for the most liberal moderator we can be sure we will continue to move in the direction of openness and inclusivity in the PCUSA during the 2003-2004 year.
At 10:30 am this morning I attended worship with about 7000 Presbyterians in the expansive space of the Convention Center. It was not exactly what I would call intimate worship!
What it was, was a splendid and powerful multi media presentation that almost took my breath away. The vocal music was sung by three mass choirs (adult, youth and children) from all of the Denver area Presbyterian Churches. They were accompanied by organ, brass, flute and percussion (including a Jamaican drum) along with five bag pipes. WOW! The music was absolutely incredible. Second only to the choir and organist at Nauraushaun Presbyterian ChurchJ
The music for the congregation included everything from traditional hymns to spirituals to Taize music. And I had the privilege of sitting next to Diane Bolden-Taylor, a college friend who has sung in opera houses all over the world and is now a professor at the University of Colorado in Greeley. Her voice just grows richer and more wonderful with age!
Now Diane’s 11 year old daughter, Rachel would tell you the sermon, preached by the out-going Moderator Fahed Abu-Akel was too long. (She reminds me of my own Dana and Russell.) Actually, I have to agree with Rachel. There was about 15 minutes of good content and 20 minutes of unnecessary rambling – but who’s being critical?
If I did not respect the man so much I might have been annoyed. But his message that challenged us to bring peace and love into the world was powerful and absolutely authentic. Rev. Abu-Akel is a Palestinian Christian born in a small town just north of Nazareth. He was four years old when the land was taken from the Palestinians and given to the Jews in 1948. When this man proclaims the need for love and forgiveness between Israel and Palestine, I can believe it to be a possibility.
Our worship included communion as we were seated around the longest communion table I have ever seen. We commissioned persons into different missionary ministries for the coming year. There was a Necrology report in the guide to worship where I found listed the name of Wilbur O. Daniel. I gave a moment of thanksgiving for all of the good things that were
accomplished during Bill’s ministry at NPC.
But the most emotional moment for me was when we sang together, “The Church’s One Foundation.” As 7000 people sang, “Though with a scornful wonder/This world sees her oppressed/By schisms rent asunder/By heresies distressed/Yet saints their watch are keeping/Their cry goes up: ‘How long?’/And soon the night of weeping /Shall be the morn of song” I thought again of the persistent widow seeking justice. I thought of everything from the little children in the villages of Nicaragua to the street people of New York City to my friend Scott who has decided to leave the PCUSA because he is a gay minister and he doesn’t feel safe in the PCUSA. I thought of all these things and more so that the tears were streaming down my face by the time we sang, “Mid toil and tribulation/And tumult of her war/She waits the consummation/Of peace
forevermore/Till with the vision glorious/Her longing eyes are blest/And the great church victorious/Shall be the church at rest.”
I long for the day when the PCUSA might be a church at rest, a church resting upon the sure foundation of Jesus Christ, a church of love and reconciliation to all those people who are constantly being pushed away from God’s warm embrace. I long for the day…
Love, Pastor Jean
May 24, 2003
Dear Friends,
Being in Denver is a real treat after leaving a cold and rainy New York. It is sunny and in the 70’s. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Yesterday was a day of grounding and relaxation. I reconnected with a college friend, now living in the Denver area, who will bring her family to worship with the PCUSA tomorrow morning. I had lunch with a colleague who moved to Albany Presbytery three years ago. I had dinner with Doris Cowan (Mother of Jeanne Martin) and generally began to run into people I know and love. There is something very special about being a part of a larger church gathering. It is somewhat like a family reunion where I become a part of the larger church rather than thinking of the PCUSA as a denomination I have little to do with.
Along with grounding myself in relationships I grounded myself in locating where the important meetings will happen. I am four blocks away from the Convention Center where all of the plenary sessions of the GA will happen. This is good news. I need the exerciseJ. The Convention Center is also where the computer center, from where I send these messages, is located as well as the Offices of the General Assembly and the Exhibition Hall.
I took what feels like a rather large step in my own healing process yesterday by going to the Special Needs booth at registration and asking if there are any provisions for the hearing impaired during the plenary sessions. I will be able to check out a special hearing device each morning that will allow me to hear the business being addressed on the floor of GA without having to strain so badly. What a relief to say “I’m disabled” and ask for help! Technology is
a wonderful thing.
Last night I attended the Covenant Network dinner and the Witherspoon Society Commissioner Orientation. At the Covenant Network dinner we heard speeches by Robert Bohl, a retired minister and previous Moderator of the GA and Deborah Block, a woman minister ordained for more than 25 years who was on the cutting edge of women being ordained in the PCUSA. The basis message
from both of them was that the time needs to be just right for change and transformation to happen. Deborah Block made a very interesting comparison between what is happening among progressive Presbyterians today and what happened between the suffrage movement and the movement for racial equality
in the early 1900’s.
You see, Covenant Network disagrees with the strategy of More Light Presbyterians and the Witherspoon Society about the removal of G-6.0106b from the Book of Order. To put it most simply, CovNet believes all progressive Presbyterians should wait until 2006 before we make another concerted effort to change this portion of the Book of Order. The More Light Presbyterians believe it is a good thing to bring the issue before the GA every year with the hope of being like the persistent widow in Luke chapter 18. I guess to be really fair to the Witherspoon Society I need to say that they believe there is power in both strategies and that the two can work together.
I have personally been afraid that the differences would split the power base of the progressive Presbyterians and make us enemies to one another rather than sisters and brothers who believe deeply in the powerful all inclusive nature of the Good News of Jesus Christ. The opposite seems to be true. There was a very good feeling of everyone working together and respecting the different viewpoints. What a wonderful role model of what the church is really meant to be.
I attended the Witherspoon Commissioners Orientation for the specific purpose of taking notes for Pauline. Pauline is serving on the Church Orders and Ministry Committee which has been deemed The Sex Committee by one of the commissioners. They will be receiving a report on Clergywoman’s Experiences in Ministry and making possible recommendations to GA about actions that might be taken in response to the findings in the report. The report is a good one, showing that we have not yet become a church of equal opportunity for women. No big surprises there! I am still considered rather unusual because I am a woman and I hold a Solo Pastor position. This shows you how different the Northeast is from the rest of the country.
There are at least three items dealing with clergy sexual abuse. One of the overtures comes from Hudson River Presbytery. There are three items dealing with requesting a more specific interpretation of G-6.0106b. There are two items seeking to remove G-6 from the Book of Order and a couple of items having to do with Co-Pastors and Organizing Pastors.
This is the committee I will be following most closely because of Pauline, but I guess the real “hot” issues is going to be the report on the changing nature of families. The title of this report is Living Faithfully with Families in Transition and will be presented to the National Issues Committee. As you might have already guessed, this is a hot issue because the report allows for the fact that families can no longer be defined as a mom, dad and two kids. The report claims that families have more to do with loving relationship and commitment than configuration. It will be interesting to see this unfold.
Please forgive me for the length of this email, but this will lay the groundwork for the rest of what you hear from me this week.
I hold you all in my heart and hope that everything is going well at NPC.
With love, Pastor Jean
Dear Friends,
Well, I'm ready to go and I have a half hour to spare. This may be a record for me.
I've packed my Bible, a trashy novel and my opera glasses - all a must for attending General Assembly. Oh, I almost forgot - gum, LOTS of gum and mints.
This year my reason for going is more related to the connectional church than anything else. I look forward to meeting up with old friends who have received calls to minister all over the country. I look forward to some great reunions.
The person we all need to be praying for is Pauline Levin. This year NPC is very privileged to have Pauline going as a commissioner for Hudson River Presbytery. She will be working hard dealing with some very weighty decisions and warding off a lot of politicking. The name of the committee Pauline is serving on is Church Orders and Ministry. I plan to spend plenty of time tracking this committee and being there as a support for Pauline.
So off I go. The first item of business will be the selection of a new Moderator. This happens on Saturday night and usually gives a hint as to the "mood" or the
"ethos" of the assembly.
Remember how much I love you all, even when I cannot be with you. NPC is the best!
Love, Pastor Jean