A letter from the Transitional Leader April 7, 2015 Dear Friends in Christ, On Good Friday evening, as you may have done, I sat in a darkened sanctuary with the faithful who had gathered to commemorate the death of Jesus. The service, a Tenebrae, led us more and more deeply into darkness, through words of []
One of my favorite stories in all of Scripture is the story of the birth of Moses, as recorded in Exodus 1:8-2:10. I love this story, not because of the baby of the bulrushes, but because of all who labored to let him live, and because of the surprising and mysterious providence of God, moving []
As I reflect on my first year as Transitional Leader in Elizabeth Presbytery, I am grateful for the sense of community and trust we are building together: Thank you.For digging into the learning modules weve offered at each presbytery meeting, and for taking the conversation home to your sessions and colleagues. We are becoming a []
The 221st General Assembly of the PC(USA) has completed its business and all who gathered in Detroit have returned home. I write to offer a brief summary of the actions taken. We’ll say a bit more at our presbytery meeting this Tuesday, June 24, beginning at 5:45 p.m. at the Metuchen Church. A more comprehensive []
Once in a far away and lovely place, where every stone was a teacher and every breeze a language, a truth falls from the sky and breaks in half before it lands. Thus begins the story of Old Turtle and the Broken Truth. When human beings pick up one shiny half of the shiny truth []
A major part of my GA experience has been attending special meal presentations on various topics. Every morning Ive awakened at the crack of dawn to attend breakfast meetings that begin at 7:00 a.m. It has been well worth the effort. On Day #1 my soul resonated with this statement of Lilian Daniels, who said,If []
Theyre calling it the M & M Assembly: Marriage and Middle East. These two committees are large, the galleries of observers are full, and the passions are running deep for Presbyterians concerned about these two issues. Today, I was in the room when the Marriage committee voted to approve an Authoritative Interpretation that would allow []
The hotly debated issue of divestment is one of a constellation of recommendations about the Middle East coming to this General Assembly. This morning, I listened to testimony of speakers from both sides of the Middle East issues. I was impressed that commissioners heard from a Rabbi from southern California, a Jewish student and a []
Dear Partners in Ministry, Tomorrow I depart for Detroit, MI, where I will take part in the 221st General Assembly of the PCUSA. I am grateful for our commissioners who will give of their time, energy, and passion for Jesus Christ and the church. Please join me in praying for Phyllis Black, Susie Krivenko, Ken []