Worship Worship on Tuesday took place in the plenary hall. The practice of worshiping in the same place where the assembly does its business is a good one… in theory. It will probably work better for the rest of the week, when the plenary is in session. But on Tuesday, worship featured a []
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 []
GA day three began with a talk by Lillian Daniel, author of a book calledSpiritual But Not Religious Isn’t Enough. She had a lot to say about our practices and assumptions, especially regarding communicating with those who define themselves as spiritual but not religious (sbnr). She appears to place the blame for our cluelessness in this area []
This morning I went to the breakfast sponsored by the Presbyterian Foundation, mainly because I wanted to hear the speaker, Stanley Hauerwas. Before Hauerwas came on, though, there was an excellent short video on the intentional investing the Foundation has been doing in Palestine, at the instruction of the last General Assembly. Apparently we are providing []
Post-denominational. In several of the reports received by the Assembly on Sunday we were asked to compare the situation today with some time in the past, like 1983, when the current configuration of the denomination was founded. The Special Committee on the Review of Biennial Assemblies entertained us for a while with clips from that year, []
The assembly begins with worship. Trying to worship in what is in effect a giant, open warehouse, with several thousand people, in rows of plastic chairs, under a ceiling of lights, hvac ductwork, and wires, is challenging. From where I sat the “chancel” area was a rumor, with the action projected on giant screens. All the same, I []
One of the hot issues coming before the assembly has to do with Palestine and Israel. The main substantive initiative concerns divestment. Some want to sell the shares of stock that the denomination owns in three companies: Caterpillar, Motorola Solutions, and Hewlett-Packard. These companies make money providing to the Israelis the means by which they maintain their illegal []
Driving into Detroit it is impossible to miss the boarded-up and derelict neighborhoods lining the Interstate. Economic shifts, nationally and globally, have left parts of this city all but abandoned. Sixty percent of the population has departed since 1960. The municipality is famously bankrupt. Municipal services have been slashed to the point that some neighborhoods are without even traffic []
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 []