Category Archives: General Assembly

141st General Assembly Of The Cumberland Presbyterian Church In America And The 186th General Assembly Of The Cumberland Presbyterian Church

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cplogosmallwithtext200x200cpca_7255060There is a lot going on this week across American Presbyterianism and up for today is the start of one of the more unique General Assemblies this year. Today in Nashville the first meetings begin for the 141st General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America and the 186th General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. This is a concurrent general assembly which has among its business the report of the Unification Task Force and the reception and referral to the presbyteries for study a Plan of Union to reunite the denominations.

At the present time I am not finding documents specific to the CPCA meeting but much is reflected in the CPC documents. In preparation for the meeting, a few things you might be interested in:

  • The CPC does their reports by producing a preliminary set of minutes with what is expected and then it is fill in the blanks and adjust the language and actions as they go along.
  • The meeting schedule – which lists both CPC and CPCA specific events as well as joint events – is in the preliminary minutes.
  • For polity documents, the CPC has a streamlined set of Rules of Order that can be found online. The Standing Rules of the General Assembly for the CPCA are also available.

UPDATE: There is no live stream for this event but there is a live blog.

Twitter traffic is low. Probably the primary Twitter feed to follow is the Ministry Council (@ministrycouncil) and the hashtag #cpga16. A couple other official Twitter feeds to keep an eye on include CPC Youth (@cpyouthministry) and CPC Young Adults (@cpyamc). One extra reason is because there is a CPC/CPCA young adult gathering happening along with the Assembly meeting. UPDATE: As the Assembly gets underway I see that M. Derek Jacks (@mderekjacks) is tweeting from the meeting and would be a good source to follow. And another addition: Joy Warren (@joyseyes) also has a nice Twitter commentary going.

As a concurrent General Assembly a significant emphasis will be placed on the Report of the Unification Task Force. Their report begins on page 110 of the Preliminary Minutes. The report is fairly straight forward if not short. The longest part is a proposed Plan of Union presented for study by the churches. There is also a recommendation that for the foreseeable future the two churches hold concurrent General Assemblies. Finally, they ask the GA to declare the third Sunday in February as Unification Sunday to promote and pray for the reunion of the churches.

I will also note, as this is an issues at many assembly and synod meetings this year, that right before the Unification Task Force report in the Preliminary Minutes (page 107) is a study paper titled “A Confessional Response to Discrimination.” The recommendation is for the denominations accept them as study papers and they be made available to the churches through the presbyteries.

So our best wishes for the meeting and we look forward to the stories and pictures that will come out of this important meeting.

Live Blog – Sunday Afternoon Session At 222nd General Assembly Of The PC(USA)

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As we gather in the Assembly Hall for the Sunday afternoon session, the house band is once again warming us up with spiritual singing.

This is usually a fairly low key session so I will try the live blog software again in another configuration. As before if it has problems, we go back to the old way. So here it goes…

That’s a wrap.

It seemed to work so we will try it again later in the week.

A Wrap-up To The First Day Of The General Assembly

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Following the adjournment of the Assembly for the evening the new Co-Moderators got to meet the press…

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A couple of the burning questions were about “how do you do this co-moderator thing?” The short answer, we don’t know and we will have to figure it out. But Jan Edmiston added that the co-moderator position allows them to “model a new way to be church.” When asked to unpack that she talked about how when visiting presbyteries everyone wants the moderator as opposed to the vice-moderator. Now they will get a moderator, they will just have to figure out which one. It also models shared leadership within the denomination between very different people.

One of the prominent issues this week will be issues of race. They talked about hearing each other’s stories, a systematic program of understanding privilege, and how listening is not just waiting for your turn to talk. It is not just about the stories you remember or hear but those you don’t.

In a similar topic, Jan was talking about how the COGA survey reflected older, white and experienced Presbyterians. The denomination needs to have conversations about who was not responding and therefore not being heard in that survey.

And now to bed. Plenty of excitement tomorrow as I travel out to hear a pastor who was under care of our church preach in their church. Limited PC(USA) action tomorrow but I will be starting to look at some of the other GA’s that are going on.

Good night

Election Of The Co-Moderators Of The 222nd General Assembly Of The PC(USA) – Live Blogging

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Good evening. I am comfortably seated in the press section and the house band is getting rolling and encouraging us to sing. Launching into Soon and Very Soon now.

The live blog system I was using had technical issues that may be related to the WiFi system here. Not sure but not troubleshooting for this particular session. So, sorry, but please hit refresh to stay current.

Opening Presentation

7:04 PM – And we come to order. Don Shaw and Linda-Jackson Shaw open us with their story about their work in creating diversity and racial justice. They read from a bit of the Confession of 67 (first appearance in business sessions of that) and conclude with the opening prayer.

Introduction of Ecumenical Delegates from the Caribbean and Latin America

7:15 PM – Introduction of delegates, greetings from the Guyana Presbyterian Church delegate, and prayer from the delegate from the Dominican Evangelical Church

Presentation on the Role of the Belhar and the Book of Confessions in the life of our church from the Presbyterian Historical Society

7:24 PM – In the UPCNA 1967 was a milestone as C67 was approved and the church adopted a Book of Confessions as its confessional guidance.

Election of the Co-Moderators

We have reached the Order of the Day

Taking a few moments to reset the platform for the election process.

7:35 PM – Margaret Elliott, Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, announces that the candidates expense reports have been checked and are in accordance with the Standing Rules.

Nominations

7:36 PM – The floor is open for nominations. Julia Hill makes the nomination of Adan Mairena and David Parker. Karen Sapio makes the nomination of Jan Edmiston and Denise Anderson.

Candidate speeches

7:40 PM – Candidate Speeches – Parker and Mairena go first and Adan Mairena speaks first.

Adan speaks of his parents coming to the US from Honderas and first his father and then his mother going to McCormick Seminary. The Presbyterian church supported them and helped them. The connectional nature is important and the ministry to the marginal.

David speaks briefly about his being a lawyer and “only a ruling elder.” [Sorry, there is no such thing as only a ruling elder.] He also speaks about his service as chairman of the NC state Democratic Party and his experience moderating conventions larger than this.

They conclude by tag teaming, at times finishing each others lines, and speaking about their differences and how the church must mirror very different people working together.

7:46 PM – Edmiston and Anderson are up. Denise begins speaking about how there are 104 weeks until the next General Assembly and they pledge to work throughout it to reflect the actions and decisions of this assembly.

Jan speaks about the uncertainty and changes in the PC(USA) this week and in the time ahead. But says it is out of times of chaos that the greatest opportunity arises.

Denise concludes talking about working together.

Questions to Candidates

Note: I will be using their initials – JE, DA, AM, and DP – to make my blogging speedier.

7:51 PM – Gradye tells the process. Importantly each team can decide who will answer each question for them.

Q1: If you had the opportunity to speak directly to pastors, elders and churches considering leaving the denominations.

DP: This is one of the few places you can speak directly and honestly. Please stay because you can not hear the will of God without a voice of disagreement.

AM: We are a people of relationships and we have to keep relationship going.

JE: One of the recently dismissed churches in Chicago is a Japanese American Church that has a strong history and was sheltered by Fourth Pres during the internment in WWII. Need to maintain relationship and maybe they will come together again.

DA: Sometimes congregations discern they have to go another way. The important thing is that Christ be glorified. We can dismiss and remain in relationship

Q2: Is Jesus Christ the only way to salvation?

DA: YES! (emphasis hers)

JE: It is what the Gospel of John says. But there is also a passage that says there are other flocks. The good news is that God gets to sort it out.

AM: Yes, Jesus is my Lord and Savior. But we live in a different time.

DP: I am a lawyer. I have a lot of clients that are Muslim. And a business partner is Jewish. I believe Jesus is the only way. But I have talked with Muslims who are sincere and it is a challenging conversation. We need to be respectful of reach other.

Q3: It is often in time of struggle that we learn the most. Tell us about a time you failed.

AM: As an intern at Bryn Mawr I learned a lot and had a great mentor. I then went to Kensington which is a place of scarcity. I went around in a suit and tie. My mistake was not being relevant to those to whom I wanted to minister.

DP: I can not tell you about my failings as a lawyer because of client confidentiality. What a convenient excuse. But with the Democratic Party I led change that was probably too rapid and tendered my resignation but it was not accepted.

JE: I have failed so many time. Scripture “You intended it for ill but God used it for good.” Was personnel chair for the presbytery and had to fire as many as eight people and did not do it well.

DA: Said so many things I regret. But biggest is I have failed myself.

JE (again): Did not show up for a wedding due to misunderstanding about date of wedding.

Q4: I struggle with patriarchal language of our church. How do you blane and how should we treat it going forward.

DA: In my life I appreciate the masculine language but God more often has appeared to me as the feminine. Need to alternate or use gender neutral.

JE: Need to understand scriptural feminine references but use language a church may be comfortable with.

AM: Fortunate to be in a family that did not have traditional gender roles. Need to understand God is neither and God is all.

DP: God has no gender but we can say God has every gender. God is all things. Need to preserve political gains women have made.

Q5: Why is the Belhar important to you

AM:  Written from a context of people of color were suffering. (That was all he said)

DP: Belhar is a compliment to C67. C67 says go out into your neighborhood and love your neighbor. Belhar goes beyond and says we need to forgive our neighbor.

DA: Wrote a piece one year ago related to Charleston shootings about people remaining silent afterwards. Belhar reinforces our commitment to stay in the fight so the playing field is level.

JE: Honored to be in a denomination that accepts Belhar. We need to remind ourselves that racism is systemic and needs to be dismantled.

Q6: How do we be a church that is welcoming and encouraging of all ages, particularly younger members

DA: We need to respect them. Youth ministry is not to be babysitting.

JE: Have to take each other seriously and listen to each other. Co-mentoring – learning from each other in relationship.

AM: Don’t treat them as empty cups where my teaching gets poured in. Need to read scripture together. Don’t just give them pizza. They are hungry for opportunity and relationship. Value them.

DP: I am 61 and in the younger half of our denomination. What everyone else has said is that it has to do with mutual respect. When we have mutual respect everyone does better. Need to address the question of who will remain behind and what will the church look like in 25 years.

End of questions.

Heath thanks them for “putting themselves out” for the call to this position. Standing ovation.

The candidates are dismissed.

[Personal note – it is a tough call after the speeches and questions but if I had to handicapped it I am leaning to Anderson and Edmiston as having made a better presentation.]

We move to voting:

Young adult advisory delegates: 115 to 26 favoring Anderson/Edmiston. If they are the predictor as they usually are we know the result.

The commissioners have voted. The result is: Anderson/Edmiston 432, Parker/Mairena 136

The election is declared

A bit of a wait before the Co-Mods are escorted back into the hall. Includes singing of the Doxology.

The Co-Moderators and their families are escorted back into the hall to a standing ovation. While they are being greeted at the platform Spirit of the Living God is sung spontaneously by the Assembly.

Installation of the Co-Moderators

8:45 PM – The installation service progresses with the regular liturgy and including the singing of Called As Partners In Christ’s Service, the recitation of the six Great Ends of the Church and the questions.

Prayer for the Co-Moderators by The Rev Fred C. Lyon II (husband of Jan Edmiston) and declaration of their installation.

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Passing of the signs of the office: There is only one moderator’s cross so handed to both. Each is given a moderator’s stole.

Microphone is passed to them and Denise says “We haven’t talked enough?”

Denise also points out that on this 60th anniversary of the ordination of women in the mainline Presbyterian church it is the first time that there has been a moderatorial team of two women.

Heath and Larissa are thanked and given mementos of the office.

And now Gradye is coaching the new Mods through the process.

Very brief announcements – just to leave the voting pads at the turn-in tables for recharging.

Denise closes the session with prayer. And we are adjourned.

Thanks for following along. I will probably live blog tomorrow afternoon again and then it will be articles related to the committee meetings for a few days.

Prelude To The Election Of The Moderator

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For a variety of reasons I did not get my formal moderatoral candidate posts up this year. One reason is because there is a new process and I was a bit indecisive in trying to navigate it.

Specifically, this is the first year that that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has had the option to have Co-Moderators as well as a Moderator/Vice-Moderator team. Both teams have chosen to go the Co-Moderator route. In addition, since there are only two teams we will have a decision on the first ballot.

To help navigate the process I would first refer you to the Moderator Candidate Booklet on the OGA web site. I will add the editorial comment that I wish the Moderator Candidate Book was listed ahead of the Stated Clerk Candidate Book but that is my own preference based on a recognition that the Moderators are called out to give of their time and energy above and beyond their day jobs while the Stated Clerk is a career position in and of itself.

The first team listed in the book is Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston. Denise is a teaching elder in National Capital Presbytery and Jan is a teaching elder in Chicago Presbytery. Each of their presbyteries endorsed them as a co-moderator team. The book has their statements and answers to questions and we will hear more tonight. Both are very active bloggers and on Twitter. Jan blogs at A Church for Starving Artists and is on Twitter at @jledmiston. Denise’s blog is Soula Scriptura: To Be Young, Gifted and Reformed and she tweets at @thesoulstepford. They also have a moderatoral candidacy web site.

The second team is David Parker and Adan Mairena. David is a ruling elder from Salem Presbytery and Adan is a teaching elder in Philadelphia Presbytery. David is a lawyer by profession and a web site at Salem Presbytery offers more information about him. Adan does a lot of his ministry with the West Kensington Ministry and the book points us to his staff page at the ministry web site. It is interesting that the endorsement letter for David only lists him as a moderator candidate and Adan was endorsed relatively recently (18 May) for Co-Moderator with David. David has a Twitter account with limited activity at @DavidPParker. Adan has a very active Twitter presence at @elburque.

So let’s get ready in the Assembly hall for this precedent setting election process. I will be live blogging but with the old technology so you will have to do refreshes of the screen. And you can follow the live stream with the viewer on the GA 222 home page.

Live Blog – 222nd General Assembly, PC(USA), Saturday Afternoon Session

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Thanks for joining me. This session I am working out the bugs in the live blog system to see if I want to use it this evening. Thanks for bearing with me.

OK, looks like technical issues. For the moment going back to the old way. Automatic updates are not working so please refresh your browser to see my updates.

The Assembly was warmed up by the house band with three hymns and songs.

A few minutes late the Moderator of the 221st Assembly, Heath Rada, gaveled the Assembly to order.

To open the Assembly there was a time of worship, reflection and remembrance to mark the anniversary of the Charleston church shooting. Interfaith representatives from the local area participated.

There were initial comments from the Stated Clerk and a declaration of the quorum was approved by the Assembly without objection.

2:32 – Back on track. The greetings from the Committee on Local Arrangements. And the video introducing the city. Followed by a procession of signs for the churches in the presbytery.

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2:49 PM – Report of the Moderator.

“Hope does not disappoint!” Has the Assembly repeat it.

Four areas of emphasis and place of hope

  1. Church is hungry for renewal through formation and proclamation
  2. Congregational vitality. Smaller churches struggling because of size. Larger find no point of connection to the system and find themselves working alone.
  3. Beloved community and its standards of witness for all people. Racial justice, inclusion of native american brothers and sisters, discrimination against LGBTQ family members. Money is not the problem – we are one of the wealthiest denominations. Also creation justice. Forging beloved community is difficult. People ask “Is there still a place for me in the PC(USA)?” Move from supporters of justice to a people of peace and unity.
  4. Education. Traditionally one of the denominations that emphasize education. Must continue to help provide education for all.

“Hope does not disappoint.”

Need to be part of a thinking faith. Need to set out on the journey once decisions are made. Not wait for every detail. But maybe we need to set aside our desire to do things decently and in order but step out boldly. [Applause]

The process that has begun is to get us unstuck.

Do we need a brand strategy? Do we need to deweaponize our polity? Can we affirm new paradigms for ministry? Need bottom up not the perceived top down.

Presbyterians know who they are and like who we are. COGA study says… [Do I have the first hit here?]

COGA study says that we like our polity

Our calling is to be messengers of salvation. May the God that has kept us safe thus far lead us joyfully forward.

3:13 PM – Orientation to Plenary Meetings. Gradye is recognized

For plenary discussions – we have a method of forming groups decently and in order. Tables are alternately blue and white tops and blue turns around and talks with white. Commissioners are taking a moment to get in groups and meet each other.

The people on the platform are introduced.
The speaker ID system at the microphones is described
The use of the paddles are described. For inquiring minds we are told that “Yes, they are badminton paddles.” And we get a light show as each of the color paddles are explained.

The process for translation of a speaker’s comments into English is explained in Spanish and Korean

Moving back to the motion process. BIG NEWS [note sarcasm} Motions can now be submitted electronically! {now we just need a bot to automate and spam the process}
If you need help formulating a motion you can ask a student assistant in the “stylish designer blue vests.”

The convention center has enhanced the WiFi throughout the building for the meeting.

“Electronic voting may be new to you. After the last GA it may be new to us as well.”
Explanation of voting phasor remote control voting handsets.
Practice questions – How many times have you previously attended a General Assembly (as a voting delegate)?
Next question: What is your age? And there is a problem with the voting instructions as the 46-55 age range is missing. We will vote anyways and if you are in that category Pick and age you would like to be

Next question: Which which race/ethnicity do you identify? Again an issue with the screen as white/European descent is missing.
Final question: Related to disability and need for accommodation

Finally a word on conduct – basically conduct yourself as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And Gradye reminds us that the book (the 2016 GA Program Book) holds many answers to questions.

But wait there’s more. Now an introduction to the process for voting on the report from the GA Nominating Committee.

The report is on PC-Biz and reflects two years of careful work. There can be nominations from the floor but the nominated must agree to serve and the individual on the slate who is being challenged identified.

3:57 PM – And now we talk about money. A brief overview of Financial Implications

  • What is a financial implication? Any business item that has a cost.
  • What creates a financial implication? Can come from any of the four sources of business (Overtures, Reports, Commissioner Resolutions, Referrals)
  • Which budget is impacted? Per Capita or Mission
  • What is the financial implication process? For any business with cost a form is filled out based on past experience of costs.
  • What are the questions to ask? No reserves being used so if something is added something must be scaled back or eliminated or per capita is increased

And we have our first Book of Order citation F-1.0202

4:13 PM – Committee Structure is proposed by Gradye and approved

4:14 PM – Business referrals
Now, a chance to orient to PC-Biz. We are walked through getting to business item 01-01.
And a voice vote is taken and the docket is approved.

Moving on to 01-02 – the referrals.

Next 01-05. This supersedes 01-03. This distributes business to the committees. Passed on voice vote.

Finally 01-06. To suspend the stated rules to allow for late business from GA entities. Passed on voice vote.

4:24 PM – First video from the Communications Office on the Spirit of GA
Includes an intro to the two Stated Clerk candidates
And a thanks to Gradye!

Announcements and this session adjourns.

See you at 7 PM Portland time to elect the Moderator of the 222nd General Assembly.

 

222nd General Assembly Of The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

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It is safe to say that in the coming week most American Presbyterians will have their General Assembly in session. Pardon the alphabet soup, but this next week will see the General Assemblies of the PC(USA), a concurrent GA by the CPC and CPCA, then the PCA, the EPC, and the RPCNA. (Technically that last one is a General Synod.) There is also the distinct likelihood that there will be three live streams going at once so figure out your viewing schedule now.

logo+pcusaFirst up is the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Portland which begins on Saturday 18 June and finishes a week later on Saturday 25 June. There is no question that this will be a momentous and memorable meeting. Even before a single vote is taken we know that the denomination will come out of the meeting with their first Co-Moderators, a new Stated Clerk, and a road map – if not solid decisions – related to reorganizing the national offices to reflect the changing reality of the church in these current times. In addition, it is anticipated that the Belhar Confession will be added to the Book of Confessions and the celebration will begin for the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Confession of 1967. And that does not even begin to scratch the surface of all the other business that is out there.

The source for information on all this business is, as usual, the on-line PC-Biz system. However, it has been given a new look and a bunch of us have been putting it through its paces and helping to squash bugs. (You are welcome.) And the tech wizards behind it have been very responsive to our reports. Now we will see if it can handle a couple thousand simultaneous users.  And the PC(USA) event guide for the Guidebook App  is back as well. There are Android and iOS apps and it can be viewed in a web browser.

There is a docket posted and you can also find the schedule, reports overtures/business items on PC-Biz as well as all the Constitutional documents, the Manual of the General Assembly, and other useful items on the PC-Biz Resources tab.

ga222-circle-colors-vector-fin_small150The Assembly will begin with the usual formalities on Saturday, but this year in the morning. The opening worship with celebration of the Lord’s Supper is scheduled for 11 AM local time and will be live streamed. Congregations are encouraged to gather in their churches and join in the worship. Formal business will begin at 2 PM in the afternoon followed by the election of the Moderator Saturday evening. Sunday is worship in churches throughout the Portland area and a plenary session and receptions in the afternoon. Committee work begins in that evening and it will run through Tuesday evening. During that time PC-Biz is the place to find out what the committees are doing with the pieces of business near and dear to you.

The meeting moves back to plenary on Wednesday afternoon and then it is a mad push to get all the business done by Friday night or in the wee hours of Saturday morning. But one of the realities is that there is no real schedule of when particular committees report until later in the week when committees have finished their business and they are assembled on the docket like a jigsaw puzzle. The final Saturday morning session is highlighted by worship and the closing business formalities.

Opening worship and plenary sessions should be live streamed and the viewer can be found embedded in the GA 222 Home Page.

The tracking utility on PC-Biz is the best place to follow business. While the PC(USA) does have a general Twitter account (@Presbyterian), the General Assembly feed (@presbyGA) usually provides more play-by-play. There is also the Presbyterian News Service on Twitter (@PresbyNews). The hashtag for the meeting is #ga222.

News items will also appear on the GA222 web page as well as the Presbyterian News Service feed. There is also a Facebook page, and the daily news sheet is now electronic.

There are numerous entities of the PC(USA) that have Twitter accounts and you might want to watch the hashtag or check the list I compiled in a post a while back.

For individuals of note let me start with the two Co-Moderator teams: Jan Edmiston (@jledmiston) and Denise Anderson (@thesoulstepford), and David P. Parker (@DavidPParker) and Adan Mairena (@elburque). The other office to be decided is for Stated Clerk and you can follow J. Herbert Nelson (@jherbertnelson). The other candidate is the Rev. David Baker and while he promotes himself as strong in social media in his LinkedIn profile, I can not find a Twitter account for him. I will keep looking. Moving on to Moderators of previous assemblies we can begin with Bruce Reyes-Chow who tweets at @breyeschow and @brc_live. The immediate past Moderator, Neal Presa, can be followed at @NealPresa. And the Moderator finishing up his term, Heath Rada (@heathrada), is there as well. And the current Vice-Moderator, Larissa Kwong Abazia can be found at @LarissaLKA, and a previous Vice-Mod, Landon Whitsitt (@LandonWhitsitt) would definitely make the list. And not to be overlooked is the Executive Director of PMA Tony De La Rosa (@tonydlr). In this list of individuals let me throw in the Director of Operations, Thomas Hay (@DirOfOp) and also a true GA Junkie in his own right, Andy James (@andyjames). And fair warning that both of them are heavily involved in the Assembly so it is entirely possible their time will be spent on things other than tweeting. Finally, the Church of Scotland ecumenical delegate is the Rev. Derek Browning (@DerekBrowning2) who, besides being a parish minister, is also their General Assembly’s Business Convener – something like an associate stated clerk – and therefore a polity wonk in his own right. I am looking forward to his insight and dry wit. He will also be tweeting at the curated account @churchscovoices.

UPDATE: For live tweeting you might want to check out L3 UMD. For color with a degree of snark (yes, some of us need this during the meeting) you can follow Jodi Craiglow.

Out in the press corps, keep an eye on the Presbyterian Outlook on their website (pres-outlook.org) and Twitter (@presoutlook) as well as their special correspondent Leslie Scanlon (@lscanlon).

I will be at the meeting as well. I plan to live blog the plenary sessions here as well as posting more information about specific areas of business. The Outlook has posted three articles I wrote for them on business coming to the Assembly related to Elders and Councils, Non-geographic Presbyteries, and Synods. I do plan to tweet extensively but not completely during the Assembly. So here is my plan: My regular Twitter handle – @ga_junkie – will be used to cover major events at all the Assemblies and the Synod that will be under way. So read carefully as to which meeting the hashtag is for. I will use my secondary, and confusingly named @gajunkie handle (note – no underscore) to cover the PC(USA) exclusively. And if someone is planning to live tweet the Assembly let me know and I will point people in your direction.

button222Finally, my bit of levity. First, I will once again be passing out my “I’m A GA Junkie” buttons. Find me if you want one. Also, the Bingo Card is available for the meeting. In addition, I have targeted four concepts that I will keep a score board on how often they are mentioned in plenary. While giving away the phrases and concepts might bias the results and/or encourage people to use them, I will put them out anyway. They are:

  1. Any reference to the Rev. Fred Rogers, aka Mister Rogers
  2. Misquoting the recent When We Gather At The Table Report. (You can see my caution in the related blog post.)
  3. References to the membership decline in the denomination.
  4. Comments about a certain presidential candidate as a Presbyterian, or not.

And so I am looking forward to an exciting week in Portland but wishing the important action around American Presbyterian branches got spaced out a bit more.

So time to finish packing and see you in Portlandia in a few hours.

Portland Between Scylla and Charybdis

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MtHoodOutlookOn my return home from work yesterday I was greeted by the cover of the of this week’s issue of the Presbyterian Outlook with a beautiful shot of Mt. Hood from the south. Not often we get a literal active volcano on the cover of the Outlook.

But it serves as a reminder for those of us going to Portland for the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that from a natural hazard point of view Portland lies between Scylla and Charybdis, between a rock and a hard place, or to be geologically specific the Cascades and the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

To be very specific, the geologic hazards are dominated by a chain of active volcanoes on the east and one of the world’s great mega-thrust subduction zones on the west. Think Mt. St. Helens (which is not that far away) and the 2011 Fukushima earthquake. In particular, the Cascadia earthquake potential got a lot of publicity from a New Yorker article almost a year ago.

If you sense a certain amount of interest and enthusiasm on my part it has to do with the fact that these are the types of things I deal with in my day job as a geologist who specializes in seismic hazard analysis.

So what are we looking at? Well, the US Geological Survey has put together a nice little schematic cross-section of the Pacific Northwest that goes right through Portland and Mt. Hood.

subductionBasically, the sea floor is going down under Pacific Northwest and as it goes down the rocks heat up, magma is produced and comes to the surface in the Cascade range. As far as the volcanoes are concerned, they are clearly active. In Mt. Hood’s case it appears that Lewis and Clark missed the last big eruption by a bit over a decade, but reports of smoke and clouds later in that century are considered to be small eruptions from the mountain.

The good news, is that based on the current volcanic hazard assessments for Mt. Hood the mountain is far enough away that the most energetic products of a future eruption – lateral blast, pyroclastic flows, lava flows and lahars – would probably not directly affect Portland. The city would almost certainly get covered in airfall ash however.

And in case you are wondering, Portland is not unique. Here is a diagram of the last 4000 years of volcanic history for the Cascade Range from Wikipedia (and yes, I can say professionally that this chart is pretty good).

Cascade_eruptions_during_the_last_4000_yearsSo that is Scylla – the rock. What about Charybdis? What lurks in the deep blue sea?

The answer is a subduction zone capable of generating great earthquakes and accompanying tsunamis. The zone is long, it is wide and it is shallow – perfect conditions for a giant earthquake of around magnitude 9. We know because, among other reasons, one of these hit in January 1700. The indigenous peoples have legends about the earth shaking and the sea rising and inundating their villages. And while those accounts and geologic evidence give a narrow date range, the exact date of the earthquake on January 26th comes from Japanese records of a surprise tsunami that arrived with no shaking felt on those islands. Overall, there is evidence of seven great earthquakes in the last 3,500 years with a recurrence interval of between 300 and 400 years. And yes, with the last event 316 years ago we have entered that interval.

But what are the chances in a one week interval? Pretty low for both.  Doing a rough calculation including not just the mega-thrust but also the local faults around Portland, I get a probability of about one chance in 10,000 of damaging shaking during GA. And yes, one fault, the East Bank Fault, runs very close to the convention center. But if you want to be prepared, the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management does have their Survival Guide to the Big One online.

As for Mt. Hood – enjoy the great view. While there has been some recent new earthquake activity, it is minor and is not accompanied by other signs of impending volcanic eruption. Any critical activity would come with enough warning for us to get out of town before something big happens.

Now, if you want to use any of this natural activity and hazard as an analogy, metaphor or allegory for what might happen at the meeting well that is left as an exercise for the reader.

And if you need a final assurance that major geologic activity has a low probability of occurrence, you can look for me in Portland right there with you.

Have fun!

83rd General Assembly Of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church

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210px-OrthodoxPresbyterianChurchlogoThe 83rd General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church got under way this past Wednesday, 8 June, at Sandy Cove Conference Center in North East, Maryland. The meeting will conclude no later than noon next Tuesday, 14 June.

This GA does not have live streaming but we have the next best thing: There is a tradition of very well done running daily reports for the OPC GA and the tradition continues this year so please follow along on the Running Report Page.

The agenda and reports are not posted on-line but you can access the Book of Church Order and the Standing Rules and Instructions of GA if you need background material.

The OPC has elected to keep a prepetual hashtag for their meeting (no sticking a year or GA number in there) so it is once again #OPCGA. And with the meeting off and running it is a fairly well used hashtag at that. First, Shane D. Anderson (@Shane_A7) has a very nice thread of Twitter updates going for the meeting. This is complimented nicely by, shall I say color commentary, by Ryan Cook (@ryanlawdawg), “Toad” (@oldprinceton), and Rachel Stevenson (@whatshewrote). (It is worth noting that Rachel has also posted a great article about the GA on her blog The Classy Counterculturalist and it is worth watching for more.)

A number of interesting items of business have already been transacted. To begin the business following opening worship, Ruling Elder Paul Tavares from Covenant OPC in Grove City, PA was nominated and elected the Moderator of the Assembly. The Assembly approved an overture to have the Committee on Christian Education study the possibility of producing a modern English study version of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The Assembly also approved the contents of a new edition of the Trinity Psalter Hymnal and if it receives the approval of their partner, the United Reformed Churches of North America, in a couple weeks time it will begin production. In addition, the Assembly is marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the denomination in a number of different ways.

So prayers for the teaching and ruling elders of the OPC as they spend a week reflecting on what the Spirit is doing in their branch and their discernment of the future. May you indeed discern God’s will in your decision making.

2016 General Assembly Of The Presbyterian Church In Ireland

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bushThe Assembly meeting in Canada has adjourned a few minutes ago and there is plenty to chew on from that meeting, but there is not time for that now. This week the meeting schedule has us drinking from a fire hose and we have to move on to the next one.

About the time I will be posting this the Presbyterian Church in Ireland will be convening their 2016 General Assembly with what is usually an exceptional worship service and the installation of the new Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Frank Sellar. The Assembly runs through Friday 10 June. As the meeting gets going here is some info to help follow along:

  • The live stream is embedded in the main Assembly event page and below it the programme of streaming highlights for the week.
  • The special Wednesday evening program is themed “A Community of Global Concern” and will be live streamed. In addition, following the Assembly’s adjournment there will be the traditional Youth Night on Saturday evening, which will also be live streamed.
  • More background for the Assembly can be found on the Assembly Resources page but I do not yet see the Reports or the full Order of Business posted there yet. Update: The Assembly reports page has gone live now.
  • The polity documents include the main document, The Code, as well as the helpful A Guide to Assembly Procedure.
  • The News page will carry official press releases and news items including the pre-Assembly press release which contains a rundown of the major moments and business at the Assembly this year.

There are plenty of social media contact points for the Assembly, beginning with the official Twitter account @PCIAssembly which in the past has provided a very helpful and comprehensive news feed on the actions of the Assembly. The official moderator’s feed at @PCIModerator has become a great source as well. We will see if Rev. Sellar tweets during GA and how much he shares in his moderatorial year. The official hashtag for the Assembly is #pciga16.

Other ministries of the church that have Twitter accounts are Presbyterian Women (@PWinIreland), Mission Ireland (@MissionIreland) and PCI Global Missions (@PCIOverseas). Fair warning that the latter two don’t seem to have seen much action in a which, similar to another account, Life in PCI (@lifeinpci), that seems to have gone dormant.  We will see if any of these might come to life again for this Assembly.

The other set of social media contacts to keep an eye on are those related to the Youth Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. They can be followed at a couple of different Twitter handles including the Youth Assembly account for PCI SPUD (@pcispud), and the Youth and Children’s Ministry account @PCIYAC. They have previously hosted Fringe Events and you can watch their Facebook page to see what they might be up to this year.

The list of others to watch for interesting and useful updates must start with prolific reporter and insightful commentator Alan in Belfast (@alaninbelfast). For those active in leadership in the church I would point to former Moderator Rob Craig (@RobCraig54) and Cheryl Meban (@cherylmeban) who is active with WCRC and PCI board leadership. So far there seems to be potential from Stuart Morrow (@stuart_morrow) and John Hamilton (@john_nornirn). Will update with others as appropriate.

Certainly have a look at the preview piece for a brief summary of the many topics before the Assembly this year. A report from an Abortion Task Force is getting some press coverage for its recommendation that the church only condone abortion if the life of the mother is at stake. One of the issues that has surfaced at most GA’s in recent years has been that of church officers in same-sex relationships and same-sex weddings in the church. The PCI has consistently stood against these but the passage of same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland – which has PCI congregations – has made it advisable for the General Assembly to consider their policies and practices in this regard. There are also a couple of important anniversaries this year related to events that shaped Ireland. This includes the Battle of the Somme in WWI and the events of 1916 in Ireland.

As always, our prayers are with the Assembly and their discernment and guidance by the Holy Spirit. We look forward to following their work.

But be warned, they may be the only one live streamed this week, but other Assemblies are out there as well. More on that shortly.