{"id":35,"date":"2014-05-14T22:50:30","date_gmt":"2014-05-15T05:50:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gajunkie.info\/blog\/?p=35"},"modified":"2014-05-14T22:50:30","modified_gmt":"2014-05-15T05:50:30","slug":"a-trio-of-vice-moderator-candidates-for-the-221st-general-assembly-of-the-pcusa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.gajunkie.com\/?p=35","title":{"rendered":"A Trio Of Vice-Moderator Candidates For The 221st General Assembly Of The PC(USA)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/font><\/font><\/font>
\nAs we hit the one-month mark before the 221st General Assembly<\/a> of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<\/a> this is a good time to profile the three individuals that the candidates standing for Moderator have asked to join them on this journey. At the onset we can make one very sweeping generalization and say that the next Vice-Moderator will be a female teaching elder. There is also a certain unique symmetry in the choices with the candidate now from North Carolina, but with strong ties to Virginia, picking a New Yorker, the New Yorker joining with a Virginian, and the Texan running with, well, another Texan. It makes one wonder if there is a Presbyterian Camps and Conference Centers thing going on with a Stoney Point\/Montreat\/Mo Ranch association here, but that would beg the question of where is Ghost Ranch in this and how Virginia fits in? (Makemie Woods? Massanetta Springs? Or we could do it with Presbyterian seminaries…) But I am probably starting to go down a line that is correlation without causation<\/a>, so let me return to the matter at hand.<\/p>\n

I will take these in chronological order of announcement.<\/p>\n

MaryAnn McKibben Dana<\/a><\/b> was the first announced Vice-Moderator candidate standing with TE John Wilkinson. Teaching Elder McKibben Dana is pastor of Idylwood Presbyterian Church<\/a> in Falls Church, Va.<\/font> and a member of National Capital Presbytery<\/a>. She has her undergraduate degree from Rice University<\/a> and her M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary<\/a>. She had a previous call as an associate pastor at Burke Presbyterian Church<\/a> in Burke, Va. TE McKibben Dana has served the church in a number of areas including the current adventure of co-chairing NEXT Church<\/a>. She is also author of Sabbath in the Suburbs<\/a><\/i> with another book on the way. <\/p>\n

In her regular blog, The Blue Room Blog<\/a>, Ms McKibben Dana talks a little bit about this call. She is quoted in the PC(USA) press release<\/a> as saying:<\/p>\n

It is a joy and an honor to stand with John at this pivotal time in the
\nlife of our denomination. I look forward to helping articulate a vision
\nfor the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that is grounded in our tradition,
\nyet infused with the Holy Spirit’s power to speak a vibrant word for
\nthe current and future church.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Similarly, TE Wilkinson talks about his Vice-Moderator choice on his Moderator candidacy blog<\/a>:<\/p>\n

MaryAnn brings a welcome voice and perspective as we envision the future
\nof the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and I am grateful for her
\nwillingness to serve and the leadership that she will bring to our
\nshared journey. MaryAnn is creative, thoughtful, hopeful, relational \u2013
\nher strength in written and verbal communication is built upon a deep
\nfaith and considerable pastoral giftedness.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\nTeaching Elder Larissa Kwong Abazia<\/b> was chosen by Moderator candidate RE Heath Rada as his running mate. Ms Kwong Abazia currently serves as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills<\/a> in Queens, New York, in the Presbytery of New York City<\/a>. The PC(USA) press release<\/a> describes her church as “a multicultural, multiethnic congregation.” She is a native of New Jersey, did her undergraduate work at Rutgers<\/a> and her M.Div. is from Princeton Theological Seminary<\/a>. She has done additional post-graduate studies at the University of Sussex<\/a>. Her previous calls were in Chicago and Manasquan, N.J. Among her denominational work she has served as co-moderator of Racial Ethnic Young Women Together<\/a>. The PC(USA) press release quotes her as saying \u201cI believe that we need one another to embody the fullness of the
\nChurch,\u201d and \u201cOur ability to live in fellowship will
\ndefine our faithfulness to God\u2019s call to beloved community.\u201d In the Presbyterian Outlook’s Moderator candidate article<\/a> RE Rada describes her like this:<\/p>\n

Her experiences as a Chinese American, young adult pastor and serving a
\nsmaller congregation in New York City have exposed her to the positive
\nand negative effects that others can have on one\u2019s sense of identity.
\nShe is passionate about God\u2019s call to a beloved community where
\nindividuals are invited to bring all that they are to the Table.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[As an editorial comment I would point out that I was unable to find any substantial source information on TE Kwong Abazina from RE Rada’s web site hence no references back to that source.]<\/p>\n

Our final candidate is Teaching Elder Leslie A. King<\/a><\/b> of Waco, Texas, where she pastors<\/a> the First Presbyterian Church<\/a>, a congregation in Grace Presbytery<\/a>. Her previous call was at Osawatomie Presbyterian Church<\/a> in Osawatomie, Kansas. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas<\/a>, her M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary<\/a> and a D.Min. from the Saint Paul’s School of Theology<\/a> (a UMC school in Overland Park, KS, in case you don’t recognize it). From the available information, principally her biographical sheet<\/a> on Kelly Allen’s Moderator candidacy web site<\/a>, there is no information on service to the wider church, but see Kelly’s comment below.<\/p>\n

On the bio sheet TE King talks about her ministry:<\/p>\n

\nMy inexhaustible interest is in working alongside a local congregation toward the discovery of clues. Clues often begin as mysterious experiences that can frustrate or confound. Those same clues are often the catalyst for the discovery of program, ministry and mission in Christ\u2019s name. Discovery is at the heart of redevelopment. I am passionate about church\u2019s clues.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the Outlook article<\/a>, TE Kelly Allen says of TE King:<\/p>\n

When I met Leslie, I had the immediate sense that she is a leader who
\ncould enter the most complicated situation and offer creative,
\nreconciling leadership. Leslie is a \u201crooted\u201d pastor who describes
\nherself as \u201cfirst and foremost a student in the classroom of the local
\ncongregation.\u201d Leslie is a committed presbyter. She chaired the
\nAdministrative Commission for churches seeking separation for five years
\nin Heartland Presbytery. She served Committee on Ministry in two
\npresbyteries and on a Vision Planning Task Force. In her ministry,
\nLeslie works toward a \u201cconsistent integration (in pulpit, classroom and
\nidle conversation) of all the disciplines of hard and soft sciences,
\nlocal and global politics, literature and the arts into conversation
\nwith Scripture.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[Another editorial comment: For TE King I could not find a PC(USA) press release for her, probably because she is the most recent to be announced and it is still in the works.]<\/p>\n

So there you have a rundown on the three Vice-Moderator candidates. It looks like the final count is five teaching elders and one ruling elder. Their present geographical locations are a bit limited with New York and Texas figuring prominently in the count bolstered by TE McKibben Dana being a Texas native. Of the Vice-Moderator candidates I have only found a Twitter feed for TE McKibben Dana (@revmamd<\/a>). UPDATE: I now see that TE King has a new Twitter handle (@WacoPastor<\/a>) and in doing so found an older existing one (@leslie66064<\/a>) that I missed.<\/p>\n

For consolidated information on all the candidates you can check out the Outlook article<\/a> or the official Moderatorial Candidates Handbook<\/a> which was released last week.<\/p>\n

The 221st General Assembly convenes one month from today, June 14th, with the Moderator Elections that evening. It will be interesting. Please join me in praying for all the candidates as the GA approaches. And stay tuned…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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