Reflections on General Assembly by Stafford Fredericks
Do Justice
Micah 6:6-8
I am always pleased to be a part of the dynamic of General Assembly as it meets. The 218th General Assembly held in San Jose was especially meaningful and gave me a glimpse at the future of our denomination.
We came together as groups of people, some with their own agenda, and yet others not knowing what to expect, but all who attended felt the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit as it moved among the Commissioners, Advisory Delegates and observers.
Our denomination has a bright and dynamic future.
Justice was one of the topics on the top of the list of overtures that were considered in committees and in plenary. I would like to mention two of the many overtures that had special meaning to me.
The first of these was from our presbytery. The Presbytery of the Pacific brought forth a recommendation for our denomination to study in depth the AIDS pandemic, not only in Africa, but also in the United States where there is a surge of cases among ethnic groups and young people living within our borders.
The second overture:
The Synod of Belhar, in Cape Town, South Africa and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches brought for consideration the adoption of the Belhar Confession to our Book of Confessions in 2004. Our Book of Confessions has not been changed since the Confession of 1967 and the Brief statement of faith in 1983.
Our brothers and sisters in South Africa had suffered under Apartheid for many years. Our black brothers and sisters in this country were marginalized by oppression and slavery for many years.
Because of this request, the General Assembly in 2004 set in motion a task force to seek methods for the church to express a way to address reparations and reconciliation for our actions in this country. The Belhar Confession, having already been adopted by the New Dutch Reformed Mission Church, with the assistance of our former Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick as president of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches promoted further study.
By an overwhelming majority, the commissioners of the 217th General Assembly in 2006 voted to urge each presbytery and all congregations to undertake a study of the Belhar Confession before the 218th General Assembly.
The Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns asked that the Belhar Confession be presented to the 2008 General Assembly, and the Assembly voted to begin the process of amending our Book of Confessions.
I was honored to be able to work along side our former moderator of the General Assembly, the Reverend Jack Rogers as he gave a presentation to ministers and elders at a meeting of the Association of Stated Clerks. He provided detailed background and his theological interpretation of the Belhar Confession.
One of the major components of this confession as restated by Dr. Rogers is as follows:
“Justice…
We Believe
--that God has revealed himself as the one who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people;
--that God, in a world full of injustice and enmity, is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and the wronged…
--that the church as the possession of God must stand where the Lord stands, namely against injustice and with the wronged; that 9in following Christ the church must witness against all the powerful and privileged who selfishly seek their own interests and thus control and harm others.”
We would ask, as members of this congregation, that we hold the committee that is empowered with completing the draft of this document, deeply in our prayers and thought.
Do Justice, and as we do, we should be reminded of all peoples who are marginalized in our own communities and in our churches.
God will provide… we only need to ask what God wishes of us. We know that our Lord is asking us to do justice with His help. As our denomination grows and changes I am ever mindful of how we are Reformed and always Reforming. That nothing is too great if we ask for God’s help along the way.
Jesus was an incredibly just man, and remains so even now within our hearts. He is ever present with us. We just need to listen.
Showing posts with label General Assembly 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General Assembly 2008. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2008
Reflections on GA - Shari Stump - August 24, 2008
LOVE KINDNESS - Shari Stump
Micah 6:6-8
I’m guessing that it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that my General Assembly experience is all about being social! I was delighted when one of the Presbyterian Women staff in the Louisville office called to ask if I would staff the PW booth in the Exhibit Hall during General Assembly. I immediately said, “Sure, Yes, Of course!” During the course of the five days that the Exhibit Hall was open, I think I spoke about the work of Presbyterian Women to ALMOST everyone who attended. We had one night off – when the exhibit hall was open to GA commissioners only and each booth was staffed by a member of the General Assembly Council. Other than that, from opening to closing each day, I shared the news and stories of what’s up with Presbyterian Women. I was in heaven – and always talking!
I have a couple of experiences that I want to share with you this morning – experiences that touched me and speak of our connectedness and diversity - how different and yet how alike we are!
Buddy and Diana Monahan – whom some of you know from their years here at Covenant – were there staffing the Racial-Ethnic ministries booth next to Presbyterian Women. They live now in Albuquerque where Buddy is on staff at Menaul School. Some of the women’s ministries resource boxes didn’t arrive prior to the opening of the exhibit hall – and when they did, needed to be carried into the Exhibit Hall, one by one – those were the rules! Oh joy, I thought – but soon someone offered up a couple of temporarily unenthusiastic, but muscled young men to help me and after just a few trips to my car trunk by myself, I was joined by the two young men. We had 70 boxes to move…it was going to take a while. On the first trip, in the elevator, I noticed that the boys were wearing Menaul School tee shirts and I told them that I knew someone on the staff at Menaul, and started to ask if they knew Buddy…and I didn’t even get Monahan out of my mouth when it occurred to me that I was looking at younger versions of Buddy. My helpers were Buddy and Diana’s two sons, and I told them that I knew them when they were tiny…and all of a sudden, those welcoming Monahan smiles lit up their faces and 13 year old Jordyn and 11 year old Brandyn and I became related through our extended Presbyterian family. They’re doing very well, by the way, and are handsome, healthy looking, extremely polite young men. Ultimately, as brothers do, they turned the moving of the boxes into a competition, and I was no longer needed to complete the task!
As many of you know, I was on the staff of the Mary Magdalene Project for seven years, and for about 10 years before that, was a volunteer. At this General Assembly, Women’s Ministries chose the Reverend Ann Hayman, former Program Director of the Mary Magdalene Project and dear friend of mine and to many of you, as a recipient of the Woman of Faith award; an award given at each General Assembly to honor the contributions and gifts of two or three special women in a particular focus area. This year’s award went to three women who are in the forefront of “Visionary Women Transforming the Church and Society.” Ann’s work with street prostitutes for almost 30 years certainly qualified her for nomination – and the General Assembly Council saw fit to honor her transformative ministry, ironically two months after she was let go from the Mary Magdalene Project staff. God does work in mysterious ways – and this honor not only affirmed Ann’s contributions and ministry, but also affirmed for her the value of her ministry to society. Not that she really ever doubted the value of the work of the MMP – but she was and is going through a period of discernment and questioning of where God is leading her in the next adventure of her life. Part of Ann’s Woman of Faith statement reads, “I believe in the dignity and worth of each human being. I believe racism is wrong, that sexism contradicts the common good, and that economic disparities are indefensible. I also believe that forgiveness is possible, that grace abounds, that faith sustains and God’s love prevails.” I was privileged to be part of this tribute to a woman whose ministry reflects Micah’s challenge to us all.
The third and final experience that I’ve chosen to share with all of you this morning is that I attended a wedding in the middle of General Assembly at the More Light dinner when Derrick Kikuchi and Craig Wiesner chose to marry each other in front of their “friends” – their friends being those of us at the dinner. Derrick and Craig were married in a church ceremony 18 years ago and chose to legalize that commitment in a Civil Ceremony with the same pastor pronouncing them married and the same witnesses signing their marriage certificate who had been in attendance at their original marriage ceremony. David and Craig are members of the First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto – a church being honored by More Light Presbyterians for their inclusivity. And so, before a room full of friends and friends not yet met, they promised to, among other things, find…the courage to resist the many deaths by which love can die…to be willing to take the risk to accept the vulnerability to love again and again and again,. Both had written vows and promises that brought tears to my eyes. I turned to the man sitting next to me – Bill, a Presbyterian clergyman – who also had tears in his eyes, and said, “I can’t imagine what I’d be like if I actually knew the happy couple!” He laughed and agreed – and Bill & I became friends for the duration of the GA. We were all invited to stay and sign their marriage certificate. At the end of the ceremony, the couple looked out onto a sea of people all wearing rainbow scarves and Craig said, “This is a proclamation in a public place saying why this union – although often scorned by people – is blessed by God. We’ve made an incredible journey these twenty years to be here with you tonight. May God bless us all.” And to that I can only add, Amen!
And now, would you please join me by standing either in body or in spirit to sing, “All Are Welcome”
Micah 6:6-8
I’m guessing that it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that my General Assembly experience is all about being social! I was delighted when one of the Presbyterian Women staff in the Louisville office called to ask if I would staff the PW booth in the Exhibit Hall during General Assembly. I immediately said, “Sure, Yes, Of course!” During the course of the five days that the Exhibit Hall was open, I think I spoke about the work of Presbyterian Women to ALMOST everyone who attended. We had one night off – when the exhibit hall was open to GA commissioners only and each booth was staffed by a member of the General Assembly Council. Other than that, from opening to closing each day, I shared the news and stories of what’s up with Presbyterian Women. I was in heaven – and always talking!
I have a couple of experiences that I want to share with you this morning – experiences that touched me and speak of our connectedness and diversity - how different and yet how alike we are!
Buddy and Diana Monahan – whom some of you know from their years here at Covenant – were there staffing the Racial-Ethnic ministries booth next to Presbyterian Women. They live now in Albuquerque where Buddy is on staff at Menaul School. Some of the women’s ministries resource boxes didn’t arrive prior to the opening of the exhibit hall – and when they did, needed to be carried into the Exhibit Hall, one by one – those were the rules! Oh joy, I thought – but soon someone offered up a couple of temporarily unenthusiastic, but muscled young men to help me and after just a few trips to my car trunk by myself, I was joined by the two young men. We had 70 boxes to move…it was going to take a while. On the first trip, in the elevator, I noticed that the boys were wearing Menaul School tee shirts and I told them that I knew someone on the staff at Menaul, and started to ask if they knew Buddy…and I didn’t even get Monahan out of my mouth when it occurred to me that I was looking at younger versions of Buddy. My helpers were Buddy and Diana’s two sons, and I told them that I knew them when they were tiny…and all of a sudden, those welcoming Monahan smiles lit up their faces and 13 year old Jordyn and 11 year old Brandyn and I became related through our extended Presbyterian family. They’re doing very well, by the way, and are handsome, healthy looking, extremely polite young men. Ultimately, as brothers do, they turned the moving of the boxes into a competition, and I was no longer needed to complete the task!
As many of you know, I was on the staff of the Mary Magdalene Project for seven years, and for about 10 years before that, was a volunteer. At this General Assembly, Women’s Ministries chose the Reverend Ann Hayman, former Program Director of the Mary Magdalene Project and dear friend of mine and to many of you, as a recipient of the Woman of Faith award; an award given at each General Assembly to honor the contributions and gifts of two or three special women in a particular focus area. This year’s award went to three women who are in the forefront of “Visionary Women Transforming the Church and Society.” Ann’s work with street prostitutes for almost 30 years certainly qualified her for nomination – and the General Assembly Council saw fit to honor her transformative ministry, ironically two months after she was let go from the Mary Magdalene Project staff. God does work in mysterious ways – and this honor not only affirmed Ann’s contributions and ministry, but also affirmed for her the value of her ministry to society. Not that she really ever doubted the value of the work of the MMP – but she was and is going through a period of discernment and questioning of where God is leading her in the next adventure of her life. Part of Ann’s Woman of Faith statement reads, “I believe in the dignity and worth of each human being. I believe racism is wrong, that sexism contradicts the common good, and that economic disparities are indefensible. I also believe that forgiveness is possible, that grace abounds, that faith sustains and God’s love prevails.” I was privileged to be part of this tribute to a woman whose ministry reflects Micah’s challenge to us all.
The third and final experience that I’ve chosen to share with all of you this morning is that I attended a wedding in the middle of General Assembly at the More Light dinner when Derrick Kikuchi and Craig Wiesner chose to marry each other in front of their “friends” – their friends being those of us at the dinner. Derrick and Craig were married in a church ceremony 18 years ago and chose to legalize that commitment in a Civil Ceremony with the same pastor pronouncing them married and the same witnesses signing their marriage certificate who had been in attendance at their original marriage ceremony. David and Craig are members of the First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto – a church being honored by More Light Presbyterians for their inclusivity. And so, before a room full of friends and friends not yet met, they promised to, among other things, find…the courage to resist the many deaths by which love can die…to be willing to take the risk to accept the vulnerability to love again and again and again,. Both had written vows and promises that brought tears to my eyes. I turned to the man sitting next to me – Bill, a Presbyterian clergyman – who also had tears in his eyes, and said, “I can’t imagine what I’d be like if I actually knew the happy couple!” He laughed and agreed – and Bill & I became friends for the duration of the GA. We were all invited to stay and sign their marriage certificate. At the end of the ceremony, the couple looked out onto a sea of people all wearing rainbow scarves and Craig said, “This is a proclamation in a public place saying why this union – although often scorned by people – is blessed by God. We’ve made an incredible journey these twenty years to be here with you tonight. May God bless us all.” And to that I can only add, Amen!
And now, would you please join me by standing either in body or in spirit to sing, “All Are Welcome”
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