Get to Know the Candidates for Moderator of the 220th General Assembly of the PC(USA)

RESPONSE LINKS: Robert and Hope | Neal and Tara | Susan and James | Randy and Shamaine

UPDATE: Janet Edwards, the fifth candidate for Moderator, recently made the decision to remove her name from the slate in order to care for her husband, Alvise. Read Janet’s Blog Post, Stepping Down from Standing for Moderator of the 220th General Assembly and please hold Janet, Alvise and their community in prayer.

Last week, I gave a little peek into the world of Presbyterian Church (USA) Land and the election of the Moderator of the 220th General Assembly of the PC(USA). To learn about the candidates, the best source is the official  2012 Moderatorial Candidates’ Handbook that has biographical information and responses to questions.  Another good source of information are responses to questions given to the candidates by various organizations and entities. This year I jumped into the fray and, in all fairness, as a former Moderator, it would have been hard for them to say no . . . so a great big thank you to the candidates for indulging me.

I posed the follow questions and gave them a 1,500 character limit for each response.

1. Knowing that being Moderator/Vice-Moderator will require a great deal of time and energy from you and your community, why give in this way to the Presbyterian Church (USA)?
2. If someone were to ask you, “Why should I bother going to church?” how would you respond?
3. Choose one item of business or issue that will be coming up at General Assembly and share your perspective.
4. What are a few things that most people would never guess about you: interests, adventures or . . .?
5. WILD CARD: Answer any question you want, one that someone has yet to ask or choose from some that have been asked here: http://bit.ly/KwiN07.

Below you will find some basic info for each team of candidates, including some of their social media platforms and links to their responses. Enjoy!

Robert Austell (Moderator) and Hope Italiano Lee (Vice-Moderator)

• Robert Austell – Teaching Elder, Charlotte Presbytery
  Website | Blog | Twitter | RESPONSES
• Hope Italiano Lee –  Teaching Elder, Peace River Presbytery
  Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | RESPONSES

Randy Branson (Moderator) and Shamaine Chambers King (Vice-Moderator)

• Randy Branson – Teaching Elder, Palo Duro Presbytery
  Website | Twitter | Facebook | RESPONSES
• Shamaine Chambers King –  Teaching Elder, Des Moines Presbytery
  Twitter | Facebook | RESPONSES

Susan Krummel (Moderator) and James Sanghyun Lee (Vice-Moderator)

• Susan Krummel – Teaching Elder, Great Rivers Presbytery
  Website | Twitter | Facebook | RESPONSES
• James Sanghyun Lee –  Teaching Elder, Trinity Presbytery
  Website | RESPONSES

Neal Presa (Moderator) and Tara Spuhler McCabe (Vice-Moderator)

• Neal Presa – Teaching Elder, Elizabeth Presbytery
  Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | RESPONSES
• Tara Spuhler McCabe –  Teaching Elder, National Capital Presbytery
  Website | Facebook | RESPONSES

Again, I would like to give a word of personal thanks to all of the candidates for taking the time to respond to my questions and for the overall willingness to answer a call to offer their names for service to and with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Thank you.