<\/p>\n
<\/a>Like many Presbyterians who rode down the escalators at the Pittsburgh airport, when I arrived last night, I was greeted by the, the familiar \u2013 and oh so stylish<\/em> \u2013 sight of those Committee On Local Arrangements (COLA) PC(USA) seal<\/a>-emblazoned aprons. Like the smell of fresh cookies or sizzling bacon wafting from the kitchen, it was a warm reminder what was to come. Yep, it\u2019s General Assembly<\/a> time \u2013 the 220th<\/em> \u2013 for the Presbyterian Church (USA), my\u00a0denominational\u00a0family.<\/p>\n In a nutshell, the PC(USA) gathers together every two years to discern the mind of Christ and the will of God together <\/em>at the national level of our church. Made up of\u00a0commissioners\u00a0from across the country, advisory delegates from around the world and thousands of others who love attending this \u201cfamily reunion,\u201d GA is time when we worship together, pray together and struggle through the\u00a0difficult calling of being community in the world today, complete with all of the complexity, dysfunction and beauty that families tend to embody. Here is a\u00a0reporter\u2019s tongue-in-cheek guide to the 220th General\u00a0Assembly<\/a><\/em> from Jim Nedelka that will give you a little taste of the family fun.<\/p>\n This year, as we\u00a0descend\u00a0upon\u00a0downtown\u00a0Pittsburgh, we will be taking on many issues. From \u201chot buttons\u201d ones such as the\u00a0definition\u00a0of marriage and our divestment from the Caterpillar\u00a0corporation, to less-buzz-worthy, but just as important issues as restructuring our special offerings and approving the formation of non-geographic presbyteries<\/a>, this year should, once again, be jam-packed.<\/p>\n There are a variety of groups who will be reporting on General Assembly from a variety of perspectives but I would commend a few for you to track, not because I endorse them all, but because you\u2019ll get a broad view of what\u2019s going on at GA:\u00a0GA Junkie<\/a>, The Presbyterian Outlook<\/a>, The Presbyterian Layman<\/a>, More Light Presbyterians<\/a>, Presbyterian for Renewal<\/a>,\u00a0Covenant Network of Presbyterians<\/a> and others. For\u00a0official\u00a0news be sure to follow the\u00a0Presbyterian News Service<\/a> and you will want to bookmark the official General Assembly Home Page<\/a> for all\u00a0information\u00a0about business items,\u00a0schedules,\u00a0live-streaming, etc.<\/p>\n If you are attending General Assembly and have one of them fancy, schmancy smart phones, be sure to download the Guidebook App<\/a>,\u00a0search\u00a0for \u201cGeneral Assembly\u201d and begin tracking your schedule of activities. Pretty sweet app.<\/p>\n Social media<\/strong> will again play a big role in how people connect and\u00a0communicate\u00a0with one another about and at General Assembly. Not only do I predict that more than one of us will become Mayor of our assigned plenary seat on Foursquare<\/a> \u2013 Geek Alert Level Red<\/em> \u2013 but the Twitter hashtag, #GA220<\/a>, will be quite active throughout the week.<\/p>\n I will be live-tweeting from @brc_live<\/a> and posting pictures on my FB Photo Album<\/a> and\u00a0if you are on Twitter you may\u00a0want\u00a0to follow my\u00a0Twitter list of those at GA <\/a>, the\u00a0List of Candidates for Moderator and Vice-Moderator<\/a> and\u00a0@presbyterian<\/a> for official news. If you or your\u00a0organization\u00a0needs to be added, please let me know via @breyeschow<\/a> and I\u2019ll be sure to add you.<\/p>\n Please keep in prayer the many GA staff and volunteers who keep things running smoothly, the\u00a0Commissioners and\u00a0Advisory\u00a0Delegates\u00a0who will be\u00a0debating\u00a0and voting and the many observers who simply soaking it all in. I would also lift up\u00a0special\u00a0prayers from the out-going Moderator and Vice-Moderator, Cindy Bolback and Landon Whitsitt as well as the current candidates<\/a>, one of whom will be elected tonight.<\/p>\n On a personal note, as a former moderator, my time is pretty cush. I\u2019ll help out with some things during the election, sit in the former moderators section on the plenary floor and generally try to stay out of the way. Like many, I\u2019ll be exploring the amazing\u00a0exhibition\u00a0hall so please stop me and say hi, stop at the SparkHouse Animate booth<\/a> to see a new study that I am part of <\/a>and, if you are free, you are invited to join me for my Book Release Party<\/a> on July 3rd at\u00a0August Henry\u2019s City Saloon<\/a>.<\/p>\n Let me end by saying that, despite what many say about our General Assemblies when decision are made with which they do not agree, I am a firm\u00a0believer\u00a0that GA brings people together from across the church and helps us to remain connected in a culture that would rather have us retreat into our own\u00a0individual\u00a0bubbles and clusters. While there is much that can be improved, at every General Assembly there are moments when the Holy Spirit sweeps over the body and we get a glimpse of God\u2019s grace and hope for the world and for us. For these grand moments as well as the random hallway conversations, I am grateful for and excited about what is in store for the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).<\/p>\n See you around the hall.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Like many Presbyterians who rode down the escalators at the Pittsburgh airport, when I arrived last night, I was greeted by the, the familiar \u2013 and oh so stylish \u2013 sight of those Committee On Local Arrangements (COLA) PC(USA) seal-emblazoned aprons. Like the smell of fresh cookies or sizzling bacon wafting from the kitchen, it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":4955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8853,17],"tags":[16929,17116,16606,17117,16828,17120,16540,16763,1156,16759,17121,17119,17118],"class_list":["post-4953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bulletin-board","category-faith-religion","tag-220th-general-assembly-of-the-presbyterian-church-usa","tag-cindy-bolbah","tag-covenant-network-of-presbyterians","tag-ga-junkie","tag-landon-whitsitt","tag-more-light-presbyterians","tag-pcusa","tag-pittsburgh","tag-presbyterian","tag-presbyterian-church-usa","tag-presbyterians-for-renewal","tag-the-presbyterian-layman","tag-the-presbyterian-outlook"],"yoast_head":"\n