General Assembly

Setting the table

The Coordinating Table, established just before General Assembly by the then-Moving Forward Implementation Commission (now a special committee), held its initial meeting Monday to learn what’s expected of its work and how that work can best be accomplished.

Current and former GA Moderators join #GivingTuesday telethon

When the decision was made earlier this year to hold a virtual assembly, not only did Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart and the Rev. Gregory Bentley, Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020), have to forego a trip to Baltimore, but they also missed out on the time-honored tradition of gathering with their predecessors who have also held the denomination’s highest elected office. Thanks to #GivingTuesday, their wait is over.

Co-Moderator will preach during theological symposium

Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart, Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly (2020) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the synod executive of the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, will preach online at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday as part of the Vine Deloria Jr. Theological Symposium.

Addressing race and reparations

Last week the Special Committee on Racism, Truth & Reconciliation hosted  conversations with the Rev.  Dr. Mark Lomax, founding pastor of First Afrikan Presbyterian Church in Lithonia, Georgia, and Dr. William Yoo of Columbia Theological Seminary around race, church history and reparations.

What, then, is the church?

The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Special Committee on Racism, Truth, and Reconciliation continued its work Thursday by hearing from a Columbia Theological Seminary faculty member who’s studied the work of James Henley Thornwell, a Columbia Seminary professor during the mid-1800s who defended slavery in his essay, “What, then, is the church?”

Divine permission

Following the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II’s address to Synod School Thursday evening, he and Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart, co-moderator of the 224th General Assembly (2020), held an engaging chat in front of more than 80 of the 330 or so people who attended this year’s Synod School via Zoom and Facebook.

Sisters win Presbyterian Writers Guild’s two top 2020 awards

When a worldwide pandemic upended plans for an in-person General Assembly, the Presbyterian Writers Guild had to postpone its biennial awards luncheon until 2022. But the two award-winners, Jane and Caroline Kurtz, were able to receive their awards this year, thanks to the U.S. Postal Service.