Giving thanks for seven members’ years of service on the A Corp Board

Seven faithful Presbyterians ended their service at the close of the 226^th General Assembly

by Mark Koenig, Administrative Services Group | Special to Presbyterian News Service

Sam Bonner is one of four original members of the A Corporation  Board to be leaving the Board following the 226th General Assembly. (Photo by Gregg Brekke)

LOUISVILLE — Service to the church plays a key role in any General Assembly. Commissioners and advisory delegates discern God’s will to shape the church’s mission and ministry. Resource persons and overture advocates share information to aid that process. Staff from the Office of the General Assembly, the Presbyterian Mission Agency and the Administrative Services Group as well as volunteers support the assembly’s work.

The General Assembly also makes decisions about the people who will serve the PC(USA) in a variety of ways. New board, committee, and task force members (Presbyterians work in ordered groups) are elected as some board, committee, and task force members have completed their service.

For seven members of the A Corporation Board, the end of the 226th General Assembly (2024) brought their faithful service to a close. Bridget-Anne Hampden, Chris Mason, Tom McNeill, and Sam Bonner had served since the Board’s current configuration was established in 2018. They were among those “present at the creation” of the Board, in the words of fellow member the Rev. Bill Teng.

Mark Lu, Joyce Rarumangkay, and the Rev. Dr. SanDawna Gaulman Ashley, who joined the Board more recently, also ended their service at the General Assembly’s close.

The original A Corporation Board co-chairs were Bridget-Anne Hampden and Chris Mason. (Photo by Mike Ferguson)

Hampden and Mason agreed to serve as the original Board co-chairs beginning in the fall of 2018. Those who worked with them affirm they did this well. “They each brought gifts that were needed,” says Carol Winkler. “Their backgrounds and experiences — Chris in the legal world and Bridget-Anne in the corporate world — made a huge difference as we began our work,” said Teng.

The A Corporation Board, through the Administration Services Group, engages in the ministry of administration that is essential to the functioning of the PC(USA). Hampden and Mason helped shape ASG’s work.

Rarumangkay notes that “Bridget-Anne and JoAnne Sharp led a workshop on language services at the Big Tent in Baltimore. This workshop contributed to the development of the Global Language Resources program.” Mason’s legal background proved invaluable on a variety of legal issues related to the church’s life as did the difficult questions he often asked.

In addition to their work and life experience and their experience serving the PC(USA) in other ways, Jason Micheli observes that “Bridget-Anne, Chris, Tom, Sam, and the other Board members shared a deep commitment to Christ and the church. They wanted to see the church thrive and flourish. They worked together to make that happen.” Winkler sees God at work in the process. “God called us to this ministry and God provides for us as we serve.”

For Sharp, an original member who remains on the Board, her service “has truly been a blessed learning experience.” The Rev. Heidi Bolt, who joined the Board during the Covid pandemic, concurs. “Board members are amazing people doing amazing work in the name of Jesus Christ on behalf of the PC(USA) and God’s world.”

Hampden agrees. “I have served the Church in many places and in many ways. It has been a joy to be part of the A Corporation Board.”

Tom McNeill was one of the four original A Corporation Board members to be leaving the Board following the 226th General Assembly.

Asked about his hope for the future, McNeil frames his response in terms of confidence. “I have confidence that our successors on the Board will pursue the Church’s mission with joy and ability. By God’s grace, they will have what it takes to bring our collective future forward.”

“Bridget-Anne and Chris were ideal persons for the roles of the first Board co-chairs,” said Kathy Lueckert, president of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation. “They proved essential in the work of getting the Board off the ground. Tom, Sam, Mark, Joyce, and SanDawna also provided valuable service. Well done, individually and as a group! For all the saints who have faithfully served on the A Corporation Board, and for all who will serve, we give thanks to God.”