Birmingham Bound, or Ga-GA

What happens when you combine a family reunion, the exhibit hall at the county fair, a multitude of multicultural worship services, and one very long committee meeting? Why, you have the (now bi-annual) national convention for my personal brand of the frozen chosen. Church geeks, get out your laptops and follow the bouncing ball through the legislation process as we bring you to General Assembly!

I’ll say I was "predestined" to be a nerd for church government. When I was in eighth grade, we had to fill out those goal sheets with our life dreams. At that point, I planned to get a job in journalism after graduating from college, write a sequel to Watership Down, and, at some point attend the national governing body of the PC (USA). 11 years later, I have no desire to write professionally, but I am about to attend my third General Assembly. That dream has been realized, and my love for the church has been strengthened. The first time I attended, I was the youth delegate from my Presbytery, in 1999. My second time, I was being commissioned as a representative of the Young Adult Volunteers, the mission program that brought me to Cincinnati. This year, I have joined the ranks of the gad-flys and onlookers as I prepare specifically to work in the exhibit booth, watch the committee meeting to which I’m assigned for anything that affects Presbyterian Women, and in general serve as a voice to lift up women’s concerns to the General Assembly through whatever means are at my disposal.

At my first GA, in Fort Worth, Texas, I remember standing in awe as the delegations from the various presbyteries entered, and sensing for the first time the connectivity of Presbyterians from coast to coast. At my second GA, in Richmond, Virginia, I remember my exhilaration as the outgoing moderator chose the congregation I had dedicated myself to the previous summer as an example of churches living in fulfillment. Now, at my third GA in Birmingham, Alabama, I’m a little less starry-eyed, a little more cynical, and yet still hopeful for what may come. We have the opportunity to make a landmark decision this year that may maker our churches the inclusive community of which many of us dream. We will be examining our communal doctrine of the Trinity and re-affirming what we believe and expressing it better. We will continue the social witness of the church through overtures involving immigration issues and other pressing concerns. We enter into this exciting time, not knowing what our church will support in two weeks time.

The Spirit is moving in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Our staid little selves are coming together, to listen to the prophets in our midst, and discern what the will of God is for our little section of Christianity. Come what may, in two weeks time there will be a new vision and a new birth in our denomination, as there is with each General Assembly. That is what draws my comrades and myself; that knowledge that God’s work is prevailing in ways that may surprise and shock us. The Presbyterian Church is far from predictable. Will we have the courage to follow where this call leads us?