The Family Reunion Has Begun

General Assembly is off to a great start.

Forest Palmer from our Presbytery's office had a good observation today. If you wonder what General Assembly is like -- think "Family Reunion."

I have seen some of the "close kin folk" I often see -- staff persons from the office of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, pastors and elders from Atlanta area congregations, and Joan Gray.

I am also running into some of the "distant cousins" I don't see often -- missionaries back from the field, friends from other presbyteries, seminary class mates and such.

And like any family, sometimes there are the feuding cousins. One such family division is caused by the "divestment issue." A recent General Assembly voted to divest certain church investments from businesses that the church believes supports the violence in the Mid-East. One key issue was the constrution of a "wall of separation" in Israel, designed to keep Palestinians out. Jews and many Gentile supports see this as divestment of Israel. On the other hand, many people are expressing deep gratitude for what the church has done. The issue will come up at this General Assembly, and the family is fussing already. It is one of the topics of discussion you hear around the assembly. There will be other family arguments before the meeting is over -- but hopefully, we'll stay a family.

Joan Gray is doing a great job today. She has been on her feet all day as she greets commissioners and members of the press. Many of the commissioners come to the General Assembly with a good idea of who will get their vote for Moderator. They have read the position papers and biographies and faith statements of the four candidates for Moderator. But meeting the moderators and listening to them speak is a very important part of the process. Commissioners will either find confirmation for their previous decision, or they will decide they like other candidates better.

The process of electing a Moderator is different from anything else we do in the Presbyterian Church. Nominations and elections are common -- but not the kind of campaigning we see with the Moderator of General Assembly. Some candidates have campaign buttons, one is giving away bottled water, and another from Florida is giving away orange juice. Everyone seems to be giving out cookies. Go by Joan Gray's booth and she is giving baggies with two cookies and a strip of paper that reads, "Joan Gray is one smart cookie, and Robert Wilson makes two!" Robert Wilson is her running mate and he is running for Vice Moderator.


The voting will take place this evening. I will post another entry on this blog as soon as we know something. I know a lot of the readers of this blog are from Greater Atlanta, which has endorsed Joan as moderator, and you will be looking forward to the news.

The Commissioners and staff members of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta have their own blog -- for a different point of view on things, click here!