219th: We Arrived

For the next several days I will be blogging from and primarily about the 219th General Assembly (GA) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meeting July 3-10, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. My wife Vicki and I arrived in Minneapolis thanks to AirTran (photo top right) after an uneventful flight from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport with a connection flight through Milwaukie. The flight from Milwaukie to Minneapolis was actually one of the most comfortable flights we have ever experienced thanks to our being bumped up from Coach to Business Class.

For non-Presbyterians, GA is the highest and most inclusive Governing Body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Elected “Commissioners” will be receiving report s and acting on overtures and their votes will determine the procedures and policies of the Presbyterian Church for the next two to several years. Advisory delegates will represent the views and opinions of various constituencies such as youth, Seminary Students, and Christians from other churches and across the world. Exhibitors will be hocking wares, from books to coffee, as well as programs, ideas, and causes. Observers are watching and lobbying. As I tried to explain the nature of the GA in a church newsletter, it is part legislative body, part convention, and part family reunion.

If you have absolutely no interest in any of this, come back to Summit to Shore after July 10, when I will revert to my usual eclectic posting.