219th GA: Breaking Down and Packing Up the Exhibit Hall Booths

The Exhibit Hall at the General Assembly was scheduled to close Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM, but traffic was so light in the Exhibit Hall early Wednesday evening that many Exhibitors started breaking down and packing up their booths prior to the 7:00 PM Closing Time, the Presbyterian Voices for Justice Booth among them. By the time I arrived at the Exhibit Hall just a few minutes before 7:00 PM to help dismantle and pack booth materials, most of the work had already been done by Vicki, Mitch and Sue with a little help from Doug (photo right). There was very little for me to help with when I arrived.

Because there was as staggered arrival of Exhibitors as the General Assembly was about to begin, setting up the booths in the Exhibit Hall seemed to require more time than taking them down at the end. At the end, in a matter of just a couple of hours the Exhibit Hall was transformed from a collection of booths offering all sort of information and material, even selling books, gifts and crafts, to a hodgepodge of packed boxes and crates as well as piles of garbage.

We finished dismantling and packing up by 7:30 PM and were on our way out of the Exhibit Hall for the last time. Someone else from PVJ would come back in the morning to retrieve the three plastic packing crates that we left behind. I hope they were, in fact, picked up.

219th GA: Dancing the Night away at the Witherspoon Society Dance

I am biased, but I think the Witherspoon Society dance is, without a doubt, the most fun event at the General Assembly. This GA’s dance was held last Tuesday from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM Wednesday in the Hyatt’s Nicollet Ballroom. By the time I arrived, around 10:00 PM, the room was already buzzing with several people on the dance floor.

This year’s DJ was one of the better ones over the past few years, playing three to four songs from the same genre, such a rock, before switching to another genre, such as hip-hop. As usual these days, the DJ not only played dance tunes but provided a light show which illuminated the dance floor with various lighting effects, adding to the celebrative mood (photo right).

With a cash bar that offered soft drinks as well as beer and wine, and perhaps mixed drinks (but I really don’t know), there were many opportunities for liquid refreshment at the dance. Our beveridge of choice for the evening was red wine. Those of legal drinking age had their hand or other body parts stamped so the bar tenders could identify them and those under legal drinking age were required to sign a covenant, stating that they would not drink alcohol. Free munchies, including pretzels and dip, nuts, potato chips and popcorn were also available and widely consumed.

The room exploded into applause when General Assembly Moderator Cynthia Bolbach entered the venue. Even though I got down on my knees and pleaded with her to give me the honor of the first Moderatorial dance, I was rebuffed. I later learned that while our Moderator has many attributes, dancing might not be one of them.

The last several years it has seemed that those responsible for the Young Adult Advisory Delegates (YAADs) have scheduled activities for them which conflict with the timing of the dance. For instance, this year YAADs were given the opportunity to be bused to the nearby Mall of America, yet a few opted to skip the mall and come to the dance, and a few younger people who were not YAADS also attended the dance.

I think attending the Witherspoon Dance would have been a better GA experience for YAADS than going to the Mall of America. The Witherspoon Dance is a fully inclusive celebration of life and an opportunity to either relax and unwind or dance away pent up energy after days of sitting in meetings, scheduled for the evening after committee work has concluded and before the plenary work begins. Busing YAADS to the Mall of America only helps perpetuate a culture of decadent consumerism that is often at odds with the gospel.

I heard there was a rumor circulating before the dance that the Witherspoon Dance was “the Gay Dance”. Because of the open and inclusive justice stance of the former Witherspoon Society, now Presbyterian Voices for Justice, LGBTs have always felt safe attending to the dance and dancing with one another. The largest percentage of people at the dance, however, was probably not LGBTs, and there were at least a few heterosexual married couples in the room as well as on the dance floor.

For the record, my wife and I, as we at several Witherspoon Dances, were two of the last people on the dance floor, staying till the very last dance.  And for the record, as the evening drew to a close and only three men and sevral women were still on the dance floor, two of the men were members of New York City Presbytery and the third was a member of Hudson River Presbytery, proof positive that New Yorkers rock.

219th GA: Exhibitor Booths in the Exhibit Hall

There are numerous exhibitor “booths” in the General Assembly Exhibit Hall. The booths belong to various entities and or organizations of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), not-for-profit organizations of Presbyterians, and companies and business which cater to churches. The not-for-profit organizations run the full range of the theological spectrum, from the progressive to the conservative.

I am registered as an Exhibitor for Presbyterians Voices for Justice. Our booth (photo right), which is actually a double booth, is located, this year, near the main entrance of the Exhibit Hall. Our location is only fair because two years ago, at the GA in San Jose, our booth was located in the back of the exhibit hall. Because the exhibit hall in San Jose was much smaller than this year’s hall, we were also limited two years ago to a single booth even though we were willing to pay for a double booth.

Across the aisle from us is one of our “friendlies”, that is a not-for-profit organization that embraces a similar commitment to justice, even if their commitment is more focused and less inclusive than PVJ’s broad focus. That group across the aisle is the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. The Covenant Network (Cov-Net) was formed in (year) by several tall steeple preachers in response to the constitution being amended to prohibit the ordination and installation of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered persons. I regularly contribute to Cov-Net and participate in its programs but do not consider myself a member of the Cov-Net because the Cov-Net is not really a “Membership” organization. Cov-Net appears to me to be highly organized and generally well polished, although sometimes a little regimented and tending to take a safer and less controversial approach than other groups. Their most recognizable staff are Pam Byers (photographed in the booth, right) and Tricia Dykers-Koeneg.

On the other side of the curtain which is the back wall of Cov-Net’s booth is the booth of More Light Presbyterians (MLP)(photo right). In the words of my young friend Charlie, these are “the rainbow people”, the people who at GA distribute rainbow colored scarves for commissioners and others to wear as a witness to their commitment to a fully inclusive church. MLP has been engaged in the struggle for the full inclusion of LGBTs in the life of the church, including removing impediments to their ordination, and advocating for their right to marry people of the same sex, longer than any other group in the Presbyterian Church. MLP has often taken a more controversial and “in your face” approach than Cov-Net. MLP also knows how to have fun in worship and to be prophetic without apology or compromise. Among them are some of the most loving, compassionate, and pastoral people I know. Like Cov-Net, I regularly contribute to MLP and participate in its programs. Their Executive Director is Michael Adee.

Across the aisle from MLP is the booth (photo right) of That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS), another pro LGBT organization that in my mind spun off from MLP and is perhaps more focused on the ordination issue rather than the acceptance and rights of all LGBT Presbyterians. Their booth is designed to look like the booth in a diner, which symbolizes that they desire the church to be “open” all the time, like a diner, and that God invites all people to the table of the Lord. Their Executive Director is Lisa Largess.

At the other end of the exhibit hall are the booths of other groups I share an affinity with. One of these groups is the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship (PPF) (photo right), the peacemaking peaceniks of the Presbyterian Church who more faithfully follow Peacemaking: The Believers Calling than most of us and who seek to live lives of radical peacemaking. They number around 3,000, which by some standards might seem small, but their spirit is great and their witness without parallel. Their Executive Director is former General Assembly Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase.

Next to the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship booth is the booth of the National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund (photo right), a not-for-profit organization which advocates for passage of the Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Bill, which, when enacted “would restore the rights of citizens whose conscience does not permit physical or financial participation in all war, Federal taxes of designated conscientious objectors would be placed in a non-military trust fund, enabling these citizens to be free from spiritual bondage, increasing federal revenue, and restoring the balance of government between collective security and non-interference in an individual’s free exercise of belief.” The newly elected Chairman of the Campaign, whom I just recently met, is Rick Woodard. Their Executive Director is Bethany Criss.

Not far down the aisle from the booth of the National Campaign for a Peace Tax and the booth of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship is the booth of Presbyterians for Earth Care (photo right), “the green people”. This organization used to be known as Presbyterians for Restoring Creation, of which I was a charter member. Many of its founding members were, at the time of its founding, as I was, also members of the Witherspoon Society. Of all the advocacy groups in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), this is the only group that advocates for nothing else other than environmental stewardship. It shares its booth with Warren Wilson College, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) related college that is, without a doubt, the greenest Presbyterian College in the country.

There are many more exhibitors with booths in the Exhibit Hall, even some other “friendlies” , but these are some of the ones I, with a commitment to social justice, the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the life of the church, peacemaking, and environmental stewardship, am most drawn to.

219th GA: Presbyterian Voices for Justice Awards Luncheon

Over a hundred people attended the Presbyterian Voices for Justice Awards Luncheon held Sunday in the Hyatt Regency Hotel Nicollet Ballroom A. Guests we welcomed by the Reverend William Dummer, Presbyterian Voices for Justice (PVJ) Co-Moderator, who immediately recognized Vice Moderator Elect the Reverend Landon Whitsitt. Whitsitt brought greetings on behalf the General Assembly and its Moderator the Reverend Cindy Bolbach.

The Reverend Catherine Snyder, PVJ Coordinating Team Member, offered the Invocation.

As guests were eating, PVJ Secretary Mitchell Trigger and PVJ Treasurer Darcy Hawk (in drag as Sophie Witherspoon) humorously pressed the need for financially supporting the mission of Presbyterian Voices for Justice through memberships and gifts.

PVJ CT member Sylvia Thorson-Smith introduced the speaker, the Reverend Mary Elva Smith. Smith was the Director of Women’s Ministries in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) from2001-2006 and is currently serving as Acting General Presbyter for the Sierra Mission Partnership. Smith’s meditative speech invited guests to prayerfully and meditatively reflect on where they have come from and where they are going on the justice journey and to examine what it means to be a Presbyterian Voice for Justice. During her presentation she invited those present to read in unison the Mission Statement of PVJ, to think about the Great Ends of the Church, to examine the role and size of Presbyteries, Synods and our national Offices, and what it means to be a Presbyterian in the 21st century. She also challenged those present to be nurtured by the Spirit and nurture the spirit of PVJ.

After Smith’s presentation representatives of various progressive groups were invited to introduce themselves. Among those represented were Presbyterian Affirming Reproductive Options, the Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association, That All May Freely Serve, More Light Presbyterians, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Presbyterians for Earth Care, Soul Force, and others.

The Reverend Bebe Baldwin spoke about the first award recipient, the Kwanza Community Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, recipient of the Whole Gospel Congregation Award. The award was presented “in grateful recognition for ‘bringing saving freedom to body, mind & soul’ through the Good News of Jesus to all the people of the community”. The Reverend Lika Galloway, Co-Pastor (along with her husband Ralph) of the Kwanza Community Church, accepted the award on behalf of the congregation.

TPVJ Acting Co-Moderator Colleen Bowers presented the Andrew Murray Award to Ann and Manly Olson, long-time active Presbyterian leaders at congregational, presbytery, and national levels. The award was presented “in grateful recognition of their commitment and passion to social justice for all of God’s people in their service to the entire Church.”

The Reverend Sylvia Carlson, another member of the PVJ Coordinating Team, offered the Benediction.

219th GA: Visit Vicki in the Voices Venue: Button, Button, Whose Got the Button

Vicki's first Presbyterian General Assembly (GA) was 1983 when she was a Youth Advisory Delegate (YAD) to the United Presbyterian Church United States of America (UPCUSA) GA in Atlanta. She first volunteered in the Exhibit Hall Booth of the Witherspoon Society back when Gail Knox was the booth Coordinator. She can’t remember when she inherited the Booth Coordinator mantle, but she has been wearing it awhile now.

This is the first year Vicki has coordinated the Presbyterian Voices for Justice (PVJ) Booth because this is the first GA that PVJ has been in existence. PV4J was formed in 2009 by a union of The Witherspoon Society and Voices of Sophia. In the past, Vicki has been a member of both previous groups, so she is a good person to coordinate the PVJ Booth.

Continuing a tradition begun by Gail Knox, Vicki selects liberal, progressive and otherwise subversive buttons to sell, this year for one dollar each. At times a crowd of button shoppers can gather at the booth as they each look for the perfect button to express their left wing politics and/or heterodox theology. And this year, to help introduce PVJ, Vicki has also selected wild and crazy postcards, bumper stickers, and bookmarks, also for sale at one dollar each.

Vicki started working mid Thursday afternoon and into the early evening to set up the booth and continued working Friday morning to prepare it for the opening of the exhibit hall at noon.

In addition to buttons, postcards, bumper stickers and bookmarks, the PVJ Booth, #303 in the GA Exhibit Hall, also offers free throat soothers so that progressive Presbyterians can maintain their voice for justice while at the General Assembly.

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.

Presbyterian Voices for Justice is Born

Last Wednesday, the website of the former Witherspoon Society announced that it has a new name. It is now the website of Presbyterian Voices for Justice, a union of the Witherspoon Society and Voices of Sophia. According to the announcement:

We have a new name!

We are delighted to announce the new name of the merged organization of Witherspoon Society and Voices of Sophia: Presbyterian Voices for Justice. We offer our thanks and congratulations to Anne Barstow for offering the winning entry in our contest to find a new name -- and our thanks to all the others who have offered very good ideas as well.

We believe it is clear about who we are as a merged organization, maintaining both the “Voices” aspect of the former Voices of Sophia and the broad-reaching “Justice” concerns of the former Witherspoon Society. And it makes clear that we are Presbyterian in membership and outlook. Also, it has a short and easy acronym! We look forward to continuing our discernment of God’s “voice” for justice in church and society.
The union of these two progressive grass root Presbyterian voluntary associations has been in the making since the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in San Jose when it was first publicly announced that the two organizations would be merging. The Boards of the two groups met in a combined meeting last May in Minneapolis to begin massaging the union. The photo of notes on newsprint, to the right, is a small sample of their joint work.

As Eugene TeSelle has noted in his A Network of the Concerned, a brief history of the Witherspoon Society published in 2003, “The Witherspoon Society, organized in 1973, is often called the ‘liberal caucus’ or the ‘Common Cause’ of the Presbyterian Church. While there are a number of special-purpose organizations in the progressive wing of the church, the Witherspoon Society has tried to deal with all the issues and relate to all these kindred organizations.”

I have thought of the Witherspoon Society as a gadfly, calling the PC(USA) and its leaders to account when they back away from the Social Gospel. With a small but passionate membership, the Witherspoon Society has provided theological reflection and community organization for many progressive causes, sometimes acting as a mediator or peacemaker among other progressive organizations whose more focused agendas sometimes find their strategies conflicting.

According to a post on the Voices of Sophia blog, “VOS was organized in 1995 in response to the backlash against the 1993 feminist theological event known as “Re-Imagining.” It was felt by many who were active in the PCUSA at the time that those who advocated feminist values, particularly women staff, were under siege and needed a critical mass of support outside the structures of the church.” Voices of Sophia was intended to be that critical mass and ever since has been “a community of women and men in the larger community of the Presbyterian Church (USA) being reformed by God through the Spirit of the living Christ, and working toward the transformation of the church into a discipleship of equals.”

If both former organizations bring their strengths to this union, progressive peace loving, justice minded, creation affirming, feminist, proponents of the full inclusion of LGBT Presbyterians will have the opportunity of associating with a group that is neither single issue focused or dominated by Pastors of tall steeple large churches. On the other hand, if both partners to this union contribute their weaknesses it will be only a matter of time before its combined membership dwindles and the organization becomes irrelevant. I hope and pray for the former.

Disclaimer: My wife has been a member of Voices of Sophia and both she and I have been members of the Witherspoon Society, both of us having served at separate times on Board of the Society. The opinions expressed above, however, are my own and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of the former Witherspoon Society, Voices of Sophia, or the current Presbyterian Voices for Justice or any other former or current Board Members of the previous or current organizations. Anne Barstow, who suggested name was selected from numerous entrys as the best, is a member of the Rutgers Presbyterian Church in New York City and was a member of the New York City Commission which installed me as Designated Pastor of North Church Queens.