And on Another Blog . . . Lectionary Ruminations

Every Thursday, for the past twenty-six weeks, I have been posting Lectionary Ruminations, on the PRESBYTERIAN BLOGGERS blog.

Lectionary Ruminations is a Socratic reflection on the Lectionary Readings for the following Sunday.

Click on the first hot link to read the post. Click on the second hot link to explore the blog in general.

219th GA: Post Assembly Reflections

After packing up the PVJ Booth in GA Exhibit Hall Thursday evening, we got our first full night’s sleep in three nights. When we woke up Thursday morning, we started packing our own belongings and checked out of our room by 10:30 AM. With luggage in tow, a three block walk took us to the Government Plaza station on the light rail line. From there we rode the train to the Minneapolis airport were we boarded our AirTran flight for New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. (photo right)

While waiting in the Minneapolis airport and during a layover in Milwaukie, we watched the GA plenary via live streaming on my wife’s smart phone. Once we arrived home we watched on the screen of my laptop. We might have physically left Minneapolis but we had not spiritually left the Assembly, and the work of the Assembly went on, not scheduled to adjourn until Saturday morning.

I registered for the GA as both an Exhibitor (Presbyterian Voices for Justice) as well as an Observer. Although I opted not to register as Press, I went to the GA intending to blog about my experiences, and blog I did, 26 posts to date. I found that the more activities, events, and special meals I attended, the less time I had to blog. And the more I blogged, the less time I had to meander through the Exhibit Hall and visit with friends and colleagues. The key, for me, was finding a happy medium. If nothing else, attending the GA as an Exhibitor/Observer while trying to blog about the experience increased my respect for reporters and other journalists at the General Assembly and the work they do. Writing is hard work and takes time, if done well. Kudos to the Presbyterian News Service. Some in the secular press could use a brief introduction to Presbyterian polity and termimnology.

Since I am not a professional reporter or journalist I did not feel bound by the professional ethic of maintaining objectivity. It was not my intent to offer a fair, balanced, and objective viewpoint. I care about what happened at the General Assembly. I went to the GA with invested loyalties and interests as well as with passions and commitments and I wanted some of those passions and commitments to shine through in my posts.

Many others set out to blog about the GA, some who were there and some who were not. I encourage readers of Summit to Shore to peruse a few other blogs for a wider view. My friend and College in Ministry over at Raxweblog offers theologically informed reflections of his week at GA that go deeper and offer more analysis than my own, but he does not have pictures. For a view of GA through the eyes of a Young Adult Advisory Delegate (YAAD), take a look at Liz goes to GA. For a view through the eyes of a first time Elder Commissioner, visit Leaning Downstreams. John Vest was a Minsiter Commissioner to the GA and offers reflections his blog.  Minister Observer David Ensign offers his reflections at Faithful Agitation. Another friend and college who was not at GA but followed it closely and commented from afar blogs at Shuck and Jive.  And finally, THE GA JUNKIE offers substantial analysis, some of it statistical with graphs (but no pictures).

219th GA: Presbyterian Publishing Corporation Complimentary Breakfast

The morning after the Witherspoon Society Dance, for the second time in two days I attended an early morning, 7:00 AM breakfast while operating with only about four hours sleep the night before. The breakfast was a complementary one sponsored by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation (PPC) and held in the Hyatt’s Nicollet Ballroom.

As at most GA breakfasts, staff of the sponsoring entity were introduced, recognized and thanked. A power point presentation featuring some of the titles published over the past year highlighted the work of PPC. Don Griggs (photo right), speaking from notes on his kindle, spoke about Biblical Literacy in a Digital Age. Don has long been recognized as a leader in Christian Education who has been capable of employing emerging technologies to teach the faith and spread the Gospel. His presentation seemed designed to motivate those in attendance to do the same. He at least motivated me to post to Facebook while he was still speaking and to later post a tweet to twitter.

In addition to being glad I was able to hear Don’s presentation, I was also glad to have sitting next to me on my right a longtime friend and colleague in ministry, Glenn, and to have sitting next to me on my left a fellow blogger, Liz, whom I was just getting to know. Making me really glad I attended the breakfast was my being the winner, at my table, of a copy of Halos and Avatars, a recent PPC publication.

Violets 1 – Crocus 0

March Madness might be over (and WVU might have lost to Duke) but the contest for control of the center court, or lawn, at North Church Queens continues into April Insanity.

Most of the first and second string crocus have fouled out. Daffodils and T.U.L.I.P.s (this is, after all, a Presbyterian venue) have come off the bench to play in the late spring game. But where the crocus once dominated, grass is now carrying on a full court press with a few lone violets (one in the photo right) occasionally substituting. Thus, violets 1 – Crocus 0.

If April showers bring May flowers, what is next? May Mental Illness and a lawn dominated by may apples or crabgrass?

Since Baseball, rather than Basketball, is the game of late spring, summer, and early fall, perhaps I should shift sport metphors. Violets have come out of the bull pen to substitute for the crocus?

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.

Migration

Like a bird flying south for winter, which is a direction I would really like to head right now considering we have close to a foot of snow on the ground here in New York City, I am migrating, one day a week, over to Presbyterian Bloggers, where I will be posting Lectionary Ruminations every Thursday. This means I probably will not be posting very often on Thursdays to Summit to Shore.

I also occasionally post, and cross post, to the Sebago Canoe Club blog, but not habitually. Thus, Lectionary Ruminations on Presbyterian Bloggers is my first regularly scheduled blog column on a blog other than my own.

Wish me luck.

Advent 2009 (For Presbyterians in New York City)

In the first year of President Barak Obama's first term, when David Patterson was Governor of New York State and Michael Bloomberg was Mayor of New York City, during the second moderatorial year of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) General Assembly Moderator the Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow, the word of God came to . . .
(Luke 3:1-2)

Celtic Crosses Everywhere

Yesterday’s meeting of New York City Presbytery at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church was architecturally dominated by a large Celtic cross suspended from the ceiling over the Chancel (photo top right). I do not know what it was made from. It appeared to be painted gold and was a simple outline, allowing me to see through it. Perhaps the ability to see through the cross is a metaphor. Rather than focusing our gaze on the cross Christians are called to look beyond the cross, allowing it to frame our vision of the world, acting as an interpretative lens.

On the back wall of the chancel of the church I serve as Designated Pastor, North Church Queens (a.k.a. North Presbyterian Church of Flushing), you can see another Celtic cross (photo bottom right). It was lovingly crafted from wood handpicked by the woodworking church member who made it, created in memory of a saint of the congregation.

Several years ago the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Planning Calendar featured photographs of various stone Celtic Crosses from Ireland. I later saw most if not all of those crosses in person, including the one in Kells, the one time home of the famous illuminated manuscript known as the Book of Kells.

Today the Celtic cross is associated with ancient Celtic Christianity and contemporary Presbyterianism in Scotland and Ireland, especially ancient Celtic Christian sites such as Iona, Clonmacnoise, and Glendalough. Next to the Celtic knot, the Celtic cross is perhaps the most well known image associated with Celtic Christianity.

The origins of the Celtic cross are shrouded in Mystery. The form and shape of the cross seem to have undergone change and development over centuries. Some suggest the Celtic Cross has pre-Christian, pagan roots, and that Celtic Christians baptized a religious and spiritual symbol of the druids, the standing stone, and turned it into a cross. Know one knows for sure.

The Celtic Cross has long been associated with the Presbyterian Church, thanks in no small part to Presbyterian Scottish and Scots-Irish immigrants who immigrated to America. But during the years Cromwell ruled, dozens if not hundreds of stone Celtic Crosses in Scotland were thrown into the sea, lost forever. Isn’t it funny how what Presbyterians value and cherish today as part of our heritage was once considered an idol? I wonder what we might value in fifty or hundred years that today we think as anathema.

Hey, that’s My Alma Mater!

A link posted by Richard T. Berman on a LinkedIn Group alerted me to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education and some good news about my Alma Mater, Davis and Elkins College. I was a student at D&E from 1976-1980. My wife was a student 1975-1979. She returned to serve as the College Chaplain from 1997-2007. I served as adjunct faculty, teaching Religion and Philosophy 2002-2007 and during that time was able to welcome the Reverend Dr. Johanna van Wijk-Bos as a guest lecturer in my class (photo right; Johanna is the one in the dress).

I can’t say I used the best criteria over thirty-five years ago when I chose to apply to D&E. My High School grades and test scores probably could have gained me admission to some top notch schools. But D&E offered some things top notch schools did not. It is related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and I am a Presbyterian. It is located in the heart of West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest, and being a West Virginian made some extra financial aid available while being in the heart of a National Forest meant I could be close to wild caves, wilderness areas for backpacking, and rocks for climbing. While at D&E I was in heaven. Well, almost!

D&E had less than 1,000 students when I was enrolled. None of my classes were over forty students. Some were only a dozen or less. I not only had the opportunity to go spelunking, backpacking and climbing but also served in Student Government, edited the College Newspaper, and earned credit for taking a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course in Wyoming the August between my Junior and Senior Year. And I still managed to graduate third in my class.

I am a firm believer in a Liberal Arts Education from small Liberal Arts Colleges. Such an education is not for everyone, but it was the right one for me. I am glad to read that after some tough years D&E is once again holding its head high.

Anatomy and Evolution of a Prayer

I generally follow and adapt “Prayers of the People: H” found on page 120 in the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship when leading the Prayers of the People. One petition in particular of this prayer has developed and grown over the years of my ministry. The petition reflects, among other things, my passion for the environment. The petition reads as follows:

Awaken all people to the danger we have inflicted upon the earth.
Implant in each a reverence for all you have made
that we may preserve the delicate balance
of creation for all generations.

While the petition as I pray it might slightly change from Sunday to Sunday, what follows is generally the petition as I now pray it.

Awaken all people to the inconvenient truth
about the danger we have inflicted upon this planet entrusted to our care.
Implant in each of us a reverence for all you have made
that we may restore and preserve the delicate balance of creation
for all creatures, even to the seventh generation.

The Book of Common Worship was adopted in 1993. "A Brief Statement of Faith" was adopted two years earlier, in 1991. I like to alter the original petition in the Book of Common Worship to reflect the confessional language of line 38 of "A Brief Statement of Faith" which reads “and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care.”

I am a charter member of Presbyterians for Restoring Creation, now Presbyterians for Earth Care, and in 1996 was trained as a Restoring Creation Enabler at the Ghost Ranch “God’s Earth – Our Home” weeklong conference the week before the Albuquerque General Assembly. Reflecting my association with Presbyterians for Restoring Creation and my RCE training I usually alter the original petition to pray that we may “restore” as well as “preserve” the delicate balance of creation.

In the late 1990’s I was active with West Virginia’s Interfaith Climate Change Campaign. Years later and soon after Al Gore released his award winning documentary film about global climate change, An Inconvenient Truth, I began to modify “the danger we inflict upon this planet entrusted to our care” by referring to “the inconvenient truth about the danger we have inflicted upon this planet entrusted to our care.” I do not think Al Gore would mind.

As far as I know I cannot claim any Native American ancestry. Nevertheless, my spirituality has been influenced by Native American spirituality, especially my reading of Crazy Horse Hoka Hey! and The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk’s Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux, participating in a Sweat Lodge, and attending a few Pow Wows. As I understand Native American spirituality, ”the seventh generation” refers to the Iroquois belief that we are responsible to provide a quality of life for those seven generations to come.

I believe that our responsibility to provide for the seventh generation refers not only to humans but to all creatures. We share this planet entrusted to our care with birds of the air and fish of the sea as well as other animals of the land and interconnected in a web of life that humans are only now beginning to understand. Thus we seek to restore and preserve the delicate balance of creation not just for humans but for all God’s creatures.

Over the years, my own experiences and interests have influenced how I pray this particular petition in the Prayers of the People. How have your interests and experiences influenced the content and language of your prayers?

PC(USA) GA Vice Mod Visits NYC Presbytery at the God Box

Earlier today I enjoyed an intimate lunch and conversation with The Reverend Byron Wade (photo top right), Vice Moderator of the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). So did fourteen other members of New York City Presbytery, including five staff of New York City Presbytery, at least one Clerk of Session, one Candidate Under Care, and several Pastors. Bryon was on the second day of a ten day Vice Moderator’s visit through the Northeast. The day before he had visited in Long Island Presbytery. Later in the evening he was to visit Hudson River Presbytery, and the day after Newark Presbytery. He plans to conclude his visit on Saturday, October 17, when he visits the meeting of the Synod of the North East as it meets at Stony Point Conference Center.

I have attended as an observer a lot of General Assemblies, including the 218th. I have also known some former moderators, but only after they served as moderator. I think this was my first opportunity, in over twenty years of ministry, to enjoy a somewhat intimate meal and conversation with a sitting Vice Moderator or Moderator.

During our conversation I learned that Byron’s former Pastor was the Reverend Isaiah Jones, now a member of the Church Triumphant. I am particularly fond of Isaiah’s hymn Fill My Cup, #350 in the Presbyterian Hymnal and even have a recording of it that Isaiah sent to me. Learning that Isaiah was Bryon’s Pastor means that in my mind Bryon’s stock just went up.

I also learned that Bryon has several New York City connections, including a family member who served as Executive Presbyter, and a former Pastor of the church Byron now serves who is currently serving as Acting Executive Presbyter.

Byron openly compared himself to his good friend and General Assembly Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow. Byron considers Bruce a “Type A” personality while he sees himself as more laid back. He also considers that compared to Bruce, who is generally progressive, that he is more moderate. I also learned that traditionally the Moderator visits 2/3 of the time and the Vice Moderator visits 1/3 of the time but that Bruce and Byron have agreed to each visit half of the time.

On a side, I noted that of the fifteen members of New York City Presbytery gathered in Cafeteria Room 2 of the God Box that eight were racial ethnic and seven were Anglo, a fair representation of the Presbytery as a whole. Unfortunately there were very few present under the age of forty, maybe only two.

For those wondering what in the world I mean by “The God Box” I mean the building at 475 Riverside Drive in the New York City (photo bottom right). For decades prior to the mid 1980’s the building housed the national offices of the United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and still houses the offices of the National Council of Churches as well as national and regional offices of numerous other denominations and church related entities, including the offices of New York City Presbytery. The building offers little if any outside unique architectural qualities and more or less resembles a box, thus the moniker.

Myrrhlyn Raises $10 in CROP Walk

My first CROP Walk was probably 1981. I have walked in CROP Walks in New Jersey, North Carolina, West Virginia and New York to help raise awareness of and funds to combat hunger. For a year or two I was even the Treasurer for the Crop Walk in Gaston County, NC. For the last three years I have walked with my wife and members of her church, the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church (photo left), walking laps around Juniper Valley Park in the New York City Borough of Queens. This was the first year our dog (he is still really a puppy) Myrrhlyn walked in a CROP Walk, however. He even wore a CROP Walk sticker on his rump (bottophoto left). And he raised $10! How much money has you dog, or cat, or other pet raised to end hunger?

As we walked around Juniper Valley Park last Saturday in the CROP Walk Myrrhlyn wanted to visit with all the other dogs in the park. Whenever he sniffed other dogs and they sniffed him a conversation would usually arise between us and the humans with the other dogs.

During our first lap around the park Myrrhlyn walked up to a fully grown Black Lab and his human companion. As the two dogs sniffed each other, the gentleman with the Black Lab asked us about the sticker on Myrrhlyn’s rump. We told him about CROP and Church World Service and explained that we were walking to raise money to help fight hunger. The gentleman then reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and gave us two five dollar bills. We were most thankful. Myrrhlyn did not verbally acknowledge the gift but seemed thankful nevertheless.

Pin the Beard on Calvin: Happy Belated Birthday John C.

Yesterday, July 10, 2009, was Humanist, Philosopher and Theologian John Calvin’s 500th birthday. Members of North Church Queens and the First Presbyterian Church of Whitestone and a few others gathered at North Church’s Studio North, festively decorated with balloons and paper streamers, to celebrate. After singing happy birthday to the absent birthday boy we enjoyed cake, ice cream and coffee while watching and a fifty minute documentary about Calvin’s legacy. Afterward we sang the hymn I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art.

Knowing that no birthday party would be complete with out at least one party game, but not wanting to resort to a juvenile game like pin the tail on the donkey, we opted for something more decent and in order: pin the beard on Calvin! A portrait of John was hung on the wall, partiers were blindfolded, turned around three times (Presbyterians are, after all, Trinitarian), and with paper beard with tape on the top in hand, were pointed toward the portrait (photo at right).

Today, Saturday, July 11, 2009, Summit to Shore wishes John Calvin a belated 500th birthday.

The Reverend Chad Miller, 34, Dies in Kayaking Accident

Here is a story from the Presbyterian News Service of interest to both Presbyterians as well as Kayakers.

July 10, 2009
by Jerry L. Van Marter
Presbyterian News Service

NEWARK, DE — New Castle Presbytery continues to mourn the loss of the Rev. Chad Miller, 34, who died in a kayaking accident along with his brother, Chris, 28, on June 9.

Miller was associate pastor for mission at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE, the presbytery’s largest congregation. A memorial service was held at the church June 14 in lieu of the regular Sunday liturgy. The service was led by Westminster’s other two pastors, the Rev. Greg Jones and the Rev. Anne Ledbetter.

More than 1,000 persons crowded the Westminster sanctuary for the service. Every standing-room spot also was filled. Two choirs and a quartet provided music at various times.

Approximately 20 ministers and elders in New Castle Presbytery who were unable to attend the memorial service gathered at Westminster June 24 for a service of remembrance.

In his weekly column for the New Castle Web site after the tragedy, Executive Presbyter James L. Moseley penned these words:

In a church which begs for the energy and idealism of younger adults the loss of a bright, talented and often testy spirit such as Chad Miller is a double tragedy.

Chad and his brother, Chris, drowned when their kayaks were pulled under by the rising waters of the Brandywine River spilling over a low water dam. This all took place early last Tuesday afternoon. The news media and local papers have documented at length the events of the day as described by witness at the site.

Chad was having a ball. After days of overcast skies the sun had finally broken through. The river current was accelerated by the recent rain fall and he was relishing the company his brother who had driven down from New York for the day.

As a former camp director and frequent paddler I know the rush of a perfect day on the water. Part of the thrill is to challenge oneself to negotiate more and more difficult passages and rapids and spill ways.

Chad loved to challenge himself and he challenged just about anybody with whom he had any contact. He certainly challenged me.

One Sunday when he was filling the pulpit, the opening lines of his sermon began by bemoaning the fact that he had, on the previous day, wasted a perfectly good Saturday attending a meeting of the presbytery. He proceeded to note how long the meeting had been and how long winded were the speakers. I suspect I was one of them.

His pronouncement got under my skin right away, and I had to struggle mightily to hear him out in order to discover what point he intended to make. Though I don’t remember the particulars of the exegesis I do recall the impression he left with me that day. It’s one worthy to share with any who love the church and long for its renewal in a time when it seems unable to break out of old patterns of church business.

Beneath the obvious irritations about boring meetings, I believe Chad was expressing a deeply felt though diminishing hope that the Church of Jesus Christ might one day live up to its calling to love the world into a new reality… A reality where healing and justice and goodness and godliness and loving kindness would overshadow all other concerns of propriety, paychecks and church politics. The urgency in his preaching and restlessness in his demeanor seemed to reflect such frustrations.

What Chad may not have realized is that all of us who love and serve in the Body of Christ have the same hopes and experience many of the same frustrations.

Chad was one of those young whippersnappers we hope will push the institution to do more and be more than it has ever done before. It is a lot to ask.

Whatever it is we admired about Chad, whatever we hope for from the other young clergy, must be something we find inside ourselves.

No one keeps us from living fervently and from hoping and praying and working for a radical, Jesus loving, people serving church. We dare not place such hopes on the generations following. It is our work.

If we wish to honor young hearts and minds such as Chad Miller's we need to make more room for their voices in the assemblies of our church. And, as they sound off, we need to listen for what is fearful and fresh.

Chad, thank you for challenging us to want more and to expect more from ourselves as those who follow the path of the one whose extravagant love redeems us all.

A Seminary Changes its Name

The Presbyterian Outlook (printed edition, June 29, 2009, page 9) has reported that “The board of directors of Union Theological Seminary and Presbyterian School of Christian Education has announced that it will change the school’s name to Union Presbyterian Seminary in the near future.” Seminary President Brian K. Blount announced the name change on May 19.

The name change means something to both my wife and me. My wife is a 1981 graduate of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education. She graduated after the Assemblies Training School changed its name to the Presbyterian School of Christian Education and before the 1983 Reunion of the UPCUSA and PCUS and the federation of UTS and PSCE. We were married between her first and second year at PSCE and I lived with her on the campus of PSCE during the 1980-1981 academic year. While living on campus I took one course. More recently I have been a participant in a Colloquy on Prayer sponsored by the of the Institute For Reformed Theology (IRT) at Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian School of Christian Education. So we both have a history with and a small investment in the institution even though we both earned our Master of Divinity degrees from other institutions.

Prior to the 1983 Reunion of the UPCUSA and the PCUS there was only one “Union Seminary”. Which one depended upon whether a person was north or south of the Mason Dixon Line and whether one was a Northern Presbyterian (UPCUSA) or Southern Presbyterian (PCUS).

In the former PCUS “Union” was more or less THE SEMINARY of the Church even though there were others. It was located in Richmond, Virginia and it enjoyed almost instant name recognition and a reputation for excellence. It also enjoyed a loyal following.

In the UPCUSA, however, especially north of the Mason Dixon Line and particularly in the northeast, “Union” was located in New York City and it too enjoyed almost instant name recognition and a reputation ofor excellence even though it was a non-denominational seminary.

After the 1983 reunion of the UPCUSA and the PCUS southerners began serving churches in the north and northerners began serving more churches in the south and one could no longer assume which “Union” was being referred to when seminaries were being mentioned. Thus an identity crisis was born or at least for the time acknowledged.

Now there will be no more confusion. Union Seminary will be in New York. Union Presbyterian Seminary will be in Richmond, and in Charlotte, and in cyberspace, and who knows where else.

In President’s Blount’s sermon reflecting on the new name, he acknowledges that “there are many excellent arguments why the word Presbyterian should not be part of this name change. The word looks to the past in a world whose future appears more and more likely to be non denominational. Presbyterian, as a brand, and as a church is, I fear, dying. Perhaps the cutbacks and enduring staff layoffs at Presbyterian central in Louisville is a metaphor for the entire church, shrinking away before our eyes.” When it seems that fewer people can describe Presbyterian than can spell Presbyterian, claiming the name is a gutsy, risky move.