The event begins Sept. 11 with a keynote address by General Assembly Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow and a cultural celebration, and concludes Sept. 13. General Assembly Vice-moderator Byron Wade will preach Sept. 12.
The event will include presentations on immigration issues by Julia Thorne, attorney and manager of immigration issues [www.pcusa.org/immigration] for the PC(USA)’s Office of the General Assembly; on the PC(USA)’s vision for racial ethnic ministries by Rhashell Hunter, director of the General Assembly Council’s Racial Ethnic and Women’s Ministries/Presbyterian Women [www.pcusa.org/women]; and on the office of New Immigrant Groups Ministries [www.pcusa.org/immigrant] by Angel Suarez-Valera.
A large portion of the consultation on Sept. 12 will be dedicated to separate conversations among now immigrant ministries leaders and middle governing body representatives. All participants will then talk with each other all morning Sept. 13.
The consultation is part of the PC(USA)’s effort to increase the church’s racial ethnic membership to 20 percent by 2010 and a two-year evangelism emphasis — “Grow Christ’s Church Deep and Wide” — adopted by this year’s General Assembly to grow the PC(USA) in evangelism, discipleship, servanthood, and diversity.
