The assembly passed the consent agenda at the Plenary 2 meeting of the 224th General Assembly on June 26 after removing five items for discussion. The first of these items was 00-25, the confirmation of the Class of 2024 of the Board of Directors for the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program (PILP). The class included: Thomas McNeill, a ruling elder from the Presbytery of Southern New England for an at-large position; Olivia Smith, a teaching elder from the Presbytery of Denver for an at-large position; Steven Bass, a ruling elder from the Presbytery of Seattle representing the Presbyterian Foundation; Nicholas Yoda, a teaching elder from the Presbytery of Cincinnati; Jesse Hite, a ruling elder from Charlotte Presbytery, for an at-large position; and Rafael Medina, a ruling elder from the Presbiterio del Suroeste of Puerto Rico for an at-large position. Nikki Cooley, a minister from Heartland Presbytery, spoke against the confirmation of this class. She … [Read more...]

Brian Johnson never dreamed of being a commissioner to the General Assembly. As a cradle Presbyterian, Johnson served in almost every role at his church in his small hometown of Minden, Nebraska. A few years ago he moved out into the country, tried to retire as a contractor and joined First Presbyterian Church of Hastings. With some free time in his semi-retirement, he jumped right in to volunteer service at his new church, joining the Christian education committee and doing some small projects around the church — including building a beautiful nametag holder when the church started using nametags. In 2018, the nominating committee of his new church asked him to join the session and the congregation affirmed his call. Johnson took that call very seriously and added more committee work to his call to serve. He also started attending presbytery meetings and studying the work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He also found time to help lead a mission trip to the Pine Ridge … [Read more...]

A central feature of the 224th General Assembly was going to be the Hands and Feet initiative, which would have moved the assembly and commissioners out into the community of Baltimore throughout the week to learn about and get involved with local ministries. This would have built on the Hands and Feet work that started in St. Louis with the march to end cash bail and other activities led by local activists and churches during the 223rd General Assembly in 2018. When this year’s GA was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of those plans had to be shelved — but new opportunities also emerged. On June 20, the Office of the General Assembly invited all commissioners and Presbyterians to participate virtually in “The Mass Poor People's Assembly and Moral March on Washington,” a digital rally organized by The Poor People’s Campaign. The rally lasted for three hours and 20 minutes and featured hundreds of voices offering perspectives on the interlocking injustices of … [Read more...]

  On June 19 at the opening plenary of the 224th General Assembly, stated clerk J. Herbert Nelson shared an opening address with simultaneous pastoral and prophetic tones. He started by saying, “We’re not here by accident; we are here in this place, this time, and this moment as a witness to the broader reach of faith.” Nelson went on to lament that the General Assembly was not gathering in person in Baltimore, as planned. He reflected on the ministry of Eugene Carson Blake, stated clerk of the PCUSA and the United Presbyterian Church in the 1950s and 1960s. Nelson showed a photo of Blake with Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders marching down Constitution Avenue with linked arms during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Nelson acknowledged that the assembly could not meet in Baltimore because of the coronavirus pandemic, but said that the church must still speak and act prophetically like Blake because this is a time of disturbance … [Read more...]