ST. LOUIS – Following more than two hours of spirited debate over how the church should respond to climate change and fossil fuels, the General Assembly moved into a spirited worship service. The worship started with all gathered singing a hymn in unison that included the lyrics, “We are refugees together; all are wanderers welcomed home, greeted by God’s open arms with each unique but none alone.” The text for the hymn, “Draw the Welcome Circle Wider,” was commissioned for the 223rdGeneral Assembly and was also sung during opening worship. Following the call to worship, those gathered sang the classic hymn “Holy God We Praise Your Name.” Karl Hauser, pastor of Southminster Presbyterian Church in Crestwood, Missouri, led the call to confession, the prayer of confession, and the assurance of forgiveness, drawn from the new Book of Common Worship. Hauser swirled his hands through the water in the baptismal font during the assurance of forgiveness, continuing the theme of water … [Read more...]

ST. LOUIS – On Thursday, June 21, the General Assembly was treated to a live concert by Kirk Whalum. This was billed as a celebration of the Hands and Feet initiative in St. Louis and a launch of the initiative in Baltimore. Stated clerk J. Herbert Nelson took the stage in a snappy blue blazer and bow tie to share opening remarks for the concert. He thanked Northern Trust securities for sponsoring the concert; because of their sponsorship, all of the proceeds from the ticket sales are going directly to the work of the “Hands and Feet” initiative. Nelson talked about the development of the Hands and Feet initiative and how it came to be in St. Louis. He said, “We came to St. Louis knowing what we were going to do and that’s the worst thing you can do.” Nelson acknowledged that they had to check their preconceived ideas and instead listen to local churches and partners on the ground. He led the audience in the chant: “Whose streets? Our streets!” Nelson said that those words were … [Read more...]

ST. LOUIS – Water remained a central theme of worship General Assembly worship on Thursday, June 21. The opening hymn, “Take Me to the Water” set the tone for a worship service that incorporated water, children and reflections on table fellowship. The prayer of confession used the theme of bread and the mustard seed, which would be echoed in the assurance of forgiveness, Scripture and sermon. The Scripture for the service, the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven from Luke 13, were presented by video in the form of a children’s message from the book “Young Children and Worship.” Floretta Barbee-Watkins, pastor of The Avenue Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, preached a sermon that challenged the assembly. She noted that the purpose of preaching is to “distress the comfortable and to comfort the distressed.” Barbee-Watkins opened her sermon with an illustration about homemade biscuits and family dynamics, connecting immediately with those gathered. She … [Read more...]

ST. LOUIS — Bart Smith, a teaching elder from De Cristo Presbytery, argued that “God’s people” should mince no words in calling out the federal government for separating children from their parents and detaining families in prison-like conditions. The 223rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) endorsed that line of thinking June 21 with a 484-34 vote for a resolution that calls for an immediate end to the government’s zero-tolerance policy toward families illegally entering the United States. The resolution also calls for federal authorities to promptly reunite parents and children who have been separated and to place families “under the care of the community,” rather than in detention. The assembly approved an amendment Smith offered that puts a sharper edge on the resolution as passed by its Committee on Peacemaking, Immigration, and International Issues. The amendment condemns an executive order, newly issued by President Trump, that would end the separation of … [Read more...]