Glimpses...

Our commissioners must be busy! The action is intense and the agenda is weighty today. Just some glimpses:

• Proposed New Form of Government, with some minor alternations, was passed last night by the Assembly and will be coming for Presbytery approval!
• Our wealth of diversity as PCUSA strikes me every time I come to events outside our borders. Our variety is multi-talented, multicultural, with different focuses, values, approaches, languages, styles, flashy clothing, music, dance, food, politics...it just goes on and on. And repeatedly we affirm our unity as Christ's church. What a rich experience! Last evening I attended the Presbyterian multicultural network dinner, renewing acquaintances from the May conference in Chicago.
• Each matter of business brought before the Assembly for action includes explicit calculations of "financial implications" as part of its consideration, living out Assembly's commitment to be good stewards of our church's resources.
• Formal debate continues on matters of consequence, but I hear many around me comment with gratitude at the courtesy and civility with which it is being conducted, in contrast to previous Assemblies.
• The docket for each session has moved faster than planners imagined, and sessions, at least until today, have considered additional items of routine business, or recessed a bit early.
• Today: Assembly considers matters of middle governing bodies (our presbytery concurred in a recommendation that a committee be created to study roles and relationships of Synods with an eye toward some creative partnerships- language you have heard in our Presbytery before). And "Church Orders and Ministry." And 'Civil Union and Marriage." Pray that the Holy Spirit infuses the hearts and minds of our commissioners as our church seeks to find unity in Christ amidst our diversity on these matters.