Moderator of the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the PC(USA).

An Unexpected Gift

One of the nicest, and certainly so far the most unexpected, events of my time as Moderator occurred yesterday, when I received word from Louisville HQ that a check for $1,000 had been received from the Schwab Charitable Fund. 

The $1,000 had been given by an anonymous donor. The only information provided was that it was a grant given in my honor "for per capita by friends in New Covenant Presbytery."

How wonderful is that? Unexpected, unbidden acts of generous stewardship like this reflect the heart of the Gospel message, in a much more profound way than anything I could say or write as Moderator. Thank you, friends in New Covenant Presbytery.  Your action will sustain and nurture me for a long time.

Healing, Not Wounding

Last night President Obama urged us "to pause for a moment and make sure that we're talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds."

Can we in the P.C. (USA) do that? Can we move beyond the "us vs. them" battles, beyond polarizing and divisive rhetoric?

I am convinced that we can and that we will.

Here's one example that gives me the confidence to make that assertion:

Back in September, I wrote about a day-long gathering held in New York City that brought together persons within the denomination who are involved with Middle East issues and who represent a wide disparity of views. There is perhaps no other issue on which there has been often emotional and heated rhetoric than our denomination's stance regarding Israel and Palestine.

The informal, non-official meeting was convened by Ron Shive, who chaired the Middle East Study Committee and who is now a member of the Middle East Monitoring Team, and Katherine Henderson, President of Auburn Seminary.

The group met again last week. Out of that meeting came a covenant, a covenant that fits perfectly with President Obama's plea. The members of the group all covenanted to do the following:

1. If we know that our constituency is taking an action that will push buttons in the constituency of others around the table, we will inform Ron and Katherine (and through them the rest of the group) of the action we have taken.

2. If we don't understand the actions taken by the constituency of one of our colleagues, or we feel surprised by that action, we will ask that person for clarification before responding to our own constituency about their concerns about the action.

3. Insofar as possible, and whether or not we agree with one another, we will interpret the actions of one another's constituencies as accurately as possible, respecting the integrity of each person around the table and assuming the best about his or her convictions.

Simple steps, really. But simple steps can have such profound consequences.