Jesus is the head of the church. Yes, you already know this, but the commissioners of General Assembly brought that once again to our attention. Included in our study to prepare for presbytery’s consideration of amendments to our constitution is this amendment to raise standards for ordination not only to recognize the Lordship of Jesus, but it also offers the expectation that the church JOYFULLY submit to that Lordship. Wow – I know from the Vision Statement of the presbytery that joyfully responding to the call by the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of God through Jesus Christ is what we like. The proposed amendment wording is: “Standards for ordination service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and / or installation (G-14.0240; G-14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidates’ ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-1.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.”

Your MUP commissioners, Julie Leverenz and Ron Roberts and YAAD (Young Adult Advisory Delegate) Jen Schildmeyer are steeped in prayer and discernment as they seek God’s guidance to fulfill their call to be part of the collective prophetic voice of our denomination.

Together in God’s Grace,    Joan   

Good morning from General Assembly. I am starting my second day as your Missouri Union General Presbyter. Yesterday the assembly transitioned from committee work back to gathering all together. Lifting up God’s love for us and our love for each other were highlights. We will have the opportunity to study the Belhar Confession over the next couple years as the next step in the process of possibly including it in the Book of Confessions of our constitution. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment he said to love God and love each other. How we are the church together will be another study opportunity. The new Form of Government is also on a path for possible inclusion in our constitution to replace the G section. One comment that stood out to me in that discussion is that our energy can be used for creating new ministries rather than being creative in the process of trying to fit what we need to do in the church into a polity that may not serve our church today. God loves us so much that we have the gift of the church. Taking time to care for this precious gift is worthy of our attention.

Thanks you so much for the opportunity to serve God as your General Presbyter. You may contact me by e-mail at jerickson@mupresbytery.org or on my cell phone at (573) 645-3568.                                            Together in God’s Grace,   Joan    

A proposal originating with Session of Big Creek PC in MUP to  amended W-2.3008b in the Book of Order (OVT 0064) Concerning the Baptism of Childrenwas not approved by General Assembly.  Read the resolution by clicking on downloadNote: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

On Monday, April 27, Moderator Reyes-Chow visited with students, Westminster faculty and admnistrators, and others from around Missouri Union Presbytery. About 20 attended the informal conversation over breakfast in the Jones Room of the Mueller Leadership (Dining) Hall at Westminster College in Fulton, MO.  Discussion focused around the need for congregations to engage and interact within the context of their community.  For the Moderator, who pastors a millenial church of about 150 members in urban San Francisco, the communication tools to engage and minister to his congregants is very different than those best utilized within the setting of most ministry in Missouri Union. However, the essential work of communicating–asking questions and listening to the responses–is how church leaders discern the ministry God has called their congregation to do. A fundamental aspect of that conversation (and ongoing process) is that church leaders listen to the answers, so they can adapt their witness and services to faithfully live out their lives together in minstry to one another and others.  The conversation was an introduction, rather than a conclusion about the changes necessary for the Body of Christ within the PCUSA to be vital and alive in mission and service to God has called us. Thanks to Rev. Brad Sheppard, Chaplain at Westminster, who organized the event and all who attended. Westminster College is affiliated with the PC(USA) and Missouri Union Presbytery supports campus ministry at the college.

Day 1- Liz picked me up at the hotel and we made our way to the United African Presbyterian Church. We made one stop to pick up Faye Chu who is the business manager/accountant for Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery. I formed an instant friendship with these two women as we exchanged stories of our call to ministry. Another instant friendship was forged when I walked into the church and met Jemimah. We hugged like family members who’d reunited after a long absence. But of course each of these friendships began some months ago through phone calls and emails and shared plans for the worship service we were about to hold. Keep reading.

Day 2 – We woke to a glorious morning in downtown St. Louis, excited about our Amtrak leg of the journey. We’d purposely chosen the Sheraton for our overnight accommodation because of its proximity to the train station. It was only a three-block walk, but since we were carrying luggage we allowed ourselves 30 minutes to get there. As it turned out, we needed every minute! Keep reading.

Day 6 – Last night we worshiped at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Reno, Nevada. Participants came from all over the three connected presbyteries and I am grateful to all who were in attendance. We were especially blessed to have two special guests from Texas who were also “praying their way to San Jose” and made an intentional detour in order to be part of last night’s service. Debbie Cenko and Mary Mahlmann traveled from Wharton, Texas. Can you believe it! Keep reading.

We’re in San Jose! – June 21 – Stephany and I arrived safely in San Jose yesterday afternoon. We arrived with Chandra Kearns and her colleagues in the “Health on the Move” RV. What a way to see the country … a little bumpy, but an adventure worth repeating. It’s been fantastic to hear from so many people at GA about the variety of ways their prayers have been with us during our pilgrimage of prayer. It is so awesome to feel the heartbeat of the church through the overwhelming response to this invitation to prayer.Keep reading.
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CLP Jim Cruickshank, a commissioner to General Assembly from Missouri Union Presbytery, ate popcorn at the Presbyterian Network to End Homelessness Luncheon, held at the Camera 12 Theater in downtown San Jose (California). The menu featured hot dogs and other cinema fare. Photo by Joseph Williams

Commissioners from Missouri Union Presbytery to the 218th General Assembly are: Elder Jim Cruickshank, Elder Don Bay (Alternate instead of Elder David Harrison, Moderator), Rev. Dick Ramsey, Rev. Pam Sebastian (Alternate instead of Rev. Diane Miller) and Amanda Lynn, Youth Advisory Delegate.  Interim General Presbyter, David Meerse, is also attending the 218th General Assembly.

Please pray for safe travel, physical strength and spiritual discernment for all commissioners and participants.

The play has been performed in Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Louisiana and toured through Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas.  During June it toured Texas, Arizona, and California, with two performances in San Jose during General Assembly. Each show is followed by a DVD presentation about current recovery work by Project Homecoming, a rebuilding effort of The Presbytery of South Louisiana in cooperation with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Website at www.pslrecovery.org/.