We have been at the 218th General Assembly for three days now. On the first day, we had a preassembly session on anti-racism reflecting a previous assembly’s concern that the Presbyterian Church actively seek to confront the complexity of racism in our church and society. Their approach was to have people from five different ethnic backgrounds share how racism had affected their lives and then to encourage groups of eight around tables to follow their example in sharing how it had affected our lives. People seemed to appreciate the opportunity to enter such a conversation.
Saturday, in addition to some organizational business, we proceeded to elect a moderator. We chose the youngest of the four candidates. He is 39 year old Bruce Reyes-Chow. He was one of two Asian candidates and was clearly the most liberal of all four candidates. He was quite direct about his support of the ordination of gay and lesbian people but was also clear about the importance he placed on deep listening to those who disagreed with him.
Of course the question arises as to whether his election reflects a more liberal tone of this gathering. My guess is that a more important factor was his emphasis on reaching out the young people. The church, as reflected in this Assembly, is clearly concerned about our ability to attract young people. They also seem to reflect some awareness of the need to be open to diversity and get beyond the divisive wars of the past.
Now begins the ardious committee work and this will reveal more clearly the tone of the church. We have some difficult issues before us. My guess is that the Assembly will be most responsive to creative ways to get beyond the win/lose approach of the society around us.
