We got to St. Louis safe and sound and have finished our first day at the APCE meeting. Here are some of our first impressions:
* With almost 1500 in attendance, this is the largest national gathering of the PCUSA outside of General Assembly. Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase and new Presbyterian Outlook editor Rev. Jack Haberer are both here and very visible.
* My roommate (the DCE at a Houston church--she says to call her Free Will on the blog so I can report the adventures of Will and Grace) and I are not too sure about the keynote speaker, Rev. Eric Law. Today's presentation was riddled with references to "diversity" and culminated in a puzzling interpretation of the dove descending at the baptism of Jesus as symbolic of fertility and new birth. What?????
* Usually the music at one of these gatherings is happy-clappy. But today it was right out of the Baptist Boardman's Hymnal--Shall We Gather at the River, Down to the River and Operator, Get Me Jesus. There was a puzzling song about the Sycamore Tree that we didn't understand, either.
*I did get to meet Miranda of My Farcical Existence and the instigator of the Presbyterian Bloggers ring at our regional APCE meeting. She is a lovely young woman, graduate of Columbia Seminary, who is beginning the candidacy process. What a treat to meet a fellow RGBP'er and Presby Blogger!
*We all got tote bags for our workshop and plenary session materials from the Fair Trade store. They are in several bright colors and made from Central American style folk fabrics. While the women in attendance enjoyed choosing between bright purple, green or red bags, the men (admittedly a minority here) looked a bit sheepish carrying them around.
* 7 am is too dang early for a denominational breakfast meeting tomorrow. Workshops don't begin until after lunch, and that is usually the highlight of the conference.
* With almost 1500 in attendance, this is the largest national gathering of the PCUSA outside of General Assembly. Moderator Rick Ufford-Chase and new Presbyterian Outlook editor Rev. Jack Haberer are both here and very visible.
* My roommate (the DCE at a Houston church--she says to call her Free Will on the blog so I can report the adventures of Will and Grace) and I are not too sure about the keynote speaker, Rev. Eric Law. Today's presentation was riddled with references to "diversity" and culminated in a puzzling interpretation of the dove descending at the baptism of Jesus as symbolic of fertility and new birth. What?????
* Usually the music at one of these gatherings is happy-clappy. But today it was right out of the Baptist Boardman's Hymnal--Shall We Gather at the River, Down to the River and Operator, Get Me Jesus. There was a puzzling song about the Sycamore Tree that we didn't understand, either.
*I did get to meet Miranda of My Farcical Existence and the instigator of the Presbyterian Bloggers ring at our regional APCE meeting. She is a lovely young woman, graduate of Columbia Seminary, who is beginning the candidacy process. What a treat to meet a fellow RGBP'er and Presby Blogger!
*We all got tote bags for our workshop and plenary session materials from the Fair Trade store. They are in several bright colors and made from Central American style folk fabrics. While the women in attendance enjoyed choosing between bright purple, green or red bags, the men (admittedly a minority here) looked a bit sheepish carrying them around.
* 7 am is too dang early for a denominational breakfast meeting tomorrow. Workshops don't begin until after lunch, and that is usually the highlight of the conference.
More later....
4 comments:
Have fun!!
Could we convince those brilliant Guatemalan weavers to make us some "manly" tartan items for the American men who don't often "wear the rainbow"?
CP--
I don't think a tartan would be any more difficult to weave than the patterns they are already making. What a great idea! Then they could have "his" and "her" Free Trade bags...
Sorry to hear your sessions aren't very helpful. Just remembered I lived in St. Louis the summer of 1958!
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