Here I am in Louisville for the Moderator's Conference of the PCUSA. It's chilly outside but we're meeting at the Brown Hotel downtown which is a pretty old building. My room is nice and we just got started today.
Here are the highlights so far:
- A good bit of talk over dinner about "whither synods". General conclusion--synods are an unnecessary additional layer of church government.
- They gave me a nametag with "REV. QG" on it! I had to mark out "Rev" and handwrite "Elder".
- An older African-American gentleman from North Carolina came over, introduced himself, and said he remembered me from his days in New Covenant presbytery 15 years ago. Fifteen years ago I don't remember doing anything with presbytery except occasionally attending a meeting as a commissioner from my church. I had to admit he looked familiar, though.
- Learned Gomer Pyle's understanding of God--"surprise, surprise, surprise." No kidding!
- Went down to the bar after the meeting hoping to meet more people and I wasn't disappointed. I wound up in a group listening to the amazing story of one man's parents, both German missionaries in the Pacific at the time of WWII who were trapped in Japan for the duration.
Tomorrow there will be workshops. Onward through the FOG! (Form of Government Task Force which is rewriting the Book of Order.)
3 comments:
Oh, it's good to start hearing about this conference.
Several months ago I read the recollections of a Lutheran pastor heading off for an Ignatian retreat of several days; he had decided that that would be a good thing to do in the context of discernment about a new call. He asked his future director how he should prepare for the retreat, and the answer was, "Prepare to be surprised!"
Apparently always a good approach where God is concerned.
You had me at Gomer Pyle. Now I wanna hear more!
Hey Elder,
I like Gomer Pyle, that Alabamian with a beautiful singing voice, and he is right. I bet you keep finding the surprises.
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