My brush with greatness

This is a picture of the room where all of us gather to take care of business.
There are over 600 commissioners from over a hundred Presbyteries in the PC(USA). These commissioners are what are now called teaching elders (ministers) and ruling elders (lay people, or as my brother in Christ Nik from Mt. Sterling says, regular elders).

Our first order of business today as the General Assembly was to worship. We worshipped together which included communion and a commissioning of us commssioners. Then during the hymn "God, bless your Church with Strength" the commissioners went forth toward the plenary room to begin our business as the rest of the gathered worshippers sang "God bless your church with life. May our branches thrive, unblemished, wholesome, bearing fruit, abundandantly alive."

The words faded as we walked away from where we worshipped and walked toward the plenary room, and the sound I heard was the call of the bagpipes. And there the piper was-all dressed in his finest. The tune changed as I approached, and I recognized "Simple Gifts" as I walked by the piper and into the room in which we will decide God's will for the church.

I have a lot of trepidation about being given this task of discerning God's will. It's heavy stuff because this is the Lord we're talking about, and this is His Church.
I have been placed on one of the most controversial committees-the one which deals with Civil Union and Marriage Issues. In preparing to come here to Pittsburgh, I was assured that within the parameters of representation (gender and minister vs elder) the committee assignments are random "So assume," the clerk of GA has said, "that your assignment is the work of the Spirit." I have joked that I wish the Spirit didn't have so much faith in me because I didn't want to serve on such a controversial committee. But in all seriousness, the discernment process is a process, and perhaps my reluctance to serve means I am still open to how the Spirit is going to move within this governing body this week. I hope so.
Tonight we elected our new moderator for General Assembly, The Reverend Neal Presa. I had the opportunity to listen to him this morning, and what struck me about him was his commitment to the peace of the church. His gentle manner and quiet thoughtfulness made me a little sad because I thought 'there's no way this guy is going to get voted for moderator.' He's too gentle. He won't stand out as dynamic. And yet he did stand out. The Assembly voted, and he was chosen. His thought-filled manner, his concern for peace and working with those even when we are in disagreement hit a note of harmony with the gathered church. And they said yes.

Though I had forgotten about it, one of my childhood heroes had his home here in Pittsburgh. That person is Fred Rogers. I grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Mr. Rogers died shortly before my daughter was born. If she'd been a boy, we would have named her Fred in honor of this gentle, caring man who was also (if you didn't know it) an ordained Presbyterian minister.
As a special treat today, one of the characters from Mr. Rogers came to G.A. and welcomed us to Pittsburgh. Mr. McFeeley! I was starstruck. There was the REAL Mr. McFeeley! Oh, my gosh!! And he looks exactly as he did when I was five years old. Anyway, I loved Mr. Rogers because he was such a gentle spirit. He never yelled or got angry. I loved that about him.

(Presbytery commissioners are seated according to the alphabetized order of their Presbytery's name. From my chair on the back row of the commissioners, I tried to get a picture of Mr. McFeeley on stage, but alas, I was too far away. Note to self, next time I get called to a Presbytery I will pray to go to one which begins with *A*, as the Presbytery of Transylvania had a sucky view of Mr. McFeeley.)

Anyway, maybe there's something about Pittsburgh that encourages that kind of calm demeanor. Here's something interesting. This is a big city, and yet when I jaywalk, the cars will stop and let me cross the street. Without horn honking or brake screeching. You think that ever happens in Atlanta? Heck no.
As Reverend Presa took on the gavel as moderator, the gathered assembly said farewell to its former moderator of two years Cynthia Bolbach. Cynthia has been battling cancer and undergoing chemo. In spite of that, she is here at GA-in a wheelchair, but here and she preached an incredible sermon today at our opening worship and she moderated our meeting until we elected a new moderator. I can't imagine what it must be like to have the job of being moderator of the PC(USA) when one is also battling cancer, but of course, God equipped her for what she needed to do, and she is doing it.
In these three people-Fred Rogers, Cynthia Balbach, and Neal Presa-I have witnessed the strength of calming presence.
I am encouraged by that witness tonight and I consider that it is the Spirit which is calling to me to be calm as well.
It's going to be all right. As one of my favorite verses reminds me. "Wait for the Lord. Be strong, and take heart, and wait for the Lord."
I'll miss being with my church family at First Ashland tomorrow, but I will be in worship at First Pittsburgh.
Good night from Pittsburgh,
Your Commissioner and sister in Christ,
Jennifer

Twas the night before General Assembly....

And all through the land, Commssioners had gathered....errr...in Pittsburgh.
Okay, so I'm not so good with rewriting that whole Christmas poem thing.
But good news! I am in downtown Pittsburgh in the Renaissance Hotel. The stairs are marble, and if I look out my five story window I can see the PNC sports Park.

In the lobby there were these nice ladies who were greeting all of us coming in to do business of the Presbyterian Church. There was a basket of tiny plastic pickles which said 'Heinz' on it. So, I said, "What the heck is that?" Then I got the look.
So, I guess there's this company named Heinz and they do pickles and ketchup and such. Well, okay, if it had been ketchup, I would have gotten it, but you know I'm more of a Vlasic kind of gal.

Anyhow, I'm already spotting a bunch of Presbyterians-even recognized one in the Greek restaurant we ate at earlier. I say "WE" because I rode here with Marilyn who is from Lexington. She is a ruling elder. Me? I'm a teaching elder. Marilyn and I ate gyros two blocks down from the hotel, and I spotted Toby whom I had met a few months ago in Nashville. She's a stated clerk from North Alabama Presbytery.
When we came out of the restaurant, big fat rain drops pelted us. We're about a 15 minute walk from the convention center where most of the business is going to take place this week, so Marilyn ran to get her umbrella.
As I sit here and type, the sun has sunk down below the skyline. The hue of the sky is the most gorgeous I've seen in a while-lavendar above to a deep orange next to the black silhouette of the buildings and hills. I told Marilyn we better enjoy the view here because from now on our sunsets are likely going to happen from inside a committee room as we have both heard the church business often doesn't end until on into the night.
I consider the words of the Psalmist "On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night". That is from Psalm 63, and really the whole Psalm is a comfort. Tonight I am thankful that my family is safe at home, that I have arrived safely and have a comfortable place to sleep, and that I have been entrusted to do the business of the church, the body of Christ.
May each of us this week remember that God has equipped us, prepared us, and sustains us for the work we are doing here. May we be humble, joyful, thankful. Blessings from your Commissioner, Jennifer

My bags are packed....

Tomorrow I leave to go the our church's 220 General Assembly.
After 16 years in the ministry I will serve as a first time Commissioner as our church goes about the business of doing the business of the Body of Christ.
Already, people have been praying for me and the rest of those who are already gathering in Pittsburgh. I am humbled and thankful for this opportunity and consider it an honor as well as a burden.
Last Sunday, I preached on the lectionary, appropriately timed passages that they were of David defeating Goliath and Jesus asleep in the boat during a windstorm, awoken by the disciples as waves beat into the boat, then Jesus calming the storm.
Certainly those passages are about having faith in the midst of scary foes-whether it's a nine foot giant smack-talking a whole army or else a violent storm on the sea. These dangers are real, yes, but in both cases we see an example of confidence, calm in the face of danger. And a challenge, I believe, to have faith in the God who prepared David in all of his years with the sheep, protecting those animals with his slingshot, learning how to take the small smooth stone, and shoot a straight shot. Did David realize all those nights of watchfulness that God was preparing him and equipping him one day to face a giant then to be king over his people? Doubtful. And yet, David's strength was in his faith in the God of Israel.
Similarly, here is Jesus asleep in the boat. It's amazing that he rebuked the sea and calmed the wind with a "Peace! Be still!" but just as amazing is that he kept calm during the storm-so much so that he could sleep even when the wind tossed the boat about and the water sloshed into the sides filling up the vessel.
Each time that General Assembly has convened, there have been controversial issues which were discussed, debated, then voted on. This year is no different. And yet, for me it is different because I'm going to be in the midst of the stormy debate, the gale wind of controversy. But somehow I already feel the buffer against the harsh wind, like Jesus is with me in the safety of the boat. And though we aren't asleep, we're not afraid of the motion of the waves either.
Whatever happens, whatever debate and outcome of our discussion of General Assembly, I know that God is God Almighty, that he truly is bigger than our differences of opinion however heartfelt they feel, and that Jesus will be head of our church today, next week, and the week after that.
Let us pray we will be courageous when we are afraid, be calm when the wind beats strong against the boat, and that we will stand faithfully confident in God's ability in preparing us in our battles. Blessings, Jennifer Johnson *Commissioner*

June 2012 Pastors' Columns

Dear Friends,
When I was in high school I listened to oldies. Magic 96.1 in Charlotte, NC. I hear the weather reports and the song “Heat Wave” wafts warmly across my mind. Do you ever feel like you are in a cooker? Pressed on all sides by one issue or another. General Assembly is once again meeting and will chart the next few years of Presbyterian Church life. The Stated Clerk of the PCUSA, Rev. Gradye Parsons released 2011 statistics for the denomination. The Presbyterian Church has at the end of 2011 1,952,287 members; having lost 63,804. By January 2012, we had 96 fewer congregations, even with eighteen new churches organized. The denomination is pressed—we are in a heat wave. And heat waves may lead to droughts. Where is our living water? Two years ago, the denomination faced a similar situation. The answer then: change the form of government, broaden standards, and consider divestment. We've missed the root of the problem. We continue to focus on preservation, getting things “back like they were.” Things have changed. A few weeks ago, as I shared some statistics from recent denominational studies, it isn't just Ashland that has a missing generation, those from 18-24 or 24-36. We need their voices and we need to hear them. Most every Presbyterian congregation is missing a generation from its pews, and some are missing more than one. Perhaps we have lost the balance of social justice and the good news of Jesus Christ.

Yet this Goliath of change in the denomination will not have the best of us. You heard of David and Goliath. David, the worthless young son of Jesse, not even worth being invited to the sacrifice; David, the chosen of God, whom Samuel anoints King of Israel even as Saul continues to reign; David, who boldly steps forward through a crowd of cowering Israelite warriors to face Goliath; David, who tries on and then removes the king's armor, favoring movement over security; David; who Goliath taunts as scrawny and small; David, who proclaims the living God and gives purpose to his fighting Goliath with these words: “that all the earth may know there is a God in Israel. . . that the Lord does not save by sword or spear; for the battle is the Lord's.” This David, who slung a stone in Goliath's forehead, who defeated the undefeatable giant, representing the worst the Philistines could offer, and representing the fear of the Israelite nation.

General Assembly. Missing Generations. Budget difficulties. All are real issues. All are addressable. Remember then as you consider these things, the national election, the economy, and the future, remember David and Goliath, and pray for those on the front lines. “That all the earth may know there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's. . .”
The Reverend Garrett Bugg

Setting the Tone

by
The Reverend Jennifer A. Johnson
The Community Kitchen invites area churches to send a representative to come each day to lunch to pray and bless the food. Recently I took my daughter with me, rang the bell, and prayed aloud, then we sat down to eat. After we left, I asked my daughter what she thought about eating at the community kitchen.
“It was different,” she said.
“How?”
“Because I didn’t know anyone.”
“Did it make you uncomfortable eating with people you didn’t know?”
“No. We went there so you could pray. Jesus ate with people and healed people he didn’t know, so if he was okay with it, we should be okay with it too.”
Her answer humbled me.
I knew I was going there to pray, but I liked that she reminded me that Jesus sets the tone for whatever I do whether it is praying, eating, or meeting.
On Friday I will be heading to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as a commissioner at General Assembly, our church’s national conference. I have been told that people have been assigned to pray for me and the rest of the commissioners.
What a cool job that is-to pray for a person by name in her calling. It moves me very much. I remember that Jesus sets the tone for my presence there and for the gathering itself. It is by Jesus’ good pleasure that the church exists.
We are the body of Christ, the church. With all of our working and various parts, we are the church. And Jesus Christ is the head of the church.
I love that tone setting.