I love the Presbyterian Church family. And as far as I know myself, I feel called by God to inspire in the Church the courage we need to proclaim the Gospel with joy and to live together as the Body of Christ with power in the world.
Jesus does not give us the spirit of fear but of power and of love.
As Presbyterians, I feel that we have lost our courage to proclaim the gospel in word and deed. I want us to regain that courage.
To do this, I believe that we must be honest among ourselves about what troubles us. We must stand for justice. We must welcome the service of all. And we must inspire our young people by being relevant to the crucial concerns of our time.
Presbyterians have been this Christian witness in the past and we can be Christ’s fearless people again.
The Role of Moderator
The Moderator of the General Assembly has three jobs beyond presiding at the assembly with a steady and kind hand.
The first is to embody unity, community and mission in the Spirit of God. The best summary of our unity is Paul’s insight: “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’” (1 Corinthians 12:21). Even though my views have often not prevailed through the years, I have stayed in my church home, committed to one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We are a stronger church when we work together and learn from each other. I believe, because I have seen it happen, that we can develop great strength out of our disagreements. This is the unity I cherish and promise to further.
The Moderator is also charged to tell the story of our church’s life. We all know Presbyterians, congregations, presbyteries who show immense courage everyday to share the Gospel in word and deed. How thrilling for me to uncover and share with us all the courage of those already preaching with joy and living with power!
The third duty of the Moderator is to uphold the people of God in prayer. I see engaging with Presbyterians far and wide in prayer as an opportunity for us all to explore what Paul means when he challenges us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
I look forward to the day we can be a church that far and wide proclaims the Gospel with joy and lives together as the Body of Christ with power. I look forward to the day our souls open together to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit so that we know God’s will and are fueled by joy to do it.
Thank you for your thoughtful and prayerful consideration of my experience, journey, and call to serve Christ through this office of Moderator for the 220th General Assembly.
