Imagine yourself at a session meeting, discussing church policies and procedures. For ten hours. That was my day. Morning, afternoon, and tonight until 10:00 p.m. local time, I joined 52 other commissioners with a moderator, a co-moderator, and a parliamentarian, to discuss all sorts of issues. My brain is fried.
Most General Assembly business in committees happens on Monday and Tuesday, which is why you will hear very little news for these two days. The behind the scenes wrangling and amending and proposing and voting and discussing all happens early in the week. There are 19 committees meeting here. Most are about 40-50 members. Imagine a session meeting, trying to do business, with that many people!
We looked at a lot of things today, and I have no wishes to rehash what we did tonight. Instead, I will share with you some pictures I have taken, and make a few more observations.
Worst news of the day was losing my meal card. At this General Assembly, we were given credit cards which are good for a month. They are actually more like debit cards, in that they have a fixed amount on them. Mine had $240 loaded on, based on $12 for breakfast, $12 for lunch, and $21 for dinner for each meal that was not already covered by the GA. I used it at lunch today, and stupidly put it in my shirt pocket rather than my wallet. When I went to dinner this evening, I pulled out my wallet to pay, and it was not there. Doh! So I had to call the credit card company, and I need to talk to someone here tomorrow morning. I hope I can get a new one, less the $20+ I have already spent on this card.I am usually VERY careful with money like this. Blame it in the ten-hour committee meetings!
As I walked downtown Minneapolis, I walked past the Foshay tower. When I grew up here, the Foshay Tower was the tallest building in Minneapolis, and probably in Minnesota. It has since been surpassed numerous times. And yet, for those of us who remember, the Foshay Tower was a huge building. It is like the PC(USA) in a way. We used to be a large six million person denomination, and yet now are down to about two million. Maybe this is also a little like APC. We used to have several thousand members, and now have less than 400. Do we really have the right, PC(USA) or APC, to strut around thinking we are all that, based on our former glory? I pray not.
This is the sign outside my committee room. Our room is 101DE, which means 101D and 101E put together. Pretty fancy stuff, yeah? I have liked the people I am with for the most part. There are a few annoying people. One of the guys, Eric, who ran for Moderator sits right next to me. Steve sits down the row, he is from the Shenango Presbytery. Shenango actually once sent a mission team to our church in Highland Park, for which we were very grateful. In front of me is Matt, who is from Northern Kansas. He moved there to get away from his dad (a seminary president) and brother (a seminary professor). Matt is just a pastor. Well, his dad and brother are now in the Northern Kansas Presbytery. Good luck, Matt. Across the way is Taylor, whose grandmother passed away today in Seattle. We prayed for her. In the corner by me is Belle, from Atlanta. Great name for someone from the South, eh? Some really fine folks, really.
This was the sign outside when I went to dinner tonight. It had just rained, so the humidity was about 95%. I love the smell after a midwestern rain. And 75 is about the coolest it has been here all week.
Well, that's the news from Lake Wobegon. It is all my tired body and brain can take.
I will ask you to pray for me, as I am not sleeping well, and all the walking (several miles a day back and forth from the hotel to the Convention Center) is really hurting my legs. Of course, not enough that I will actually do anything about it, like go see a DOCTOR.
Pray for Taylor as well, she and her grandma were very close. And pray for our group to draw together and talk about ministry rather than just business. And pray for all the GA committees that we might listen to the Spirit, and have the mind and courage of Christ.
God bless you, my praying APC family!
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