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Sunday  Day Three, June 16: Opening Worship

The opening worship this morning was good, but lacked the sizzled of most opening worship services. Oh, I got the usual lump in my throat and swelling in my eyes as the opening hymn, written just for this Assembly, was sung, and the worship leaders and those to be commissioned as mission personnel processed. We were in the Battelle Hall of the Hyatt Hotel. It was a smaller venue for the opening worship that we usually have. Chairs were squeezed in pretty tightly. There was no procession of presbytery banners, no grand processional of worship leaders, dignitaries and staff, no dramatic movement. Those who did process come in from two directions, of which was not visible depending upon where you were seated.

The "chancel" was very understated and provided no particular point of reference. It kind of look like a boxing ring without the ropes with a large projection screen suspended above it, visible from all four sides.

The choir, the handbells, the brass choir, the organist were all very good. The sermon of Jack Rogers’ sermon was well done in Jack’s usual thoroughness in open the text and bring out both the challenge and encouragement of Scripture. Communion moved with such efficiency that two of the hymns were cut because they weren’t needed. Two hundred eighty-four people were commissioned to various forms and lengths of mission service in the United States and in other countries.

Following worship Erin and I went to the Presbyterian Media Mission luncheon. PMM is one of the mission partners supported in the Presbytery mission/ministry budget. Anthony Griggs was the featured speaker. Mr. Griggs is one of the strength and conditioning coaches and player development staff for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been instrumental in assisting PMM in the development of a youth mission effort which involves some of the Steelers’ players. His presentation would have been better suited for the junior and senior high athletic banquet.

I spent some time, this afternoon, going to the downtown mall to buy a new pair of shoes. The sole had come unsown on the one pair of dress shoes which I brought. (No smart remarks about the EP losing his sole/soul). Later I wandered through the exhibit hall and discovered that a seminary classmate and friend, Marie Cross, had written a book on stewardship. It was good to see Marie and her husband, Steve.

The Commissioners were in their committee meetings this evening. As usual, the first meeting of the committees is closed to allow for group building and clarification of the business before the committee. Tomorrow they begin the hard work of sorting through the several issues before them. I’ve signed up to speak in one of the committees. I will speak against an overture which would say that sessions can remit whatever amount of per capita they decide and that the presbytery is only required to remit the amount given by the sessions. I haven’t yet fully formulated my comments, but I am convinced that we all have a responsibility to contribute equitably to the underwriting of the administrative and structural costs of the denomination. Yes, there are some things in the per capita budget of the General Assembly which some in the church have decided should not be there. If we withhold our apportionment or fail to fund the total budget just because there are some items we don’t like, what about when others find additional items they don’t like? Pretty soon we will have eroded the whole idea of being a denomination. Withholding funding, in my mind, is a form of extortion and is the worst form of power-politics. We are all in this boat together. We all have to carry our share of the administrative and structural costs of being a denomination. I continue to boast that in 2001 our sessions paid 100% of our per capita apportionment.

This evening was the dinner of the Association of the Executive Presbyters. As secretary/treasurer of that organization, and this year the only office able to attend the dinner, because others were busy with other Assembly duties, I had some responsibilities for making sure details were in order. Following worship this morning I discovered that Moderator Abu-Akel not only would be making the usual "pass through," but would be eating with us. This was a honor for the Association. This is the first time in the twelve years I’ve been coming to the Association gathering at the Assembly that the Moderator has taken so much time to spend with us. The Moderator told the group (I paraphrase), "You are the ones who are responsible for holding the Presbyterian Church together as you care for the churches and pastors in your presbyteries. I think stronger ties need to be established with you by those who serve in the Presbyterian Center."