Thoughts & Images from the Heart

I am proud and honored to be a part of Cherokee Presbytery!  Just over a week ago, our Presbytery met in Dawsonville, GA.  Part of our business that day was to discuss and vote on the proposed Amendments to the Constitution of the PC(USA).  Among those amendments was Amendment 14-F, a proposal to expand the definition of marriage to a union between “two people” rather than “a man and a woman,” with an acknowledgement that marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman.

 

I want to share with you how much I appreciated the tenor of our discussion at that meeting as well as at the January gathering for an open conversation on the overtures held in Cartersville.  Over the course of these conversations, several things are clear:  1) Scripture matters to each of us; 2) the lives of all people  matter to each of us, and; 3) we are not of the same mind with respect to same gender marriage.

 

Despite the diversity of Biblical interpretation amongst the believers in Cherokee Presbytery, our discussions were respectful, rooted in scripture/theology, deeply personal, and vulnerable.  We listened carefully to one another and then we prayerfully voted.  By a margin of 42 to 26, Cherokee Presbytery voted in favor of the amendment.  The report of the vote did not yield any open demonstration of any kind, which (to me) demonstrates the love and respect we have for one another.   It also demonstrates a humility that befits those who know that all that we do – even those things we do out of deep commitment to Christ – are imperfect, and that our ultimate hope rests solely in the grace, faithfulness and sovereignty of God.  Such humility and generosity of spirit is evidence of the Spirit’s presence in our midst, and is part of why I think Cherokee Presbytery is so special.

 

It now seems clear that the Marriage Amendment (14-F) is likely to receive approval by a majority of the Presbyteries in the country and become a part of our constitution.

 

In light of this, I pray that we will continue to be a community that exhibits the marks of Christian love that Paul wrote about as he encouraged the church in Rome:

Romans 12 ¹⁰love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.  ¹³Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.  14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

 

I’m so blessed to be a part of this community of faith.

 

Photo Credit:  found via Google Image search, no artist listed.

           

I came of age during the era of Civil Rights and the Vietnam war. As a young person, I remember the many debates about the justice of the war, the  “rightness” of military service and the appropriateness of using violence to achieve honorable goals.  As a Christian, these debates were much more than theoretical for me — they were a matter of discerning how to be a faithful disciple of Jesus.

My conscience and my reading of scripture led me to be a pacifist.  However, I knew many committed disciples of Jesus who felt OK about the war and/or about serving in the military.  I really struggled with if or how I should relate to them.  Should I embrace them as brothers and sisters in Christ or should I shun them?  Should I try to convince them that they were in error?  How could both positions be right/faithful?

Oddly enough (says the feminist me), the apostle Paul came to my rescue with his counsel to the church in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 about eating meat offered to idols.  He commends showing care for your brother/sister’s conscience, recognizing that some are not comfortable with eating, while others are.  This helped me to understand that sometimes there is no ONE faithful or right answer… that God speaks to each individual’s conscience and leads them to know what is best and most faithful for them to do.  And so, we must not despise different conclusions or opinions but must honor the faithful intentions of all, because God honors the faithful intentions of all.

The reason I bring this up now is because this has been much on my mind as we talk and listen to one another about how to faithfully respond to the idea of same sex marriage.  Could it be that good and faithful people will have differing convictions that God honors?  If so, then I pray that we can hold one another in the same spirit that Paul commends.

Since our Presbytery office is closed each year between Christmas and New Year’s, it has become my custom to steal away to the mountains or another quiet place to spend some time in prayer.  I typically do some kind of look back at the year just concluded to see where God was particularly active, and look for things I might have missed.  My spiritual director calls this a process of “examen.” [Click here for more information on the prayer of examen.]

When I looked back at 2014, here are some of the “God-things” I observed in Cherokee Presbytery:

• Two of the people we saw through the Preparation for Ministry process were ordained.  Stephen Fearing (Dalton) was ordained to serve as pastor at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church in New York and Kira Stringer (Marietta First) was ordained as Associate Pastor at Wellshire Pres. in Denver, CO.
• We commissioned two Ruling Elders to serve in our congregations:  Bob Butler is serving at Calhoun Pres. and Kwasi Aye-Addo is serving at Ebenezer Ghanaian NCD.  These are the first Commissioned Ruling Elders to be deployed in many years, and I celebrate the Presbytery’s willingness to take this step of faith.
• We have had several pastoral transitions this last year.  Dalton completed their search for a new pastor, and that search brought Will Scott into our Presbytery.  Faith (No. Georgia) called Jim Simpson as their Installed pastor.  Heritage, Beersheba and Macland are now being served by interim pastors (Arch Baker, Jack Westlund and Richard Hill).  I am finding it quite refreshing to have these new colleagues in our midst, as they come from other presbyteries and bring fresh perspectives, new ideas and new energy to our Presbytery.
• The Summer Camp at Cherokee Retreat Center and Camp was a real blessing!  Started by the energies of two congregations (Providence and Cartersville), people from many other congregations joined in to help provide a wonderful camping experience for the children and young people in our area.  It was wonderful for me to see the connections made between the volunteers from our congregations, and to see the connections made between campers young and old.  The week felt like a real coming together of our presbytery; people sharing their gifts in order to do something for young people.
• There were several events this year that blessed many of our members.  The Leadership Training Event sponsored by Congregational Care and Mission Team,  the “Creating a Culture of Generosity” workshop hosted by Cartersville Pres., and the opportunity given by Light of Hope for so many people to attend the Evangelism and Church Growth Conference were all meaningful opportunities for learning, sharing and being together.
• We’ve begun a good relationship with DOOR Ministries (Discover Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection) in Atlanta.
• The year went well financially:  we ended the year in the black (both for the Presbytery operations and the retreat center), and we have a sale pending for the Sixes property!
• I feel like we “one-anothered” very well.  There is a  Unity and Diversity group that meets monthly to build relationships among people of differing theological perspectives.  We listened to the concerns of people with the Authoritative Interpretation that the GA issued this last summer, and acted together to file a remedial complaint with the GA’s Permanent Judicial Commission.  And lastly, we gathered alongside those who have left the PC(USA) at the Memorial Service for our brother, Mickey Shealy.  It was really moving to me to see the warm embraces and shared tears between those who have recently parted company.

Here are some of the areas where I think we missed opportunities and/or experienced struggles:

• We seem to struggle to find enough people willing to fill committees, teams, commissions, etc.  There seems to be a bit of apathy or lack of energy or something.  I often wonder if we are still dealing with the many difficult transitions of the last decade (Jim Choomak’s resignation, Scudder’s death, an interim period that involved a lot of change, dismissals and congregational divisions, etc.).  I spend a lot of time thinking and praying about how we might mend whatever is keeping us from being more energetic, robust and excited about our life together.
• Financial uncertainty and the resulting reductions in staff have been stressful for us.  When I came here in 2009, we had 4.0 Full time equivalent (FTE) staff members.  Now we’re down to 1.5 FTEs.  For one thing, it means that the office is a lot quieter, and staff parties are not nearly as boisterous as they used to be!  And yet,   even though we stress about these things and worry about “the bottom line,”  God has been good to us.  Congregations and volunteers have stepped up to help with time and money.  We are learning to do things differently and to let go of some things that might no longer be necessary.

 

So, what might God be up to for this coming year?  I’m sure that the conversations about the future of the Georgia Presbyteries will continue.  In these conversations, we will have an opportunity to work with the other Presbyteries in Georgia to look at how we might fulfill our missions in the future.  There are opportunities to share in one another’s special ministries ( such as Savannah Presbytery’s School of the Laity), to learn from one another and to perhaps consolidate some of our redundant work.  It is an exciting opportunity, even though it involves that most fear-inducing word… change.

I am also feeling a tug for us to explore new ways of doing mission and ministry in our region.  As I’ve noted before, our area is not under-churched but it IS under-Gospeled.  I believe that there are many places in Northwest Georgia that would be blessed by a reformed witness in their midst.  That witness likely does not need to be the establishment of an organized congregation, but could be an intentional mission community sponsored or supported by one of our congregations.  I’ve been really drawn to the “intentional Christian Community” and “new monasticism” movements and believe that they offers a good way forward for us in the 21st century.   If you’re interested in exploring this subject, I would suggest the following books: