I was tired Monday and the afternoon wasn't that uplifting. My appearance withthe Review Committee was odd: the exams committee discussion skipped me altogether, and then the racial ethnic concerns committee called on me to speak suddenly when I wasn't really prepared. I also knocked over a microphone and failed to respond to a "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire" joke. I didn't talk so much about exactly what I had planned to talk about - given the short time I had (and given that I was ostensibly talking about just one committee instead of about two committees) - but the rest went OK.
Towards the end of the dayatour booth in the Exhibit Area I eventually steered a conservative critic of the denomination to my manager, towards whom this man was episodically rude (and sometimes incoherent), which I felt bad about and hoped I wouldn't get in trouble about. My managerscan both be somewhat introverted (and they're my managers),and so I never know exactly how friendly to be with them. Only Sunday night did the three of us have dinner together.
After dinner by myself, the day got better when I stopped by the Youth Advisory Delegate caucus. In addition to the "commissioners" - one minister and one elder each - that the presbyteries send to the Presbyterian General Assemblymeetings, the presbyteries (and others) also send advisory delegates - a youth advisory delegatefrom each presbytery, theological student advisoiry delegatesfrom various seminiares, and mission co-worker advisory delegates. These folks can vote in committee meetings (where much of the work is done) but cannot vote in the big "plenary"/everyone meetings (where some critical decisions get made).
As luck would have it,k I'm staying at the YAD hostel, the Crowne Plaza. My first night in the hotel Clara, our presbytery's YAD who is also from our church, invited me to to stop by any subsequent night's YAD caucus - end of the day meetings. Last night I walked by and listened in for a while. My immediate interest was a next night YAD field trip to Sanra Cruz, where I would also be headed - in case I could get a ride on one of their buses. But I stayed when the newly elected moderator, Bay Area Filipino-Chinese-American new church development pastor Bruce Reyes-Chow (pictured above) (the 2nd of 3 PC(USA) moderators who have been 30-something - younger than me) - stood up to speak briefly. A former YAD (from 1990 - the kids - mainly high school and college student - thought that this was ages ago), Reyes-Chow fielded questions from what he was drinking (Diet Coke) to how he prepared (1 1/2 years ago he started consulted allies about how he should approach the critical General Assembly (GA moderator candidates) question and answer session - even practicing). The moderator post is somewhat ceremonial - now for 2 years, between GAs - one of the things the moderator does - besides running the rest of the GA plenary meetings after s/he is elected - is to speak with lots of groups around the country. the moderator 2 years ago - Rick Ufford Chase - was very popular with youth, and - judging from this crowd - Reyes-Chow is too. It was furn to hear him speak and to watch YADs (some of whom were already his FaceBook "friends") inereact with him.
Afterwards, I also watched YAD representatives report on all 15 or so of the committees. Many of these reports were quite funny (even one SNL-style opening monologue/press conference), though the YAD advisors eventually complained when people exclusively made fun of parliamentary procedures without reporting on the issues before the committees at all. I got to hear a report fromteh committee with which I had spent most of the afternoon. Eventually, the YAD representaitves also explained some controversial issues before the committees - abortion, teen sexuality curriculum, ordination of gays and lesbians, Biblical interpretation, Iraq war withdrawal. (Giving one report was the daughter of a Swarthmore acquaintance of mine, who's teh YAD from our neighboring Transylvania presbytery.) It was fun/interesting to watch how funny and yet also how serious these young people could be, how important some of them thought the issues were. I was especially touched when some of the YADs serving on committees with controversial issues or big decision-making process discussions aksed for people to pray for their committees.
Hopefully, some of these kids will stay active in the church and in our country and they will maintain some of their creativity, energy, and thoughtful-ness. Please pray for peopel young and old as they try to discern God's will on issues important and not so important.
Attending the YAD caucus was a high.
Towards the end of the dayatour booth in the Exhibit Area I eventually steered a conservative critic of the denomination to my manager, towards whom this man was episodically rude (and sometimes incoherent), which I felt bad about and hoped I wouldn't get in trouble about. My managerscan both be somewhat introverted (and they're my managers),and so I never know exactly how friendly to be with them. Only Sunday night did the three of us have dinner together.
After dinner by myself, the day got better when I stopped by the Youth Advisory Delegate caucus. In addition to the "commissioners" - one minister and one elder each - that the presbyteries send to the Presbyterian General Assemblymeetings, the presbyteries (and others) also send advisory delegates - a youth advisory delegatefrom each presbytery, theological student advisoiry delegatesfrom various seminiares, and mission co-worker advisory delegates. These folks can vote in committee meetings (where much of the work is done) but cannot vote in the big "plenary"/everyone meetings (where some critical decisions get made).
As luck would have it,k I'm staying at the YAD hostel, the Crowne Plaza. My first night in the hotel Clara, our presbytery's YAD who is also from our church, invited me to to stop by any subsequent night's YAD caucus - end of the day meetings. Last night I walked by and listened in for a while. My immediate interest was a next night YAD field trip to Sanra Cruz, where I would also be headed - in case I could get a ride on one of their buses. But I stayed when the newly elected moderator, Bay Area Filipino-Chinese-American new church development pastor Bruce Reyes-Chow (pictured above) (the 2nd of 3 PC(USA) moderators who have been 30-something - younger than me) - stood up to speak briefly. A former YAD (from 1990 - the kids - mainly high school and college student - thought that this was ages ago), Reyes-Chow fielded questions from what he was drinking (Diet Coke) to how he prepared (1 1/2 years ago he started consulted allies about how he should approach the critical General Assembly (GA moderator candidates) question and answer session - even practicing). The moderator post is somewhat ceremonial - now for 2 years, between GAs - one of the things the moderator does - besides running the rest of the GA plenary meetings after s/he is elected - is to speak with lots of groups around the country. the moderator 2 years ago - Rick Ufford Chase - was very popular with youth, and - judging from this crowd - Reyes-Chow is too. It was furn to hear him speak and to watch YADs (some of whom were already his FaceBook "friends") inereact with him.
Afterwards, I also watched YAD representatives report on all 15 or so of the committees. Many of these reports were quite funny (even one SNL-style opening monologue/press conference), though the YAD advisors eventually complained when people exclusively made fun of parliamentary procedures without reporting on the issues before the committees at all. I got to hear a report fromteh committee with which I had spent most of the afternoon. Eventually, the YAD representaitves also explained some controversial issues before the committees - abortion, teen sexuality curriculum, ordination of gays and lesbians, Biblical interpretation, Iraq war withdrawal. (Giving one report was the daughter of a Swarthmore acquaintance of mine, who's teh YAD from our neighboring Transylvania presbytery.) It was fun/interesting to watch how funny and yet also how serious these young people could be, how important some of them thought the issues were. I was especially touched when some of the YADs serving on committees with controversial issues or big decision-making process discussions aksed for people to pray for their committees.
Hopefully, some of these kids will stay active in the church and in our country and they will maintain some of their creativity, energy, and thoughtful-ness. Please pray for peopel young and old as they try to discern God's will on issues important and not so important.
Attending the YAD caucus was a high.
To see Bruce Reyes-Chow's blog, see: http://www.mod.reyes-chow.com/
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