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The Stole
At every General Assembly, the Moderator is presented with a stole to be worn during the Assembly and the ensuing two years.
The stole I received was made by the Lydia Women's Empowerment Project in Minneapolis, an outgrowth of the Kwanzaa Community Church.
One thing I immediately noticed: it's REALLY long. I'm a fairly tall person, so I wondered what would have happened if somebody short got elected as Moderator. Every time I wear it, I have to be careful not to trip over the ends. I can just imagine the headline: "Moderator Falls Flat on Face While Attempting to Bring Greetings."
A friend suggested to me that the overly-large feel of the stole might be a metaphor for the whole job of being Moderator. Even now, three months in, I'm still feeling my way, still trying to figure out exactly what a Moderator does when there isn't a meeting to moderate.
I have recognized the enormous respect that folks across the church have for the office of Moderator, and am humbled by the prospect of carrying out this office for the next two years. I know that there are certain issues that I want to lift up: the importance of ruling elders in the life of our church, for one; the need for us to think creatively about how a denomination should be organized in order to do ministry in what some are calling a post-denominational age; the importance of affirming among ourselves what binds us together as Presbyterians even as we continue to debate, discuss, and decide issues on which we disagree.
What issues do you see as central to our ongoing life together? What would you like to see the Moderator do or talk about over the next two years?
- Posted at 7:04 p.m.
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