Brushstrokes of justice
Moderator paints a picture of hope with young adults at 2026 Jesus and Justice conference
DECATUR, Georgia — While the Rev. Dr. Kris Schondelmeyer preached during opening worship at the 2026 Jesus and Justice: Young Adult Advocacy Conference, a painting unfolded nearby. Created in real time by Columbia Theological Seminary worship intern Lauren Christian, the acrylic landscape featured a burning bush framed by vivid autumn leaves painted with repeated brushstrokes inspired by Vincent van Gogh. Christian said the layering symbolized the steady, ongoing work of justice and advocacy, a theme that echoed throughout Schondelmeyer's sermon and his call for Presbyterians to “be the leaves” that bring healing to the world.
That image became a fitting frame for the message brought by Schondelmeyer, one of the Moderators of the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), during the 2026 Jesus and Justice: Young Adult Advocacy Conference hosted by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness at Columbia Theological Seminary last weekend. Elected in June alongside Moderator the Rev. Marta Pumroy-Cordero, Schondelmeyer has spent the months since traveling across the denomination, visiting ministries and convening conversations about the church’s future.
Preaching opening worship on Oct. 23, Schondelmeyer rooted his message in Revelation 22, the vision of the river of the water of life and the tree whose “leaves are for the healing of the nations.” That Scripture has become central to the Moderators’ ministry.
“What if the leaves are something we are called to become?” he asked. “What if we are called to be the leaves?”
With cadences reminiscent of St. Francis of Assisi’s famous prayer, the refrain “be the leaves” echoed throughout the sermon, inviting participants to embody that call in many shapes, sizes and situations.
“Where there is hatred, be love. Where there is cruelty, be compassion. Where there is injustice, be courage,”
During the conference, participants reimagined the invitation as an artistic pledge, adding their unique thumbprints of paint to a communal art project traveling with the Moderators.
The mural, created by an artist from the El Paso-Juárez region, depicts the river of life flowing between two trees. As congregations contribute painted leaves, the artwork becomes a visual witness to the church’s call to healing.
“Our charge to the church was that we encourage people to join us in the call to be the leaves of the tree of life, to be a healing and hope-filled presence,” Schondelmeyer said.
The following day, Schondelmeyer returned for a candid conversation moderated by Clare Balsam, associate in the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations.
Schondelmeyer recounted a lifelong connection to the Presbyterian Church, tracing his family’s roots to Scottish Presbyterians and describing how congregational mentors nurtured his faith as a young person. A transformative experience at the Montreat Youth Conference led him toward ministry when he sensed God’s call to “love my people.” He admitted to being an inquirer in the ordination process since he was 16 years old.
But he also shared the painful reality of surviving a sexual assault by a pastor during a later Presbyterian youth event and the difficult path that followed when he sought accountability years later.
“I eventually learned what approximate justice is,” Schondelmeyer said. “The church, as we know it, is a human institution, and it is not our savior. It is a tool that God can use to do work.”
In 2016, while serving as a commissioner and sharing his story of abuse with others, Schondelmeyer received a formal apology from the Stated Clerk on the floor of the 222nd General Assembly. Schondelmeyer continued working to strengthen protections against sexual misconduct in the church, serving on the Survivors of Sexual Misconduct Task Force and helping develop proposals that informed changes to church policy. These included requirements for boundary training, clearer guidance on pastoral confidentiality and mandated reporting, and strengthened Rules of Discipline. He also consulted with presbyteries and supported survivors seeking help.
Schondelmeyer said he chose to remain engaged with the church because of his conviction that it can become a healthier, safer and more faithful community.
“I’m going to work as hard as I can to help define a healthier version of what it means to be the Presbyterian Church,” he said.
That commitment has fueled his advocacy for stronger safeguards, survivor support and institutional accountability throughout the denomination. Even as he acknowledged the church’s failures, Schondelmeyer repeatedly returned to hope. “The arc of Scripture is healing and love and hope for a better world,” he told participants. “God loves this world.”
In his closing remarks, he shared a story about his son listening to his heartbeat with a toy stethoscope and declaring, “There’s a party in your heart.” The image became a final metaphor for his ministry as a Moderator: listening for both the wounds and the promise within the church.
“If you listen closely to the heart of the church,” Schondelmeyer said, “you will find that there is a party in the heart of the PC(USA).”
Like Christian’s layered brushstrokes in worship, the conference offered a vision of justice not as a single grand gesture, but as faithful, repeated acts of courage, compassion and hope.
“In a world aching for healing and desperate for hope, be the leaves,” Schondelmeyer encouraged. “Be the leaves of the tree of life. Be a healing and hope-filled presence in this world that God loves.”
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