Unification Commission wraps up four years of work with one final public meeting in Milwaukee
Commissioners get a preview on what’s likely to happen during the 227th General Assembly
MILWAUKEE — After four years of arduous work unifying the former Office of the General Assembly and Presbyterian Mission Agency into Presbyterian Life & Witness, members of the Unification Commission met Friday to take a few actions and hear a few reports ahead of plenary sessions of the 227th General Assembly.
Following worship, UC member the Rev. Dr. Dave Davis moved that an apology be offered to UC member Ruling Elder José Rosa-Rivera for disparaging comments made during a meeting of the General Assembly Operations Committee against Puerto Rico, which with commissioners’ approval this week will host the 228th General Assembly (2028). The motion passed unanimously.
Later, Rosa-Rivera shared a brief message of appreciation from presbytery and synod leaders in Puerto Rico, who said they extended “our heartfelt gratitude for the confidence you have placed in us.”
“If it be God’s will, we are ready to welcome you with open arms,” the leaders said. “May the grace and peace of God accompany you to these shores.” Commissioners applauded their words when Rose-Rivera finished.
In their Co-Moderators’ report, Cristi Scott Ligon and the Rev. Dr. Felipe N. Martínez told their UC colleagues how much they’ve appreciated “your incredible gifts as fellow presbyters, your personal warmth and humor, your support and attention to us and each other, your collective faithful dedication to our common task, and your gracious attitude to remain open to the movement of God’s Spirit always.”
“This has been a transformational experience for us as colleagues, and hopefully for the denomination we love,” they said.
“We are grateful for the work you have done bringing us to a unified agency,” said the Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of PL&W. “When the assembly is done, there will be a lot more work to do. We are grateful for your presence here.”
Once the assembly concludes next month, four members of the UC will join 14 others on the recently appointed PL&W Board. Their names are here.
Commissioners approved a manual for the new board and offered their thanks to their colleague, the Rev. Deb Avery, who chaired the UC’s Ministry Coordination Committee and was instrumental in the production of documents including the new Organization for Mission.
“This work was hard and good, and special thanks to [consultant] Kelly [Beeland] for helping us stay focused,” Avery said. “It has been an intense pile of work, and it hurt a little bit to see all those amendments [by the General Assembly Relations Committee]. We know that commissioners will commish, and they were leaving their mark. Thank you. That’s all,” Avery told her fellow commissioners. “I’ll cry now.”
“I am aware this has been a long journey. Your dedication to this work is unquestioned,” said fellow commissioner the Rev. Scott Lumsden. “We are here largely because you stayed at it, so thank you.”
“You stewarded all that so well,” said the Rev. Carson Brown, “and you modeled it exceptionally for the rest of us.”
Commissioners then turned to Oh for an overview of what’s coming up during plenary sessions.
With the new Standing Rules of the General Assembly, any item of business approved by 75% or more of committee members can go on the consent agenda for plenary, Oh said.
“Actions about the Middle East are still coming before us,” Oh said, but the Climate and Environmental Justice Committee “worked through its business quite quickly,” she noted. “Those weren’t as hotly contested as in years past.”
Many business items related to the former World Mission, she said, or “have echoes of World Mission.” The Reformed Identity Around the World Committee worked to create a 17-member task force to review the process of transitioning World Mission into Global Ecumenical Partnerships.
Oh said the task force will review comments, advice, guidance, communications and consultations with partners “to see if any policy mandates were violated.”
Oh said she’s seeing continuing ecumenical dialogue, specifically with The Episcopal Church and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Other important work ahead includes continuing to work on repair, repudiating Christian nationalism and implementing the Black Women and Girls Task Force Report.
Kate Trigger Duffert, director of General Assembly Planning, said committee leaders were finalizing their scripts Friday for upcoming plenary sessions. Minority Reports are being offered on three items of business: GAR-03, Report of the GA Agency Review Committee on the Board of Pensions; GEN-09, “Beyond Changing Families: Flourishing Relationships and Belonging”; and RUS-10, the Report of the Special Committee for a New Confession.
The UC adjourned and enjoyed lunch together before holding a closed session.
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