‘Fierce, fearless and fashionable’ the Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett invigorates crowd
Unification Commission hosts dinner and tribute for former PMA director
MILWAUKEE — On a night when Presbyterians gathered at the Baird Center to honor the Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett for her service to the Presbyterian Mission Agency, Moffett gave a gift back to them by pouring out a spirit of encouragement.
Moffett, former President and Executive Director of PMA, began her remarks with a nod to the Rev. Dr. Felipe N. Martínez and Cristi Scott Ligon, who were co-moderators of the Unification Commission, and to the Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of Presbyterian Life & Witness (PL&W), for the hard work of unification.
“I am cheering for you,” Moffett said to Oh. “I want this church to do what she needs to do, and there is so much work to be done. We need to lift up our voice like a trumpet and to begin to talk about the things of God, the things that Jesus talked about,” such as setting the captives free and proclaiming liberation for those who are bound and in need of healing. “We are the Good News. … We've got to embody that and to be that.”
Recalling Jesus’ proclamation that the gates of hell shall not prevail against God’s church, Moffett said, “Some of us think of that as a church kind of huddling over ... in a corner, trying to make sure that the evil forces don't get in. But no, it's the church on the offense, ‘cause gates don't march; gates defend.”
She went on to say, “We're called to … take over, to share the light, to come in, to speak truth to power, to be courageous, to have conviction” and “to speak in a way that people can see a new reality is possible.” When people come together with love and justice, all things are possible, so “I don’t care what the Supreme Court is doing. I don’t care what the president is doing.”
Moffett’s remarks, which had attendees on their feet clapping and cheering, came at the end of a tribute and dinner featuring words of admiration from relatives, church leaders and friends.
“You have a unique sensitivity and tuning to the frequency of the Holy Spirit,” said Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall, a PL&W senior director who said he's grateful that Moffett can “see the mysterious ways the Holy Spirit moves.”
Others praising Moffett included her daughter, the Rev. Dr. Eustacia Moffett Marshall, founding pastor of New River Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. She served as the night’s mistress of ceremonies, speaking of her mother’s faithfulness and how much she values their one-on-one chats.
“Mommy, we get to love you out loud tonight in this gathered community,” Moffett Marshall said. “We get to say: to God be the glory for the life and ministry that you have brought forth in the world and the difference that you have made in the church. And we get to say all of this while you still have it going on, girl, while you're still laughing and have a lot to give.”
The dinner and tribute were put on by the Unification Commission as a way to honor Moffett, who served from 2018 to 2024 as president and executive director of PMA, which through the process of unification, joined with the Office of the General Assembly to become PL&W.
Prior to Monday night’s event, Martínez and Scott Ligon explained the rationale: “The Unification Commission wanted to publicly recognize and honor the significant contributions and leadership of Rev. Dr. Diane Givens Moffett. The General Assembly provided an ideal platform for this recognition. Her service to the church as Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency and her pivotal role in spearheading the widely successful Matthew 25 initiative have cemented her legacy within our denomination. … The PC(USA) will forever be grateful for her ministry and visionary leadership.”
Scott Ligon praised Moffett again during a gift presentation at the tribute, saying, “You are fierce, fearless and fashionable. Always poised. Always polished. We know you're an exceptionally gifted preacher, a visionary and justice-driven leader. Your work within the PC(USA) continues on and on and on.”
Martínez said, “As a pastor of an Indiana congregation that is a Matthew 25 church,” that invitation to justice ministry has been a blessing that “activates and energizes us.”
Prior to coming to PMA, Moffett held a number of posts across the country, including senior pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, associate pastor at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church in New Jersey, and solo pastor at Elmwood Presbyterian Church in Oakland, California.
Oh said though she worked with Moffett for only a short time, she “respected her leadership and vision, the amount of energy that she had for the work. I know that I will never live up to her preaching, which is inspiring and powerful and so invitational and prophetic, and I am so humbled to follow her in this role.”
People from various aspects of Moffett’s church work packed the Baird Ballroom, rushing to give her warm hugs before the program started. Later, family members, including her daughter, Jessica Moffett Lee, performed an inspirational song about giving God praise for every mountain, trial and blessing.
The Rev. Dr. SanDawna Gaulman Ashley, synod leader of the Synod of the Northeast, spoke of Moffett as a cherished and beloved friend “who never allowed barriers to define her calling.”
Though Moffett, who now does church consultant work, isn’t certain what’s in her future, she stressed that she’s not retiring.
“I'm going to keep on keeping on,” she said, “because I believe that that is our vision … that we can touch one another with love, with grace, with favor and to know that we are the most powerful thing on this side of heaven.”
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