The moderators and vice-moderators of the 18 committees for the 219th General Assembly (2010) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have been named. The leadership was chosen from the 712 commissioners to this year's assembly, to be held July 3-10 in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008), selected the leadership with the assistance of the Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, the Executive Director of the General Assembly Mission Council, the Director of Operations for the Office of the General Assembly, the chairperson of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, a member of the General Assembly Committee on Representation, and OGA managers of General Assembly business and assembly services.

The Standing Rules of the General Assembly were used to guide the selection process, which took place after every presbytery had shared the names of its elected commissioners to the Office of the General Assembly. The criteria included provisions that the moderators of at least half of the assembly committees, including any committees dealing with finance and budgets, shall be elders; the moderators of at least half of the committees should be women; and no more than one person from any presbytery may be appointed. In addition, there should be an equitable distribution of representation among all of the PC(USA) synods.

Before the selection of the leadership, which took place on April 5, the full list of commissioners to this year’s assembly was distributed to presbyteries, synods, General Assembly agencies, advocacy and advisory committees, PC(USA) seminaries and elsewhere, asking for input about anyone whose name was on the list in terms of qualification for  committee leadership. Written comments were collected and shared with Reyes-Chow, who also solicited input from a wide array of sources across the PC(USA). In addition, commissioners who were nominated were asked to complete a questionnaire about their interests, gifts, skills and their willingness to serve if asked.

Out of the process came the following list of committee leadership:

Bills and Overtures — Heath Rada (elder, Western North Carolina Presbytery) as moderator; Aleida Jernigan (minister, Cascades Presbytery) as vice-moderator

GA Procedures — Patricia Valentine (elder, Presbytery of the James) as moderator; Olanda Carr, Jr. (elder, Charlotte Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Middle Governing Body Issues — Cliff Lyda (minister, Chicago Presbytery) as moderator; James Belle (minister, Philadelphia Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Church Polity — Anne Epling (minister, Giddings-Lovejoy Presbytery) as moderator; Marcia Rich (elder, North Central Iowa) as vice-moderator

Church Orders and Ministry — Theresa Denton (elder, Middle Tennessee Presbytery) as moderator; K O Noonoo (minister, John Calvin Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Form of Government Revision — Tim Beal (minister, San Diego Presbytery) as moderator; Jose Capella-Pratts (minister, San Juan Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations — Michael Livingston (minister, New Brunswick Presbytery) as moderator; Zitta Chapman (elder, Palisades Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Mission Coordination — Julia Henderson (elder, Denver Presbytery) as moderator; Robert Baker (elder, Western Reserve Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Social Justice Issues: Promotion of Social Righteousness — Theresa Cho (minister, San Francisco Presbytery) as moderator; John Arbuckle (elder, West Virginia Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Social Justice Issues: Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World — James Bender, Jr. (elder, Coastal Carolina Presbytery) as moderator; Kristen Gerling (elder, Donegal Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Civil Union and Marriage Issues — Rick Nutt (minister, Muskingum Valley Presbytery) as moderator; Karla Conditt Daniels (minister, Northeast Georgia Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Peacemaking and International Issues — George Lynch (elder, Pacific Presbytery) as moderator; Sue Trei-Conrad (minister, Indian Nations) as vice-moderator

Middle East Peacemaking Issues — Karen Dimon (minister, Cayuga-Syracuse Presbytery) as moderator; Laurie Anderson (elder, Heartland Presbytery) as vice-moderator

 Church Growth, Christian Education, and Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program — Mindy Douglas Adams (minister, Salem Presbytery) as moderator; Tom Letts (minister, Yukon Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Theological Issues and Institutions — Sharon Stanley (minister, San Joaquin Presbytery) as moderator; Irene Pak (minister, San Jose Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Review of GA Permanent Committees — Kenneth Godshall (elder, Hudson River Presbytery) as moderator; Leon Lovell-Martin (minister, Tropical Florida Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Board of Pensions, Foundation, and Publishing Corporation — Effie Bynum (elder, New York City Presbytery) as moderator; Donna Misterly (elder, Riverside Presbytery) as vice-moderator

Health Issues — Ann Kelson (elder, Great Rivers Presbytery) as moderator; Bonnie Brown (elder, Missouri River Valley Presbytery) as vice-moderator

In addition to the moderator and vice-moderator, each committee will have a committee assistant and parliamentarian. The appointment of these positions is still underway.