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 Reverend 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 (OGA), 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.
Prior to the selection of the leadership, which took place on April 5, 2010, 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.
Find additional information about this year's assembly.