Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri and Cindy Kohlmann, Co-Moderators of the 223rd General Assembly (2018), announced today appointments to two additional special entities approved by the General Assembly:
Family Leave Task Force
Contina Lundy, Co-Moderator (Presbytery of Philadelphia)
Landon Whitsitt, Co-Moderator (Presbytery of Heartland)
Heidi Bolt (Presbytery of Twin Cities Area)
Tito Colon Ramos (Presbiterio del Noroeste)
Hailey Malcolm (Presbytery of Cincinnati)
Paul Volker (Presbytery of North Central Iowa)
Jarvie Commonweal Endowment Reconciliation Team
José Olagues, Co-Moderator (Presbytery of Grand Canyon)
Roxie Holder, Co-Moderator (Presbytery of Eastern Virginia)
Terry Dunning (Presbytery of Utah)
Kimo Kim (Presbytery of Detroit)
Oscar McCloud (Presbytery of New York City)
Samuel Stone (Presbytery of Palisades)
Kathy Barlow Westmoreland (Presbytery of Santa Fe)
Regarding the appointment of the Jarvie Commonweal Endowment Reconciliation Team, the Co-Moderators, Ruling Elder Cintrón-Olivieri and Rev. Kohlmann, expressed the following:
“We understand these have been difficult months of waiting, and appreciate the patience and prayers as no process of this kind is done without plenty of prayer and discernment as well as the support of the office. This task was not taken lightly. Since the beginning of the process, the pool of people nominated or self-nominated for this particular team was very small and homogeneous, and, even after months of efforts in widening the pool, it remained as such. The Co-Moderators completed the list of members and finally appointed the team when there was a balance of expertise and skills, as well as appropriate representation. Because this team will be looking at different sides of a conflict, balance in the members is of utmost importance. Now that the appointment has been completed, we trust the Holy Spirit, already at work, will lead this group of volunteers that have placed their hearts and skills in the service of God and the church. We trust that you join us in continuing to pray for reconciliation and a new way forward.”
In addition to appointments made by the Co-Moderators, the General Assembly tasked the General Assembly Nominating Committee with appointing members to the Survivors of Sexual Misconduct Task Force. General Assembly Nominating Committee Moderator, the Reverend Lindsey Anderson, announced the appointments of the following persons:
Survivors of Sexual Misconduct Task Force
Carol Howard Merritt, Moderator (Presbytery of East Tennessee)
Margaret Hodges (Presbytery of East Tennessee)
Kris Schondelmeyer (Presbytery of Philadelphia)
James Splitt (Presbytery of Homestead)
Leah Holder Wyman (Presbytery of the Western Reserve)
Further information on the membership of each of these groups may be found here.
The General Assembly Co-Moderators hope to announce soon the appointment of persons to the Special Committee to Develop a Letter to Accompany the Confession of Belhar and Task Force for the Decade of Intercultural Transformation. We continue to work on developing a diverse pool of applicants from which these appointments may be made. For more information, please contact Valerie Izumi.