Opening worship at the 223rd General Assembly in St. Louis, MO on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Photo by Michael Whitman
The long days — and the even longer nights — that await participants at the 226th General Assembly (2024) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Salt Lake City will be enlivened by the Holy Spirit, always at work in the life of the Church and the world.
And a General Assembly is no exception.
“Although we tend to focus on certain elements of the business of the General Assembly — bills and overtures, budgets and resolutions, committees and commissions — our Book of Order centers the work of the General Assembly in the ‘marks of the church,’ namely proclaiming the word, celebrating the sacraments and nurturing the covenant community of disciples,” said the Rev. David Gambrell, Ph.D., associate for Worship in the Office of Theology and Worship of the Presbyterian Mission Agency. “We pray that these worship services will keep us faithful in giving glory to God in all things as we engage in the church’s work.”
Gambrell, who leads the worship planning team for GA226 — which includes Marissa Galván-Valle, Marcus Hong, Phillip Morgan, Elona Street-Stewart and Dianna Wright, with support from Deb Davies, manager of GA Meeting Services, and Nathan Young, GA producer — recently spoke with General Assembly News.
“Members of the planning team contributed their clear understanding of Reformed worship, vital engagement with the work of the denomination, and strong appreciation for the culture and history of the host location,” Gambrell said. “They shared the conviction that General Assembly worship services should be deeply rooted in the sacred geography of Utah, solidly grounded in the distinctive themes of the Reformed tradition, and decisively directed toward God’s future for the Church.”
“Live into Hope,” the theme for the 226th General Assembly, is drawn from a hymn text by Presbyterian hymnist Jane Parker Huber, which was originally written for a United Presbyterian Women’s National Meeting in 1976. The hymn reflects Jesus’ first sermon in the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus, reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, announces that he has been anointed by the Spirit to proclaim good news to people who are poor and oppressed. Gambrell said that although a Korean version of “Live into Hope” already existed, a new Spanish translation by Galván-Valle will debut at the Assembly.
Rev. David Gambrell
Rev. David Gambrell
“The theme for each day of our in-person meetings at this General Assembly is based on a phrase from the hymn,” explained Gambrell, “‘and hear God’s word’ (Sunday), ‘of captives freed’ (Monday), ‘the right to be’ (Tuesday), ‘the end of greed’ (Wednesday), and ‘to faith, hope, joy and peace’ (Thursday).”
In a recent interview, Kate Trigger Duffert, director of General Assembly Planning in the office of the General Assembly, said that many attendees report that General Assembly worship is among the highlights of their Assembly experience.
The Presbytery of Utah “is excited about people coming and experiencing what it’s like to be a Presbyterian in Utah,” Duffert said. “They’re excited for us to join them and support them.” Toward that end, churches across the presbytery will welcome Assembly-goers to worship on Sunday, June 30, for which the presbytery has arranged transportation.
This is an important opportunity for commissioners and others to get to know the mission of the denomination in this place, and to build relationships with partners in ministry in the Presbytery of Utah,” added Gambrell. “On the morning of the first day of the week, we will be where Jesus is — greeting the dawn of a new creation, celebrating God’s triumph over evil and death, and bearing witness to the power of the resurrection, here and now.”
Those who take part in General Assembly worship — whether present in Salt Lake City or joining the services via livestream on the GA226 homepage — can expect “passionate preaching, stirring song, fervent prayer and inspiring testimony to the transforming work of Christ among us,” according to a statement on the GA worship website. Services will include an orientation to Salt Lake City and the Presbytery of Utah, the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, acts of confession and lament, thanksgiving for those who have died, and offerings in support of homeless and LGBTQIA+ youth, the people of Gaza and the work of the denomination. Local music leaders and ensembles — including bagpipes, a Japanese drumming ensemble, an organist and a praise band — will also lend their gifts to the GA experience.
The phenomenal lineup of preachers for the 226th General Assembly includes the Revs. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace and Shavon Starling-Louis, Co-Moderators of the 225th General Assembly (2022); the Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, general secretary of the World Council of Churches; the Rev. Ruth T. West, associate dean of the Graduate School of Theology at the University of Redlands in Redlands, California; and the Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo Jr., president of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. Other worship leaders will include the incoming Moderators and Stated Clerk, along with commissioners and advisory delegates to the 226th General Assembly, mid council leaders, members of the Committee on Local Arrangements, and representatives of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly, the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board and the Unification Commission established by the 225th General Assembly.
“With a hymn as the theme, you know we’ll be making a joyful noise at this General Assembly,” Gambrell said, “joining the songs of the people of God throughout history and around the world.”
PDFs of the liturgy for each service will be posted on the GA worship website in time for the opening online plenary on June 25.
Plenaries of the 226th General Assembly will be held on-site at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City from June 29–July 4.