Co-Moderator Candidate Cece Armstrong meets attendees at the Welcome Reception hosted by the Presbytery of Utah on Saturday. Photo by Rich Copley
Co-Moderator candidate Tony Larson meets attendees at the Welcome Reception hosted by the Presbytery of Utah on Saturday. Photo by Rich Copley
Smiles and laughter comingled with warm hugs as the Rev. Cecelia “CeCe” Armstrong and the Rev. Anthony “Tony” Larson welcomed visitors to their booth Saturday evening, on the eve of the election that could lead to the South Carolina pastors becoming co-moderators of the 226th General Assembly.
The duo, which is one of two pairs vying to become co-moderators, greeted guests during a reception sponsored by the Committee on Local Arrangements of the Presbytery of Utah, in partnership with several entities affiliated with the national church.
The bustling reception at a downtown Salt Lake City Marriott hotel was designed to give commissioners, advisory delegates and other folks participating in the assembly a chance to meet both teams of co-moderator candidates as well as Stated Clerk nominee the Rev. Jihyun Oh.
The Rev. Erin Kobs, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Kiskiminetas, seemed to sum up the feelings of most of the early visitors to Larson and Armstrong’s booth, when she explained why she favors the pair, whose bios can be read here.
“I feel like these two are complements for each other,” she said. “They are leading us into the future of what the denomination is going to look like in this changing landscape.”
Armstrong and Larson arrived at the reception early to decorate their tables in red, black and white, with assistance from various supporters. They sprinkled the tablecloths with tchotchkes matching the candidates’ theme “Journey to Stand.” The items included miniature race cars to take home as souvenirs, and colorful push pins available for people to indicate on a map where they had come from.
“CeCe and I have talked about this whole thing as a journey, and every piece of it has just been one more stop along the journey, and because we trust that the Holy Spirit is the one that has invited us to come on the journey, and because every step, so far, has been Spirit-filled, we trust that this also will just be a spiritual encounter and an opportunity to see the church gathered like this again, for the first time since Covid, and that the Spirit will be here and it will be good,” said Larson, pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church of Surfside Beach.
During a pause in their booth preparation, Armstrong explained that she was feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The excitement stemmed from a desire to meet and greet everyone. The nervousness stemmed from knowing that people sometimes want more answers than are available.
“I don't know the answers, but what I do know is that we're in this together — sink or swim,” said Armstrong, associate pastor of St. James Presbyterian Church on St. James Island.
Since announcing that they would stand together, Larson and Armstrong have been emphasizing to the church the importance of good communication, being in alignment with God, and building relationships.
“If we're not in communication with one another, then how are we ever being the body of Christ?” Armstrong said.
As Armstrong chatted, she was briefly interrupted by the Rev. Jerrod Lowry, an assembly parliamentarian and longtime friend from the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina, who became acquainted with Armstrong when she was his youth pastor.
Describing himself as like her “older little brother,” Lowry explained that Armstrong “encouraged me through my senior year, through college.”
He added, “Whatever is in her hands will be well cared for” and it “will be infused with a lot of energy, imagination and love.”
Another visitor to the booth, the Rev. Jen Kottler, a GA observer from Florence, South Carolina, sang Larson’s praises. “Tony's so incredibly smart and at the same time is so incredibly compassionate,” said Kottler, pastor of John Calvin Presbyterian Church. He's “He’s a wonderful pastor and his congregation is so proud and so supportive of him standing. It’s just been so touching to watch.”
Kathy Nice, executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Scioto Valley, praised Armstrong’s gifts. “She can preach like nobody’s business and what you see is what you get; she is very authentic,” Nice said. It’s important for a co-moderator “to be able to go in all different settings and still be who you are” and “in such a way that people can appreciate what message you're bringing.”