The Rev. Bronwen Boswell, Acting Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), is joined on stage during the second plenary by the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, and Kathy Leuckert, president of the Administrative Services Group. Photo by Rich Copley
In a session that was light on business decisions but heavy on voting practice and reflections from the Stated Clerk and Co-Moderators, the second plenary for the 226th General Assembly concluded Sunday afternoon.
The Revs. Shavon Starling-Louis and Ruth Faith Santana-Grace, Co-Moderators of the 225th General Assembly (2022), opened the session by thanking the gathering for “saying yes to this important work on behalf of the larger church” before leading everyone in prayer.
The Rev. Mirjam Haas-Melchior, executive presbyter for the Presbytery of Utah, extended a warm and heartfelt welcome to Salt Lake City on behalf of the presbytery.
“It is a joyous occasion to gather in person, sit side-by-side, and not via Zoom or monitor, to worship together,” said Haas-Melchior. “Utah may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think ‘Presbyterianism’ … [but] there are Presbyterians in Utah; our churches have a rich history dating back over 130 years.”
Although in the minority, Haas-Melchior noted that Utah Presbyterians — all 2,100 of them — are steadfast, vibrant and faithful.
“Our community, racial, social and environmental justice is dear to our heart. We are a Matthew 25 presbytery, and that you came to worship here means the world to us to be seen and heard. We might be small [in numbers], but we are here and thriving and proud to host General Assembly this week.”
Starling-Louis and Santana-Grace briefed the gathering with a self-narrated video in which they warmly recounted their two-year tenure, noting that as they began their journey, they were being called out of places of comfort into the depths of the unknown.
Sharon Ramsey, a member of the Dineh/Navajo Tribe, Ami Noshiravan, a ruling elder at Ogden Christian Church in Ogden, Utah, offer land acknowledgement at the opening of the second plenary on Sunday afternoon. Photo by Rich Copley
Commissioners and advisory delegates to the 226th General Assembly participate in opening worship. Photo by Rich Copley
“We affirm that the gospel unites us across languages, geography and culture,” said Santana-Grace.
“Those affirmations are even stronger today as we reflect on the countless conversations and engagements that have embodied the words of our platform unbounded,” said Starling-Louis. “Our experience of a faithful people near and far has forever shaped our witness.”
After the video, the Co-Moderators noted this was the first in-person General Assembly plenary session since 2018. Therefore, they led the Assembly through a mostly jovial, 45-minute mock exercise for advisory delegates and commissioners on how to seek recognition, make motions, debate, vote, and run through all the various parliamentarian possibilities for debating and approving overtures within Plenary Hall.
Acting Stated Clerk the Rev. Bronwen Boswell then gave her report to the Assembly. Appointed a year ago in the wake of the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II’s resignation, she thanked the members of the Committee on the Office of the General Assembly for “giving me the great honor of serving the Church in this way, a way I never thought would happen. I thank them for their support and leadership during this time of transition,” referring to the work of unifying the Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
“I am also the first woman to be the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) since its beginning in the U.S.,” said Boswell. “I am grateful to know I am not the last.”
She went on to say that the denomination’s membership will likely fall below 1 million next year, while reminding the Assembly that not everyone who is active in the congregations is a member.
“Numbers do not tell the story about the Church that’s important. How we live out our faith, being disciples of Christ, sharing and showing God’s love is what counts.”
The Revs. Shavon Starling-Louis and Ruth Faith Santana-Grace, Co-Moderators of the 225th General Assembly (2022), preside over the second plenary. Photo by Rich Copley
Boswell introduced the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, president and executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, who briefly talked about the unification process and the work that has been going on since January on the budget process for a unified agency.
Kathy Lueckert, president of the Administrative Services Group, announced some details about the new pcusa.org website to be launched in the fall. Lueckert noted they are taking seven separate websites operated by OGA and PMA and bringing them into one, unified web presence.
“Our web design and development partner has relentlessly focused on the actual experience of people like you who use the site,” Luecker said. “I think users will be delighted to find that we are designing content not based on who owns it but by the topic you are interested in.”
The plenary session concluded with a budget presentation from Denise Hampton, controller, and Ian Hall, chief financial officer and chief operating officer for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), A Corporation. They outlined the proposed 2025–26 budget for the unified agency, noting that the final version would be available to commissioners and delegates Thursday morning. If approved, GA per capita would increase by 64 cents in 2025 and 74 cents in 2026.