Members of two Minnesota churches were honored at the Presbyterian Voices for Justice awards luncheon Sunday at the 219th General Assembly (2010).
The Andrew Murray Award went to Ann and Manley Olson of Falcon Heights, Minn., for their outstanding leadership in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). As members of North Como Presbyterian Church in Roseville, the two have been longtime, active Presbyterian leaders at congregational, presbytery and national levels. Manley Olson is currently serving as co-chairperson of the Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA), and Ann serves on the COLA executive committee.
After nearly two hours of debate on Thursday evening, the 219th General Assembly (2010) agreed to refrain from holding national meetings in states where travel by immigrant Presbyterians or Presbyterians of color might subject them to harassment due to legislation.
The 219th General Assembly (2010) voted Thursday night to maintain the current definition of marriage — between a man and a woman — in its Constitution.
Just prior to the Assembly’s action, the body accepted the recommendation of the General Assembly Civil Union and Marriage Issues Committee to approve the report of the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage by a vote of 439-208. The Assembly decided to send both the special committee report and the minority report generated by three members of the special committee to the larger church for study after a motion to replace the final report with the minority report was defeated, 358-311.
The full Assembly seemed quite satisfied with the deliberation in the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee as members needed just one hour to move through its business, including the two interfaith papers of which they referred one and approved the other.
All six agencies of the General Assembly are reaching out to people of color to make the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) a more diverse place to work and serve.
The National Persons of Color Recruiting Network has a new website where church leaders hope to compile a database of qualified candidates for jobs and volunteer positions within the church.
After recounting several horrific stories of human trafficking to the Presbyterian Men’s breakfast Tuesday at the 219th General Assembly, the Rev. Noelle Damico said, “Modern-day slavery and human trafficking is alive and well in the 21st century.”
More than 100 people gathered early Tuesday for the Presbyterian Voices of Justice (PVJ)/Voices of Sophia breakfast as part of the 219th General Assembly (2010).
“I would have laughed and called them crazy, if you’d told me I’d be preaching here today,” college student Hakeem Jerome Jefferson, preacher at Thursday’s worship service of the 219th General Assembly, confided to the congregation.
“We come very tired … Perhaps you’ve had your fair share of ‘Why me? Why now?’ moments … Perhaps your smile on the outside conceals pain on inside,” Jefferson told the gathering at the beginning of a long day of plenary sessions.
“But there is good news for God’s people – for those who know what it’s like to have their backs against the wall: Hope is on the horizon.”
The church is essential in leading men and women out of homosexuality because “counseling alone is no good,” an Indianapolis pastor told about 40 attendees at a General Assembly-related luncheon sponsored Tuesday.
“Not everyone needs a counselor,” the Rev. Brad Grammar, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church of the Presbyterian Church in America in Indianapolis, told the OneByOne-sponsored luncheon. “Community is frequently more valuable, and that’s what the church has to offer.”
“Why is it that we can tell others how an iPad has changed our life, but we can’t explain how Jesus is changing our lives for all eternity?”