More than 3,000 people gathered in the Oregon Convention Center Saturday morning for the opening worship service of the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Commissioners, advisory delegates, other assembly participants, and members of Presbyterian congregations from across the Northwest heard a rousing call to live God’s message of reconciliation.

On the 60th anniversary of making women eligible to be pastors, and the 85th anniversary of ordaining its first woman elder, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) made history again Saturday, electing two women as co-moderators for the first time.

Denise Anderson, a pastor from National Capital Presbytery, and Jan Edmiston, a presbytery executive from Chicago, were overwhelmingly elected Co-Moderators of the 222nd General Assembly (2016).

A talented group of volunteers and staff are in place to report on the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Their work will be featured online in General Assembly News, and on Facebook (spiritofga) and Twitter (presbyga). Here they are, listed alphabetically.

Overtures on requiring evangelism training for teaching elders, inserting caring for God’s creation as part of each congregation’s ministry—and a dozen other proposals—await the Committee on Church Polity and Ordered Ministry during the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

The denomination’s role in helping build a bridge of reconciliation between the United States and South Korea regarding the Korean War tragedy in the village of No Gun Ri is the subject of one of seven overtures to be discussed by the Peacemaking and International Issues Committee during the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 222nd General Assembly, which takes place June 18-25 in Portland, Oregon.

The Peacemaking and International Issues Committee will also hear an overture regarding the strengthening of Cuban- American relations, particularly in the faith community.

Whether the time has come to change the timing of the election the Moderator of  the General Assembly will be on the agenda of the Committee on General Assembly Procedures at the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meeting June 18-25, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.

The Presbytery of St. Andrews is proposing moving the election of the General Assembly Moderator and Vice- Moderator (or Co-Moderators) to the end of the meeting, rather than the beginning. Their rationale is that this would permit the Assembly to elect those who have demonstrated leadership throughout the week, rather than electing on the basis of campaign speeches and a brief question and answer period as the Assembly kicks off. The General Assembly would then send the newly elected Moderators to “serve as its ambassadors for the next two years, working to build the next assembly’s agenda and business, over which they would then preside.”

More than a dozen items will be debated by the Mission Coordination committee for referral to the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meeting June 18-25, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.

The committee receives overtures and reports on matters related to mission programs authorized by the General Assembly, PC(USA) vision and mission goals, Organization for Mission and Presbyterian Mission Agency Manual of Operations, mission budget, audits, churchwide compensation, initiatives on church growth and the 1001 Worshiping Communities program.

The future of the 16 synods in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will once again be on the docket when the 222nd General Assembly (2016) meets June 18–25 in Portland, Oregon.

The 221st General Assembly (2014) directed synods and presbyteries to collaborate on establishing a new configuration of synod boundaries that would reduce the number of synods from 16 to between 10 and 12. This year’s Assembly Committee on Mid Councils will consider responses from synods and presbyteries to the 2014 action.

A Korean Presbyterian leader whose ministry spans nearly half a century was honored at a retirement party Friday evening by Presbyterians gathering in Portland for the 222nd General Assembly (2016).

Rev. Sun Bai Kim, associate for Korean ministries in the Presbyterian Mission Agency, is retiring after nearly 40 years of service—first as a pastor and then as a national staff member—with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). During his tenure on the national staff, the number of Korean Presbyterian congregations in the denomination doubled, from about 200 to more than 400. Kim also served as executive director and moderator of the National Council of Korean Presbyterian Churches.

The charge to the Social Justice Issues Committee is clear. It is to consider matters related to the concerns of the church in national affairs, national military matters and matters relating to righteousness and justice of persons/organizations.

How to accomplish this tall order is far more murky. When Committee 11 begins their work at the 222nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) meeting June 18-25, 2016 in Portland, Oregon, they will be facing a marathon agenda of 26 overtures on social justice matters, plus summaries and self-study reports from GA committees and agencies.