Confirmation Class & GA Preview

This newsletter has two corners. The first corner is my excitement over the confirmation class. This class, organized by Lee Campbell, has been meeting since the fall to learn more about faith. In May they met with the session and were received into membership. They will be recognized on Confirmation Sunday (also Pentecost) on Sunday June 8. There they will stand before you and make public their profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They will also commit to being faithful participants in the worship and mission of Christ’s church. In this way they are adopting for themselves the faith in which you (representing the church-at-large) nurtured them. They will express their desire to continue in the covenant God made with them when they were baptized.

Confirmation is not graduation. Confirmation is a commissioning, whereby they are enabled to assume greater responsibility. Being a disciple of Jesus is a life-long journey, sometimes difficult, but always leading to life. Please join me in congratulating these 9 students, the newest members of this church: Sarah, Chandler, Cody, Jordan, Sam, Anita, Junior, Jason, Dylan.

My second corner is my excitement over the 221^st General Assembly to be held in Detroit June 14-June 21. I will be attending for the first time as an “Alternate Commissioner” from Grace Presbytery. This means I will observe and learn in preparation for being a “real” voting commissioner at the next GA in 2016, held in Portland. The General Assembly will conduct routine business like electing the next Moderator. We will also worship and serve together. Hot topics which have been on the agenda in the past will again make for interesting times. Issues related to Israel/Palestine, Marriage/Human Sexuality, the Belhar Confession and what to do with Synods are among a very crowded docket. The General Assembly is an instance of the church-at-large—people like you and me meeting together to discern the will of Christ for the PC(USA). Please pray that discernment occurs so that God’s will is done. I will be providing a GA preview on June 8 after the 10:50 worship service. If you want to learn a bit more, please meet me in the sanctuary. See you then.  David