GA Daily Dispatch

July 2, 2010

Today people streamed in to the Minneapolis Convention Center to register for the 219th General Assembly, relieved to find shelter from 87 degree heat, and delighted to renew old friendships and begin forming new ones. The Pittsburgh Presbytery GA 2012 display booth opened for business at noon, with various ones of us taking turns hosting the steady stream of visitors. We will continue through next Wednesday to invite booth visitors to come to the PCUSA’s next General Assembly in Pittsburgh in 2012. A number of family members accompanying those here in official capacities are helping to staff our welcome booth – deep thanks to each of them!

A number of Burghers here represent our Committee on Local Arrangements (COLA) for GA 2012. They were all invited to meet this afternoon for a briefing session with the Minneapolis COLA, to help give us an idea of what we will be facing in hosting GA in a couple of years. Our COLA team will continue to shadow the Minneapolis COLA team throughout this Assembly.

Today included orientation sessions for our Young Adult and Theological Student Advisory Delegates. Otherwise, there was little official business today. Following morning pre-assembly workshops for commissioners and delegates, the first business session of GA convenes tomorrow after lunch. It will be a general orientation to the week ahead, and will include a number of mission celebrations. The second business session, tomorrow evening, includes the first significant vote of the Assembly - the election of the Moderator. Normally three or four people are nominated for Moderator, but this year we have six candidates, so the election should be especially interesting.

When you pray for GA in general, and for our commissioners in particular, pray that the mind of Christ will be heard in the election of a Moderator. The Moderator sets the tone not only for the Assembly itself, but also for the whole PCUSA for the next two years, as he/she serves as public ambassador for the church. My next report will include news of who was elected Moderator of the General Assembly.

Looking forward to what lies ahead,

The Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Sorge, Pastor to Presbytery


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