presby-guests
This was a special week in terms of visiting with folks across the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
On Monday and Tuesday I traveled to Montreat to meet with Paul Detterman (Exec. Dir. of PFR) and the conference planners for Presbyterian for Renewal's "Christian Life Conference." I will be leading the worship music with a small team from Good Shepherd at the conference this summer (July 4-7).
On Wednesday, I was pleased to host Linda Valentine, the Executive Director of the General Assembly Council of the PCUSA, at Good Shepherd for a time of conversation with area pastors and elders. She shared with us some of the responsibilities of the "mission and ministry arm" of the denomination, some of the recent budget challenges, and she listened attentively to questions and concerns from those gathered. In her own blog, she mentions the visit HERE.
Then today I was privileged to have lunch and spend some time with Bruce Reyes-Chow, the current moderator of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. He was in town for a meeting in his official capacity; it was especially meaningful to me that he would take time to pursue a friendship with me that started online (playing Scrabble) and has deepened through General Assembly matters and subsequent correspondence. While he and I both enjoy the connections possible through the Internet, it is of immense value to ground those in real face-to-face interaction. I continue to appreciate Bruce's transparency, collegiality, and his love for the people of God. His multiple blogs are well worth reading to get a sense of his calling and leadership. Here is a link to the moderator blog.