Josh McDowell said, "I'll attack hell with a squirt gun if I have to!"  I am thankful to God for the squirt gun God gave me to use in our week at Denver, along with my comrades.

–Tom Hobson

"The General Assembly experience is refreshing and nerve-wracking all in one; the issues that came before this year's Assembly were ones I never expected to see in Denver! Seeing and experiencing the Presbyterian church in a much larger context than my presbytery, or even my local congregation, was something that God used to open my eyes and change my heart in big ways. I want to bring this experience back to my home church and be able to connect people into our denomination at the national level; I want them to see that God is still moving in our denomination and be encouraged by this!"

–Megan Acedo

It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but not as good as it should have been.  But this is still our Lord's Church, and in that is our hope, so let's keep up the efforts as we pray for reform and revival.

–Sanders Read

You may take what you wish from the attached sermon I preached upon my return.

–Doug Sterrett

As a commissioner to GA from one of the largest presbyteries (Pittsburgh) I am grateful to have been elected this year. As you realize the "odds" of being chosen from such a large body are quite low. It was an interesting and very informative process. I am somewhat dismayed, however, in that I believe the gap between the interests and work of the Assembly and those of the people in the pews of our local congregations is becoming increasingly wider. I believe the Assemblies are becoming increasingly more liberal and I find myself at odds as to what do or how to feel about it. I do not feel that a question raised in the opening plenary session was adequately answered as to whether there is a cause-effect relationship between our alarmingly high drop in membership and the "outside" view of the divisiveness of our denomination. After Adjournment my wife and I stayed a couple of days and visited Estes Park. It was there in a gift shop of a well-known hotel lobby that a clerk, on learning of our reason for being in town, asked the question "how did THE VOTE go?" Need I say more as to the outside view of the PC (USA)? This clerk had left the denomination some 15 to 20 years ago.

–Carl Manganaro

I must say, before attending the General Assembly, I had only a vague
idea of its function and the process for achieving it.  I came away with
a renewed respect for the General Assembly, the Moderator and the Voting
Commissioners.  I felt that the business at hand was handled in a
thoughtful, respectful way with a large amount of knowledge being
secured to assist us in our decision making. I feel blessed by the
wonderful Worship Services held each day as well as better informed about the polity of our denomination.

–Pearl Castle

I came back much more spiritually refreshed rather than being depleted after my experience at General Assembly, God is good all the time, but I feel that we as a church were blessed by his goodness this year in a special way. What a wonderful experience of partnering with other brothers and sisters in Christ.  I made many new friendships that were formed as we took biblical stances on difficult issues together. Thanks for all the Coalition's support and encouragement during the week it made all the difference in being able to stay focused and spiritually refreshed as a commissioner.

–Mike Griffin

When I began thinking about GA, I was hoping merely to survive the experience!  After learning more about the process at our Coalition-sponsored pre-GA meeting in Denver, I began to hope that I could somehow make a difference, as opposed to just getting through it.  Thanks to the presence and encouragement of so many from the Coalition who were at GA, I was able to walk away feeling like I had done so.

–John Goodale

GA was an awesome experience, one I wish I could repeat again.  It was great to see and catch up with old friends from across the country, and wonderful to meet and get to know new friends for the future.  Being at G A really helps me appreciate the connectional nature of our church and makes me proud to be a Presbyterian.

–Craig Kozak

My time at GA was of great value in all respects, meeting others of like mind and spirit, seeing those of other mind and spirit at work; most clearly seeing how and why the membership is in decline. As currently structured and functioning I see no sign of PCUSA changing direction or revival. I am encouraged at the core of faithful with deep concern for the church. In summation I believe a small step was gained by Pro-Life with the "mother and baby" change moving "life" into the womb. However, no productive action was taken to resolve the continuing division over ordination standards, the subject is still open and will come up again. Commissioners are still expected to act with limited information. Finally, little was accomplished to deal with the rebellion against the Book of Order, leaving that area still in turmoil. The line is drawn in the sand and shows no sign of resolution.

–Robert A. Browne
 

God continues to work upon our denomination!  I see God doing the work of a "new wineskin" with the renewal groups, so that we will be ready to receive a new work of the Holy Spirit that God is preparing for our denomination.

–Denny Finnegan

"It was clear from this Assembly that our church continues deeply divided on many issues.  The fact that we avoided yet another year of presbytery debates and battles can give us a very false sense of 'peace and unity' if we are not careful.  The issues that have been before us continue with the same if not growing intensity.  Our church continues to decline in numbers, spirit and direction and no major current in a new direction has yet to surface.  While doom and gloom is surely not a proper response for any of us, the reality of the seriousness of the situation has not changed even a degree."

–Dr. John W. Daniel

It was a privilege to represent the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta as
Commissioner to the 215th General Assembly. What I experienced there
gave me hope for the future of our denomination. Not all of the votes
went the way I wanted them to go but I sensed the desire on the part of
the Commissioners to seek God's will in the decision process.   

–Sandy Fox

It is an interesting challenge to be one of the approximately 250 elders
representing 11,500 churches at a GA meeting along with the 250 Minister
delegates. Lisa Johnson warned me that the highlight of the week would be the Sunday morning Worship Service, not how the votes went.  For this commissioner and I think many from San Diego this was not the case.  There seemed to be a absence of the Spirit working in the Sunday Morning Service.  It started with an Indian spiritual leader, not Christian, playing in full brave
regalia from a flute.  How this was part of a Christian worship I do not
know. The choir sang well but there seemed to be something missing.....We
sang a hymn about lifting up the rocky mountains that Andy, John and I could
not understand the theology of.  What happened to "Christ is made the sure
Foundation", or "The Churches one foundation is Jesus Christ Her Lord"? The election of the new Moderator of the church was to me a really sorry
affair.  We need to nominate a real evangelical like Dr. Gillespie the
retiring President from Princeton.  The reason I say that is the new
Moderator Rev. Susan R. Andrews was a past president of the Covenant network and resigned in order to run.  The Covenant Network sent our a press release indicating that the defeat of the Ordination Standards would not be pressed this year so she could run. I quote Susan in a statement she made from the platform;" It is my fondest dream that in my lifetime we will move beyond this," she said, "and open up the full privileges of membership, including ordination, to all of our gay brothers and sisters. I am on record for believing that, and I still do." She went on to say, "This is not the year to send out an overture to our presbyteries." She said the Assembly should defer to the Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church, better known as the theological task force, which is addressing ordination issues as part of its work. "It's in God's hands," she said, "and it will be in God's time." Even at that there was a vote and it was 85/15.
In other words wait till next year!!!  Or 2006.   The PUP committee that is
chaired by Garry Demarest can only report out:

• No Change - This means continued votes as we have now
   

• Local Option - This means that each Presbytery will have to be the gate keeper.  Anarchy
   

• Delete the Ordination Standards - Many churches will leave PCUSA.

I was on the national issues Committee of about 50 that dealt with the
"Families in transition Report".  10 of us networked with the help of
Presbyterian for renewal and we were well prepared for actions in order to
defeat the report, we did so by a plurality of 12 in the committee.  Andy in
his report indicated that the report was sent back with our substitute
report for revision by the Theology and ASWAP offices and will be submitted
again next year. I think it is important to share one thing with you however.  During the session the committee in an open hearing hears from anyone who want to speak either for or against the items on the docket.  It is obvious that the intent of the committee that drafted the report was to define the family beyond the bounds of what we interpret the Bible says and only to reflect society not the Word.  It is a sad state of affairs to rejoice in what we were able to defeat, how we are stemming the tide.  The church lost 2% of the membership last year!!!
That was not addressed. In summary, it is good to be back in San Diego.

–Dick Walker

Thank God for the Renewal Groups. I sincerly believe they kept us from the brink of disaster on several fronts. And, now is the time to prepare for next year.

–Mark Markham
 

The Presbyterian Coalition was a reassuring presence.  Thank you for your availability, counsel, and prayers.  I know where to send future colleagues and friends who go to G.A.  Blessings on you! 

–Rev. Karel J. Coppock

I was very distressed that debate on the floor of the General Assembly was based on on polity and not whether our actions were in accordance with Scripture.  This was very evident when we were dealing with topics such as the policy on late term abortion and the Des Moine overture to have a re-vote on the fidelity-chastity amendment.  It is obvious various groups are pressuring the church to ignore God's Word and the moral standards set forth in Scripture and give in to the standards of the world.  Who gave us the right to start deciding whether certain sins are no longer sins by popular consensus?  Either Scripture is God's authoritative word or it isn't!  Essentially we're right back in the Garden of Eden looking at the forbidden fruit and deciding whether of not to usurp God's power.  We need to look carefully at the consequences of disobedience and weigh them very, very carefully before making our decisions.

–Peggy Alexander

First, it was reinforced for me that the Spirit of God works in ways I don't understand.  A case in point was the election of Susan Andrews as moderator.  I did not vote for Susan, but as the week went along I felt very strongly that she was used by God to keep the meeting on track and under control.  She moderated with grace, compassion, and determination.  It was great to be reminded that that the Spirit works and moves through people with whom I have disagreements. Second, the theme struck me in a powerful way.  Becoming a house of prayer for all peoples sounds good, but the reality is something else.  Interestingly there were posters and postcards being sold with pictures of doors to Presbyterian Churches on them.  More interestingly most of the doors in those pictures were closed, which I think is symbolic of where our church is at currently.  As someone who has participated in and who shares some common positions with those in the Coalition I am personally challenged to confront what I have done to close or open the door of the church.  The people with whom we disagree are not going away.  We are not going away.  Time will tell if our faith in the Theological Task Force is properly placed.  But, the question we must all answer is this:  Is our church a house of prayer for all peoples?  Are the doors open or closed?  Who is welcome and who is not?  I find myself wrestling with these questions and wondering if I can be right and still be wrong. Third, I found the worship services to be varied and uplifting.  The opening worship service was worth the whole trip for me.  The folks in Denver did a great job putting it together from the pottery communion ware to the huge choir representing area churches.  I would really highlight the whole job the COLA people did.  They were there opening doors and answering questions all week.  Denver can be very proud of the work they did. Lastly, I want to share that we have a huge responsibility as commissioners to GA.  There are many people who will form their opinions regarding the church based on how we come back and talk about it.  While the Assembly was not perfect, there were something's that should make us hopeful about the future of the church.  When we paint a gloom and doom picture it doesn't further the peace and unity of the church.  We know there are problems, but frankly comments like Richard Walker's and more notably Parker Williamson are not helpful.  I received a letter from Parker requesting money for the Layman that contained his reflections on what transpired at GA.  They were filled with half-truths and distortions.  Increasingly I am finding I am having to distance myself from Parker and the Layman.  His comments are not only not helpful, they are making the problem worse.  In my opinion he wrote the letter to scare people into contributing to the Lay Committee.  I don't like everything that is going on in our church, but I certainly don't dislike everything either.  I believe God is at work in our denomination and he is at work in ways we may not want to see.  I think we need to deal with the negative stuff, but we are on thin ice if we neglect the good things that are happening.  If we do we are in danger of missing a new thing that God may be doing in our midst. I am proud to have been a commissioner to the 215th General Assembly.  I believe we did good work.  I believe the Spirit was and is at work.  I believe there are still battles to fight.  I believe there are things to celebrate.  I believe we need to be a house of prayer for all peoples.  I believe if that is going to happen we have to begin to open the doors of our churches.  But even if we do, will anybody want to come in?

–Rev. John Hougen