It is 4:45 am Sunday morning, and I am at the airport for an early flight to Portland, OR, where I will be a commissioner to General Assembly. General Assembly actually started yesterday, but I am running a day late due to a previous commitment to participate in a renewal of wedding vows yesterday.
Yesterday I counted how many times I have been to a portion of a General Assembly, and I was suprised to realize that this will be the fifth General Assembly I have attended. Inseminary, I worked for the General Assembly behind the scenes. Six years ago, I was a commissioner. Now, I return in that capacity.
I know that yesterday a new moderator was elected, and they had the opening worship service that included communion. I greatly enjoy both of those activities, so I was disappointed to miss them. It is a powerful feeling to worship with a convention center full of Presbyterians of all kinds, and then to share in the sacrament of the Lord' Supper together. I can well remember my first General Assembly twenty-five years ago when I first shared in that worship.
I am a bit disappointed to search the web this morning and find no news of who was elected as Moderator. This General Assembly there was an option to elect co-moderators. This change reflects the demands of a moderator now that General Assembly meets every other years. It will be interesting to see how that new model will work, if co-moderators are elected.
I will be serving on the General Assembly Precodures committee (that sounds exciting doesn't it?). Not sure what that's all about yet, but by the time I land in Portland, I plan on being prepared (what better way to spend a two hour layover in Chicago and then a 4.5 hour flight to Portland than reading material related to my committee work.
I am trying out new technology this time at General Assembly. Instead of taking my computer, I am using my iPad mini and bluetooth keyboard. I hope it works! After carrying my heavy laptop (perhaps I need a new, lighter one) last week-end so I could work on a sermon while in Spokane, I decided no laptop this week. It only took one phone call to Mario (our former youth pastor who knows technology) to adapt a blue tooth keyboard we had at the church to my mini iPad, and here I am using it in the airport. Let's hope it continues to work since wifi and computer (or other device) are the mode of operation for the General Assembly. As I write that, I am reminded that in Detroit two years ago, I watched as they voted with the paper ballots when electing the moderator because of glitches with the technology!
Friday I was in a text messaging group with the other commissioners from our presbytery. They were feeling the excitement of arriving in Portland and getting settled before the opening gathering on Saturday. As I read their messages, I began to feel the excitement as well. Before the day ends, I will be experiencing that excitement in person.
I will be posting a daily blog from General Assembly through my preaching blog, so you can read it each day to get a feel for the life of a commissioner to General Assembly and what is happening at General Assembly from my perspective.
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