Linda Valentine

Returning Thanks to God

This Thursday – Thanksgiving Day – is not an official entry on our liturgical calendar. Nevertheless, this is a significant holiday for Christians, as we humbly seek to give thanks to God for all of the countless blessings we have received.

Throughout this special season, as we celebrate, enjoy, and give thanks to God for God’s bounty, it is also appropriate to intone the refrain from Psalm 116, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” In that very spirit, our Presbyterian Hunger Program through its Enough for Everyone ministry has resourced us with a wealth of alternative Thanksgiving ideas,which can help us to extend the love and fellowship of Christ both at – and beyond – our own dining room tables. Through activities such as worship, play, service to others, and advocacy initiatives, we can do justice, make a difference, and live faithfully, thereby truly returning thanks to God.

Wherever this Thanksgiving Day may find you, I pray that you will be sated both physically and spiritually in the One in whom we neither hunger nor thirst. May our prayers, praise, and actions on Thanksgiving Day – and every day – serve to raise a triumphant song of thanksgiving to God!

Celebrating 20 Years in the Presbyterian Center

20 years in the Presbyterian Center. Now that was something to celebrate. And we did – with worship, songs, greetings, honored guests and laughter.

On October 29, 1989, the Presbyterian Center was opened. Two industrial buildings with a railroad track running between them were transformed into the Center that has served us well for two decades and became an anchor for the transformation of the waterfront development in Louisville. Mayor Jerry Abramson (mayor then and mayor still) led an energetic contingent of Louisville religious and civic leaders to lure the Presbyterians to Louisville, and they still love to tell the colorful story. A number of the people who were instrumental in promoting Louisville were on hand for our celebration last week.

We began with worship in the chapel which was brimming with staff and guests, led by members of our Office of Theology, Worship and Education, and joined in by instrumental and vocal musicians, readers and a liturgical dancer. With familiar verses from 1 Peter as his primary text, Joe Small, in his sermon, “Built into a Spiritual House,” addressed our celebration not only of the anniversary of a physical building – but more importantly the mission and ministry it houses. Joe cautioned us that “we are most in danger of stumbling when we imagine that we are the builders” rather than God.  “We must give up the illusion that we are the architects,” he said, “but the raw material from which God builds the church.” Rhashell Hunter serving Communion was the picture of the event that appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal newspaper – a Good News story we like to share.

After worship we moved to the atrium, the large center area that joins the two once-separate buildings. The mayor brought greetings by video, happily recalling the civic effort and outcome for Louisville. Dot Ridings, a member of the Louisville delegation, recounted in colorful terms the joyful reaction by the Louisville team when the vote was taken at the General Assembly. Words of gratitude were shared, and Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, introduced and thanked our guests. I shared how the first time I came to the building with my husband, Chris, he looked at the pictures of the renovation that are on display in the cafeteria. He said “I know this building. I used to ship grass seed into here when I was in the seed business and it was the Belknap Hardware distribution facility.” Chris now tells people, “I used to ship seeds in, now Linda ships seeds out!”

The afternoon then moved to staff awards, our annual honoring of employees of the General Assembly Council (GAC), Office of the General Assembly (OGA), and the Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program (PILP), who have served for 5, 10, 15, 20, and up to 40 years. This year we had fun with the awards. Our first class of honorees was the class of 1968. That year, young seminarian Curtis Kearns was added to the United Presbyterian Church of USA’s Committee on the Consultation on Church Union, in response to a directive calling on each denomination to add one young member.  Cliff Kirkpatrick began his service in the church that year. Thirty five years ago, colleague and friend Jay Hudson, President of PILP began his service as did Nohra Carrillo from Theology, Worship & Education, Joan Richardson from the Office of the General Assembly, and Perfecto Romero from Shared Services. For each 5 year class, two of our colleagues began introductions by mentioning things that had happened in the world and in the church and then read the names of the employees we celebrated. Considerable ad libbing and humor ensued, mixing with expressions of honor and gratitude. And, of course, we all rose to our feet to honor seven new retirees, as they set out on a new chapter in their respective vocational journeys.

With such a word and such a visible witness of hope, how can we help but “tell to all the joyful Gospel,” as our closing hymn proclaimed.  May it be so for each of us, for the next 20 years and always!

(*Photos courtesy of Jerry Van Marter and Evan Silverstein of the Presbyterian New Service)

Young Adult Volunteers in the Blogosphere!

On line, we are increasingly connected with one another in ways that are complex, unexpected, surprising and newly relational.  In this brave new world of social media, a multiplicity of connections is changing and enhancing the landscape of communication even in our most basic human relationships.

One group that is especially well represented on line is our PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs).  Across the miles, the Young Adult Volunteers’ blogs invite us to connect with them and know them personally, as we share in their experiences of mission, moving among God’s people as the hands, feet, eyes and ears of Christ.

Rock a baby with Rachel Brown, a YAV who is serving in Kenya, as she experiences hope and encounters God’s presence at the New Life Home for Children, an organization of homes for orphaned babies that gives first priority to those born with HIV/AIDS.  Learn why Vice Moderator Byron Wade calls the YAVs “the Bomb Diggety” in a recent blog entry.   

A great source of information on who YAVs are and what they do is the YAV website.  Included on that site is a list of YAV blogs – current and past – as well as a link to the Mission Connections website for newsletters. Or go directly to the list of YAV blogs. The World Mission ministry area of the General Assembly Council presently counts 17 international YAVs as writing blogs thus far.  Since their stories, hopes, and prayers are but a mouse click away, I hope you will join me on line in meeting, supporting, and praying for these faithful and joyful disciples of Christ!

A True Milestone

Our Presbyterian UN representative, Joel Hanisek, with whom I have just spent time in New York City, had shared with me that this week in the month of September marks a true milestone. We are now at the midpoint to 2015, the year in which the United Nations, governments of the world, and civil society have challenged us to reach eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to providing universal primary education. These MDGs have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. The United Nations 63rd General Assembly, which convened in New York last week brought renewed attention and commitments to reaching these goals.  On Monday night, a few hundred people gathered in the chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations for a service to call forth the urgency of addressing the issues of poverty, such as child and maternal health, that the Millennium Development Goals lift up. The Church Center building, where our own Presbyterian UN Office and many partner ecumenical and interfaith organizations are located, sits just across the street from UN Headquarters. It was surrounded by a buzz of diplomatic pomp and security that included street closures and barricades as well as the ubiquitous presence of cars with dark windows and guards with earphones who lined the sidewalks. In the midst of all this, the chapel of the Church Center for the United Nations was filled with song, candles, prayers and members of the faith, diplomatic, and NGO community at the UN who gathered to mark the importance of the MDGs and manifest their commitment to the work of making them happen. A banner with the words, "MDGs: Partners for Justice - We Said It. Let's Do it," was prominently displayed on the outside of the Church Center as challenge and encouragement to all the many leaders who passed through the halls and meeting rooms of the United Nations this past week. This service, the attention and work on the MDGs, and our continued presence at the UN are all ways that PC(USA) continues to bear witness in the midst of the community of nations to Christ’s call to reach out and serve the least among us.

I had been attending the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA meeting uptown at the Interchurch Center, which, too, houses many denominational and religious organization offices at 475 Riverside Drive. Discussing, deliberating and discerning issues of immigration, interfaith relations, eco-justice and Christian presence in the Middle East with representatives of Methodist, United Church of Christ, Episcopal, African Methodist Baptist, American Baptist, Syrian and Greek Orthodox and other churches is illuminating, as various voices coming from different traditions and experiences provide unique insights.

My brief yet profound sojourn in New York has given me a wealth of information and a ray of Christ’s hope to carry with me to the meetings of our Middle Governing Bodies and General Assembly Council at the Snowbird Conference Center in Utah throughout the weekend and into the coming week.

Not Just Any Friday

Last Friday was no ordinary day! First, my friend and colleague, Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, returned to work following successful heart surgery, for which we give God thanks and praise for the power of healing and prayer. It was amazing how easily we slid back into our regular routine, in which we meet every couple of weeks to catch up, plan and coordinate our individual work and the work of the General Assembly Council and the Office of the General Assembly. Each agency has its specific responsibilities, of course, but we work closely in many areas, and find tremendous value and benefit in collaboration.

Our circle of conversation then widened, as Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow and Vice Moderator Byron Wade joined us. They’re great about sharing what they are hearing and seeing throughout their travels. It’s interesting to me to hear that as they have town halls and conversations, people are engaging them in person and in Cyberspace about the emerging church, the future of the denomination, staying connected in this techno-savvy age, and the art and discipline of blogging itself.

Next was chapel and what a glorious gathering that was. People of many races and nationalities had gathered from September 11-13 for the New Immigrant Ministries Convocation, and came on Friday to worship at the Center. Looking across the faces, hearing the Lord’s Prayer in many languages impressed upon me how diverse our country has become, and how important it is for the PC(USA) to become a welcoming, loving and diverse community of faith that reflects this country in which God has put us. Towards the end of the service, a pastor who hails originally from Kenya exhorted us all to join in a joyful, noisy song as we clapped and danced in a line snaking all around and through the chapel. A joyful noise unto the Lord!

Back in my office, Ruth Farrell, Andrew Kang Bartlett and others described the upcoming churchwide monthly fasts in response to the global food crisis, called for by the General Assembly. In a country where one of the major issues is obesity, and so many of us have access to such an abundance of food, the church reminds us that millions are hungry and “if your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love.” (Romans 14:15)

Right on the heels of that meeting, Gradye and I convened a conference call with several presbytery executives just to talk about what’s going on, what’s on their minds and how we can support them and they can support each other. We do this from time to time, and I always marvel at the stories I hear of joys and struggles, dedication and commitment, mission and ministry as people of good faith seek to be faithful and to build up the body of Christ and the community of believers and to find new ways to have and to build and maintain relationships.

It’s a privilege to be a part of that conversation and a traveler on that journey!

Back to School Fever

As a relatively new blogger, I really enjoyed sitting with our new moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow – a seasoned blogger – at the recent Church Unbound Conference held at Montreat Conference Center.  “So Bruce,” I started out, “if I was going to watch 5 blogs, what would they be?” Bruce’s response –“Depends on what you are interested in. Where the church is now, or what’s emerging?” “OK,” I answer, “give me two lists of 5.” So Bruce gave me a few, and also 3 books. True to type, I got right on Amazon and ordered 2 full priced, hard copy books and five days later when they arrived, proceeded to curl up in a chair and read about blogging. Is this a generational thing or a personality thing or a Presbyterian, post-graduate degree thing? I love to learn and am fascinated by many things. My second response to an interesting idea (the first is to ask a lot of questions) is to get the book and at least read the first few chapters and the last one. So it was with blogging, procrastinating, of course on actually writing something, which as the books emphasized over and over again, is the point.

From Church Unbound, I stopped in Louisville for two days that included making plans for the orientation of our new General Assembly Council (GAC) members. This, too is something that enthuses me. New people. Hospitality. Making sense of a complex organization. The prospect of new ideas. It’s like the start of school. It’s been years since I’ve started school in September, but I still love the anticipation of a new year, that rhythm of new notebooks and pencils. My kids indulged me all the way through high school, saving the school supply shopping for a time we could do it together.

After two days in Louisville, I headed off to Michigan, where amber waves of wheat were blowing in the sunshine on a small farm we have outside of Ann Arbor. I arrived on Wednesday, and on Sunday the farmer who is partner in this venture drove up with what looked to me like an enormous combine. As he headed for the second swath through the fields, I jumped into the cab to experience the harvest from that vantage point and it was amazing. We siphoned off a bit of the harvest, and with the aid of a home mill (a food processor sort of thing) on the back porch, we’ve been making whole wheat pancakes and muffins and wheat berry salad – a veritable experimental kitchen.

The real reason I was in Michigan was for my 40th high school reunion. My colleague, Debbie Gardiner had shared her mother’s complaint upon going to her 50th high school reunion that “they sat me next to all these old people.” As I anticipated 40 years, that was my thought. In fact, it wasn’t that at all. High school for me was a wonderful, creative time with friends, huge project to organize and plenty of hi-jinx. Remembering it with all those ‘old’ friends was a blast – laughter and tears, telling stories, and re-discovering wonderful people with wonderful new stories.

Another trip down memory lane came two weeks later when my husband and I met up one weekend with our daughter, a camp counselor this summer, at the University of Wisconsin. Chris and I met there in 1969, married 14 years later, and on July 30 celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. A world class farmer’s market, bike-riding by the lakeside dorms and walking through the jammed packed pedestrians only street sale and sidewalk restaurants made for a fantastic Saturday.

Back in Louisville, we did welcome the new GAC Executive Committee and then the new GAC members. The staff had a great time meeting the new members, and sharing the ministry of the GAC. Half of the GAC leadership team is new in the past two years, so the fact that half of the GAC will be new when we convene in September isn’t daunting to us, but rather is filled with possibility.

On that note – and as the September, back-to-school spirit begins to fill you with anticipation – I invite you to dream big dreams about your own hope-filled future!

Relief Efforts in Iowa

In response to my posting of July 15, I received the following message from the Rev. Allison Seed, former chair of the General Assembly Council and pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Independence, Missouri, who e-mailed me from Wyoming, Iowa:

"As part of our youth mission trip we are doing flood relief in Cedar Rapids, and let me tell you that PDA is doing a great job with volunteers, but the situation is every bit as critical as New Orleans with people homeless and homes that will be uninhabitable for months.  Wish we could get the word out more to churches to send teams for a few days to help.  Everyone we have met so far is local."

To help with cleanup and recovery efforts in Iowa, please visit the PDA Website.

(Photos courtesy of Rev. Allison Seed)

Presbyterians Respond

Even as I found myself enjoying the sights and sounds of our General Assembly host city of San Jose and the gracious hospitality of our COLA volunteers, the recent outbreak of wildfires across California were much in mind, especially during a subsequent trip to Palo Alto, where people spoke of ash filled air, a frightening and tangible reminder of the destructive and seemingly unstoppable fires that raged across the state.

As one Web-based news report had it, residents from Bakersfield north to Redding – a distance of nearly 450 miles – were advised at the end of June to stay indoors in order to limit their exposure to the smoky air.  As we breathed in the air, we were ever prayerful and mindful of those closest to and critically affected by the disaster.

From her home in California, Jacquie Lyman, a member of the General Assembly Council, shared one such firsthand account, and, with it, invites your prayers:

Please pray for the Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center, Rancho La Sherpa (RLS), above Santa Barbara.  Our property has been threatened and fire crews have taken over there to try to save our facilities.  All staff left yesterday and campers were cancelled.  Rick Harrison, CAO for Presbyterian Camp and Conference Centers, Inc. (PCCCI) and his staff need our prayers.   Rick has done a fabulous job of supervising RLS and made certain all personnel and others were evacuated in a timely manner for their own protection.  We appreciate the prayers of all.  Jacquie Lyman

Among those responding immediately to this latest outbreak of wildfires in California was our own Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).  Working in partnership directly with the affected presbyteries, PDA has already responded to dozens of disasters this year, including the historic flooding and other storms that have impacted communities from the Carolinas through the Midwest and now reaching to the west coast.  From January through July 15, 2008, PDA has responded to 40 presbyteries, 26 of which have received 66 grants totaling $462,500.  Also in this time period, there have also been 53 visits by members of the National Response Team to 21 presbyteries.  This has been an unprecedented number of responses.

To accomplish its mission, PDA works alongside local churches and presbyteries, affirming their role as the primary agent of mission and evangelism, affirming our unity in Christ in times of disaster.  Rapid Response to disaster events is also made possible through its connectional work with Church World Service (CWS) and with ACT (Action by Churches Together), affiliated with the World Council of Churches. PDA also works directly with Presbyterian and Reformed churches worldwide to support their expanded relief ministries.  Internationally, PDA has responded to 9 disasters from January through July 15, 2008, including 5 storms and 4 other types of disasters.  23 grants were issued in 9 different countries totaling $784,571.30, $159,583.20 of which came from One Great Hour of Sharing funds.  PDA is working with ACT International in 3 of these responses, and Church World Service in 5 responses.

PDA also regularly counts on, encourages, and facilitates volunteer work teams as responders.

To become more fully informed or to respond yourself where there is a need, visit the PDA Website.

GA reflection

What a difference a day made. Thursday was a long and productive day at General Assembly. Growing Christ’s Church Deep and Wide – a church-wide commitment to growing God’s church in numbers, discipleship and diversity – was unanimously endorsed. The committee report was accompanied by a video in which more than a dozen people at GA spoke about the efforts in their congregations to reach out, welcome in, and grow in faith. This effort is intended to be just that, to build on, encourage, expand the multitude of initiatives already underway to growing Christ’s church in multi-dimensions.

Also unanimously endorsed was “Invitation to Expanding Partnership in God’s Mission”, which grew out of a gathering of a diverse group of Presbyterians engaged in mission in a variety of ways. The invitation is a covenant to trust in the Holy Spirit and trust in one another; affirm the complementary nature of God’s gifts, recognizing our responsibility to each other by communicating openly, acting transparently and speaking and hearing the truth in love as together we expand, and maintain the unity of our participation in God’s mission.

The Mission Work Plan and budget of the General Assembly Council were approved, that include a reversal of a 50 year trend in the decline in the number of mission workers sent by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Commissioners endorsed a change in the name of the GAC to the General Assembly Mission Council to better reflect what we do. And, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation and the General Assembly Council joined the Mission Coordination and Budget Committee in endorsing a plan for a committee to resolve differences as they arise as to the legitimate and proper use of restricted funds that have been given to the church for mission.

Overall, things were moving very smoothly. On Friday morning, commissioners took actions that surprised many. Some claimed victory, others cried defeat and abandonment of the Gospel. But, it’s not about victory or defeat, as we know.

The church has been divided and wrestling with issues related to homosexuality, and how it relates to ordination for decades. The 218th General Assembly affirmed the decision of the 217th GA to allow ordaining bodies to consider the whole of a person’s suitability for ordained office, and to consider departure from standards of the church in the context of the whole person. The Peace Unity and Purity Task Force also gave the church ideas, encouragement and models to relate to each other in ways intended to seek understanding, genuine listening, respect, Biblical grounding, communal discernment and deeper relationships even among people with differing points of view. As I have travelled and listened to people around the church, I have heard story after story of how presbyteries are holding meetings in new ways, with more worship, learning and listening and less business conducted under Robert’s Rules of Order. I have heard time and again of people who are engaging in intentional and sustained conversations with people they know they disagree with on important topics.

The 2008 General Assembly has sent to Presbyteries once more a recommendation to remove the specific language on sexual conduct, and to replace it with a pledge to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ, and fidelity to standards of the church as found in the ordination questions. My prayer is that as we enter into discernment on this issue that we draw from our recent efforts at new ways to listen, talk, meet each other in speaking the truth in love and listening, really listening, for the word of God that may be revealed in surprising ways and places. And, that we not lose sight of the unity we have discovered in mission and ministry in so many realms.

Do Justice

Ever since I first encountered it, the powerful theme of the upcoming 218th General Assembly – “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) – appears to resonate with my every action and activity.

The first part of that Biblical mandate - “do justice” – sprang immediately to mind when I discovered in my inbox a copy of the newly released Bible Study, Fair Trade: Using Our Purchasing Power for Justice and Hope.

Because Christ came into the world to bring good news to the poor, so too, can we work for justice every day with our brothers and sisters who are living in extreme poverty.  Through Partners for Just Trade (PJT), an initiative of the Presbyterian Hunger Program's Joining Hands Network, Peruvian Fair Trade handcrafts and educational materials on Fair Trade are available for sale.  According to the PJT Website, the fair wage the Peruvian artisans receive enables them to provide food, shelter, and medicine for their families, educate their children, and reclaim and assert their economic, political, and social rights.

The call to “do justice” is woven into the fabric of our Christian lives, including how we earn and spend our money.  This new Bible Study was designed to help us all to understand more deeply how the purchases we make have a profound impact on all of God’s creation.  This resource addresses the helplessness that we all sometimes feel in the face of the world’s crises, giving us instead some active choices that can further justice for all of creation.  PJT is also hoping to add other products from more Joining Hands partners soon.

To learn more about the new Bible study and/or to order a copy, visit the Partners for Just Trade Website.