A Peaceful Opinion Piece

If you (on the off-chance that you don't read the paper/watch the news/haven't seen my Facebook) haven't noticed, a lot of big stuff has been going on in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). And when I say big, I mean REALLY big.

The first of these things is that according to a new Authoritative Interpretation of our Book of Order, pastors in gender equality states can now marry same-sex couples. Additionally, a decision is now being sent out to be made by each and every presbytery: whether the wording in the Book of Order ITSELF should be changed so that it is not so gender-specific. These decisions have been discussed (or, more likely, argued over) for years now, and the church has finally made the decision to move forward with this.

It is my personal belief that these decisions were made well. I'm aware that many will disagree with me, and that many more will be leaving PC(USA) as a result of this. And that is saddening to me, as I love all that are within this church equally. However, if they believe that it is time to go, then I will send them in peace and with prayer. On the flipside, it brings me great joy to know how many more people will feel truly welcomed to the PC(USA) family as a result of these decisions. May the wedding bells ring for all!

The other big decision made was to divest from Caterpillar, Inc., Motorola, and Hewlett-Packard due to their involvement in the violence taking place on the West Bank between Israel and Palestine. This decision was also made after much discussion and discernment, with committees working year round to determine how to handle the situation.

The final decision, to divest from these companies, was made in an effort to pull ourselves out of the violence and be on the side of peace. It is INCREDIBLY important to note: WE ARE NOT DIVESTING FROM ISRAEL.

I REPEAT: NOT DIVESTING FROM ISRAEL.

PC(USA) is divesting from companies that are knowingly providing tools that implement the violence between Israel and Palestine. There is a very big difference. It is also important to note that we are not doing this to hurt our Jewish brothers and sisters. This part was especially painful for me, as a half Jew. Ultimately, I decided that divestment would be best. I love Israel, but I hate to see both countries battling and know that the PC(USA) is helping fund it by it's investments. There are many conflicting sides on this, and I was (and am) nervous about how this will affect interfaith relations. I can only pray that all will be willing to sit down and discuss, sit down and listen, sit down and pray--together.

I can only imagine that some will disagree with all that I have to say here. That's fine, I don't expect everyone to have my views. I only ask that if you wish to talk about it with me, or anyone else with a different opinion, that you do it peacefully and with respect.

For now, I think I'll be going. These past 10 days were exhausting, and I need to reboot before I head back to work. Sending love and prayers to all. As always, thank you for following me along this journey.

It's a Wild Ride

For the first time since arriving in Detroit, I am in my hotel room before midnight. This is beautiful. But, even though I am off duty, I am here to tell you about my time on duty. Quite frankly, that is probably a good thing--I could use a small debrief and period of reflection, and this is the perfect time for it. So, here goes nothing. An overview of the past three days of the 221st General Assembly through the eyes of a communications intern. Buckle your seat belts, folks. It's a wild ride.

Okay, now, when I last left off, it was Saturday and almost time for the Moderator's Election. Oh my goodness, was that a crazy night. All those involved--commissioner, delegate, staff person, and onlooker alike--were stressed and freaking out, there is no denying that. The internet at Cobo, the convention center, was crashing on a regular basis, the new voting system AND old voting system failed, leaving the vote to a hand raise from delegates and paper ballot from commissioners and a very late night for everyone.

However, on the oh-so-bright side, I got to see my dad! We grabbed dinner and got to chat and catch up before needing to run off to the election. It was wonderful to see him--I miss my family! Never being home can be a little weird after a while.

On Sunday, I was pleased to look at the paper that is printed each day for the Assembly (the one that I am writing for), and find my story ABOVE THE FOLD on the first page, with translations in Spanish and Korean on the back!! Such a cool thing to see!

However, life got crazy fast. My friend Sara (from work) and I were planning to attend a Korean service with my dad. But, we were informed just before the bus was to leave that it may not return in time for plenary, which Sara and I both needed to be at. So, we opted out of that service and ended up at Fort Street Presbyterian Church of Detroit. Talk about the Spirit moving us--that service was absolutely awe-inspiring. I am so glad that we ended up there. It featured beautiful music, speakers of various faith traditions, solid scripture usage, and a wonderful sermon on the miracle of Pentecost (They have turned Pentecost into a season at Fort Street Pres., rather than merely celebrating it for one Sunday. I think it's brilliant.) The sermon argued that the miracle of Pentecost was not one of tongues, but of ears. She related it to present-day, where the miracle of Pentecost is seen in the listening of those with different beliefs and ideas than your own. It was a refreshing and new message that I feel resonated a lot with what the church is currently experiencing. How timely!

After church, I wrote up a quick blurb on it for the paper while splitting a 20-piece McNugget and large fry with Sara (talk about true friendship) before we rushed off to Cobo for plenary. While there, the two of us were on social media accounts (her: a million; me: various Presbyterian's Today accounts) so that we could tweet, post pictures, and otherwise alert the world of the goings-on in our General Assembly. 

Then, today. Oh, today. It began with waking up at 5:30 am, getting to Cobo by 6:45 to cover a talk at 7, then run to a meeting at 9, and get to my committee for 9:30. And in my committee room I remained ALL DAY...goodness, did it feel good to move around when I finally got up to get dinner at 5:45. Then, after a quick dinner, I was right back at it.

Newspaper writing is the very definition of multi-tasking, I’m finding. Especially in this setting. I found myself writing 3 different stories and taking notes on what was happening in committee, as well as managing social media stuff, all at once. It was a little crazy, but all that needed accomplished was done to my taste, and I was happy.

After committee let out, around 9:45, I grabbed the YAADs of Committee Eight and managed to interview them for a story for Presbyterian’s Today before they headed off to their YAAD Gathering for the evening. It worked out beautifully, and now my day is finally over. What a lovely feeling that is.

Alright, now that I've given you an all-intensive backstage tour of the 221^st General Assembly Newsroom Intern life, I’m going to head to bed before doing it all again tomorrow. As always, thanks for joining me on the journey. 

Journey to Detroit--Complete!

Greetings from the grand ol' city of Detroit, Michigan!! For those of you that don't know, I'm here for the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

As it is my job, I should tell you...if you want to follow the news stories from GA go to the news page for PC(USA). And if you want to find stuff on Twitter check out #ga221 or @presbyGA and @PresbyNews. AND pictures can be found through @presby_news on Instagram. So there's that...end PR rant.

Now, as some of you may have seen, my trip to Detroit was a little more eventful than would have been preferred. Of course on my first big solo trip, my luggage was lost. OF COURSE! But, my clothes have finally caught up to me and life will go on. And, for better or for worse, I got to do some shopping in Detroit to get a few clothing items so I wasn't stuck in the same things for more than 48 hours. But, c'est la vie!

Since I've been here, I've written two stories (both this morning) as well as helped out at the Young Adult booth in the exhibit hall and met up with old friends. There is a saying that GA is like a family reunion, and it is so true. Many people that come to GA come more than once, and so many faces end up being familiar after being at a few. It's been great to see people, especially when they pop up with their cute new babies!

Alright, time to go for now...it's almost time for the Moderator Election, and I'm on Twitter duty. As always, thanks for following me on this crazy journey!

I'm baaaack!!

Hello, ladies and gents! Sorry about the extended hiatus there--my laptop crashed. Again. It has been quite the experience, let me tell you. A very stressful one. But, all in God's plans, right? It'll work itself out, and for the time being, I have a loaner from the office to keep me going. All is well!

So a lot has happened since I last posted. For example, I've made some friends!! They all work at the Presbyterian Center as communicators, as well! They are wonderful and a lot of fun to hang out with, be it for lunch, a giant girls night at someone's apartment, or shopping. I'm very blessed to have some people close to my age to hang out with that are working with the same stuff I am.

Other things that have happened: my story about Lawrence Bartel and the Jesus Trail (which you can read if you click here) has gotten a lot of airtime and by one of the heads in my department was described as "the poster-child for her plans." That felt pretty good, especially because I loved writing it so much!

I also am working on my FEATURE STORY for Presbyterian's Today right now!! Which, if you're a Presbyterian and fall into the 16-25 age range, I may be getting in touch with you over the next month or two to interview you. However, I'll really get the bulk of my research done when I'm at General Assembly in Detroit, which leads me into my next point...

I leave for Detroit on Thursday!!! Almost time to go! Can you tell that I'm excited? A new city is ALWAYS a good thing! Plus I get to see my dad--even if it isn't for too long, it will be really nice. Another trip has been added in, as well--one that I don't think I've mentioned on here: I'll be back in New Wilmington at Mother Fair for about ten days in July! I can't guarantee how much time I'm going to have, but I will be there and if time allows I would love to see people! We'll see if we can make that happen. I'll be covering the New Wilmington Mission Conference, it should be a really great experience.

Alright, that about sums up life on my end for now! Expect to hear a lot during General Assembly (even if it is at weird times). Hope all is well with you lovely people, and as always, thank you for going on this journey with me!

P.S. If you're in need of some inspiration, here is Jim Carrey's commencement speech. He nailed it.