Message from the Synod Leader: Ministry in Focus
Over the last several weeks my work has taken me around the Synod. I have had the pleasure to lead worship in congregations, attend the installation service for Rev. Dr. Greg Garis of Susquehanna Valley Presbytery, and to attend the historic inauguration of Rev. Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton as Princeton Theological Seminary’s first Black President. In September, I joined representatives from Connectional Ministries and other Synod staff members in visiting Wright Memorial and Jimersontown Presbyterian Churches of the Seneca Nation in Western New York. With the completion of this visit we have now engaged in conversation with all Native congregations in our region. In 2024 the Synod will raise money to support building repairs for the four congregations as well as invite the larger community to join together in a mission day experience.
The Doctrine of Discovery, the moral mandate for colonization, stayed front of mind as we engaged the third visit to meet our Native siblings. The impact of those who conquered and seized more and more indigenous lands continued to surprise and confirm in my mind the continuing impact of the Doctrine of Discovery on current laws and our political divisions today. Some engaged in expanding their territory based upon an incomplete theology or at least a skewed understanding of Scripture. The story of a manifesto to build the wealth of one group on the backs of less dominant groups rewrites itself in the repeated history of our nation. The facts are undeniable that to justify Christian colonial conquest, the Church was an active partner in perpetrating the idea that European peoples, culture, and religion was superior to all others. These realities change the story of the first pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock and the story of Christopher Columbus. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) is grappling with how to right the wrongs and wrongdoings throughout the pages of our history.
In October during the Polity, Mission, and Benefits Conference mid council leaders discussed:
New benefits policies
Emerging needs of congregations
Unification of the Office of the General Assembly and the Presbyterian Mission Agency
Beneath the many conversations was the underlying admittance that the church we love is formed and shaped by the values that we are now calling sin. Missionary efforts will be forever changed from “doing for” to “doing with” in my opinion. The focus now is accompaniment as we acknowledge the need to repair and discern what can be done to make individuals whole without calling it reparations. Through new voices and enhanced resourcing great efforts are afoot to allow those from the margins to be our teachers. Our theology is expanding. These conversations in themselves are hopeful. We are developing the capacity to discuss hard things. Where individuals and groups learn the art of holding in tension opposite worldviews and despite the realities, stay in relationship. This is spiritual growth. This is the church at work. These are the core values of an authentic community.
Our mid council leaders continued in conversation last week during the Fall Leadership Forum held November 8-10 in Princeton, New Jersey. On November 8, the group met with representatives from the Presbyterian Mission Agency, Presbyterian Women, and the Board of Pensions. The Listening Session focused on the ways the foci of Matthew 25 are being incorporated in presbyteries. On day two the group engaged in a listening session focused on the New Way Forward led by consultant Dr. Okokon Udo. We also took time to celebrate the retirement of Rev. Dr. Debby Brincivalli, Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery For Southern New Jersey. The staff took a brief pause following the successful Come to the Table gathering as this Fall. For more information the Synod’s website includes pictures and a full summary of the event. The Discernment Team completed its Phase One Report and will share its findings at the Special Called Meeting of The Assembly on December 9.
On January 23 join the Synod Community for a book discussion with author Curtis DeYoung on his book The Risk of Being Woke. The Spirit is moving among us and the work of building bridges continues. With every step of progress, we are thankful for our current journey. Good things are happening!
As we continue in this season of thankfulness. I offer this prayer by the late Bishop Desmond Tutu:
I want to be willing to let go, to forgive.
But dare not ask for the will to forgive,
in case you give it to me
And I am not yet ready.
I am not yet ready for my heart to soften.
I am not yet ready to be vulnerable again.
Not yet ready to see that there is humanity in my tormentor’s eyes
Or that the one who hurt me may also have cried
I am not yet ready for the journey.
I am not yet interested in the path
I am at the prayer before the prayer of forgiveness
Grant me the will to want to forgive.
Grant it to me not yet but soon
Can I even form the words?
Forgive me? Dare I even look?
Do I dare to see the hurt I have caused:
I can glimpse all the shattered pieces of that fragile thing
That soul trying to rise on the broken wings of hope
But only out of the corner of my eye.
I am afraid of it.
And if I am afraid to see
How can I not be afraid to say: Forgive me?
Is there a place where we can meet?
You and me
The place in the middle where we straddle the lines
Where you are right and I am right too.
And both of us are wrong and wronged
Can we meet there?
And look for the place where the path begins
The path that ends when we forgive.
This holiday may your time with family and friends be rich with joy and gratitude. As you engage strangers, may you be guided by love and a deeper understanding of what it means to be human and redeemed.
Rev. Dr. SanDawna Gaulman Ashley