Dear Friends in the Synod of the Northeast,
I am writing to you today about the plenary meetings of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA), which took place from June 27 – July 2. As you well know, this process can appear messy. The moments that stand out in our minds are moments of disagreement and sometimes, conflict. But, after attending every General Assembly since 2014, and seeing how our denomination has continued to “reform”, I believe that the Spirit is at work through our deliberations, even if it isn’t always pretty.
The headlines for this Assembly are covered by the Presbyterian Outlook. These include the Assembly’s decision to declare Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide, fossil fuel divestment, the creation of a commission to investigate the closure of World Mission, the vote to hold the next Assembly in Puerto Rico, and the presence of an interesting group called Presbyterians for the Kingdom who hope to “renew” our denomination by educating its members about “biblical faithfulness”. You can read about these items elsewhere. In this letter, I’d like to focus on our own Synod’s involvement in submitting overtures to the Assembly.
Our Synod sent one overture to the General Assembly. We asked the General Assembly to direct the Unified Agency to reinstate the position of Staff Attorney for Immigration as a full-time role, filled by a licensed immigration attorney. The overture also directs the Unified Agency to provide a full budget for the position, provide programmatic funds, and directed Presbyterian Life and Witness (the name of the new Unified Agency) to proceed immediately. The General Assembly Relations Committee recommended approval by a vote of 46-0 and the overture was approved in the omnibus motion. The denomination committed $336,160 in 2027 and $303, 260 for 2028 to fund this action. This will mean that an immigration attorney will be on staff at the national office to help direct us to good immigration attorneys when we need help and to provide education as we navigate difficult immigration questions for our ministers and members. Mid-council leaders around the denomination will tell you that Teressa Waggener, the attorney who held this position in the past, was an impactful member of the national staff. Her work impacted the lives of Presbyterians around the denomination. This is why members of our Synod wrote and advocated for the passage of this overture. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Rev. Dr. Shannan Vance Ocampo for her role as our Overture Advocate.
The second overture, “On Creating the Korean American Ministry Roundtable to Reimagine the Future of Korean American Ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA)” originated with one of our own Presbyteries, the Eastern Korean American Presbytery. The Synod Mission and Ministry Commission endorsed and concurred with this overture at its April meeting. This overture establishes a Korean American Ministry Roundtable in partnership with Presbyterian Life and Witness, “to explore and advance immigrant theology for the renewal of the Korean American church’s mission and to equip the next generation of leaders for gospel ministry in service to God and the world.” The denomination committed $41,800 to this work in 2027 and $7,692 in 2028. More funds will be required for the work to be completed. Having had many friends in Korean American Presbyterian congregations over the years, I am personally excited to read the reports and hear about the ministry generated by this roundtable. The Eastern Korean American Presbytery shows here that they are forward thinking and hopeful for the future of Korean American congregations in the PC(USA).
On a personal note, I am thankful to have been an observer of the work of the General Assembly. If you are ever asked to serve as a commissioner, I would encourage you to seriously consider serving. If you do serve, I would like to share my own opinion about the work of the Assembly: The overtures that make the biggest difference through our General Assembly are often receive the fewest headlines and are talked about least. Our two overtures are good examples of this. Through the work of our Synod members, relatively small amounts of money will be invested for a deep impact throughout the PC(USA). When it comes to policy, the best work is accomplished in the weeds. At every Assembly, I admire that commissioners are willing to invest energy and time in the details. The national church is Reformed and always Reforming, in part through the work of our General Assembly commissioners, staff from various entities of the PC(USA), and regional bodies like ours who submit overtures out of an abundance of hope that God is working in and through us. For those who participated in the writing of overtures and in the work of General Assembly, thank you. This is important and holy work. As a denomination, we will always be imperfect and I am glad that we are constitutionally committed to ongoing reform.
Peace,
Rev. T. J. DeMarco, Temporary Stated Clerk
Synod of the Northeast
