Food for Thought

From Landon Whitsitt, Cindy’s Vice-Moderator candidate

One of the reasons that I am excited to stand with Cindy as her Vice-Moderator is because of the work that she has done co-moderating the Form of Government Task Force and how that has affected the way she understands the church. In my conversations with her, here is what [...]

     We’re now just about three weeks out from the opening gavel of the 219th General Assembly. Commissioners are working their way through the material that’s being posted on PC Biz, and are also dealing with all sorts of entreaties that have started appearing in our mailboxes.

     Moderatorial candidates are also preparing. Last week, all [...]

    Unlike the other candidates for Moderator, I am not employed by the church. So perhaps a little information about BNA, Inc. – my employer for my entire career as an attorney — might be helpful.

     BNA’s official corporate name is “The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc,”  with “Bureau” intending to connote ”news bureau.”  What BNA has always done, and [...]

   We’re getting into the homestretch before the 219th General Assembly convenes on July 3 in Minneapolis. Which leads to today’s topic for discussion: will that be a bad thing or a good thing? Discuss.

     Everybody agrees that a good thing about GA is that it’s like a family reunion. It’s a time when people [...]

     Long-time GA junkies will recall that one of the first acts of the newly-elected Moderator was to choose a Vice Moderator. That often meant that the Vice Moderator was thrust into the spotlight of moderating the Assembly with no preparation other than immediate on-the-job training.

     That has now changed. Moderator candidates are asked to [...]

   I’m not a hugger. Not to say that I NEVER hug, but it’s not my default mode of greeting.

     But just because I don’t hug reflexively doesn’t mean I don’t value relationships. I believe it is only through our relationships with each other as Christians and as Presbyterians that we can effectively enable each [...]

   OK, it’s pretty obvious that I can’t be neutral or dispassionate about the proposed new Form of Government — given that I’ve spent almost four years on the Form of Government Task Force.

     But here’s why I believe we need the proposed new FOG.

     Since the present Form of Government was adopted in 1983, it [...]

It’s “question and answer” time in the lives of the candidates for Moderator of the 219th General Assembly. We’re feverishly answering questions for the candidates’ booklet that will be sent to all commissioners, as well as questions from other sources like the Outlook.

One common issue keeps popping up in these questions: the conflict and disagreement [...]

Experienced GA watchers tell me that the Moderator’s race is won — or lost — by the way the candidates respond during the Q and A portion of the Saturday night election process.

SO, the best way to prepare for that is to practice answering questions!

This Saturday, May 1, from 10:00 until noon, there will be [...]

   I’m not providing breaking news by saying that the P.C. (U.S.A.) is experiencing membership decline. As a denomination, we need to talk openly about what declining membership means, or, as the case may be, doesn’t mean.

     But this post is not about declining membership, it’s about the numbers, and about the concept of “membership.”

     [...]