Saturday, June 21, 2008

A Changing Platform

Elected on the second ballot, the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow is the newly installed Moderator of the 218th General Assembly. Self-described as "a 39 year-old, father of three, earring wearing pastor of a funky church," Reyes-Chow is sure to bring a fresh spirit to the Assembly, and to the church as a whole.

The election followed a full evening of speeches, and an hour long period of questions from the floor. Those questions ran the gamut of church concerns -- rural issues, gospel understanding, missional church identity, and the ordination of GLBT persons in the PCUSA.

Addressing a question from a Youth Advisory Delegate on inclusiveness in ordination, Reyes-Chow Responded, "In my church we have a basic policy of no elephants in the room..." He spoke of his hope that the way would become clear for GLBT persons to serve openly in the church, and at the same time, he acknowledged that this is not yet where the church is. "Even still," he said, "we can know and trust in Christ to be the bridge and bond between us."

The new moderator earned 48% of the vote in the first ballot, and 55% on the second. (Among the Candidates, Rev. Carl Mazza had 52 votes, Elder Roger Shoemaker had 7, Rev. Bill Teng had 255, and Reyes-Chow had 390.)

As a curious feature of the evening, perhaps a symbol of the change in the air, every time Reyes-Chow came to the lectern, a extra platform had to be added, as Bruce is, well -- a little vertically challenged, shall we say. So, it is literally true -- he had a different platform than all the rest.

May God grant us all new ground to stand on...

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a marvelous way to think about church disagreements that the new moderator presents: whatever you think on the topic, there is "a basic policy of no elephants in the room" for the church. Surely that kind of openness to talking freely can lead to healthier churches, more in tune with the spirit and with brothers and sisters.

Just a question, is this our first Gen X PC(USA) moderator? Kind of an interesting historical note if so...

Chris said...

Good question, Heather -- I suspect you may be right, though Rick Ufford-Chase might be a close candidate. Bruce is 39, I think Rick was 40 when elected. So I suppose it depends where you draw the Gen-X line. Bruce is certainly the first candidate who pitched himself as a Gen-Xer...

Nauraushaun Church said...

Hey - about that vertically challenged thing - I resemble that comment! New platforms are a great thing.

thanks for keeping all of us HRPers informed and up-to-date!