Happenings at General Assembly

General Assembly 2018

PEC will be there!

Every other year our denomination, PC(USA), holds its national meeting called General Assembly that is attended by thousands of Presbyterians. This year will be the 223rd meeting and it will be held in St. Louis, Missouri, June 16-23.

At this meeting, overtures (proposals) are brought before the commissioners who vote on their approval. PEC is supporting three overtures this year. Hudson River Presbytery (NY) and forty concurring presbyteries are proposing to direct the Board of Pensions and the Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation to divest from fossil fuel companies and to actively invest in securities that focus on renewable energy (OVT 08-01). One overture from Monmouth Presbytery (NJ) asks our denomination to raise a prophetic voice regarding the urgency of healing our climate (OVT 08-06). A second directs our denomination to be active in responding to environmental racism (OVT 08-05).

PEC has a presence at these meetings where volunteers enjoy catching up with old friends and making new acquaintances. A highlight of our time together is the PEC Luncheon and Annual Awards that will be at noon on Tuesday, June 19 at the Marriott Grand. Jimmie Hawkins, Director of the Office of Public Witness, will be our guest and discuss the "Poor People's Campaign: Race, Poverty and the Environment."

We will also recognize our 2018 award winners for the William Gibson Eco-Justice Award, the Restoring Creation Award, and the Emerging Earth Care Leader Award. Luncheon tickets, including discounted young adult/limited income tickets, may be purchased onlineand at the booth by Saturday, June 16.

The best place for meeting up is in the Exhibit Hall where PEC’s booth will be located next to our friends from Fossil Free PCUSA. At the booth, we will focus on single use plastics and what we as individuals can do to stop the horrendous volumes that end up in our oceans and threaten the lives of God’s marine creatures. You may also enter our daily drawing to win a free PEC t-shirt or the book, “Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World.” Please stop by to introduce yourself and meet PEC’s new moderator, Dennis Testerman. We hope to see you there!