May 15, May 18, and May 22

Preparing for the PC(USA) General Assembly in June

As the 222nd meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) gathers June 18-25 in Portland, Oregon, members of First Presbyterian Spartanburg are urged to be attuned with great excitement as the Foothills Presbytery presents its overtures to effect positive change in the future direction of the denomination. Hopefully you are aware of the work underway in this area, under Pastor Tom Evans’ leadership, involving several of our sister congregations in partnership with us. At the direction of the Session, a task force has been formed to plan opportunities for interested members of our congregation to become better informed about issues slated to come before this gathering of the General Assembly. In addition to Tom’s presence as an Overture Advocate, our Elder and Clerk of Session Lee Close will also be present as a Commissioner representing Foothills Presbytery. This is the first time in decades that our congregation will have been so visible and well represented before the biennial international gathering of the denomination.

Our task force seeks congregational input as to the kinds of informational opportunities that would be most helpful to our members.

Tentative plans are for three opportunities to be offered:

  • Sunday, May 15, during the Sunday School Hour: a brief overview session
  • Wednesday, May 18, 6:30-8:15pm: a more comprehensive opportunity for discussion and Q&A
  • Sunday, May 22, 5:30-6:30 pm

After its business is concluded, the task force will also offer an opportunity for the congregation to hear a report(s) from General Assembly. That session is tentatively planned for Wed, Jun 29 at 5:30pm.

Members of our Session and Diaconate will also be provided with a General Assembly overview at their joint meeting in April, as it is our goal to raise the level of awareness about all denominational matters so that we as leaders of the congregation are better equipped to do the work that God is leading us to do.

Watch for newsletter, bulletin and email information about ways to access online information about the upcoming General Assembly and for news of these planned information sessions. The task force members also would like to know of other ways that we can work to inform our members more effectively. Please feel free to contact them. 

David Beacham, Lee Close, Tom Evans, Craig Foster, Susan Oldham, Carter Smith