So I Spent 10 Days with a bunch of Presbyterians Part 2

Rachel Jewett

Jun 21, 2018

6 min read

This will be an ongoing blog, I guess you could say "series". Different posts throughout the week with a summary at the end (hopefully).

I used my OneNote app (thanks Microsoft - please sponsor me and pay for my education) to take notes and have "official" tabs and then "random thoughts" and "own thoughts" tabs. There are things speakers said that stuck out to me that I want to take back to my church like ideas and verses that need to be recognized and conversations that should be shared, but sitting in meetings, plenary, and committees for hours on end gave me a lot of time to think about who I am as a Christian, who I am as a young adult woman in this society, and who I am as Rachel Jewett.

This portion will be random. It may not make sense. It is slightly edited random spurs of thought from throughout my week. This post is like reading a portion of my "GA journal" (which doesn't actually exist)

WOW....Just WOW

Honestly, WOW I just would LOVE to come back to General Assembly. I feel as though my voice has been heard and listened to. Fellow YAADs (Young Adult Advisory Delegate) voices have been heard and motions have been made. Bonding with those around me in my committee who are also "so done with the procedure", a group text that laughs in joint pain when certain people take the mic....again, or sending a secret snap chat when we are all confused or proud of someone who found the courage to speak on the main floor -- all these things add to the awesome experience of trying to vote on how to advise the Presbyterian church PCUSA to change the world.

AGAIN....WOW everyone should come to GA sometime in their life. Come as a commissioner (pastor or elder), an advisory delegate (missionary, young adult (me), theological student), or as an observer. YAADs speak a lot in committees and are smart and have weight and it is so important to have their perspective. You learn SO much about the world, the church, your own opinion, and how much your voice can matter.

All that being said....procedure can be SO annoying - its like editing a group essay but each time someone wants to change or add a word or sentence, a form has to be filled out. Once we got the hang of the procedure things moved a little more, but we still had to abide by process which took patience. (If you are curious about the actual business that goes on at General Assembly please talk to me!)

To my surprise I spoke in my committee. I helped ask the right people to come forward for clarity, "called the question" (meaning I said this discussion is over lets just vote already), and in a polite but maybe little sassy way shot down a suggestion (they wanted to re-order the points but the whole thing will be read anyway so it just doesn't matter that 1 and 2 be flipped or not).

I spoke on the HUGE plenary floor and it was so cool! (check out Seattle Presbytery's Facebook page for a photo @seapres ) It was a moment where there was time to give some highlights and cool things to the ENTIRE group, so I said (something along the lines of because of course I can't perfectly remember), "thank you for the respect that YAADs in my committee had been given, and that I was proud of my fellow YAADs for speaking up and using their voice and their vote." As YAADs, we may not get a vote on the main floor but our advice is taken seriously.

Music and Liturgy

Music is a HUGE part of worship in any denomination. In the Presbyterian church we sing a LOT of hymns and have been deemed the "frozen chosen". Sometimes this week we sang without instruments and it sounded almost like a cult! hahaha But at the same time it was beautiful to hear hundreds of people from around the country and around the world sing songs together. It was hard a times because all I wanted was to dance and sing songs I knew, to jump up and down and get energized but singing hymns in a big group was a good way to remind me there is more than one way to worship our Lord.

Attending Azusa Pacific University, I go to chapel three times a week and chapel music is a huge part of our worship (and my post chapel conversations). I talk about how sometimes I choose not to sing the beautiful song because in the moment I don't understand or believe the words on the screen. But there are other times when out of habit I just sing along. I feel as though when a hymn is sung, you are forced to focus more on the words.

There has also been this switch in contemporary worship and music (which don't get me wrong I love) to being more self-centric then God-centric. Music is about how Jesus and God can comfort US, take care of US, and what WE need. Though this is all great sometimes we loose the fact that worship should be about God. We are there to worship and praise Him. I think we need to find the balance in comfort and praise.

So much of being a Presbyterian is group speaking and responding. It is interesting to me, having been to multiple Presbyterian congregations through my years (lol makes me sound older than I am) that each church still does things a little differently. My current church does not use as much group response as my old church, or even what we do at GA.

I feel a connection to Liturgical chapel at APU because it feels the most "real" to me. Where they actually believe in speaking the word of God (reading scripture) and talking about it, the music bridges traditional and contemporary, and I love taking communion because I do not get the opportunity to do that at church (I volunteer during service with middle schoolers!) and it doesn't happen in other chapels often.

I have LOVED speaking in unison with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in things such as: a joint affirmation of faith, Lord's Prayer, Invitation to the Lord's Table response (very similar if not the same as Liturgical chapel), and the Gloria Patri. It is powerful and beautiful to speak as a full body of Christ.

*if you would like to know what any of these are please contact me!

"Seek first GOD'S kingdom"

This week we have been talking about trying to spread the "Kin-dom" because we are all kin and Jesus is our kin.....Honestly I still don't really understand BUT multiple times this week the verse Matthew 6:33 about seeking first the kingdom of God. At one point in plenary someone was giving a sermon and mentioned this again and it sent me on a writing rampage with some thoughts I have included below.

I think in relationships it is very easy to loose sight of seeking the kingdom of God and instead seek each other and the future together first. Sometimes to realize this it takes a lot of conversation, a break, or even a break-up. The goal in a relationship should be to grow closer to God with each other. To help each other seek God's kingdom first and know they themselves come second (at least). I think while in school (especially a Christian one), surrounded by friends it can be hard to not think everything is okay. That "of course I am listening to Christ and he is the center of what I do" is a thought all the time but in reality more needs to be done. A healthy relationship needs a true Christ centered foundation meaning reading scripture TOGETHER, maybe a Bible study TOGETHER, prayer TOGETHER, church and serving TOGETHER.

I have so much more to say about this - but this little bit is all that pertains directly to General Assembly thoughts.

Here in the Presbyterian Church United States (of) America we LOVE Acronyms

Prayerful -

We accept our responsibility for the brokenness in the world and in ourselves, confess our sins, ask the Holy Spirit to direct and guide us, engage in the joys and challenges of the world, in Christ we are bound together by grace

Courageous -

Follow the Holy Spirit to places we have not yet been, reformed and always being reformed, work for God's justice and peace, Joshua 1:1-9

United -

We are Christ's disciples called by God and guided by the Holy Spirit who strive to love our neighbors as ourselves

Serving -

Become the hands and feet of God in the world, meet people where they are

Alive -

We are people of the resurrection, build a community that reflects the fullness of God's image in humanity, the church and members are called to follow Christ's model by risking all, even life itself for the sake of the Gospel

One more post to come! As always please feel free to reach out with questions, comments, suggestions, concerns, or simply just a hello. I am here for you, to listen and help however I can.

~ Be you

Rachel