Moving Day

Officially, the 221st General Assembly does not begin until tomorrow morning at 11:00 when convened with a service of worship that will be full of the pageantry and splendor most of us associate only with Christmas and Easter. It is always a fitting way to begin these gatherings; and always full of the hopefulness of God's provision and love.

Today is essentially "moving day" -- commissioners arriving from all across the country (for most people it is doubtlessly their first time in Detroit), navigating hotel lobbies, elevators and corridors, and finally making their way over to the convention center for registration. 

Downtown Detroit has a handy elevated transportation loop called the People Mover, which makes  a dozen or so stops at many of the major hotels and buildings for a couple of miles or so. It is essentially two-car "trains" travelling in a single direction, with very reasonable short waiting times between. The whole loop, with all the stops, probably takes less than fifteen minutes. It seems a pretty good solution for moving a bunch of conventioneers so that they don't get too lost. 

I believe that when the Office of General Assembly affirmed its commitment to keep GA 221 in Detroit despite all of the city's economic hardships and bankruptcy, it was a shining moment -- a witness saying we commit to our principles and values, even when the prudent thing to do might be to bail. 

I hope that we can take away from that commitment one that allows us to remain in our Presbyterian relationships as we move forward through what may be our our own hardships, some of which might grow out of this assembly. 

Not just in Detroit, but all across our denomination, may we all be full of the hopefulness of God's provision and love.