The PCUSA’s 226th General Assembly took place in Salt Lake City Utah from June 25th - July 4, 2024, and it was a powerful experience for all involved!

In this episode, meet the PSNE 226th General Assembly Team:

• Rev. Anne Weirich (Commissioner and Polity Committee Chair; Honorably Retired, serves on Commission on Ministry at PSNE)
• Elder Nicole Aronson Champagne (Commissioner and Environment and Climate Committee Member; Nominating Committee Chair at PSNE)
• Rev. Kate Carlisle (Stated Clerk for PSNE and Boston)

Hear about their experiences from GA, including committee processes, electing new Co-Moderators and a new Stated Clerk, passing items of business, worshiping together, and dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. From discussions on reducing single-use plastics and divestment from fossil fuels, to offering personal testimony as an overture advocate, this gathering truly offered an opportunity to live into hope.

Learn more about General Assembly and future meetings at https://ga-pcusa.org/

Connecting our Conversations is hosted by the Presbytery of Southern New England, a regional governing body in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This is our space for conversations that push the edges of our faith and help us deepen discipleship.

Who does your building belong to? What are our money stories, theological frameworks, and core values? How do you make strategic decisions out of abundance and hopefulness?

In today’s conversation, we hear from:

• Mieke Vandersall, founder of Vandersall Collective, and ministry member at PSNE
• Tim Anderson, coach and consultant from Minneapolis MN
• Nancy Baseel, Pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Hartford

Vandersall Collective is a consulting group that focuses on fundraising, communications, and strategic thinking to raise money, reach people, and reimagine the future. They are collaborating with three congregations in our Presbytery (First Presbyterian Hartford, Westminster, and MLK Community Presbyterian Church), alongside with our Trustees, Roundtable, and Commission on Ministry. Vandersall Collective is helping us to answer questions about property and missional views, to help us find clarity at both the congregational and Presbytery level for values-based decision making.

To learn more about the Vandersall Collective, visit https://www.vandersallcollective.com/

Connecting our Conversations is hosted by the Presbytery of Southern New England, a regional governing body in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This is our space for conversations that push the edges of our faith and help us deepen discipleship.

The Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery is the Pastor of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield MA. She has a passion for dismantling racism, and is deeply involved in the work and advocacy with the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.

This podcast was recorded a week before the Mass Poor Peoples and Low-Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March on Washington and to the Polls, a national gathering in Washington that draws attention to the interconnected struggles of issues such as affordable housing, gun violence, health care, environmental racism, and other compounding factors and politics of poverty. In this conversation, Shannan and Terrlyn bear witness to the importance of testimonies, encourage pastors to give a prophetic word, and ask us if we are living the way of Jesus, who gives us the Matthew 25 mandate.

Call to Action! If you are interested in using your power for good, here are some ways to get involved in this work and learn more:

• Get involved with the Poor People’s campaign! Join the RI or MA chapters. Connecticut needs a chapter - maybe you could help organize it. You can also donate funds. Learn more at https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/
• Advocate. The Presbyterian Office of Public Witness is an advocacy office in Washington DC, and has many resources: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/compassion-peace-justice/washington
• Pray (a practice which change our own hearts)
• Learn more:
  • Recent article from Presbyterian Mission Agency: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/june-29-moral-march-gathers-steam-as-pcusa-and-others-offer-continued-support/
  • Books from Liz Theoharis: https://liztheoharis.org/books/
  • Liz Theoharis keynote speech from the Matthew 25 Summit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDHsvT77wXE

This is the second episode of the fourth season of Connecting Our Conversations. This season is a Summer Series! We'll hear from folks engaged in Presbytery and beyond, including updates from General Assembly, Pride celebrations, marches, summer camps, and Vacation Bible Schools. Connect with us on social media, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and let us know if you have other ideas for conversations to share!

Connecting our Conversations is hosted by the Presbytery of Southern New England, a regional governing body in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This is our space for conversations that push the edges of our faith and help us deepen discipleship.