At our Wednesday night bi-monthly Presbytery meeting, at which those representing our churches gather for worship and the business of the Presbytery, those of us headed to General Assembly were commissioned in a lovely prayer service. I wish that I had a copy of what was said; those who have attended previous GAs and our Presbytery surrounded us in prayer for the work of the Holy Spirit, and for our energy and discernment. We also received goody bags — inflatable seat cushions, fleece blankies, journals, and chocolate! — and assurance that our Presbytery staff would take good care of us in St. Louis.
The pressures of travel and registration logistics, as well as making arrangements for the care of our churches in our absence, and the anxiety about the unknown Emerald City and the myriad tasks toward which we are heading, fell away as we began to grasp what deep work of the Spirit we are called to share. I still feel as if I have been handed a bite way bigger than my capacity for chewing, but we are held up in community!
