2 candidates for moderator greet GAC commissioners
By Craig M. Kibler, Staff Writer,The Layman Online, April 28, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two candidates for moderator of the 218th General Assembly were introduced to General Assembly Council commissioners as having a “deep passion for mission and the Presbyterian Church (USA).”
The 218th General Assembly will meet June 21-28 in San Jose, Calif.
Stated Clerk Clifton Kirkpatrick, who will retire from his post at the conclusion of the General Assembly, told commissioners during an afternoon plenary session April 23 at the Brown Hotel that the denomination “is blessed to have four candidates for moderator. All love the Lord and love this church and have a huge energy to serve God.”
The four candidates – three ministers and an elder – (in order of the date their candidacies were announced) are: the Rev. Bill Teng, the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, the Rev. Carl Mazza and Elder Roger Shoemaker.
Kirkpatrick said two of the candidates – Mazza and Shoemaker – were unable to be in Louisville, and then introduced Teng and Reyes-Chow. “One of the most important things a moderator does is to represent the General Assembly throughout the year,” he said. “Both have a deep passion for mission and the PCUSA.”
“Take some time today and tomorrow to get to know them,” Kirkpatrick said. “Get to know their hearts and the hearts of their churches. They will be eager to hear from you.”
Teng said, “This has been a strength journey for me and, by the grace of God, I’m here. That’s why I’m here to listen to your concerns and I look forward to visiting with you in the next couple of days.”
Reyes-Chow said it was “exciting to be back in Louisville. We’re just kind of in the throes of everything, responding to the many questions from people and everything that goes into this stretch run before the General Assembly. I look forward to the next few months.”
Teng, of National Capital Presbytery, is the pastor at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Va.
Reyes-Chow, of San Francisco Presbytery, is the founding pastor of Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco.
Mazza, of New Castle Presbytery, is the founder and leader of Meeting Ground, a community-based ministry with the homeless and other marginalized people in Elkton, Md.
Shoemaker, of Homestead Presbytery, a businessman and the only elder, is a member of Southern Heights Presbyterian Church in Lincoln, Neb. He also serves as co-convener of the PCUSA’s Czech Mission Network.
Craig M. Kibler is the Director of Publications and Executive Editor of the Presbyterian Lay Committee.