Moderator field expands to six
By Edward Terry, The Layman, May 19, 2010
Story updated May 27, 2010.
Widening the field to six candidates, the Rev. Julia Leeth, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lompoc, Calif., has announced that she will stand for moderator of the 219th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
The Rev. Julia Leeth
Even though she had been considering it for months, Leeth said she made the decision the day before her official announcement. The Presbytery of Santa Barbara has scheduled a special meeting on June 9 to endorse her candidacy.
In a letter to presbytery members asking for their endorsement, Leeth discusses her qualifications and that she felt led to stand for moderator after much prayer.
“I stand on the Lordship of Jesus Christ,” she said. “I hope to proclaim this truth in everything that I do and say and am and am to become. … I want people’s lives to be radically and irrevocably changed for Jesus Christ. I believe that this will happen in this 219th General Assembly and I hope to be a part of it.”
Leeth currently serves as chairwoman of Santa Barbara Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry. Prior to pastoring at Lompoc, Leeth was an associate at congregations in Lakeside, Calif., and Lakewood, Colo., according to PCUSA’s online records.
For months, it appeared that GA commissioners would have only two choices for moderator, but since late April, four additional candidates have entered the contest.
The election of moderator is scheduled for the second business meeting of the assembly’s opening day. The GA is scheduled for July 3-10 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Leeth joins Elder Cynthia Bolbach of National Capitol Presbytery, the Rev. Jin S. Kim of Twin Cities Area Presbytery, the Rev. Maggie Lauterer of Western North Carolina Presbytery, the Rev. Eric Nielsen of Northern Waters Presbytery and the Rev. James Belle of Philadelphia Presbytery, in the race for moderator.
Prior to the General Assembly, more details about the candidates will be printed in The Layman and The Layman Online.