Almost two weeks ago now, thirty-some people showed up in Louisville (home of the PC(USA)’s “mother-ship” or the “death-star” – pick your metaphor) to discuss the future of Presbymergent. I was one of the last to arrive with a few other folks from California, and was really excited as I walked into the fellowship hall of the church. I was greeted by so many friends who I’d only known through Twitter/Facebook/email conversations, and was excited that so many of them were there in Louisville, passionate about serving God in new ways.
As we all met in the top floor (upper room?) of the church, it was a little surreal for me. What began as conversations between Karen Sloan and I, and initially was simply a quick WordPress website thrown online overnight, was morphing into this group/movement/tribe of people who all had committed to fly to Louisville from all over the country to discuss our possibilities. It was rather exciting. Our time together would be filled with community-building, laughter, sharing sorrows, dreaming together, collaborating on specific projects and making some plans.
Through the next couple days, I kind of enjoyed just sitting back and hearing all of the creative ideas for possibilities that were emerging from within the group. Some of my favorite people are a part of this venture – some really bright, creative and forward-thinking ministers and lay folk – and it’s great to be a part of whatever Presbymergent turns into. There is going to be a lot more coming out on the Presbymergent site in the next few weeks about what the next steps for Presbymergent are, but some good things are in the works: local gatherings, a possible larger event, support for New Church Developments, some really creative ventures, a redesign of the website and a whole lot more. Be sure to follow Presbymergent on Twitter or grab the RSS feed of Presbymergent to keep up with all the news. It’s a very exciting time for Presbymergent as we enter into what feels like a second incarnation, Presbymergent 2.0. There are amazing people involved, some really great things on the forefront and I think we’re in a good space.
We are in the process of opening up the Coordinating Group for anyone who has an interest in serving Presbymergent that way. If you are interested in joining the Coordinating Group (CG), go read more about it here.
This sounds exciting, Adam! Maybe Queermergent will be having our own get together in a few years as well!
Adele
It was great to be there, and it was great to meet you, Adam.
Thanks for the brain child!
I thought the ustream portion was an interesting option for some of us to lurk and bit. I hope that it was not too distracting for those of you there.
hey! fell upon your site and am interested in learning/reading more about what ‘presbymergent” entails and what that will look like…
:)
Adam, that sounds great. I was wondering, does Presbymergent talk at all about the ordination issues at stake in the PCUSA?
It would seem to me that the only way this thing is going to get resolved without a massive split in the church is when a lot of younger leaders in the church stand up and present a realistic option for how to live together with sincere disagreement, rather than picking sides and fighting for what we believe to be true.
Its sort of a tangential point, I know, but I am really interested in what we, as the little guys, can do to help.