I find it hard to rate General Assembly meetings. For in-person meetings, impressions get colored by the quality of the hotel room, the quality of the food, the friendliness – or perhaps the quality – of my roommate, the number of late night sessions, the number of “frequent fliers” (commissioners who make a nuisance of themselves by speaking repeatedly, often several times a day). The 225th General Assembly (2022) was harder to rate because while committee meetings were held in person, plenaries, for the most part, were held online. Because of this arrangement, I didn’t get to go to and really didn’t need to go to Louisville. Instead, I spent the time sitting mostly in my office, although for a few of the evening session I was at home, watching the livestream on the computer. Sometimes that meant I was sitting staring at a screen for more than 10 hours a day. That’s a lot. That got tiring. That has to affect my judgment. Yet, after a few days for rest and reflection, I’d have to rate the 225th General Assembly pretty highly. There were only a couple of “frequent fliers,” although they seemed to bother me more because I was watching them on my computer than they would have if we had been there in person. As I think back on it, the Assembly took some significant actions. There were probably 200 or more votes. (I could have gone back and counted them, but I didn’t.) These are the 12 that I think are the most significant.

At the Seven Loaves Food Pantry at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas, volunteers have been serving 800 to 1,200 families a week since the COVID-19 pandemic began — about four times the weekly traffic in 2019.

At the ICNA Relief Food Pantry in Raytown, Missouri, just east of Kansas City, 100 new families have registered to receive the Muslim-led organization’s services in just the past month.

“We are busier than ever right now,” said Shannon Cameron, executive director of the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry in Aurora, Illinois, where, after a slight dip around tax return season, between 30 and 60 new families are registering every week.

The inflation that has loomed over the economy and restricted many Americans’ purchasing power of late has doubly affected low-income people who already struggle to get by. A recent survey by the anti-hunger organization Feeding America has shown that increased demand has affected nearly 80% of U.S. food banks, as higher prices cause more families to seek assistance.

Rachel McNeel, a senior at West Virginia University majoring in chemistry and minoring in biology and business, will represent all West Virginia Presbyterian Young Adults at the National General Assembly in Louisville, Ky., June 20-24.

A member of the Presbyterian Student Fellowship, McNeel has excelled in blending her faith and major fields of study in chemistry and biology.

McNeel leads a busy life. She participates in weekly programs and worship services through the Campus Ministry Center at West Virginia University while serving as one of two interns through a special Eli Lilly Foundation Grant, according to a press release from the WVU Presbyterian campus minister. She is an active member at her Presbyterian Church in Beckley.

On Sunday, July 10, Enslow Park Presbyterian Church and Full Gospel Assembly hosted a pulpit exchange, with Enslow Park Commissioned Pastor John Yeager preaching at Full Gospel Assembly and its pastor, Bishop Samuel Moore, preaching at Enslow Park. After services, the two churches held a time of fellowship at Ritter Park. Though this was the first pulpit exchange between the churches, it was part of their ongoing collaboration, designed to solidify the relationship between the congregations.

The Rev. Wayne Yost will retire from the position of Stated Clerk of the Synod of the Trinity at the end of the year. The search for the next person to serve as the Stated Clerk of the Synod is underway. Although a part-time position, the person fulfilling this role is important in ecclesiastical matters and in support of the ministry and mission of the Synod. Here is a link to the position description in CLC. Interested candidates should submit a PIF to the contact included.