The 223^rd General Assembly concluded its business on Saturday, June 21. Commissioners worked through every piece of business while also spending significant time together in worship, prayer, fellowship, and public witness. “Unity,” “reconciliation,” and “moving forward” were buzzwords throughout the week, and in many ways set a hopeful theme for this Assembly. The words showed up in sermons, in song, in remarks during debates, and even in resolutions.

This was an Assembly eager to show Christ’s love and concern for those most hurting and for advancing the church beyond places of impasse. It was a good week for the Foundation in numerous ways:

• Our Sunday breakfast for mid council leaders and other invited guests saw some of our strongest attendance in years. The audience was deeply ministered to and moved by the music and remarks of the gifted poet and musician, Fernando Ortega.
• The Foundation’s other events throughout the week – the dinner for current and former GA moderators, four hospitality suite receptions, and the Theological Education awards breakfast – also had some of the strongest attendance ever, and received rave reviews from our guests.
• Our Ministry Relations Officers reported that visitors to our booth in the exhibit hall arrived much more familiar with the Foundation than at past assemblies, and enthusiastic to inquire about specific services for their congregations or personal investments. Online giving – especially the new tools and services available through our Vanco partnership – was a top draw and topic of discussion.
• The Assembly unanimously confirmed Tom Taylor’s third term as President and CEO of the Foundation. Co-moderators Cindy Kohlmann and Vilmarie Cintrón- Olivieri led the commissioners in a beautiful time of prayer for Tom to commemorate that action.
• After hours of debate, the Assembly voted NOT to divest from fossil fuel stocks, opting instead for continued engagement with the energy companies in whom the Foundation and Board of Pensions hold investments. The Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) recommendations were overwhelmingly adopted by the commissioners after a passionate and substantive debate that consumed all of Friday morning’s plenary session and part of the afternoon.
• Issues related to the Jarvie program were resolved when recommendations from the GA’s Committee 13 (for Board of Pensions, Presbyterian Foundation, Presbyterian Publishing, and Presbyterian Investment and Loan Program) were adopted on the consent agenda. The committee affirmed that the issues in the New York and Huntingdon overtures had been addressed adequately in other forums, thus eliminating the need for further investigation. Instead, they proposed creation of a committee for peacemaking and reconciliation that will work with the Foundation and the “Friends” group to try to bring healing to those upset by the changes in the Jarvie Program following the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s decision to withdraw its operations of that ministry several years ago. The committee also affirmed the program’s current service to beneficiaries, adopting the Board of National Missions resolution with some modifications.
• Proposals from the Way Forward Commission and All Agency Review Committee were also adopted largely as presented with only minor changes to wording and details. A “Moving Forward Commission” will be appointed to implement the structural changes, especially the overhaul of the “A Corp” which will house services shared among agencies including translation services. The Assembly elected the Foundation’s current trustee, Bridget-Anne Hampden, to serve on the new A Corp board of directors.

Special thanks are due to so many of our staff and board members who prepared and then stayed for part or all of the Assembly to assist with events, presentations, staffing the exhibit hall, and to make this General Assembly a success for the Foundation. The staff unanimously agreed that they experienced more unsolicited praise about the Foundation and our current work than in any other General Assembly in memory. It was clear that the week was one of forging new relationships and strengthening existing ones. Now – even as we wrap up final details from St. Louis – we’ve already begun to follow up on the many contacts and projects coming out of this Assembly, and we look forward to the 224^th General Assembly (2020), in Baltimore, Maryland.