Presbyterians gathered in Pittsburgh in early July
for the biennial meeting of the denomination’s General Assembly, and Princeton
Seminary was well represented!
Neal Presa, Class of 2004 (Th.M.), was elected as
the moderator of the Assembly, a position he will hold for two years,
representing the church around the country and throughout the world. Another
PTS alumnus, Tom Trinidad, was elected vice moderator. Presa is pastor of
Middlesex Presbyterian Church in Middlesex, New Jersey, and Trinidad graduated
from Princeton in 2010 and is pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Colorado
Springs, Colorado.
The Assembly recognized and celebrated the 200th
anniversary of Princeton Seminary, and of Union Presbyterian Seminary, the
denomination’s two most historic seminaries.
The Princeton Seminary Choir headed across
Pennsylvania on a Bicentennial Tour on the way to Pittsburgh to sing at the
General Assembly, stopping to sing at the First Presbyterian Church in
Philadelphia (where the Seminary was begun by the Assembly meeting in 1812),
the First Presbyterian Church in Martinsburg, Virginia, the Rehobeth
Presbyterian Church in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, and Shadyside Presbyterian
Church in Pittsburgh.
A number of PTS alumni/ae and friends joined
students in the choir for the tour. They sang at the Assembly’s ecumenical
worship service, for the Committee on Theological Institutions, at the Seminary
lunch, and led several hymn sings for the commissioners and visitors to the
Assembly.
The Seminary’s Office of Admissions and Financial
Aid hosted a reception for prospective students, friends, and graduates of the
Seminary during the Assembly and participated in a Seminary Fair where all of
the PCUSA seminaries engaged Presbyterians in conversation about theological
education.
The Seminary Relations Department hosted the PTS
luncheon at the Assembly, with a record attendance of 260! Board of Trustees
president Robert W. Bohl spoke and showed videos about the new library and the
Theological Commons, and the choir sang, closing the lunch with “The Call,” an
anthem sung every year at Commencement.
PTS graduates were honored at the Assembly. Ken
Kovacs, Class of 1990 and pastor of Catonsville Presbyterian Church in
Catonsville, Maryland, was awarded the First Book Award by the Presbyterian Writers Guild for his book The
Relational Theology of James E. Loder: Encounter and Conviction.
Paul Barrett, Class of 2000 and copastor of Mercer Island Presbyterian Church in Mercer Island, Washington, received The Presbyterian AIDS Network 2012 Faith in Action Award for his congregation’s
“prophetic, transforming, and life-giving ministry with people infected and
affected by HIV and AIDS.
Dave Davis, Class of 1986 and pastor of Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey, was elected as president of the
board of the Presbyterian Foundation, the organization that raises, safeguards,
and distributes funds for mission for the denomination.
Randy Bush, Class of 1989 and pastor of East Liberty Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, was the keynote speaker at the
Presbyterians for Earth Care luncheon.
Finally, Princeton Seminary’s BGLASS student group
(Bisexual, Gay Lesbian, and Supportive Seminarians) was awarded the More Light Presbyterians Chapter Award in recognition of a regional chapter of More Light
that lives out the More Light mission by offering authentic welcome and
affirmation to LGBT persons and their families in addition to public witness
and advocacy for LGBT equality in both church and society. Congratulations!!
View more photos of the touring choir, and Princeton Seminary’s reception and luncheon. Photos by Erin Dunigan, Class of 2003.