let the games begin

today and tomorrow, thousands of presbyterians will descend on san jose. this is my first big presbyterian event. in some ways, i feel like it is my first real introduction to the way the whole denomination works. in the next week i will meet more people than i can remember, but hopefully it will be more than that. hopefully it will be the experience of a true community, growing and moving as we do God's work.

amidst all of this is the moderator election. the rev. bruce reyes-chow, my field education mentor, is standing for the position (we do not call it running... to political). he offers a vision of hope for the church that refuses to be mired in the churches failures and problems, and rather looks for the ways that God is moving among us. he open space for dialogue amongst all kinds of people and can facilitate conversation, even when there are disagreements. by saturday evening, the campaign will end. all the work will be done, and we will have results.

above is a painting i completed for bruce's campaign booth. it is a vision of the PCUSA, and this weekend, folks who visit the booth will be invited to contribute their vision to this artwork by writing what they hope for the church on it. a graffiti wall of sorts.

we shall see.