General Assembly commissioners and advisory delegates from around the Synod of the Trinity gathered in Bedford in mid-April for a training session aimed at equipping them for a successful trip to Milwaukee in late June.
In mid-April, the Synod of the Trinity held a training in Bedford, PA, for commissioners and advisory delegates who will be attending the 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) later this year in Milwaukee. During the training, those in attendance were asked how they expect to see God at GA. These are the answers of some of the randomly picked attendees.
MARK FINCH
Ruling Elder Commissioner
Beaver-Butler Presbytery
I believe I will see God through worship during the GA in Milwaukee, worship at the church service on the Sunday before plenary, and also during the worship times during the GA sessions.
I believe I will see God through the relationships I hope to establish and develop with fellow Presbyterians from around the world. I believe I will see God in the rich diversity of believers that I would not normally see in my small western Pennsylvania hometown church and community.
I believe I will see God during the GA when my beliefs are tested and I am forced to evaluate why I believe what I believe and how that manifests itself in the actions the committees take as we interpret and discern what the Holy Spirit is leading and teaching us in our interactions and dialogues with each other.
KYLEE VOGEL
Young Adult Advisory Delegate
Mountain Laurel Presbytery
There’s been this quiet but strong connection to God and the work I chose to be part of, like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. The moment I felt God the most was when I started to understand the “why” behind everything. Why we’re called to do God’s will, and why going to GA even matters in the bigger picture. It made everything feel more real and intentional.
I’m starting to realize that GA isn’t really about the end result as much as it is about the process, and I think that’s the whole point. It’s about learning how to create space for God to work through us, not just what we accomplish at the end. To me that is incredibly humbling letting the process shape you instead of trying to control the outcome.
And honestly, there is something so powerful in witnessing the faith in others’ stories. I think as I continue through this process, I’ll start to feel God’s presence even more, but even now, I can tell something in me is shifting. I trust that God will make his presence known; and I have full confidence that people will find beauty in the process. Because when we start to witness God working not only within ourselves but through each other, it becomes bigger than just our faith, it becomes one of the most honest and human experiences we can have as a church body.
BILL MYERS
Teaching Elder Commissioner
Presbytery of West Virginia
In a fractured and weary world, I do not expect the General Assembly to resolve the great crises before us. But I hope to see something more essential: a people formed by grace, learning again how to discern the will of God together for the sake of the world.
In Revelation, we are given a vision of the tree of life, whose leaves are “for the healing of the nations.” That promise is not abstract. It presses against the realities we carry into this gathering — division, injustice, ecological strain and a deep hunger for hope. The question is not whether the world needs healing, but whether the church is willing to become a place where healing can continue to take root.
One of the most consequential gifts we bring is not in particular decisions, but a way of being together. Our polity, shaped over generations, is a hard-won inheritance. It makes room at the table for a breadth of voices. It slows us down enough to listen. It insists that discernment belongs to the body, not to the powerful or the loud. At its best, it holds justice and compassion together — not as competing aims, but as marks of the Spirit’s presence among us. In a culture that fragments quickly and settles for certainty or division, this way of proceeding is itself a witness.
As I prepare to stand for moderator, I do so with a deep conviction that this witness matters. Not because we will get everything right, but because the church is called to embody a different way of life — one in which people who disagree can still remain at the table, listen deeply and seek Christ together. That, in itself, is a form of healing.
The vision I offer, should I be elected moderator, “From the Mountains to the Islands,” is a way of seeing the whole church differently. It grows out of the unlikely connection between West Virginia and Hawai‘i — two places few would naturally link, yet communities that share deep commitments to land, culture, resilience and faith. But this vision is not about geography alone; it is about connection. It is an invitation to the whole church to recognize that no community is peripheral, and that the Spirit often speaks through voices we are not yet practiced at hearing.
In that sense, the journey to General Assembly is not only about what happens in Milwaukee. It is about the relationships we build, the stories we honor, and the courage to see one another not as distant or different, but as part of a shared witness stretching across the country — and throughout the world.
So, I hope to see God in the texture of our life together: in patient listening that refuses to caricature, in truth spoken with humility, in conviction shaped by love. And I hope to see a church learning how to practice healing — not as a goal we achieve, but as a way we learn to be together.
Because if we can embody that, even briefly, we offer more than resolutions. We offer a glimpse of the “healing of the nations” beginning among us.
GA commissioners and advisory delegates have a discussion at a training in Bedford, PA, in mid-April.
JOHN VAN CLEVE
Ruling Elder Commissioner
Pittsburgh Presbytery
I love my congregation and my church. I get more out of church than I could ever repay, but I keep trying to give back. Yet, my congregation gets smaller and smaller year after year. I am hoping God can give me some direction on how I could be more effective at sharing the joy and wonder with more folks.
CARRIE MARTIN
Ruling Elder Commissioner
Kiskiminetas Presbytery
I was honored to be thought worthy of representing my presbytery at GA this year. All the information coming into my inbox and brain makes the experience overwhelming. But the orientation/training helped my understanding a lot! Was I filled with the Holy Spirit during the training? Not necessarily. But I sometimes forget to invite God into my process on the regular!
When I go to Milwaukee, I am sure the cautionary tales from our Synod leadership will ring true when I experience the day-to-day of sessions and committee work. I am hoping to see God at work in the graceful sharing of ideas and backgrounds. I am hoping to see God at work when such a large body of believers pray together. I am hoping to see God at work when we humans acknowledge our differences and embrace our common belief. I am hoping to see God at work when, as one body, we say Praise be to God!
JOSHUA SCULLY
Ruling Elder Commissioner
Presbytery of Redstone
I’m grateful for any new experiences that the Lord blesses me with, and I’m hopeful to see God in the experience, guidance and wisdom of my fellow commissioners at GA.