The 139th General Assembly began with song and prayer. A praise band summoned the more than 200 commissioners to the gymnasium of Seneca College in Toronto, a room now full of white-draped tables. And a dramatic retelling of the story or Mary and Martha set the scene for the four-day event.
Martha complained about Jesus’ unexpected visit in the midst of her already busy life, while Mary expressed her gratitude for the time of spiritual reflection—time not wasted but savoured.
“Awesome God, for everything there is a time. And time is our most precious commodity,” prayed Anita Van Nest, who played Martha. “Our clocks are always running from birth to death. During times of joy and sorrow, work and play, business and pleasure, speech and silence, worship and church activities. Tick, tock, tick, tock. And for this assembly, the clock has been running. … We are like Martha with our long to-do lists, about to begin a General Assembly that will be busy and challenging, exhausting and exciting. Slow us down, Lord. And for now, simply remind us that only one thing is needed: that we be still before you and know that you are God.”
“It’s so easy for us to be so heavenly minded that we can choose to be spectators at worship,” said Rev. Neal Mathers in a final prayer. “Pew-sitters instead of servants. Content to let others do ministry while we live by faith but rarely act on it. As this General Assembly opens, teach us the value of worshipful work. Teach us how to make the worship we offer and the work that we do at this assembly a sacred unity.”
Following the worship service, in the first sederunt of the 139th meeting of the church’s highest court, Rev. Dr. John Vissers, moderator of the 138th General Assembly, oversaw the election of his successor, Rev. Dr. Dave Sutherland.
Vissers offered a few parting gifts to the new moderator: a Tim Horton’s gift card because, he said, everywhere you travel in Canada as moderator you will find a Tim Horton’s; a stuffed moose because Sutherland had canceled a moose-tracking trip to fulfill his responsibilities as incoming moderator; and a journal to record his thoughts during the year ahead.
The Canadian Bible Society also presented Sutherland with an inscribed Bible.
In his remarks, Sutherland thanked the assembly for the honour and trust they placed in him. He thanked the Presbytery of New Brunswick and the Presbytery of Newfoundland for nominating him for the role, and the church for making him the first minister elected moderator while ministering in Newfoundland.
“Over the next few days, our goal in all we say and do should be to glorify Jesus Christ,” he told the assembly. “The one who leads and enables us toward that goal is the Holy Spirit … I believe there’s a bright future for the church in our culture if we learn to recognize and celebrate together the ministry of the Holy Spirit right here and now.”
