Some Moderators of the General Assembly north and south
We are delighted to have Co-Moderator of the General
Assembly, the Rev. Denise Anderson, with us today. Of course, Denise is not the
first Moderator of the General Assembly. That honor belongs to Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon.
Witherspoon was the Moderator of the First General Assembly in 1789. He was
also one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He became the first
President of the College of New Jersey which became Princeton Seminary.
In 1861, the Rev. Benjamin Palmer was the first Moderator
of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Rev. Palmer was a gifted
preacher and served as the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church on New
Orleans. With his preaching, he helped convince 47 southern presbyteries to
break away from the northern Presbyterians and form their own southern church.
In 1870 Robert Lewis Dabney served as Moderator of the
southern Presbyterian Church in the United States. Dabney served as a Chaplain
in the Confederate Army, and as Chief of Staff of General Stonewall Jackson.
After the Civil War, Dabney had a distinguished teaching career at Union
Seminary in Richmond.
In 1879 the Rev. Joseph Ruggles Wilson served as
Moderator of the southern Presbyterian Church in the United States. Rev. Wilson
was the father of President Woodrow Wilson.
William Jennings Bryan never served as Moderator of the
General Assembly. Bryan has been called the greatest loser in American history.
Three times – in 1896, 1900 and 1908 – he ran for President of the United
States. Three times he lost. In 1923 he ran for Moderator of the northern
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. He lost. But God is good.
In 1924 the arch-conservative, Philadelphia pastor Clarence Macartney was
elected Moderator. He named Bryan as his vice-Moderator.
In 1971 Ruling Elder Lois Stair was the first woman
elected as Moderator of the northern United Presbyterian Church in the United
States of America.
In 1976 Ruling Elder Thelma Adair was the first African
American woman elected as Moderator of the northern United Presbyterian Church
in the United States of America. Elder Adair was a professor in City University
of New York. She spent many years in ecumenical and social justice work in
Harlem.
In 1978 Sara Bernice Moseley was the first woman
Moderator elected in the southern Presbyterian Church in the United States.
Elder Moseley was a strong advocate of the reunion of the northern and southern
churches. Beginning in 1983, she served as the first Chair of the General
Assembly Council in our, reunited Presbyterian Church (USA).
In 1986 the Rev. Benjamin Weir was elected as Moderator
of our Presbyterian Church (USA). Ben and Carol Weir served from 1953 to 1984
as mission co-workers from our church to Lebanon. In 1984 Ben Weir was
kidnapped off the street in Beirut. After his long captivity, he was honored to
be elected Moderator. Ben Weir passed away this October 2016.
In 1992 the Rev. John Fife was elected Moderator of our
Church. Fife was the pastor of the Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson,
Arizona. Along with colleagues from several denominations, Fife was a leader of
what was called the Sanctuary Movement. These church leaders opened their
church buildings to undocumented immigrants from Latin America. Their ministry
pushed a very public conflict with the Department of Justice under President
Ronald Reagan.
In 2008 Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow visited our
Presbytery, and taught a class at our Saturday Seminar. That is the only other
Moderator visit we have had since I have been in this Presbytery.
And today in 2016 we are honored to have Co-Moderator
Denise Anderson with us. Denise is a blogger. Her blog is better than mine. The
title of her blog is SOULa Scriptura. SOULa is a constructed word: SOULa. The
sub-title of her blog is even better: “to be young, gifted and Reformed.” I was
very pleased to have dinner with Denise last evening. She is indeed, young,
gifted and Reformed. Please stand and greet the Moderator of our General
Assembly.
