07/16/2026
Elder Mary Anne Davis and Rev. Donna Elia, both from St. Peter's, were part of this important justice work!
From Rob Trawick, Executive Presbyter of Albany Presbytery:
The 227th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) concluded its work on July 2nd. The Presbytery of Albany extends its gratitude to our commissioners, Rev. Donna Elia and Ruling Elder Mary Anne Davis, and to our Young Adult Advisory Delegate, Charles Hunter. Thank you for your diligent work. An excellent recap from our friends at the Presbytery of Philadelphia is available here.
I make particular note of an overture with which our Presbytery concurred, RUS 01 “On Taking Action to Repudiate Christian Nationalism and Affirm Our Faith Communities.” You can read the full text here. In passing this overture overwhelmingly, the General Assembly stated:
The church affirms its calling to bear faithful witness in public life, speaking and acting from the example and teachings of Jesus Christ for justice, peace, mercy, and the dignity of all people. The church rejects any ideology that seeks to establish Christianity as a privileged or dominant force through the power of the state, or that conflates religious identity with national, racial, or ethnic supremacy. Such ideologies, in all their forms, are incompatible with the example and teachings of Jesus Christ, constitute a theological error, undermine the church’s faithful witness, and are contrary to the church.
This action is of a piece with our Presbytery’s statement, We Cannot Remain Silent, adopted on May 1, 2025. Together, our Presbytery and our denomination have affirmed that we, as Christians, are called to be active disciples in our public life, and that there are times when we are called to speak prophetically. We remain committed to the principle that the Christian faith is not bound by the artificial lines that humans create, and the role of the church is not to dominate those with whom we may disagree, but rather to serve the world in love.
In times when aggressive displays of power are celebrated and when the forging of lasting and inclusive communities has been challenged, the church, at its best, presents an alternative vision for how to live together. I am grateful for the witness of this Presbytery and of the Presbyterian Church (USA). May we continue to live more fully into what we profess to believe.
Peace,
Robert Trawick
