Getting Ready for GA
General Assembly (GA)—the annual gathering of the PCA—is just a few weeks away! This year, GA will take place in Chattanooga, TN, June 23-27. We’re starting to think about packing our bags and planning our time.
If You’re New to GA
If you’re new to GA, or if you haven’t attended in a while, it can be a daunting experience. We’d love to help you navigate it. The official GA website (pcaga.org) has all the information you need: location, schedule, family programming, and registration. Below are a few suggestions for how to get connected and spend your time at General Assembly.
If You’re a GA Veteran
If you are a GA veteran, think back to your first General Assembly. What questions, anxieties, and points of confusion did you have? As you prepare for Chattanooga, consider how you might be able to welcome others into GA. Are there PCA friends from your presbytery or other parts of the country who would benefit from a personal invitation to come? When you’re at GA, is there someone new you could invite to a meal or for drinks? Be on the lookout for first-timers or elders and church staff who might be solo. The list below might be helpful for you too as you seek to pursue and connect with others.
1. Pray for GA
Pray for GA personally, as a church, and as a presbytery. We need God’s help to love one another well, deliberate wisely, and reflect his heart to those we’ll meet in Chattanooga. This piece by AMR Board Member Mike Khandjian casts a beautiful vision for what our time together could look like.
2. Register for GA
While teaching and ruling elders must register as commissioners to vote, all elders, staff (male and female), and families are welcome to attend GA as guests.
3. Tell PCA Friends
Tell your PCA friends you’re heading to GA and make plans to connect: grab a meal together, sit together during business, or perhaps do a little bowling.
4. Read Up on the Overtures
Read up on the overtures that will be brought forward at this year’s GA. A great starting point is the list available here on the GA website. At GA the overtures are first discussed on Monday and Tuesday by the Overtures Committee. Only elected committee members may contribute to the conversation, but anyone is welcome to sit in and listen.
5. Check the Schedule
Check the schedule and plan to attend events and lunches, including those hosted by MTW and MNA. This is a great way to hear about how God is at work (and get a meal without leaving the premises!). Find the whole list here.
6. Check the Resources
Take advantage of all the great resources available at GA. Attend seminars that are pertinent to your ministry on Tuesday (plus women’s seminars on Wednesday and Thursday) and explore the exhibit hall to interact with publishers and potential ministry partners. (Bonus: You might even score some swag—or candy!)
7. Attend the Worship Services
Plan to attend worship services on Tuesday evening, Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday evening. It is a powerful experience to worship together with thousands of PCA sisters and brothers, and to focus our minds and hearts together on the God we serve.
8. Join AMR at the Fellowship Gathering
Sign up to join AMR for the annual Fellowship Gathering on Wednesday night. This is a casual way to meet others, catch up with friends, and enjoy a pause in the week’s business proceedings. Register here—your first drink and a round of bowling are included!
9. Ways for Women to Connect
There are a number of ways for women to connect while at GA, whether attending as church/ministry staff, interested church members, or wives of elders. Women can attend business meetings such as Committee of Commissioners reports, the Overtures Committee, and seminars, or join events planned by the host committee for women and families (https://pcaga.org/families/). Women who serve in staff roles for PCA churches, agencies, and organizations are invited to attend a Happy Hour gathering on Tuesday – sign up here.
10. Get Connected With AMR
Here is the AMR team. Find us at GA and introduce yourselves!
If you are unable to attend GA, follow daily updates from ByFaith and tune in to the livestream. But if you’ll be there, we look forward to seeing you and enjoying a great week together in Chattanooga!