By Rev. Alexandra Hutson
Growing up in the Presbyterian (U.S.A.) church, I have always appreciated the connectional nature of it. Attending Montreat Youth Conferences and Sheppards and Lapsley Presbytery Retreats is where I witnessed it most often as a youth. In a big world, it felt a little bit smaller when I came together and re-connected time and time again with my Presbyterian friends.
I experienced the same feel of connectedness as I attended Maryville College and Columbia Theological Seminary. I was always struck by who knew whom and how we are all intertwined in the threads of God’s great quilt of believers.
Attending the January 2025 meeting of the Synod of Living Waters was yet one more example of our connectional church. I had never attended a Synod meeting and was not exactly sure what to expect. I volunteered to attend when I heard that it would be held in Franklin, Tennessee. Having friends in Nashville, attending the meeting seemed like a great opportunity to connect with them too.
When I first arrived in Franklin that night, it was like a family reunion had just begun. As I was heading out with my 22 month old daughter and mother who accompanied me on my travels, to finish getting our luggage in, I ran into my campus minister from college, Rev. Dr. Anne McKee. Anne who also officiated my wedding, was arriving with Kathleen Farnham, Maryville College’s Director of Church Relations. Kathleen attended every Maryville College Concert Choir tour with me throughout my time in college.
Shortly after, I left to grab dinner with my life-long best friend who lives in Nashville, who also just happened to be my youth group friend growing up. We attended youth group together every Sunday and Montreat Youth Conferences every summer. The next day, my mom, my daughter and I worshipped with her and her parents who served as my session liaisons for a period of time during my seminary years, before they moved to Nashville. Yet another happy reunion.
On Monday morning, I arrived at First Presbyterian Church of Franklin for the Synod meeting, unsure of who I would see. I was surprised when the first person I saw when I walked in was a dear friend from seminary, Rev. Nell Herring. Nell works for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and presented a workshop on Disaster Preparedness. I spoke to her after her presentation, expressing how neat it was to go from preaching classes together to seeing her ministry in action.
The family reunion continued as I saw Anne and Kathleen again and Rev. Julie Bailey from Columbia Theological Seminary. It was special to worship beside Julie and catch up.
It is easy when we go our separate ways and become immersed in our own individual communities to forget how connected we are. Councils of the Church remind us that we do not do the work of ministry alone. We are all one in the Body of Christ. One Baptism, One God of all who is above all, through all and in all. What a gift!