by Nancy D. Borst

RICHMOND, June 27 -
A crowd of approximately 8,000 gathered in the Richmond Coliseum Sunday morning for the opening worship service of the 216th General Assembly, temporarily transforming the sports arena into a sacred space of multiple dimensions and rich textures.

Some early arrivals chose to climb to the highest

seats long before the first tier was filled. Organizers used the four large scoreboard screens to depict ever-changing images throughout the nearly two and one-half hour service.

It was a colorful kaleidoscope of liturgical dancers, musicians and choirs whose performances often prompted spontaneous applause. The participants ranged from 12-year-old Rachel Park, who led the call to worship, to choir member Ralph Stoudt, of Charlottesville, VA, who first sang in a General Assembly choir 60 years ago.

The Rev. Susan Andrews, moderator of the 215th Assembly, preached about "abundant abundance." She startled worshippers when she walked to a Baptismal font in the center of the arena, dipped her hands in the water and showered the floor proclaiming, "Friends, God does not sprinkle us with grace - God drenches us with grace."

Speaking about the parable of the good shepherd, from the Gospel of John, Andrews often turned to the worshippers around her, extending her arms to all, standing on tiptoe as if to connect with those seated high above the arena floor.

Her message was a plea that the church "reclaim the beauty and blessing of (God's) abundance." In the scripture, she said, Jesus uses a "metaphorical stew" to explain himself in his roles as the voice that guides us, the gate that welcomes us and the shepherd who "wanders with us through the unpredictable wilderness of the world."

"It is clear in this text that the decision as to who is invited, who is protected, who is welcome - inside the gate - this decision is up to the shepherd," she said. "We, as the sheep, have no say as to who is in and who is out."

"In fact, this shepherd makes it clear that there are sheep of other folds, who may well be

invited in to mess up what we thought we understood as our familiar and homogenous flock," she continued. "Why? Because it is up to God."

Andrews said we believers become imposters "when we proclaim Christ, but do not embody Christ." And embodying Christ means embracing God's abundance, she said - embracing joy, diversity, hope, and a passion for mission.

The theme of inclusion was reiterated by Sunny Schnitzer, a cantor from the Jewish congregation that worships at Andrews' home church, Bradley Hills Presbyterian in Bethesda, MD. Schnitzer sang Psalm 23, first in Hebrew, then in English. Andrews said it was the first time a Jewish leader had ever taken part in General Assembly worship.

Local volunteers seemed to have no trouble meeting what seemed to be their most daunting task: delivering Communion to those seated in the highest rows of the 14,000-seat coliseum.

The offering of more than $42,000 will go to education projects in Ethiopia and to a farmworkers' coalition in Immokalee, FL, both chosen by Andrews.