Presa Taps Washington D.C. Pastor to be Candidate for Vice Moderator of the 220th General Assembly
04-10-2012
Contact: Byron Wade, Convener, Advisory Dream Team
of Friends for Neal Presa for General Assembly Moderator
(919) 971-5216 revbawade@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Presa Taps Washington D.C. Pastor to be Candidate for
Vice Moderator of the 220th General Assembly
Using a UStream.tv live channel to make his announcement, teaching elder Dr. Neal D. Presa, candidate for moderator of the 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), introduced earlier today his choice of teaching elder Tara Spuhler McCabe of the National
Capital Presbytery to stand as a candidate for vice moderator of the 220th General Assembly if he is elected to the denomination’s highest elected office this June 30 in Pittsburgh.
McCabe is the associate pastor at the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington D.C., where she has served in that capacity since 2006. Prior to that she was Director of Christian Education at New York Avenue and a pastoral intern. McCabe is an M.Div. graduate of McCormick Theological Seminary and an alumna of Presbyterian-related Agnes Scott College.
Born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in the First Presbyterian Church and Riverside Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine Presbytery, McCabe, together with her husband Kendrick, and children Elliot (5) and Evelyn (3) resides in Arlington, VA. She has served or is presently serving the presbytery on the Mission Coordinating Committee, co-chair of the presbytery subcommittee for College and Campus Ministry, the Christian Educators Working Group, Youth Workers Group,and the Washington Interfaith Network.. In the wider church, she was a PC(U.S.A.) delegate to the World Council of Churches 8th Assembly in Harare, Zimbabwe in
19989, and served on the planning teams for Montreat Youth Conference, Peacemaking Conference, and the 7% Young Clergy Conference.
Recalling how they met 11 years ago on the 7% Young Clergy Conference planning team and event, Presa said they hit it off right away and have been reflecting on the Church, mission, and ministry for more than a decade. “Our families have spent considerable time with each other and know one another,” Presa adds. “In fact, her son, Elliot, calls my sons his brothers.”
Commenting on responding to her sense of call to stand as a candidate for vice moderator, McCabe shared, “My sense of call as vice moderator: is one of a privilege and opportunity to serve the church, whom I love, in this particular position. It is a service out of a larger call in faithfulness. The opportunity to meet, listen, and truly collaborate with one another on who we are as children of God, as Presbyterians, and as particular members in particular Presbyterian communities.”
She added, We are currently on a time not unlike any other time,when we are all tasked to be faithful and witness. May we be encouraged to get a sense of how our traditions give us the foundations in being creative as a collected folk.”
Presa said of his choice of McCabe, “Tara is a trusted and trustworthy friend and colleague. She and I will bring energy, intelligence, imagination and love to the Church, grounded in the Reformed tradition, we seek the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
