The meeting of the 185^th General Assembly is history now, and what a wonderful and significant piece of history it will be for future Cumberland Presbyterians. It might be a stretch to say that Cali, Colombia will never be the same for having hosted the 200-300 Cumberland Presbyterians of multiple nationalities who were able to make the trip to be in attendance that week, but it’s almost certainly not a stretch to say that they returned to their homes just a little better off for their experience there.

A central theme of the week, of course, was our celebration of 90 years of ministry in Colombia. One of the several small epiphanies I experienced during the week was the realization that our little denomination, tiny by any measure in its own country of origin, has by the grace of God and the selfless dedication of countless men and women nevertheless accomplished some amazing things in Colombia.

On page ten, you will find a brief history of the Colegio Americano written for this, our General Assembly in Colombia issue. I hope you’ll take an opportunity to read it and to reflect on the amazing things our little denomination has accomplished. Today, there are almost 30 churches scattered about Colombia, comprising two presbyteries and roughly 5,000 active congregants. Yes, their styles of worship—and even aspects of their theology—may differ a bit from those in the U.S., Japan, and Hong Kong, but as I see it, that diversity is what makes us unique in Christendom, and is among our greatest strengths.

Those admonitions against pride with which we’re all familiar notwithstanding, it is almost impossible to stand in the middle of the Colegio’s campus and not be impressed with not only the service that is occurring there, but with the physical plant as well. Occupying a full city block along one of the main thoroughfares in Cali, it is decidedly not the third-world outpost that I’m afraid some people who’ve never seen it might envision.

While many of the classrooms lack air conditioning (not at all unusual in a city so accustomed to cool breezes from the nearby mountains), they are otherwise largely indistinguishable from classrooms one might find in the U.S. or Japan. They are well-lit, with lots of bright artwork and teaching aids decorating the walls, and when needed, audio/visual equipment is available to supplement the lesson plans. Serving in the neighborhood of 2,000 school children of all ages, there is plenty of beautifully landscaped outdoor space for playgrounds and game courts, a full-sized gymnasium, a modern offices for administrators and clinicians, campus-wide wi-fi, and a technology center that would be the envy of most high-schools (and even some colleges) here in the U.S.

The students at the Colegio, by all appearances, will graduate well-prepared for collegiate work (if they so choose that route), and at the very least may boast of an education the quality of which would be the envy of many school districts in our own country. Instruction in English is a regular part of their curriculum, and not only were the older students eager to try out their second language skills on their guests from the U.S., they were so fluent that they were able to provide excellent translation services to those of us who needed it.

Like the land of Colombia beyond its campus, the Colegio is beautifully adorned with a staggering diversity of flowering plants and colorful songbirds. Jasmine and mandarin orange trees, birds of paradise, orchids, azalea-like shrubbery, and impatiens—lots of impatiens—abound (to name just a few), and with the peaks of the nearby mountains as a backdrop, the campus seems at times as much like a botanic garden as it does a school. If you were not able to attend General Assembly and haven’t traveled to Colombia for other reasons, I encourage you to add it to your bucket list. Our missional heritage is alive and well—thriving, in fact—in Colombia, and is well worth the time and effort it takes to get there.

The Assembly itself, held mostly in the large on-campus chapel, was also a celebration of the diversity among us. Our Colombian hosts could not have been more gracious, loving, and hospitable. From fascinating cultural exhibitions to samples of a wide variety of Colombian foods and cuisine to the simple warmth of our Colombian fellow Christians and their eagerness to make us feel welcome, it was a week to bathe in the outflowing of Christ-like love (and maybe just a little perspiration).

The business sessions and worship services were ably and efficiently managed by our new moderator, Rev. Michele Gentry de Correal, and were both productive and meaningful. In the many differences in language, theology, nationality, and ethnicity represented, they were above all celebrations of one of that diversity we hold so dear.

One of the many highlights for me (and, I think for many others as well) was the involvement of our Youth Advisory Delegates. Far from appearing to be merely along for the ride, they were meaningfully engaged throughout the proceedings, and renewed my faith in the future of our denomination. While their adult counterparts seemed content to let one particular resolution die a quiet death (primarily because of some exclusionary and unnecessarily Anglo-centric language it contained), they rose to hold us accountable. Their insistence that the proper response was to bold in our faith and to officially deny the resolution was supported beautifully in the impassioned words of one young man when he said, “I find no love in this resolution.” On page seven, you’ll find a reflection from one of those young people, Logan Reed, of Red River Presbytery. Read that as well, and consider the promise for a healthy future that our young people represent.

In all, it was a great week. God was in the chapel, in the gymnasium, and strolling the campus grounds—in the dining areas, the classrooms, and in the numerous small congregations that hosted us for worship on Sunday morning. God was in the mountains and in the valleys, on the busy streets and in the warm smiles and embraces of our Colombian hosts. While God was there all along, this little denomination of ours can be proud that God has been made more real to the people of Colombia through its hard work and sacrifice.