It has been a long day, the alarm went off at 4:45 AM and I was on the Plane to Atlanta at 9:30 AM. After a two hour lay over in Atlanta a plane loaded with mostly Presbyterians took off for Birmingham, AL. Due to the time change we got there 10 minutes before we left. More time to get luggage, find the shuttle to the Holiday Inn Airport. It was nearly 3 PM Birmingham time by the time I got to the Hotel. The hotel is a bit of a dump, in the process of being rennovated, but located in an industrial Area near the airport. Commissioners and GA staff get the hotels downtown while alternate commissioners and Overture advocates get the distant ones. It is about 20 minutes by shuttle to the convention center. I waited 20 minutes in the Alabama sun before the shuttle that was supposed to be there at 3:30 came.

After registering and having a cold beverage I went to the Covenant Network Reception followed by dinner. At these events most of the Overture Advocates connected and 10 of us sat together and talked over and after dinner. We will meet at 7:45 AM in the Cov. Network hospitality suite and begin our face to face work of turning the third draft of a combined presentation into a final form and deciding who speaks what pieces. We have known for a long time that one of the 22 Advocates wanted to present separately, and it seems that two others will join him in this decision. One OA had death in the family, but NYC presbytery replaced him so we will have 57 minutes for our joint presentation.

I look forward to meeting the rest of the group tomorrow.

Each of the candidates for Moderator spoke briefly at the Cov. Network dinner. Deborah Block is former co moderator of the Network and the overwealming favorite in the room. If she is elected tomorrow night it will be a good sign that the Assembly is in a mood for a more liberal stance on ordination and other issues.

I went to the Witherspoon Society briefing on issues, but left to be sure to get the shuttle which was reportedly making its last run at 10 PM. So I am here, in a hotel with the world's slowest wireless network, trying to read email and hoping this post will get through.

I have seen Christ Caton from our Presbytery who is an advocate for the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, Jane Spahr and Lisa Larges and others from That All May Freely Serve (TAMFS), Dick Hasbany from our Presbytery who is coordinating the TAMFS booth in exhibition hall, and several others I know.

More tomorrow