Mary Ellen Summerlin (Mission Presbytery) and Sarah Feltman Hegar (Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary) thought they were only sharing a bus to the San Jose Convention Center, but they had much more in common.
SAN JOSE — They flew to San Jose from Austin, Texas, early Friday morning (June 20) but that wasn't the real connection for two Presbyterians heading to the 2008 General Assembly.
On a city bus ride to the convention center, they introduced themselves. Mary Ellen Summerlin, a GA commissioner is from Kerville, Texas, (Mission Presbytery) where her husband is president of the Presbyterian-related Schreiner University. Sarah Feltman Hegar is a theological student advisory delegate from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a ministry candidate from North Central Iowa Presbytery where her father is the general presbyter.
Then the conversation made a turn like this.
"I grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa," Hegar said.
Summerlin beamed with a wide smile and said, "I grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa!"
Hegar appeared happily astonished at the connection. The two graduated from the same high school 35 years apart and made a connection at General Assembly. Summerlin grew up Roman Catholic and has no family remaining there, but on a cell phone with her parents, Hegar discovered they had few other connections in Fort Dodge, a city of 25,000.
Hegar was already well connected at GA. She traveled from Austin Seminary, her general presbyter father is here with her mother, and her roommate is a youth advisory delegate named Rachel Feltman — Hegar's sister.
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