Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Blogs

Food and Faith

National Capital Presbytery Divests from Fossil Fuels. Happy Earth Day!

divest from fossil fuel graphic By Anne-Fleur Winter, from Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church, and Claire Wilson-Black, from Fairlington Presbyterian Church On March 23st, 2021, National Capital Presbytery voted to divest from fossil fuels, stating: “Whereas; National Capital Presbytery expresses its profound concern about the destructive effects of climate change on all God’s creation, including a disproportionate impact on communities of… Read more »

PHP and Growing Hope Globally Grow Impact

Boys harvesting rice The Presbyterian Church (USA)—through the Presbyterian Hunger Program and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance as well as local congregations—has had a decades-long partnership with Growing Hope Globally, an organization that connects U.S. farmers, churches and communities to subsistence farmers around the world in order to help address hunger. The Presbyterian Hunger Program is at work around the world and specifically has been… Read more »

Ministry working in solidarity with farmworkers

One of our long-time partners, the National Farm Worker Ministry, accompanies and amplifies the campaigns and struggles of farmworker groups and unions around the US. The NFWM office is in Durham, NC and I serve on the large, working board of the Ministry made up of representatives from many denominations and orders. At every board… Read more »

Ensuring Farmworkers’ Health and Safety

This update comes from the Alliance for Fair Food, a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner.  The coronavirus has put the newfound resilience of farmworkers on Fair Food Program farms to the test. Farmworkers across the United States are facing an unprecedented threat to their health and safety, a massive shortage of personal protective equipment, and… Read more »

When Farming and the Church Come Together

This reflection comes to us from AJ Bisesi, Community Engagement Coordinator for Garfield Community Farm, a ministry of The Open Door Presbyterian Church. Getting produce to our neighbors is an integral tenet of our organization’s mission. We distribute produce in multiple ways, including donating. Valley View Presbyterian Church, one of our church partners from the… Read more »

Community Sharing Garden Restoration Project

This reflection comes from Bruce Kelsh, Chair of Earth and Social Justice Committee for First Presbyterian Church, in Cottage Grove, OR. Fifty percent of the people in our rural community are classified as being in poverty or ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained), that is, the working poor.  There is a shortage of fresh produce for… Read more »

A Philosophy of Welcome in the Midst of Covid-19

This reflection comes from Rev. Kirk Perucca, Pastor for Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Kansas City, MO. Covenant Presbyterian Church, an urban residential congregation in Kansas City has a mission. We feed people. Period. We serve people in a dignified, caring and just matter. Jesus didn’t ask for two forms of ID, one could be a… Read more »

Embodying the Beloved Community, Living Esperanza

Reflection on creating community and hope in the midst of Covid-19 This reflection comes from Rev. Amy Cantrell, Co-Director for BeLoved Asheville, a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner. Ana is a community leader and a part of our Community Leadership Network. We met her early in 2020 as the pandemic descended. She is an essential… Read more »

2021 UN Food Systems Summit sounds like a good thing, but…

Drawing of plant growing with the cogs of industrial food system The description on the United Nations website sounds wonderful! In 2021, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will convene a Food Systems Summit as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which relies… Read more »

Relentless Advocacy for Environmental Justice

Living in The Sacrifice Zone This news comes from Climate Justice Alliance, a Presbyterian Hunger Program grant partner. A historic environmental justice (EJ) bill out of New Jersey, more than 10 years in the making, was signed into law this past year, thanks to the organizing work of CJA member Ironbound Community Corporation (ICC) and… Read more »