After four years of dialogue and negotiations, President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC guerrilla group agreed to end hostilities on June 23, 2016. The final peace accord, announced on August 24 and formally signed on September 26, will be placed before the Colombian people for a popular vote on October 2. Read more »
September 27, 2016
Will Colombian peace accord lead to lasting peace?
After four years of dialogue and negotiations, President Juan Manuel Santos and the FARC guerrilla group agreed to end hostilities on June 23, 2016. The final peace accord, announced on August 24 and formally signed on September 26, will be placed before the Colombian people for a popular vote on October 2. Read more »
The Ecumenical Institute at Château de Bossey is observing its 70th anniversary with notable speakers, creative worship, prayer services and a book launch, over the weekend of September 30 – October 2. 
Something is calling you, but you cannot see it. It leads you to a path and you follow it, until you come across a forest. You step to the edge and see nothing inside. It is neither dark nor light, but simply foggy. It is neither menacing nor inviting, simply mysterious. It is a path into the unknown. But something is pulling you toward it—something inside you that wants to keep going. And as you try to see where the path leads, you realize that the only way to know is to follow the trail and see where it goes. 
When Rick and Kitty Ufford-Chase, co-directors of Stony Point Center—one of three national conference centers of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)—gave their Sept. 15 report to the Finance Committee of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (PMAB), their enthusiasm was both palpable and contagious. 
Recently, I was invited to share my thoughts on the “big picture” view of my church. I had the honor of sharing in a panel with a group of Presbyterian pastors from the Middle East. As Christians they were the minority in their national culture.
As Presbyterians they were the minority among their Christian brothers and sisters. As such, they had to be intentional about nurturing faith in their youth, cultivating character in their families, and making disciples who could be the salt and light in their communities. And though I have no firsthand experience of the lives they live, I was struck by the beauty and challenges they faced in their journey of faith. 
When we preachers are at our best, we study a Bible passage thoroughly as we prepare for each sermon. We usually ask a series of questions about the passage, most of which help us discover what this text says to the people who will hear the sermon. Recently I heard a presentation that challenged me to bring new questions to the text, to help encourage my listeners to respond in a particular way. 
While the US and Cuban governments have only recently reestablished diplomatic ties, the Presbyterian Church has continually maintained a relationship between the two countries. Congregations will get an idea how that has progressed this month when the 2016 class of International Peacemakers visits the United States. 
African American leadership from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) churches across the country gathered to kick off the first African American Consultation at the historic Children’s Defense Fund Alex Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee.