Although all PC(USA) mission co-workers have left South Sudan, there is grave concern for those who are left behind. “Thanks be to God. I arrived in Nairobi at 10.30 a.m.,” said Leisa Wagstaff by email. “Let us continue to pray for the people I left behind.” Wagstaff expects to be in Kenya for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Read more »
July 14, 2016
Concern growing for those left behind in South Sudan
Although all PC(USA) mission co-workers have left South Sudan, there is grave concern for those who are left behind. “Thanks be to God. I arrived in Nairobi at 10.30 a.m.,” said Leisa Wagstaff by email. “Let us continue to pray for the people I left behind.” Wagstaff expects to be in Kenya for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. Read more »
A four-church collaboration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is giving 150-200 children an opportunity to learn about the arts and sciences. Tippecanoe, Grace and North Shore Presbyterian Churches have joined with the Hephatha Lutheran Church to sponsor an eight-week “Arts and Science Literacy Camp” specifically for low and middle income families. 
The Rev. Dr. Jason Brian Santos isn’t just playing games. Now he’s designing them, too. His newly-minted card game, UGRAD, is set to debut at the Presbyterian Youth Triennium the week of July 19-23, 2016. 
Presbyterian mission co-worker Leisa Wagstaff has been safely evacuated from South Sudan. Wagstaff left early Wednesday morning (EDT) on a Mission Aviation Fellowship flight to Kenya. There is no timeframe for her return to South Sudan, but she has made clear her desire to go back and finish the important work with the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan she started nearly three years ago. 
Since 2009, Anna Hackett has been discerning a call to serve women who are recovering from sex trafficking and prostitution. It’s a call that seems obvious to everyone else, she says; yet it’s one she’s questioned, prayed about and tried to accomplish in her own strength for the past seven years. 
The emotional wounds from last week’s shootings in Dallas are still fresh for residents as well as for government and spiritual leaders. Since Thursday, faith leaders have prayed and mourned with the community and have begun discussing the best way for the city to heal and to bridge gaps. 
Although there is a tentative cease-fire in Juba, South Sudan, Presbyterian mission co-worker Leisa Wagstaff remains in the city, with colleagues around the country and in the U.S. working on an evacuation plan to get her out of the country. 
For the third year in a row, a group of avid cyclists between 30 and 70 years of age will take to the California roads this September to combat hunger. The Pedal for Protein ride is scheduled for September 18-22. The Presbytery of the Redwoods launched the ride two years ago to help community food pantries provide protein-rich foods to families in need. 
The Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF), an organization that promotes the sustainability and the well being of people, animals, and our planet through food and agriculture systems, held its 14th annual forum recently in Louisville, KY. Its work closely aligns with the Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP). PHP Associate for National Hunger Concerns, Andrew Kang Bartlett, who serves on the SAFSF Steering Committee, helped introduce this year’s forum and was among an extensive list of speakers during the three-day event. 
Longtime Presbyterian mission co-worker Leisa Wagstaff is currently “sheltering in place” as fighting escalates in Juba, South Sudan. Efforts are underway to evacuate her to a safe location. Other South Sudan mission co-workers are currently traveling in the U.S., visiting churches.