This month, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will gather in Portland, Oregon. Commissioners will debate our denomination’s investment in fossil fuels and commitment to creation care, among many other issues. But the theme of environmental justice will hover over the entire assembly, going far beyond the overtures to be addressed in committees. Read more »
June 10, 2016
Going green at General Assembly
This month, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will gather in Portland, Oregon. Commissioners will debate our denomination’s investment in fossil fuels and commitment to creation care, among many other issues. But the theme of environmental justice will hover over the entire assembly, going far beyond the overtures to be addressed in committees. Read more »
A compilation of news submitted to Presbyterian News Service by Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) seminaries including Auburn Theological Seminary, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Columbia Theological Seminary, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, McCormick Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, San Francisco Theological Seminary and Union Presbyterian Seminary; and other pertinent seminary news.
From the outside it’s a very non-descript place—a small building surrounded by buildings that are the homes of Amazon and Microsoft workers. 
When the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board unanimously approved a change in name for the Financial Aid for Studies office to Financial Aid for Service in the fall of 2012, the action signaled an intentional shift in the PC(USA) from an emphasis on education purely for the sake of education to education for a life of discernment and service. 
At an interfaith prayer service on 7 June, people from diverse faith communities issued a call to action to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The call focuses on reducing stigma and discrimination; increasing access to HIV services; defending human rights; and ensuring testing and treatment for all, including children. 
It has been a year of endless flooding for parts of Texas, keeping volunteers from making headway in clean up efforts. The last three months have been described by state and federal authorities as the wettest in Texas history. 
As a grieving city, nation, and world respond to the death on June 3 of Muhammad Ali—the larger-than-life boxing champion, poet, and humanitarian—the Rev. Dr. Charles Wiley III, coordinator for the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s office of Theology and Worship remembered Ali “as bombastic, an enormous talent, and someone who stood up for what he believed in.” 
Presbyterians attending the 222nd General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, will have an opportunity to recognize refugees seeking to start a new life. Monday, June 20th is World Refugee Day, established by the United Nations to recognize the millions of refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide, forced to leave their homes because of persecution, conflict and war.