The pastor of Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio, has for the past 15 years led a church “with a collection of folks who share a commitment to serve the city and figure out together what it means to follow Jesus in this particular time and place. My favorite part of Broad Street are the people who find their way there. They’re just a remarkable collection of people who are willing to share their energy, their commitment, and put all of who they are in service to being in community and figuring out what it means to follow Jesus.” Read more »
July 17, 2023
Broad Street Presbyterian Church’s longtime pastor loves serving a congregation full of explorers
The pastor of Broad Street Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio, has for the past 15 years led a church “with a collection of folks who share a commitment to serve the city and figure out together what it means to follow Jesus in this particular time and place. My favorite part of Broad Street are the people who find their way there. They’re just a remarkable collection of people who are willing to share their energy, their commitment, and put all of who they are in service to being in community and figuring out what it means to follow Jesus.” Read more »
“Screams and hubbubs! The children were excited and happy to leave the huts and go play outside. The air was thick and full of dust and flakes falling from the sky. They thought it was snowing, something which never happened on their tropical island. They were surprised and curious. They run after the flakes, catching them with their hands, rubbing them in their hair and on their bodies,” an eyewitness recalled.
That day was March 1, 1954. The U.S. just tested a nuclear bomb in the atoll of Bikini, in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. The visible fallout from the explosion continued to drop for several days. 
Ally Henny, a speaker and the author of the recently published “I Won’t Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You,” speaks her mind during the most recent episode of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” which can be heard here. The hosts each week are Simon Doong and the Rev. Lee Catoe. 
If the prophet Isaiah has promised that “those who wait for the Lord will … run and not get tired … walk and not become weary,” then the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network plans to deliver on that promise with a healthy dose of inspiration and information. 
When I first came to the border communities of Douglas/Agua Prieta, I specifically remember mission co-worker the Rev. Mark Adams asking our group how old we thought the border wall was. 
The Rev. Duane M. Mullen, who serves Bemis-Holland Presbyterian Church and the First Presbyterian Church of Castlewood, about 20 minutes south of Watertown in the eastern part of the state, said as far as congregational researchers can tell, the parishes have been yoked continuously longer than any other yoked houses of worship in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 
With climate change and other factors contributing to scorching conditions in various parts of the world, Creation Justice Ministries recently hosted a webinar to help churches spring into action, from becoming cooling centers to advocating for environmentally friendly legislation. 
“Water is life” is a statement that is heard frequently throughout Africa as many people cannot take water for granted. This is particularly true in Niger, a country that is mostly within the Sahara Desert, with the remainder lying within the Sahel, a dry ecosystem that transitions between desert and savannah lands. 
From hearing firsthand accounts about the plight of Palestinians to collaborating with a local group that makes textile art, being part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Mosaic of Peace conference in the Holy Land was a memorable experience for past participant Megan Acedo.
“I really got to meet people who were living out the work of advocacy, the work of justice, the work of loving our neighbor, in ways that were really profound,” said Acedo, an elder and clerk of session of Beacon church in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. “There were heartbreaking stories, but overall, it was an incredible and transformative experience.”
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program is now accepting applications for the next Mosaic of Peace conference, which takes place from March 4-15, 2024, in the Israel/Palestine region. 
Growing up in northern New Jersey, a younger version of the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson watched in awe as Fred Rogers welcomed a break-dancer onto the groundbreaking television show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in the 1980s.