The Rev. Shawna Bowman, an artist, poet, community organizer and the pastor of Friendship Presbyterian Church on Chicago’s Northwest side, was recently a guest on “New Way,” the podcast of the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement. The Rev. Sara Hayden hosts the podcast, which is produced by the Rev. Marthame Sanders. Read more »
October 10, 2024
‘It’s messy, right?’
The Rev. Shawna Bowman, an artist, poet, community organizer and the pastor of Friendship Presbyterian Church on Chicago’s Northwest side, was recently a guest on “New Way,” the podcast of the 1001 New Worshiping Communities movement. The Rev. Sara Hayden hosts the podcast, which is produced by the Rev. Marthame Sanders. Read more »
The eyes of the world have been on Springfield, Ohio, following untrue allegations that members of the city’s Haitian community had been capturing and eating other people’s pets. Dozens of bomb threats have been made, all of them hoaxes, and schools and universities have been using online education to keep students, educators and staff safe. 
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 2024 Peacemakers prayed to offer “hope in a hurting world” and to find “new possibilities for relationship and restoration” during a commissioning service that also served as a commemoration of the International Day of Peace. 
Imagine you and your family are living a quiet life as best you can in a city in Central America and a local gang leader decides he wants your 14-year-old daughter as his “girlfriend,” and won’t accept no for an answer.
Imagine your child’s survival depends on medical care that is not available in your homeland.
Imagine militias from neighboring countries or communities have overrun your community and you have to run for your life. 
Travelers on Highway 5, the 50-mile stretch between Blacksburg and Rock Hill, South Carolina, often stop on the roadside to admire and take pictures of the small church perched off the highway. Hopewell Presbyterian Church, with its distinctive rock exterior, seems to glow when the afternoon sun hits at the right angle, highlighting its unique architectural charm that symbolizes strength and fortitude. 
Near the end of her joyous and Spirit-filled ordination service, the now-Rev. Jerusha Van Camp stood in front of the many friends and family gathered at First Presbyterian Church in Evansville, Indiana, recently and told them, “Your presence surrounds me with love.” 
The Sept. 13 workshop, “Organizing for Change,” was part of the People’s Summit on Food Systems and Urban Agriculture, hosted by Food in Neighborhoods, a coalition that works to improve food and farm systems in Louisville. The Presbyterian Hunger Program was one of the summit’s sponsors. 
World Community Day began in 1943 as a day for church women to study peace. After World War II, church leaders felt that they should set aside a day for prayer and ecumenical study. The leaders thought that while believers were performing peace and justice work by themselves, a day when they could study across denominations would be beneficial to all. The theme for this year’s World Community Day is “Walk Humbly with God,” based on Micah 6:8. 
The Presbyterian Publishing Corporation has received a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to establish a program called “Worship for the Whole People of God.” A variety of new resources will be created to help congregations as they engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices. The program is funded through Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. 
Being a church treasurer has become more complex in recent years. This largely volunteer job goes far beyond simply doing the math to ensure the books are balanced and the bills are paid.
Today, church treasurers and church staff in general need to be aware of the many ways the church can be defrauded, either by internal trusted people or by scammers who find ways to trick staff into disclosing information.