While the Sept. 1 Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Philippines has passed, a new set of resources and prayers is available to help congregations and individuals support peace year-round among Filipinos, and push for a resolution of the armed conflict on the island country in southeast Asia. Read more »
September 26, 2024
New resources provided to support peace in the Philippines
While the Sept. 1 Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Philippines has passed, a new set of resources and prayers is available to help congregations and individuals support peace year-round among Filipinos, and push for a resolution of the armed conflict on the island country in southeast Asia. Read more »
Leaders of the three presbyteries in Nebraska are among ecumenical notables from across the state calling on residents of that state to “treat one another with kindness, respect and human dignity” as Election Day draws near. 
After growing up in an interfaith home — her father is Jewish and her mother is Presbyterian — it seems like a natural fit that the Rev. Samantha Gonzalez-Block, a PC(USA) pastor and the Christian spiritual leader with Interfaith Families Project of Greater Washington, would serve alongside Rabbi Debbie Reichmann in a place where, as IFFP’s website states, “both Jewish and Christian partners can feel like equal members of the community, celebrate and learn about both faiths. At IFFP, we ‘teach not preach.’” 
In an effort to address the root causes of hunger and poverty around the world, the Advisory Committee of the Presbyterian Hunger Program has voted to approve nearly $1.2 million in new grants to fund projects in 25 countries, including the United States. 
According to the Rev. Dr. Chip Hardwick, when you Google “Why are Presbyterians like that?” one of the top five questions asked is, “Why are Presbyterians called the ‘frozen chosen’?” Hardwick, executive for the Synod of the Covenant, recently preached at a regional gathering of immigrant new worshiping community and church leaders in Cincinnati. Hardwick brought greetings on behalf of the synod, which spans most of Ohio and all of Michigan and as of 2022 had 623 churches reporting 82,264 members, to a group that included the praise team from Korean Presbyterian Church of Cincinnati and other regional leaders as well as immigrant leaders from California and Georgia. 
At the end of August, many young people, the new group of Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs), gathered from different worlds — some speaking English, others Spanish.
Conversation came slowly and hesitantly as we tried to connect, but the distance of language hung heavy between us. Then, one evening a few days into orientation, everything changed. With just three words, everyone gathered around, and suddenly we were all speaking the same language.
During my first year as a pastor, there were certain milestones I knew to look forward to. I looked forward to the first time I stood at the Communion table and invited my congregation to share in the feast, and the first time I marked an infant with water and proclaimed how much God loved her in baptism. I looked forward to my first Christmas and first sunrise Easter service. But there were other firsts that I didn’t know about that caught me off guard with their beauty. 
Tim Pollock, commissioned ruling elders and commissioned pastors coordinator for the Synod of the Covenant, recently offered a webinar full of ideas on extending ministry networks to municipal and nonprofit agencies. 
Driven to Reach Excellence & Academic Achievement for Males (DREAAM) is excited to report on a recent international experience that was aimed at enhancing excellence in achievement, engagement, and behavioral and mental health among boys and young men ages 3–24 years old. 
Family and friends recently remembered the Rev. Dr. Otis Turner as a justice-seeker and a strategic, compassionate soldier for racial justice in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and in the larger society.
Turner, the first Black faculty member at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, who later worked for 25 years on the national staff of the Presbyterian Church, died Aug. 2 in Jacksonville, Florida. Sardis Missionary Baptist Church in Dawson, Georgia, hosted his service, which was livestreamed.