The welcome of people forced to leave their homes to find a new place to live played a role in Jesus’ life and his teachings. Motivated by fear for their son’s safety, Mary and Joseph took Jesus and sought refuge in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). Jesus would later proclaim that in welcoming people we do not know, we welcome him (Matthew 25:35).
In response, Presbyterians across the country and around the world have been, and are, involved in welcoming refugees as our siblings and new friends. Louisville is no exception. Read more »
October 3, 2022
Ruth Gardner receives Donna Craig Volunteer Award from Kentucky Refugee Ministries
The welcome of people forced to leave their homes to find a new place to live played a role in Jesus’ life and his teachings. Motivated by fear for their son’s safety, Mary and Joseph took Jesus and sought refuge in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). Jesus would later proclaim that in welcoming people we do not know, we welcome him (Matthew 25:35).
In response, Presbyterians across the country and around the world have been, and are, involved in welcoming refugees as our siblings and new friends. Louisville is no exception. Read more »
In addition to approving the Women of Faith awards for 2022 (see that story here) the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board concluded its three-day meeting at Stony Point Center Friday by hearing reports by corresponding members, approving reports from its three newly formed teams and, as it always does, worshiping the God who guides the work. 
Although there has been much talk in recent years about Christian nationalism, especially surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol Building, it’s far from a new concept, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins noted during an online conversation on Wednesday. 
Since 1986, the office of Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries along with Presbyterian Women has been awarding church and community leaders with the Women of Faith Award. This year, awardees have been selected by a committee for their faithful witness, service and leadership. 
The Rev. Dr. April Davis Campbell really wanted to cultivate a space for her church where people wouldn’t just associate the fall season with being asked for money. 
In the first paragraph of his new book “What Kind of Christianity: A History of Slavery and Anti-Black Racism in the Presbyterian Church,” Dr. William Yoo includes this question first raised by the Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon: “Where was the Church and the Christian believers when Black women and Black men, Black boys and Black girls, were being raped, sexually abused, lynched, assassinated, castrated and physically oppressed? What kind of Christianity allowed white Christians to deny basic human rights and simple dignity to Blacks, these same rights which have been given to others without question?” 
The daughter of a church member texted, late one Friday night, to say that her dad’s physical health was fading fast. He had been placed on hospice, and she was concerned about how much more time he had. She told me that she had become his round-the-clock nurse/caregiver, and she was grateful to be able to do that. Earlier in the week I had offered to drive to her house (about 60 miles) to visit them. She indicated that she now wanted to take me up on my offer. 
Forty years ago, the Dutch Reformed Mission Church (DRMC) in South Africa adopted Belydenis van Belhar — the Confession of Belhar — in its first reading. Belhar was an outgrowth of the DRMC’s effort to grapple with the church’s participation in and defense of apartheid and touches prominently on themes of unity, reconciliation and justice. The DRMC adopted Belhar in its final form in 1986. 
Last fall, Shenandoah Presbytery hosted an all-day educational event at Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The event focused on the bold vision of being a Matthew 25 church with two guest speakers: the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness, and the Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives. 
In-person worship services are returning at various rates and with various restrictions. And while some congregations are reporting in-person attendance that’s higher than it was pre-Covid, most churches are reporting lower in-person attendance with a significant number of people attending their online services. My congregation is in that majority.