Validating loss and understanding our feelings is a concept not difficult to grasp during a global pandemic. But for mission co-workers the Revs. Nancy and Shelvis Smith-Mather, their seven-year-old son Jordan reminded them that sometimes you have to find the courage to lean into the pain to get through it. Read more »
August 27, 2020
A yellow tricycle and a magical plate of biscuits
Validating loss and understanding our feelings is a concept not difficult to grasp during a global pandemic. But for mission co-workers the Revs. Nancy and Shelvis Smith-Mather, their seven-year-old son Jordan reminded them that sometimes you have to find the courage to lean into the pain to get through it. Read more »
The South Central Region of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (SCRAPCE) is hosting a three-day virtual workshop called “Dipping Deeper Into the Well of PC(USA) Ministries” Oct. 5–7. The workshop, coordinated by Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary (APTS), is recommended for Christian educators, pastors, volunteers and anyone else interested in learning about denominational resources available for Christian education and formation in the local church. 
During a fast-paced two-hour Zoom conversation this week, the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow led more than 100 participants in a discussion on “The Scattered Church: Pastoring in a Time of Pandemic.” 
More than 200 people listened in Tuesday while some of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s deepest thinkers and most effective practitioners of anti-racism work shared their hearts and their experiences during a 90-minute Town Hall, part of the Presbyterian Week of Action. View the event here. 
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the entire world to rethink the way we conduct some of our most routine practices. Each year at this time schools across the nation would be welcoming their students and staff for another year of learning. 
Finding practical stewardship resources and theological reflections on the practice of generosity has just become easier with the launch of “Where Your Heart Is … A Weekly Offerings Stewardship Blog.” 
For too long the women of the Bible have been depicted in one-dimensional terms. On one side are saints, such as Mary, while on the other are “bad girls,” such as Eve and Jezebel. Just as often, the female characters of the Bible are simply ignored. 
The international headquarters of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will be bearing witness to God’s love for Black lives and solidarity with calls for an end to systemic racism on its exterior wall later this week. 
At 5 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday as part of BLACKOUT Day during the Presbyterian Week of Action, a COVID-19 memorial service will be held via Zoom — and also streamed live on the PC(USA) Facebook and Week of Action pages. 
Part 3 of the Awakening to Structural Racism online conversation Monday dealt with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) efforts to dismantle structural racism and white supremacy — even when those efforts are placed on hold during the most recent General Assembly, held online and without the usual committee work because of the pandemic.