On a crisp winter day on December 29, 1986, Jewel McRae began her first day as a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national staff, and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Read more »
January 31, 2024
PC(USA) colleagues celebrate Jewel McRae’s 37 years of denominational service
On a crisp winter day on December 29, 1986, Jewel McRae began her first day as a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) national staff, and, as the saying goes, the rest is history. Read more »
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Office of Public Witness has again issued an Action Alert, asking Presbyterians to advocate for a ceasefire and an increase in humanitarian aid for Gaza. 
An updated version of the PC(USA)’s Daily Prayer app is now available for Apple, Android and Amazon devices. The app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times since its debut in 2012. This is the first significant update to the app, and it comes in response to requests to have the new version match the latest (2018) version of the Book of Common Worship. 
LOUISVILLE — The Rev. Dr. Jerry Cannon, Vice President for Ministry Innovation at the Board of Pensions, sent educators attending last week’s APCE Annual Event home well-fed with God’s word and Cannon’s own prodigious preaching talents.
Using Nehemiah 8:10 as his preaching text, Cannon led with gymnast Katelyn Ohashi’s viral floor exercise, which earned her a perfect score from the judges.
“The most important thing about her routine is the joy. She clearly loves what she is doing, and it shows. The joy on her face is contagious,” Cannon said. A subsequent NPR report discussed how her coach at UCLA, Valorie Kondos Field, helped Ohashi rekindle her love for the sport.
“What do you do when you lose your joy, when you just don’t glow like you once did?” Cannon asked. “Who do you go to when your joy is gone?” One thing to keep in mind as a source, he said, came from educator Dr. Jonathan Jackson: “Christian education is that ministry that undergirds all ministries of the church.”
Nehemiah knew “true joy and restoration could come only by the inner strength provided by the Lord,” Cannon said. “The shiny new wall would not restore the people. They needed inner strength to keep them moving.”
We can reconnect to our joy through the alliterative process of remember, repent and restore, according to Cannon, who offered examples of each during his sermon.
Morgan Neville’s film “20 Feet from Stardom” tells us the story of great backup singers including the great Darlene Love. “It’s a movie about people who recognized God had them right where they needed to be,” Cannon explained. “Who would Gladys Knight be without the Pips? You would not have KC if there was no Sunshine Band. Every now and then, you ought to give God thanks for the background folks who make you who you are.”
“You need to realize that God has a way of bringing us to a point where we need to repent,” Cannon said, adding he wonders how an Old Testament prophet like Nehemiah can speak to APCE in 2024.
“How was Katelyn Ohashi able to complete that championship performance? She was miserable and had lost her joy, and Coach Val helped her rekindle her love and joy. She said, ‘I had to earn her trust that I cared about her more as a human being than I did as a gymnast,’” Cannon said, adding that APCE members and friends “are more than Christian educators, more than pastors and youth directors. That may pay the bills, but what makes you who you are is your relationship with Almighty God.”
Cannon, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, recalled his Carolina Panthers playing in a close conference championship game a few years ago. He was watching the game on an upstairs television while his children watched on the downstairs TV. As Cannon chewed his fingernails down the stretch of the back-and-forth contest, he noticed his children were cheering and groaning at different times than he was. It turned out his cable television provider was providing an uneven signal throughout the house.
“God told me, ‘Every now and then, it’s OK to open up your ear when someone else is having a celebration,” Cannon said. “The joy of the Lord is your strength. That’s it!”
Check back with pcusa.org for further reporting on last week’s APCE Annual event.
A powerful sermon by the Rev. Hodari Williams, team leader of New Life Presbyterian Church in South Fulton, Georgia, deftly set the stage for the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, who brought conference-goers to their feet with her opening plenary on the first day of the historic Matthew 25 Summit. 
Growing up in the 1980s, the Rev. Hodari Williams was a fan of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger comic books — especially Cloak, whose superpower was becoming invisible when he wore his robe. 
Last September, just about the time of his 88th birthday, the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes Jr. had a transformative experience. It was so life-changing that he wasn’t sure the people present at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. as well as many more online would want him to deliver his planned talk, “How Can We Heal Our Nation?” as part of the McClendon Scholar Program. 
The Rev. Dr. Keith Albans, who served 16 years as the director of Chaplaincy and Spirituality at Methodist Homes in the United Kingdom, is something of a wordsmith. His prodigious abilities were on display during the University of Waterloo’s Conrad Grebel University College webinar, “It’s How You Say It: Exploring the Language and Imagery of Aging.” The hourlong event was recommended by the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministry Network and was attended by more than 100 people from around the world. 
A new publication from the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program showcases reflections by people of faith who’ve been involved in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s long history of peacemaking and reconciliation. 
Dr. Jacqueline E. Lapsley, President, and the Board of Trustees at Union Presbyterian Seminary welcome the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty as the Seminary’s next Vice President for Advancement.