Brad Smith, then a seminary intern serving at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, gave birth to the Souper Bowl of Caring with this prayer: “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat.” Read more »
January 23, 2017
Minute for Mission: Souper Bowl of Caring
Brad Smith, then a seminary intern serving at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina, gave birth to the Souper Bowl of Caring with this prayer: “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat.” Read more »
The letters with an individual check of $50 from Stewartsville Presbyterian Church, made out to every teaching elder in Newton Presbytery, came in the mail in May 2016, near the end of the church calendar year.
Yet six months later, the pastors who received the letters, and those who made the decision to give them, are still talking about them in ways that get at the heart of the gift of giving.
There’s always that first time—that time in ministry when a pastor’s expectations go unmet. It happened inevitably to the Rev. Jeff Eddings, who in 2004 co-founded the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community together with a United Methodist colleague, the Rev. Jim Walker, in the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh. 
KINGSVILLE, Texas. As a young teenager, Monika Ruiz made a life-altering decision.
The village she’d grown up in—San Fernando, in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico—was being destroyed by the elements of drug wars— killings, violence, and corruption.
“I couldn’t even go into my backyard,” says Ruiz, who is a sophomore at Presbyterian-affiliated Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. “I came home from school every day wondering if I’d make it, or get kidnapped.”
Consistently ranked as one of America’s best places to live, the growth Asheville, North Carolina has also been accompanied by the challenges that face many other expanding cities, and Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) are there to learn and 
MIDLAND, Texas – The death of Cuban President Fidel Castro has had repercussions around the world, most poignantly in Cuba and Miami. The man himself divides opinions and polarizes feelings. 
Reconciliation is the active process of healing broken relationships. Many believe coming together for healing is one of the greatest challenges facing our country today. Some believe it can never happen, but after 37 years as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission co-worker in Northern Ireland, Doug Baker knows the power of acceptance, forgiveness, and relationship building. 
Dr. Anthea Butler was stopped for driving while black in her late-model luxury car. As a flashlight shone on her boyfriend’s pale face, the police officer asked, “Did you pick her up somewhere?” 
For Rebecca Reyes, the work never ends. The now-retired Presbyterian pastor has put a lifetime into working for the denomination whether pastoring a church, working as a campus minister, or leading Latino health services at Duke University Hospital. A fourth generation Presbyterian, Reyes was the first Hispanic woman ordained by the denomination. 
As flameless candles cast faint shadows on the walls, worshipers at the Disciple-Making Church Conference entered the meeting room—transformed into sacred space—on the evening of January 18 prepared to experience a unique service inspired by the Japanese art form of Kintsugi.