Two friends living in Cincinnati — the Rev. Troy Bronsink, a white Presbyterian pastor, and Pastor Daniel Hughes, who’s a black United Methodist clergyman — have helped numerous Cincinnati-area residents to hold difficult, courageous conversations about race since 2017, when unrest in their city erupted following the death of an unarmed black youth at the hand of a white police officer.
A group of 24 Presbyterians and guests traveled to Central America in the past two weeks with the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program to learn more about the conditions in Latin American countries that make people choose to travel, usually on foot, to the United States border for the faint hope of a better life in the U.S. They also heard from migrants who had been returned to their home countries and the perils they faced after they returned.
Whatever your opinion of U.S. immigration policies, many people — such as those attempting to enter through our southern border — are living in precarious, life-threatening situations. In response, people of faith continued to provide life-saving services that uplift the human soul and reaffirm individuals’ dignity.
David Barnhart was talking the morning after the world premiere of his documentary for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s Story Ministry, “Flint: The Poisoning of an American City,” in its namesake city.
A woman who’s been instrumental in helping Presbyterians to understand systemic issues facing Puerto Rico and the effects of decades of colonialism and exploitation has been selected to receive the 2020 Peaceseeker Award.
Alexis Presseau Maloof, who teaches English at a private Islamic school, is an engaged member of the United Presbyterian Church of Peoria in Peoria, Ill. Currently she is serving as a ruling elder in her church and was the co-chair of the Pastor Nominating Committee for a new pastor that just recently wrapped up. Maloof has also been a member of her congregation’s Missions Committee, taught adult education and led a racial justice book club discussion on Debby Irving’s book, “Waking Up White.”
On Inauguration Day in January 2017, progressive Republican and evangelical pastor Robb Ryerse listened to Rob Bell’s podcast, “RobCast.” Like many Americans that day, Ryerse felt powerless. Listening to “RobCast” that night, Ryerse found an unexpected calling. The guest was the founder of Brand New Congress, an organization that equips everyday Americans with resources and training to challenge entrenched incumbents from both parties. Ryerse felt hope again. He took the first steps to run for Congress in 2018, hoping that with other “ordinary citizens,” the country could change in a revolutionary way with a government by and for the people.
