When he flies, author, activist and pastor John Pavlovitz is a little like the disciples on the boat with Jesus when it was being rocked by a storm. On a flight to Albuquerque, Pavlovitz, the keynote speaker for this week’s gathering of the Association of Partners in Christian Education, heard the captain announce there’d be some turbulence.
Christian education enthusiasts from all over North America have convened in Birmingham for the Association of Partners in Christian Education with an invitation to rest inspired by Matthew 11:28-30 as found in The Message, where Jesus asks his followers if they are “tired, worn out, and burned out on religion?”
Writer, pastor and activist John Pavlovitz’s latest book is called “If God is Love, Don’t be a Jerk: Finding a Faith that Makes Us Better Humans.” He writes a blog called “Stuff that Needs to be Said.” He sees our world through the lenses of kindness and empathy, and his many talks around the country are infused with both.
The Rev. Jaime Quiñones, whose service to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) included a year as the vice moderator to the 199th General Assembly (1987), died July 29 at his home surrounded by his family.
During Jeff Arnold’s seven years as executive director of the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities 52 of the APCU’s 54 member schools have replaced their president. On average, presidents leave APCU institutions every four and half years.
The numbers put up by The Pittsburgh Promise over the last 13 years are astounding: to date, the organization has funded higher education for 10,635 students, helping them attend 142 institutions by raising more than $160 million in scholarships. Students are awarded $5,000 in scholarships annually for their four years of post-secondary education, with a series of support systems in place to make sure they’re grounded even as they study toward securing a credential.
During his engaging mini-plenary Friday, the Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka gave educators attending the annual event of the Association of Partners in Christian Education in Chicago a homework assignment: memorize Isaiah 50:4 and recite it to the folks back home if they ask what you learned at the “Circle of Faith” event of the organization formerly known as the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators.
The Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) honored three longtime educators during its annual conference being held in-person and online from Chicago.
For Sarah Valentina Hernandez Solache, the colorful city of Zitácuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacán — where millions of Monarch butterflies bathe the fields and forests in a sea of orange during their annual migration — was, and always will be, home.
