Faith & Worship

When Mother’s Day Hurts

The closest the Rev. Bethany Peerbolte has come to heartache associated with Mother’s Day was a couple years ago, when her parents moved from Michigan to North Carolina. “I’m like, ‘If that was hard for me, I can’t imagine what the people in my church are going through when they’ve lost a mother or haven’t had a mother figure who’s really been kind and loving to them, like a mother should be.’”

Palm Sunday: All roads lead to the Paschal mystery of Christ dying and rising

For some growing up, Palm Sunday was a celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem as a triumphant king. But now, more and more congregations are choosing to celebrate Palm Sunday by including the passion narrative to emphasize that this triumphant moment takes his disciples, then and now, to the cross.

Matching text with tune

Born on March 20, the first day of spring, the Rev. Dr. Paul Junggap Huh knew just how he wanted to celebrate his birthday and simultaneously usher in springtime on Wednesday — by singing a hymn he adapted for the Presbyterian hymnal “Glory to God.”

NEXT Church gathering weaves together stories of faith

Meeting together since 2010 as a group dedicated to “vibrant theological discussion, spiritual growth and evangelistic courage” in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), NEXT Church is gathering this week under its 2019 theme “Woven Together: Stories of Dissonance, Sacrifice and Liberation.”

Creating a kid-friendly Holy Week

Imagine the week before Easter, if you will, through the eyes of a 6-year-old. The sanctuary on Palm Sunday looks different, to say the least. Big green branches are being waved, shouts of “Hosanna!” are called out from the usually orderly people in the pews, and the pastor talks of a parade with a king entering the city, surrounded by adoring citizens.

New Lenten devotional invites readers to pray with art

The season of Lent — which begins March 6 with the observance of Ash Wednesday — has traditionally been a time to give up something, like chocolate or negative thinking. But rather than give up something over the next 40 days, why not try something new? Perhaps a new spiritual discipline? Presbyterians Today’s 2019 Lenten devotional invites you to do just that.

Your journey to faith formation

Westminster John Knox Press announces the release of “The Pilgrim’s Compass: Finding and Following the God We Seek” by Paul H. Lang.

Presbyterian church educators return to school this week

The 700 or so people set to gather in Galveston, Texas this week for the annual event of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators can dip their toes not only into the Gulf of Mexico, but into the swirling, often competing demands on faith formation in a world where traditional Christian education venues like Sunday school don’t necessarily meet people where they’re at.