Most people pass by First Presbyterian Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, noting its beautiful historic sanctuary.
It sat on a one-way street, and the 1950s addition to the much larger sanctuary barely merited a backwards glance.
But when the city of Manitowoc changed the street to a two-way, Rev. Matt Sauer, the church’s pastor, began to see that 1950s addition as a blank canvas — and an opportunity.
The Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) will host a webinar on Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO) at noon Eastern Time on Wednesday, Nov. 16, to help energize congregations interested in championing issues within their communities, such as affordable housing.
Voters heading to the polls Tuesday have any number of issues on their minds, including their pocketbooks, their personal safety and access to health care.
“We’re not going to have change or create change unless we vote,” says Lolita Watkins, a member of Saint James Presbyterian Church of Greensboro, North Carolina, in her opening statement for a Matthew 25 video posted to the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Facebook page on Nov. 3. Watkins, who is the co-coordinator of the social justice advocacy committee at Saint James Church, goes on to explain how voter engagement is key to her congregation’s embodiment of Matthew 25.
Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., the final keynoter for The Immersion conference which concluded Thursday, shared his insights on two more of the 7 Marks of Congregational Vitality — Outward Incarnational Focus and Empowering Servant Leadership. The Office of Vital Congregations sponsored the conference, held online and in person at Montreat Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina.
The Evangelism Conference, a three-day hybrid offering put on by Theology, Formation & Evangelism in the Presbyterian Mission Agency, concluded at Montreat Conference Center on Tuesday with a list of tips for evangelists and spirited and Spirit-filled closing worship led by the Rev. Gregory Bentley, Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly (2020) and pastor of Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
When the Rev. Fursan Zu’mot became an International Peacemaker for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), he thought he would be the one doing the blessing.
Nearly 500 people from 13 countries gathered online Thursday night for a screening and discussion of the documentary film “The Ants & the Grasshopper.” The Presbyterian Hunger Program and Office of Public Witness organized the gathering and led a panel discussion following the screening.
#GivingTuesday, a global day of giving which this year falls on Nov. 29, is not only a day when Presbyterians are invited to be radically generous on behalf of a world in need, but it is also an ideal time for the PC(USA) to embody its Matthew 25 priorities.