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Mission Yearbook
Wasatch Presbyterian Church welcomed two busloads of Presbyterians from around the country to an inclusive and eclectic worship service during the PC(USA)’s General Assembly. From the prelude to the postlude, the vibe of vitality through variety thrummed through the sanctuary with classical organ, favorite hymns, a praise band and a small but mighty bell choir. The children’s choir was apparently on vacation for the long July 4 weekend, but the Boomer band was “rocking,” according to one commissioner.
After two busloads of General Assembly visitors had completely filled the sanctuary of Cottonwood Presbyterian Church, responding with an enthusiastic — if perhaps louder than expected — “And also with you” to the pastor’s traditional greeting, all the Rev. Nathan Sautter could say was, “Wow.”
A banner on the top awning of Community of Grace Presbyterian Church that reads “God is at work here and all are welcome” is more than just words for this faith community. It is the air they breathe, the smiles they give and their radical hospitality that make them who they are.
Across the nation from the gathering of the PC(USA)’s 226th General Assembly, the Poor People’s Campaign held an assembly of its own in Washington, D.C., and it featured spirited comments from two Presbyterian pastors.
The Mass Poor People’s and Low Wage Workers’ Assembly and Moral March featured talks by both the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-founder of the Poor People’s Campaign and director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights & Social Justice, and the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, the PC(USA)’s advocacy director.
Over nearly a year, the United Korean Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, undertook what the Rev. Josh Park calls “a significant project” to amend its bylaws to align more closely with the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
In all of Church World Service’s (CWS) programs, there is an element that allows us to thrive: our partnerships. We recently took the time to appreciate one of these partnerships when our PC(USA) friends and colleagues Ellen Smith, regional liaison for Central and Eastern Europe, and Luciano Kovacs, Middle East and Europe area coordinator, visited CWS programs in Bihac in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgrade in Serbia.
Preaching to an online congregation of about 85 people during the Chapel service held on Juneteenth, the Rev. Keion Jackson leaned on the account found in Deuteronomy 31:1–6, which depicts Moses, on the precipice of leading God’s people into the Promised Land, instead turning things over to his successor Joshua, at God’s command, and instructing the people to be strong and bold.
The annual Worship & Music Conference of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians kicked off two weeks of offerings in Montreat, North Carolina, with evening worship, followed by a full schedule of classes in choral and congregational music, lessons in specific instruments, hymn-writing, liturgy and preaching.
Emma Rigler’s mom is a Presbyterian pastor, and Emma and her siblings grew up in PC(USA) congregations. Her Christian formation has involved Presbyterian church schools, camps, youth events and mission trips.
Beginning in 2016, the Presbytery of Philadelphia began shepherding the congregations of three struggling churches — First African Presbyterian, Good Shepherd Presbyterian and Calvin Presbyterian — in a process that eventually led to the formation of a new, vibrant church: New River Presbyterian Church.
