Mission Yearbook

Minute for Mission: World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation

The environmental work of the Presbyterian Hunger Program is grounded in Scripture, Reformed theology, General Assembly policies that call us to care for Creation, including the 1990 foundational policy “Restoring Creation for Ecology and Justice,” and prayer.

Creative giving catches on during coronavirus pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic encouraging new ways of giving among Presbyterians. Teachers, nurses, physical therapists, small business owners, professors, technology workers, lawyers and older people on fixed incomes are giving faithfully to their churches and worshiping communities during this challenging time of virtual church.

Outdoor sanctuaries: Churches find potential in their property

It’s a weekday afternoon in Parsippany, New Jersey. The bumper-to-bumper morning commute has long been over; the harried evening rush home has yet to begin. Still, the traffic whizzing by Parsippany Presbyterian Church has not let up — nor will it. “Thousands of cars” easily pass by the church daily, the Rev. Donald A. Bragg explains.

Focusing on mental health during the coronavirus pandemic

The COVID-19 crisis has “brought home the relevance of mental health to everyone,” said Donna Miller, associate for Presbyterian Mental Health Ministry. “There’s this recognition that the situation that we’re in increases mental health vulnerability across the board. We know that prolonged stress does that for people.”

A dead robin and a departed Pop-Pop

Presenting during a webinar sponsored by the Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network, the Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner discussed what sociologists have labeled “the Bernie Effect,” natural bonds that can form between millennials and people old enough to be their grandparents, or even great-grandparents. What’s going on there resembles the way millions of young people were drawn to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, during his presidential runs in 2016 and 2020.

Understanding reparations

“Reparation” is a word sparking public curiosity — and controversy. Defined as “making amends for a wrong one has done,” the reparations conversation has recently gone from ambiguous talk to concrete actions as politicians, academic institutions and even denominations offer solutions to right the wrongs in our country’s past, specifically the wrongs of slavery.

Minute for Mission: Youth in the Church and World

In the middle of this chaotic summer of 2020, I find myself one early Saturday morning at the recently opened pool that we use in the summer. Perhaps due to my vocation, youth ministry, I really enjoy and learn from observing and listening to young people.