Mission Yearbook

Going green by going solar

Being an Earth Care Congregation brings a sense of joy that exudes to anyone you speak to who serves their respective congregation in this capacity.

Grandparents take their seat ‘Around the Table

The hosts of the “Around the Table” podcast, the Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush and the Rev. Cliff Haddox, recently turned to a pair of grandparents to share their wisdom on holding meaningful and helpful conversations with young people. Listen to their 46-minute conversation with the Rev. Robert Hay Sr. and the Rev. Dr. Sarah Reyes Gibbs here.

Christian religious LGBT advocacy in Ghana

According to the population and housing census of 2021, more than 71% of the people in Ghana identify as Christians in various church denominations. Given these figures, it is reasonable to assume that God’s love will penetrate every sphere of society in this West African nation. However, the situation is the opposite, with church leaders and followers inciting hatred and prejudice against the LGBT community. This makes LGBT advocacy more and more hazardous, deadly and potentially catastrophic.

Preschoolers at Leesburg Presbyterian Church learn the ABCs of composting

Some of the youngest members of an Earth Care Congregation in Leesburg, Virginia, are getting an early lesson in Creation Care. “Preschoolers at Leesburg Presbyterian Church take an active role in the church’s composting program, which began last fall,” said Laura Renauld, who leads the church’s Earth Care Team. Composting involves collecting food scraps and other compostable materials so they can be transformed, with the help of an area company, into a mixture that can then benefit lawns and gardens.

The future of Black faith and resistance

“This annual lecture continues Dr. Cone’s dynamic legacy of prophetic Black theological and religious thought that pushes hard against the conscience of America,” said the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, who held a moment of reverent pause as she asked the audience to consider the legacy of the Rev. Dr. James H. Cone, who had been a professor at Union for 50 years. Cone died in 2018. The event on April 3, held at the seminary’s James Chapel and streamed online, was the fourth annual lecture to be held in his honor.

The psalmist and the solar eclipse

Seeing the “diamond ring” is the holy grail of amateur astronomers: that moment in a total solar eclipse when the edge of the sun’s corona bursts forth with a sparkling burst of light at one point while the rest of the rim is illuminated like a ring. I had no chance of seeing that where I was, located many miles away from the path of totality. All I saw was a solar “croissant.” But I did consider the experience holy.

Minute for Mission: Season of Prayer and Reflection in the Korean Peninsula begins

Today, June 25, marks 72 years since the Korean War broke out. Throughout that June, skirmishes along the division border led to North Korean forces crossing the border en masse on the 25th. Most U.S. Americans believe the war then ended in 1953; however, only an armistice agreement was signed at that time. This means outright fighting in the war has paused, but the state-of-war itself has continued for 72 years. Countless resources that might have been directed toward the health and welfare of the people throughout the Korean Peninsula have instead been spent on weapons of destruction and perpetuating hostility.

Young people voice their hopes for what they want the church to become

The Rev. Lee Catoe and Simon Doong, the hosts of “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast,” opened their most recent installment with the voices of youth who’d attended a conference at Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Catoe asked youth about what they want to see happening in the church today.