One of my earliest memories of feeling fully spiritually alive beyond the church was in my mother’s kitchen. My family often entertained guests, and the time put into preparing meals was a gesture of hospitality and caregiving.
In my adult life, finding time to put that kind of care into cooking is rare, but the uninterrupted time I find while cooking has become my spiritual practice, especially as life becomes more digitized and we create much less with our hands.
A mission co-worker in the Dominican Republic, Hare shared the details of his project with Mouvman Peyizan Papay (MPP), a grassroots organization in Haiti. At the heart of his story was the goal of introducing Community Health Evangelism (CHE) in the ecovillages built in Papaye, about 75 miles north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The Presbyterian Church of the Siuslaw in Florence, Oregon, displays a large Celtic cross on its property. That cross inspired a unique ministry for longtime church member Andy J. LaTomme Jr. For nearly three decades, the 99-year-old has been giving out wooden replicas of that cross to church members and visitors alike.
In the minds of many Presbyterians, the concept of stewardship is forever linked to the church’s fall fundraising campaign to support the budget. This multi-week drive culminates in “Stewardship Sunday,” during which pledge cards are brought forward and prayers are offered that the money represented there will be enough. This process makes some people so uncomfortable that they confess to skipping church, claiming, “I don’t want to listen to talk about money for an entire month.”
Until recently, the Rev. Sean Chow, the Western region and training associate for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s 1001 new worshiping community movement, had never seen someone so little being baptized.
Serious JuJu, a community ministry for skateboarders and those who love them in Glacier Presbytery, baptized a 15-day-old baby girl and a young skateboarding boy.
Though the vast majority of active shooter incidents occur in government, military, commercial or educational settings, houses of worship accounted for 4% of 250 active shootings in the U.S. between 2000 and 2017, according to FBI data.
For Grace Presbyterian Church in Martins Ferry, Ohio, answering the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s invitation to become a Matthew 25 church was such a natural fit, it didn’t hesitate.
“Total joy” is how Presbyterian Youth Triennium director Gina Yeager-Buckley remembers one of this year’s experiences. Thinking about it still gives her energy.
Exhausted, she was about to hop onto a golf cart for nighttime residence hall checks when she was stopped by a group of youth from the Soul Children of Chicago.
It’s been a few months since Holmes Camp & Retreat Center in Holmes, New York, made history. Now the camp’s executive director, the Rev. Bryan Breault, is hearing lovely things from the parents of campers from across the country.
Parents are thanking him — and the facility of the presbyteries of Hudson River, Long Island and New York City — for hosting what is believed to be the first-ever weeklong camp for LGBTQ+ high school youth at a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) conference center.
The Rev. Dr. Lucy Dergarabedian left Lebanon 30 years ago, knowing she would likely never live there again. She wanted to be a minister of Word and Sacrament and that was not an option for her in her home country.
