Mission Yearbook

A close-knit group

Members of the group Knitting for Mission at Sewickley Presbyterian Church outside Pittsburgh meet Thursday afternoons to transform leftover yarn into personal medicine bags and dolls, which a member personally delivers each summer to a medical mission in Honduras.

Presbyterian Historical Society announces Pam Byers Memorial Initiative

Individuals and organizations whose written materials and photos can help tell the historical stories of LGBTQIA+ advocates in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are invited to consider contributing those materials to the Pam Byers Memorial Collecting Initiative, sponsored by the Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS). In October the PHS announced the public phase of the initiative. Financial support for the project has been raised through the Pam Byers Memorial Fund.

Challenging the community to hold onto their faith

How do you preach stewardship to a congregation that’s about to leave the church? In a nutshell, that’s what the writer of Hebrews is trying to do. Hebrews is a long way from the initial excitement, enthusiasm, and the explosive birth and growth of the church recorded in the first chapters of Acts.

PC(USA) conference center celebrates the holiness of harvest

It was an amazing night.” “The food and the spirit of the people of people there.” “The renewed sense of a community persevering together.” These were some of the reflections from those present at the annual Farm-to-Table Gala that benefits Stony Point, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) conference center about 45 minutes northwest of New York City.

Couple dreams of starting new worshiping community in coffee shop that employs people with disabilities

When Brett Foote decided to go to Princeton Theological Seminary in the fall of 2016, his wife, Laura Foote, was in a “really, really dark place.” She struggled with depression — and with church and how she fit in. “I remember talking to my mom,” she said. “Like Brett’s got this dream and vision now. I was like, ‘Mom, I want that. Like, what am I doing?’ ”

Children’s soup-making stirs congregational mission support

The soup at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Glendale, Arizona, is a recipe for encouraging mission support. A Sunday school class composed of elementary and middle-school students has generated mission interest through a soup-making venture aimed at helping Presbyterian Mission. They assembled the ingredients, put them in jars they had labeled, and sold the mixture to the congregation. The children used the proceeds to give a pair of goats, a family of chickens, a piglet and six refugee food baskets through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog.

Minute for Mission: Chaplains Sunday

Ask nearly anyone who has served in the military about their chaplain, and you will almost always hear a positive story. Since before the founding of our nation chaplains have served alongside those who have sought to defend our country and the values we represent. Chaplains are agents of peace, always present in the most trying of times — available to all, no matter the circumstance or the person.

Working together for literacy

Nelson Mandela once wrote, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” People in Mangochi, Malawi, know this is true, as they have watched their community be transformed by the Muliko Literacy Project.

Senior sings birthday greetings to all

It’s your birthday. The phone rings. While it could be a family member or a friend wishing you well on your special day, the last thing you might expect to hear is a 99-year-old man on the other end of the call singing “Happy Birthday” to you. But that’s exactly what happens to those who attend Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, where Carl Webb has found his purpose, his “call” so to speak, in serving God. And that “call” is to be the birthday crooner of the church.

The church life cycle from new to renew

New and old worshiping communities that comprise the entire church life cycle were represented during a recent Presbyterian Mission Agency luncheon.