Clarkston, Georgia, has been synonymous with refugee resettlement for decades. Described as the Ellis Island of the South, and the most diverse square-mile in North America, the small city includes a number of faith and nonprofit groups assisting and accompanying refugees. According to a CBS News report, more than 60 languages are spoken in Clarkston. Fifty-three percent of its residents were born outside the United States.
If the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s cadre of Disability Concerns Consultants had a motto, it might be: “We are small but mighty.”
That’s how Hunter Steinitz, an elder at Riverview United Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, describes the group, which consists of four consultants who each have a different specialty: people with mobility or accessibility issues, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and people who are blind or have low vision.
For her recent talk at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, author and journalist Michele Norris gathered prominent Minnesotans — including the state’s lieutenant governor — to take turns sharing various people’s six words on race.
As womanist theologians, the pastors of Liberty Community Church in Minneapolis are seeking the healing of their Northside neighborhood through co-creating spaces of rest and resistance with individuals victimized by the sex trafficking trade and within a community suffering from the effects of systemic poverty and structural racism.
Repairers of the Breach – Fixing What’s Broken
“In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.”
The history of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is deep, and the Presbyterian Historical Society has a devoted staff of archivists, communicators, administrators, and fundraisers to ensure its collections are cared for and accessible. In this video, Luci Duckson-Bramble, director of development, shares how her work opens opportunities for Presbyterians and the public to step back in time to learn about the past and the future.
Maundy Thursday was the start of what is known as the Easter Triduum — triduum, which is Latin for “three days.” Three days, which include Good Friday and Holy Saturday, in which before we get to the joy of the resurrection, we are reminded how quick we are to betray, to cry “crucify him” and to sink into the depths of despair when we are left in the limbo of loss.
The Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery and the congregation of Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Massachusetts, held a gala March 2 designed to “raise money and celebrate — and raise spirits as well,” the church’s pastor said.
In November, seven Guatemalan young adults embarked on a four-day adventure that will have a lasting impact on their lives. I had the privilege of accompanying the group, alongside Pastors Emerson Morales and Mardoqueo Perez of Jesus es El Camino church in Guatemala City. The Guatemala Partnership of New Castle Presbytery funded this trip.
At night when the campfire glows inside Highlands Presbyterian Camp & Retreat Center in Allenspark, Colorado, it’s not uncommon to find a familiar bull moose come close to the fire.
