A group of Presbyterians from across the U.S. recently had a front row seat on the impact of corporate involvement on the environment and human rights in Central America. Approximately a dozen people took part in a two-week travel study seminar to Guatemala and Costa Rica to learn about extractive mining, the impact on rivers and streams and the daily struggles of residents who must sometimes choose between good health and providing for their families.
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Togo, known by its French acronym EEPT, is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) partner in this small West Africa nation, which is about half the size of Ohio. The church trains its pastors in the city of Atakpame at a beautiful setting atop one of the hills in town. Mountainous Atakpame is where the southern rain forests of Togo give way to the country’s central savanna.
Churches across the U.S. have proven to be a major source of income for a handful of communities in Guatemala through the celebration of Palm Sunday. The annual purchase of palm branches through the Eco-Palms program is helping residents who live in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
Presbyterian women from across the country gathered this summer in Daytona Beach, Florida, in study, prayer, community and worship as they celebrated the 2017 Women of Color Consultation.
For many years, the youth programs within the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest have taken a group of middle and high school students on a weekend retreat to Camp Spalding, north of Spokane, Washington.
The middle school retreat usually takes place in October while the high school retreat is the week before or after Thanksgiving. The middle school retreat has been consistent with its numbers, but over the past two years, the high school retreat has pushed the limits at Camp Spalding. Each ministry continues to grow within the churches that attend, and each year more and more high school students are eager to gather for a weekend of worship, community-building and faith-seeking.
The Rev. Delia Leal is the regional coordinator for the Women’s Ministry program in Mexico and Central America with the Protestant Center for Pastoral Studies in Central America (CEDEPCA). Currently a pastor for a Baptist congregation, Leal will speak to U.S. congregations and organizations this fall as part of the 2017 International Peacemakers with the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. This is her second visit as an International Peacemaker; she also participated in the program in 2009.
Like millions of people around the world, Presbyterian elder Bill Campbell was moved by the heartbreaking image of a drowned Syrian boy whose body washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015. Three-year-old Aylan Kurdi was among thousands of Syrians who drowned while trying to escape the violence gripping their country.
First Presbyterian Church of Monticello, Illinois, is not a large church, but it has a big heart. Over its 175-year history church members have always given back to the community, says pastor Paul Spangler. But a few years ago, the church tried something different for Vacation Bible School, and the results proved beneficial for many residents in the small town as well as the church itself.
“It’s bad, Dust Bowl bad.” That’s how Kathy Goodrich, co-general presbyter of Yellowstone Presbytery, describes the impact of recent Montana wildfires. Hot, dry conditions proved costly for communities across the state as wildfires spread.
As of mid-August, more than 270,000 acres had burned, and much of that was grazing land, said Goodrich. “Some ranches, already drought-stricken, are in serious jeopardy,” she added.
