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Mission Yearbook
An estimated 80,000 people crowded the streets of Raleigh, North Carolina, over the weekend of February 11 to take part in the 11th annual Forward Together Moral March, led by the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. Organizers say it was the largest crowd in the march’s history.
My call to mission is the result of mission work, mission schools, theological education and the rooting of the Protestant Reformation in Latin America where, since the 15th century, the largest numbers of historically and culturally Roman Catholics have lived. Ours is a religiously pluralistic region where popular religions—and now the fastest growing “nondenominational” Christian movements in the world—coexist with leading theologies of the future and with Christian theologies many centuries old.
The small town of Lebanon (pop. 5,800) sits 70 miles southeast of Louisville in the heart of central Kentucky. Surrounded by lush farmland, the area is known as a hub for bluegrass music, manufacturing facilities and bourbon production. It’s also home to United Presbyterian Church, which hosted a prayer service in response to President Donald Trump’s January 27 executive order on refugees and immigration.
As Reformed churches across the globe start a yearlong observance of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation—precipitated by Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses on the Doors of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517—the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is entering both the celebration and the conversation.
Blair Moorhead’s recent appearance on the televised game show Jeopardy! was the end of a long process of auditioning. It was also a reminder of valuable life skills for the social worker and candidate for ordination as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The Jeopardy! episodes in which Moorhead appeared as a contestant aired January 9 and 10, 2017, although the show was taped last September. The nearly year-long process of getting on the
show began with an online test of 50 questions taken in January 2016 followed by a March confirmation of her possible selection. After an in-person interview in April, she was notified of her final selection and the September taping date in Los Angeles.
While the White House and the courts battle over the legality of the travel ban on refugees and travelers from seven countries, Presbyterian churches across the U.S. are still hopeful for a quick resolution. The executive order banning refugees and travelers from predominantly Muslim countries has drawn strong reaction on both sides of the issue.
McCormick Theological Seminary President Frank M. Yamada has accepted the position of executive director of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and will begin in that role on July 1. He will resign as president of McCormick effective June 30, 2017.
For many, God’s call to mission service is unmistakably clear and based on the universal love of Jesus Christ—a love so deep and so wide that it knows no boundaries.
Early in our Presbyterian history of international mission, William Sheppard took on the challenge of evangelism in a distant, unknown land. His faith helped to build the church; his advocacy for the Congolese changed the world.
Baltimore based United Workers Association (UWA) is a human rights organization led by low-wage workers fighting to secure human rights for all—including freedom from poverty. Baltimore’s Inner Harbor has an area of great economic wealth and prosperity due to tourism, but it is surrounded by severe poverty throughout the inner city. The businesses in and around the Harbor employ workers whose wages have been systematically kept low and their working conditions, poor.
What is Lent?
MB: Lent is a Christian season of practice, celebrated by some Christians, though not all. It’s not a prescription for holiness, but an invitation to relationship. Lent has its roots in the very early church, with some of those roots in preparation for baptism. During Lent the Scriptures remind us of God’s expectations for Israel, Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and his journey to the cross.
