Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, picturesque Asheville, North Carolina, is a frequent tourist destination known for its hospitality, arts, great restaurants and breweries. Consistently ranked as one of America’s best places to live, the growth of the 86,000-person community has also been accompanied by the challenges that face many other expanding cities, and Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) are there to learn and help meet these needs.
To hear the Rev. Jeff Eddings tell it, St. Ignatius of Loyola had quite a checkered past. Eddings, a co-founder of the Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community in Pittsburgh, whose own spiritual life has been profoundly shaped by the teachings of St. Ignatius, is here to keynote the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s annual Disciple-Making Church Conference.
National and regional leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) converged on Santa Fe, New Mexico, to join in the observance and celebration of the 150th anniversary of First Presbyterian Church.
As pastors and church leaders regularly navigate the daily landscape of life and ministry under tremendous pressure and stress, they may have found themselves carrying more than their usual share to the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s annual Disciple-Making Church Conference that began on January 16.
Jesus’ concern and respect for women are evident in Scripture—and quite astonishing for the day. He healed a very ill woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10–17); stood by a woman accused of adultery (John 8:1–11); raised from the dead the only son of a grieving mother and widow (Luke 7:11–15); publicly recognized the extravagant gifts of the poor widow (Mark 12:41–44) and the “sinful woman” (Luke 7:36–50); gave permission to set aside domestic chores for more important matters (Luke 10:38–42); shared the message of living water with a Samaritan woman at a well (John 4:7–30); and even appeared first to women after his resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10). Despite his radical care and consideration for women in his day, in our day many girls and women struggle to find a way to thrive in a world that often disregards (sometimes violently) their right to live into God’s intended abundance.
Does coming of age in a particular era decisively shape people’s values, habits and personalities?
Yes, say some analysts. They argue, for example, that the “Greatest Generation” — Americans who grew up during the Great Depression, World War II and the Korean War — is known for being loyal, hardworking and disciplined. Other generations have been influenced by times of economic affluence, stock market crashes and wars.
If every waiter is said to be an aspiring actor, might every barista somehow be a future campus minister?
Such was almost certainly the case at the College Conference at Montreat, where on January 4, some 30 campus ministers from across the country were served their morning coffee by a group of keenly interested and highly motivated seminary students.
This past electoral campaign brought up issues that were disturbing to many women. The criteria for fitness for the office of president for the woman candidate, such as comments about the clothes she wore, were standards seemingly not imposed on male candidates in the race. The comments surrounding women’s bodies were also alarming. These conversations brought up a sort of PTSD for some women, as they themselves have experienced sexual harassment and discrimination.
The moment the teachers said they wanted to take pictures of the Americans, I got nervous. There was a Korean-language contest that we weren’t part of, but they wanted our pictures—or rather, I thought, my white housemates’ pictures. This type of near unabashed racial selection isn’t uncommon in Asia, and for universities, I knew that looking international and showcasing their diversity was good for their reputations. The only problem was that in Korea my Chinese face didn’t look diverse. My roommate, Emily, assured me she wouldn’t let them leave me out.
