Since 1988, December 1 has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as World AIDS Day, a time to raise awareness of the pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. The 2016 theme was “Leadership. Commitment. Impact.”
The Presbyterian AIDS Network (PAN), one of the networks of the Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association, was established to not only educate churches but point out the injustices connected with fighting HIV/AIDS.
When the 110,000 American citizens and immigrants of Japanese descent living on the West Coast were taken without due process into ten “Relocation Camps” by the federal government in the first year of the US’ involvement in World War II, they set about immediately organizing places of worship through which to seek solace and strength.
Who could be more vulnerable than a young girl in first-century Palestine, unmarried, and told that she is soon to be the mother of the Son of God? Who could feel more helpless than a young man who discovers that his soon-to-be wife has been made pregnant through the Holy Spirit? The Nativity story is full of vulnerability, reflecting the delicate nature of life and how small we humans really are amid the powers of poverty, corrupt oligarchy, and societal expectations. And yet, this is how God’s Word comes to us.
Retired Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastor the Rev. Rex Wentzel, ordained in 1959, wanted to stay active in the church after he left full-time parish ministry. So like many other retired clergy, he offered his service as a supply preacher for congregations when pastors were ill, on leave or on vacation. But Wentzel wasn’t in it for the money; rather he thought it was an ideal way to promote mission in the congregations he visited.
Unable to focus on their education while they work long shifts for less than minimum wage, teenagers in Beirut are vulnerable to abuse, with little hope of escape. Thanks to the Kurkjian family and your ongoing gifts, the Jinishian Memorial Program (JMP) has created a safe space where teens can study, get counseling and take part in vocational training to work toward their dreams and grow in the confidence of knowing they are loved by God.
When it comes to conversations about church, most of us imagine sitting around a table and engaging face-to-face. Maybe we’re in a church basement, conference center, coffee shop, or local bar. But lately Presbyterians have been gathering for a weekly conversation around their phones or computers, using Twitter and a common hashtag. These online conversations can take place on a couch at home while kids are playing, at a computer on a desk at work, or on a smartphone while waiting in line at the grocery store.
Maryville College, a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)-related school in Tennessee, is one of 82 institutions nationwide that has received funding as part of the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s High School Youth Theology Institutes. It is the only PC(USA)-related school awarded the grant. The $433,152 grant will help the college establish Maryville Adventures in Studying Theology (MAST) and continue its long history of youth leadership development.
A recent breakdown of the Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study ranked Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) members fourth in its percentage of households that earn more than $100,000 annually. The study authors found a strong correlation—based on religious affiliation—between people’s income and the level of education they have attained.
By the eighth grade, Kimo had stopped showing up for school. He preferred the beaches of western Oahu or the island bus system that took him away from the frustrations of the classroom. It wasn’t long before alcohol and drugs replaced surfing and bus riding as distractions, followed by a career of petty theft and assault. When he was 20, Kimo was shipped off to a private prison in the Arizona desert, contracted by the state of Hawaii to house its prisoners.
Believing we can change things for the better is risky. When we hope that individuals, communities, and institutions are capable of living more wholly, acting more rightly, and treating others more kindly, there is a good chance we will be disappointed and might even look foolish. It is safer to think people and circumstances will never change than to expend the energy that comes with believing they will. It is safer to minimize our own capabilities and responsibilities than to “be the change we want to see in the world,” as Gandhi challenges us.
