Within two months of the chartering of the city of Seattle, seven Presbyterian men and women gathered in George Whitworth’s home to organize themselves as the First Presbyterian Church of Seattle. Their session first met in 1873, as Whitworth preached alternate Sundays with a Methodist minister. Their first sanctuary was built at the corner of Third and Madison streets in 1877. The church grew rapidly, by 1894 boasting 643 members, and moving into a new building at the corner of Fourth and Spring.
In the words and experience of Rev. Jim Moseley, executive presbyter of New Castle Presbytery, “Every great effort in ministry requires both strategic thinking and ‘daring’ in equal amounts.”
And maybe just a few peaches.
Veronica Muchiri has a big job. As the organizer and secretary of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa National Woman’s Guild, she’s working to change the perception about women in East Africa.
The organization has a membership totaling 120,000 from Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Its motto is “Empowering Christian women transforming society.” That includes strengthening families, developing mentors and coaches, improving health programs, and addressing environmental concerns. It also works to engage women as agents of peace, healing, and reconciliation.
When the busload of teenage girls from an affluent boarding school in Farmington, Connecticut, entered the room, they weren’t exactly enthusiastic. They would be spending the afternoon with the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport (CCGB), a faith-based social services agency dedicated to meeting the needs of people at risk and breaking the cycle of poverty and incarceration. The young women expected an afternoon of boring lectures.
The “seed money” planted by three people at First Presbyterian Church of Waverly, Ohio, has resulted in a harvest of generosity directed toward Presbyterian mission co-workers.
Bruce Henderson and his wife, Karen, gave $2,500 in support of mission co-workers, as did their friend Nel Huck. The three then invited others to join them by making gifts of any size. After a January mission emphasis, the 110-member congregation added $8,500 to the initial $5,000.
You may not see them, but they pick the crops, sweep the floors, care for the children and elderly, build infrastructure, labor in factories, cook, and serve. They often have to leave their home countries and families to find a job. They send much of their earnings back home to their families.
“The most significant change brought about through the industrialization of farming and the green revolution in the ’60s is the gradual and insidious alienation of seeds from the farmers. So we don’t have our native seeds and we are almost totally dependent on company seeds, which include hybrid and GM seeds.”
October 15, 2016 What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?—Micah 6:8 While driving up the… Read more »
A group of seniors who call themselves the Knit Wits thought it would be fun to teach children the lost art of knitting, a skill they all were all expected to learn in their youth. The seniors are residents of Presbyterian Village North, a retirement community in northern Dallas. When Presbyterian Village North held Camp PVN, a camp held in partnership with Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church and NorthPark Presbyterian Church, children and seniors spent time together during “gift hours,” where residents imparted their knowledge of hobbies, interests, and activities with participating children.
What has become an annual ritual for many churches—the “Blessing of the Backpacks”—has taken on special importance at First Presbyterian Church in Findlay, Ohio. This year the event was integrated into the larger concept of commemorating milestones within the life of the church and its members, with “back to school” being just one of them.
