Mission Yearbook

‘Why are we destroying God’s Creation?’

The way the Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo sees it, the United States has a debt to pay when it comes to climate change. As a major generator of carbon emissions, “we need to be courageous and take drastic measures,” said Astudillo, an eco-theologian and Presbyterian pastor who is advocating for a cultural shift.

We have co-laborers to carry out the work’

Three churches in southern Indiana have separate focuses to their Matthew 25 work. But through a thoughtful process of establishing a cohort to strengthen each of the three ministry efforts, the three congregations — First Presbyterian Church in Bloomington, First Presbyterian Church in Columbus and Fairlawn Presbyterian Church in Columbus — have begun, in the words of the Rev. Kelley Jepsen, transitional associate pastor at FPC in Bloomington, “to think creatively, to dream more broadly and to find concrete ways to begin moving from learning into action.”

Being the church together

Living Waters for the World (LWW) is celebrating the call of Matthew 25, the gift of pure water and the gift of water partners.

Doing something good in the face of evil

The Rev. Brad Sheppard, pastor of Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, received an email one Sunday from the church’s accompanist, Diana Chubak, a doctoral student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Earlier that day, Sheppard had asked Chubak to suggest organizations to support in the wake of the Russian invasion of her native Ukraine.

Minute for Mission: Immigration Sunday

“We still have more to offer,” said Stevanie, a young-adult DACA recipient and member of Marturia Presbyterian Church. As the Supreme Court deliberates on how protections under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will continue, we are reminded of the millions of people who are in the United States under temporary immigration statuses.

Divisions die on the cross

In the beginning was an idyllic garden — till Eve listened to the beguiling serpent and invited Adam to join her in eating the fruit that God had forbidden. Because they disobeyed God, the couple was expelled from the Garden of Eden and made to face the harsh, uncertain world. Surely, they thought, they could cope, especially with the help of their sons, Cain and Abel.

‘What are you here to take?’

The Rev. Wayne Gnatuk ministered for 15 years in a West Virginia coal mining valley and saw the same thing happen over and over.