They are questions the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins gets over and over doing his work as the director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness (OPW) on Capitol Hill: Why are Presbyterians getting involved in politics?
Isn’t there separation of church and state?
Shouldn’t you be preaching the gospel?
As a part of the opening plenary of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (PMAB) meeting on Wednesday, board members participated in a panel discussion on cultural humility moderated by the Rev. Denise Anderson, coordinator for racial and intercultural justice, working in connection with the agency’s Compassion, Peace & Justice and Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries.
During the final day of the virtual workshop “Dipping Deeper Into the Well of PC(USA) Ministries,” more than 50 Christian educators, pastors and other Presbyterian leaders heard panel discussions and wrestled with questions on how to form lifelong disciples who are grounded in the Reformed tradition and equipped for peacemaking, witnessing and working for justice and equity for all God’s people.
With the Nov. 3 presidential election just around the corner, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has launched a campaign to increase voter turnout, particularly among people of color.
It’s been only a few months since Covenant Presbyterian Church in Fort Myers, Florida, worked with a professional beekeeper to relocate a couple of well-established bee colonies from an old rotten tree on the property. The bees were successfully moved to side-by-side hives in the church’s Together We Grow Mission Garden.
Not surprisingly, Hannah Lundberg’s sermon on peacemaking for World Communion Sunday opens with a series of questions:
“What is peace for you? Is it a simple state of being? The way things are until something goes wrong? Is peace the absence of conflict?”
This is a time of year the staff at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations usually gears up for the annual UN General Assembly, which brings a bevy of world leaders to the UN’s New York headquarters for headline-making speeches and sets the stage for potentially world-changing meetings.
Just over a week ago, the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People was supposed to be in Rochester, New York celebrating its 50th Anniversary.
Imagine learning your family member’s home was burned down by the army, or that your brother-in-law was brutally murdered by soldiers in your hometown.
The desire to gather around common prayers, shared music and the communion table brought several Presbyterian Mission Agency ministries together to create a Worldwide Worship Kit, launched in time for World Communion Sunday, October 4.
