No one who knows the Rev. Brian Gaeta-Symonds was surprised when, in early 2019, he and his spouse, Gilbert, adopted the three boys they’d fostered since 2016.
Caring, kindness, and integrity. Combine those attributes with a deep knowledge of the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and you have the ideal Member Advocate.
The following is a prayer from the Rev. Christian T. Iosso, who serves the Presbyterian Mission Agency as the coordinator for the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) and the senior editor of Justice Unbound. The ACSWP, according to their web page, “serves the prophetic calling of the whole Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by providing the General Assembly with careful studies of pressing moral challenges, media for discussion and discernment of Christian responsibilities, and policy recommendations for faithful action.”
San Francisco Theological Seminary was established in 1871. In August 1969 under the leadership of President Arnold Come, the trustees of SFTS called the Rev. Dr. Cornelius O. Berry Sr. to join the faculty as their first full-time African American professor. Dr. Berry was an associate professor of systematic theology. He was a faculty member of both SFTS and the Graduate Theological Union located in Berkeley, California. He was also chairman of the Advanced Pastoral Committee and of Area 111 in the GTU until his untimely death in July 1973.
“People often think of retirement strictly in financial terms. ‘Am I saving enough money?’ ‘How much does Medicare Supplement cost?’ ‘When can I afford to retire?’” said the Rev. Lori Neff LaRue, Director of Wholeness Education for the Board of Pensions. “Those are extremely important questions to address, but they are far from the only ones.”
In May, a denominational communications survey was launched to determine what the Church most wants and needs from Communications. Nearly 11,000 people responded to questions including “What is most useful about communications from the national offices?” and “What is most frustrating?” and “What denominational information would you like that you are not currently getting?” Some of their responses might surprise you.
Civility is easy when we’re in our comfort zone, but civility becomes more challenging as we move away from that easy place. But that’s what we need to do — and there’s a way to do it.
Right on the heels of being named one of the Healthiest Employers in Greater Philadelphia, the Board of Pensions has earned a spot on the Philadelphia Business Journal’s list of Best Places to Work for the second year in a row.