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1001 new worshiping communities
When the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board met in Puerto Rico this spring, several board members went on a field trip. The visit to Mision Presbiteriana Rio Grande was the first experience with a new worshiping community for several board members. The first sign that this was not “church as usual” occurred when the drivers pulled up to a small storefront location squeezed between a mechanic shop and a laundromat in a tiny strip mall. Instead of stained glass windows and pews, they saw handmade decorations, vases of flowers picked from local gardens, and a welcoming crew of pastor Eileen Rivas and a few church elders. The space was just about the right size for the 35 attendees who show up regularly for worship.
The Revs. Jeya and Daniel So, lead pastors of the Anchor City Church, a new worshiping community in the Presbytery of San Diego, will lead Tuesday evening worship and give the Wednesday morning plenary address for “Living, Dying, Rising,” the 2017 national gathering for 1001 New Worshiping Communities.
Behind every New Worshiping Community is another community that offers prayer and financial support to these emerging centers of Christian witness.
Cuando Puerto Rico se convirtió en un territorio de los Estados Unidos después de la guerra hispano-americana, los misioneros en la isla recibieron áreas misioneras. Al pueblo presbiteriano se les asignó el lado occidental de la isla, que es donde vive la mayoría de las personas presbiterianas.
When Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory after the Spanish-American war, missionaries on the island were granted mission fields. Presbyterians were assigned the western side of the island—which is where the majority of Presbyterians live.
Like many good things, the Syrian Presbyterian Fellowship began with a relationship. A family from Homs, Syria, and a Californian Presbyterian pastor formed bonds that would bridge cultures and unite hearts.
The Rev. Abby King-Kaiser, senior assistant director for Ecumenical and Multifaith Ministry at the Dorothy Day Center for Faith and Justice at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, will serve as worship leader and coordinator for ‘Living, Dying, Rising,’ the 2017 national gathering for 1001 New Worshiping Communities.
Five years ago many Egyptians came to the U.S. during the time of the Arab Spring and Muslim Brotherhood rule with a desire to worship in the language of their heart, Arabic, which they describe as ‘the language of heaven.’
The Rev. Juan J. Sarmiento, associate director for mission with The Outreach Foundation, will preach opening worship and give the Tuesday morning plenary address at “Living, Dying, Rising,” the 2017 national gathering for 1001 New Worshiping Communities.
If the Rev. Karen Rohrer, director of the Church Planting Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, subscribes to any sort of watchword—outside of the words of Holy Scripture, that is—it might just be that timeworn phrase that “the only constant in life is change.” Because for Rohrer, it absolutely is.
