Born in 1946, the Rev. Nibs Stroupe, now retired after serving for 34 years at the intercultural Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia, grew up “in a totally segregated society” in Helena, Arkansas. He said he saw Black folk “all the time” while growing up, but “they didn’t feel like people” until he did some work in Brooklyn, New York as a young adult.
Coming from Lebanon to the United States, Rola Al Ashkar knows a little something about intercultural ministry. As a pastoral resident in multicultural ministry at Parkview Presbyterian Church in Sacramento, California, she understands what it’s like to be a stranger in an intercultural church.
Leaders of churches in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) can be pastoral, intercultural and even fun — but it’s rarely spontaneous. Those sought-after qualities normally require careful planning and even some buy-in from the targeted audience.
An African American preacher and a white college basketball coach formed a formidable duo teaching Presbyterians how not to let first impressions based on bias form lasting impressions.
Using a question-and-answer format, a longtime Presbyterian pastor and an inquirer in Sacramento Presbytery offered a workshop Saturday during the 2020 Intercultural Transformation Workshops.
Through plenary and breakout sessions — and by listening to Presbyterians who are making strides toward building intercultural faith communities — the 2020 Intercultural Transformation Workshops got underway Saturday with about 90 people aboard virtually.
In an ongoing effort to create a more diverse and inclusive denomination, the Presbyterian Intercultural Network and the Presbyterian Mission Agency — in partnership with the presbyteries of Sacramento and Stockton and Charlotte — will host the 2020 Intercultural Transformation Workshops.
