Together with a few ecumenical partners, “Solidarity with the Suffering,” a 35-member delegation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Israel/Palestine Mission Network returned home last week after eight days of solidarity with people who are suffering and mourning the deaths of those who have died in the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel.
The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, advocacy director for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), was among a handful of faith leaders who met in the White House Wednesday with the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and other administration staff.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a new online landing page that will allow users to engage with the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict more easily using digital resources.
The Office of Public Witness is asking Presbyterians to demand that members of Congress act immediately to reduce gun violence in the United States, which has seen 130 mass shootings since Jan. 1.
As the speaker Wednesday for New York Avenue Presbyterian Church’s McClendon Scholar-in-Residence Program, the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, who leads the PC(USA)’s Office of Public Witness and is the denomination’s advocacy director, spent the first half-hour talking about his book, “Unbroken and Unbowed: A History of Black Protest in America.” Read previous reports about Hawkins discussing his book, published in February 2022 by Westminster John Knox Press, by going here, here or here.
The “unreal” thrill of being able to witness the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in person was the focus of Monday’s episode of “Advocacy Watch,” additional content from the creative minds at “A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast.”
It’s back to school time, and for parents that means helping children sharpen their pencils and charge their laptops in preparation for the first day. For children it means adapting to new morning routines and getting back to a studying and test-taking rhythm. And for pastors, it’s that wonderful time of year to bless school backpacks. While blessing backpacks is popular in big and small churches, it is only the start to what congregations can — and should — be doing to engage more deeply with local schools. According to Dr. Irvin Scott, a faculty member of Harvard Graduate School of Education, backpack blessings have grown over the years because they provide a relatively hassle-free, easy-to-execute outreach to families. “It’s a good first step,” said Scott, with emphasis on “first.”
World Day of Prayer (WDP) is a global ecumenical movement, celebrated in more than 170 countries, led by Christian women who welcome all to join in prayer and action for peace and justice. World Day of Prayer is celebrated annually on the first Friday of March; for 2022 that is today, March 4.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are major supporters of a March 4-6 Church World Service conference about how people of faith can welcome immigrants and refugees.
