por Margaret Mwale | Comité Presbiteriano del Auto-Desarrollo de los Pueblos El dinero de los financiamientos de la ofrenda de “La Gran Hora de Compartir” ayuda a las personas oprimidas… Read more »
When Doug Beach’s son suffered a mental breakdown on an overseas trip, he didn’t know what to do.
“We could have used a lot more help,” Beach said, recalling the event.
His church was supportive, but staff and clergy weren’t familiar with the resources available to help people with mental health issues and their loved ones. Last week, Beach was part of a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) initiative working to change that.
Each year, on a Sunday during Lent, Presbyterian churches across the denomination turn their attention to people and communities in need — and take a day to celebrate the mission and ministry of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP). April 7 is Self-Development of People (SDOP) Sunday, an opportunity for congregations to focus on work to help disadvantaged people and low-income community groups.
The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) has approved grants totaling $155,000 to fund 10 self-help projects in the United States and abroad.
If Luis Ramos Salgado had tried to ride the storm out in his home, he wouldn’t be able to walk down his street on this sunny morning.
“I’d be dead,” he says through a translator, standing in the kitchen of the only home he’s ever known in San Juan’s Caño Martín Peña area.
It’s a pretty port of call.
Mere blocks from where cruise ships pull into San Juan terminal, visitors can find enticing Old San Juan, with its mix of history, shops and restaurants, all open for business, even on a warm but quiet Tuesday night. Veering right, visitors can find conveniences such as bike rentals and a CVS pharmacy, all up and running.
“People go to hotels, Old San Juan and they see the stores open, lights … and they say, ‘Oh, everything is back to normal,’” the Rev. Edwin A. González-Castillo says.
Except it’s not.
“What do you think?” Rob Fohr, director of Faith-Based Investing and Corporate Engagement for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), asked after surveying the multi-room warehouse packed with household supplies.
“I think there’s a lot to do,” replied Carl Horton, coordinator of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.
More than 28,000 people have gathered in Katowice, Poland for the 24th United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change “Conference of the Parties” (COP), and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is there.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Program’s 2018 Korea Travel Study Seminar concluded Friday with discussions on the group’s work over the last 11 days and plans for incorporating gained knowledge into Presbyterian contexts.
