congregational vitality

Session stands up to racism

A mostly-white congregation took a public stand against structural racism and its activism is attracting new families.

Being Matthew 25 people

As LoveJoy United Presbyterian Church (LUPC) in Wood River, Illinois, lives into its commitment to be a Matthew 25 congregation, it is seeking to empower every church member to discover their individual calling and gifts so they can go forth and serve.

Aligning words and deeds

A northern Illinois congregation embraced the Matthew 25 call to build congregational vitality and began by updating their mission statement.

What does Matthew 25 say about feeding the hungry?

The online Matthew 25 program series continues on June 23 at 2 p.m. (EDT). With 25% of children under 6 now living in poverty, many families lack sufficient income to meet the most basic needs, like nourishment. Poverty is the greatest threat to the healthy development of children and it comes with long-lasting, negative consequences.

The intersectionality of all three Matthew 25 focuses

The online Matthew 25 series continues in 2021 with the next event scheduled for 2p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, March 24. The topic is how all three areas of the Matthew 25 vision — building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty — intersect around the subject of housing.

For churches, the pandemic has helped wipe the slate clean

The pandemic has given church leaders “opportunity at a very strange time,” the Rev. Jessica Vaughan Lower said during her Facebook Live conversation Thursday on leading congregations in 2021. The Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty, senior director for Theological Funds Development for the Committee on Theological Education at the Presbyterian Foundation, appeared with Lower as part of the twice-monthly online conversations he hosts with Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) leaders from around the country.

A great crowd talks about how they’re caring for the least of these

Nearly 400 people recently gathered virtually to share with one another the good things God is doing through the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Matthew 25 invitation, which seeks to build congregational vitality, dismantle structural racism and eradicate systemic poverty.

Matthew 25 church an oasis in a food desert

A Presbyterian church in northern California is distributing locally-grown produce as part of Sunday worship to bring healthy food options to their community.