Dr. Leanne Van Dyk, President of Columbia Theological Seminary, has announced she will retire in July 2022. She has served the seminary since July 2015.
Asked by Special Offerings to develop a sermon marking the Peace & Global Witness Offering that many churches collect on World Communion Sunday on Oct. 3, the Rev. Marissa Galván-Valle said her first reaction was, “Oh my Lord, I don’t know how I will do this.”
These days, every organization is coming up with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion — commonly referred to as DEI — strategic plan. The hiring of diversity and inclusion executives has grown 113% in the last five years. As of February 2021, half of Standard & Poor’s 500 companies have a chief diversity officer. The national agencies of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are also putting together DEI plans as a response to the General Assembly mandate for a Race Audit in 2018. However, this is not the church jumping on the latest business trend. DEI has been a core value from the birth of the church. In fact, the church practiced them first. Consider the basic definitions of DEI and how they were present in the early church, from its Pentecost birth.
In 2004, members of Second Congregational United Church, known as SecondFirst Church since federating with First Presbyterian Church, dreamed of building a gymnasium for the community of Rockford, Illinois — and they did it.
The disciples are in a daze because it’s not every day a friend whom you saw violently crucified, dead, and buried a few days ago is standing before you, chewing broiled fish and chatting like it’s just another lunch.
There is a significant difference between being born “white” and “whiteness,” according to author Kerry Connelly, and she discussed that and other white supremacy concepts during a recent webinar presented by the Presbyterian Outlook and sponsored by the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation.
After years of difficult work, the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE) has a new justice and equity statement. APCE’s Diversity Task Force, which developed the statement, hopes it will help the organization in its effort to become more diverse.
In 2004, members of Second Congregational United Church, known as SecondFirst Church since federating with First Presbyterian Church, dreamed of building a gymnasium for the community of Rockford, Illinois — and they did it.
One moment emerged above all the others recently during a “Vital Conversations” webinar hosted by the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Office of Vital Congregations.
While discussing how it feels to enter a room full of white people, the Rev. Shanea D. Leonard, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s associate for Gender & Racial Justice, talked about scanning the room for a person of color to chat with. Sometimes the search produces no one.
