The Way Forward Commission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) met today at McCormick Theological Seminary to receive updates from its subgroups, engage in an extended discernment exercise and to hear from the Rev. Jan Edmiston, co-moderator of the 222nd General Assembly (2016).
The Rev. Jan Edmiston, Co-Moderator of the 222nd General Assembly (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), returned early last week from a trip to Syria with a delegation from the church’s Compassion Peace and Justice ministries. Following the chemical weapons attack in Idlib and the retaliatory airstrikes by the United States military, she issued a prayer for the people of Syria and the world.
Teams from the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy (ACSWP) and Foothills Presbytery in upstate South Carolina met Saturday, February 18 through Tuesday, February 21. The two groups gathered to discuss differences of opinion on how the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) should make known its Christian social witness.
The Synod of the Northeast of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to take immediate steps to divest from the fossil fuel industry. Expressing concern about the impact of climate change on God’s creation, commissioners of the regional body say they are compelled to take action.
In an open letter to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the church’s National Urban Ministry Network honored the memory of the recently passed Rev. Eugene “Freedom” Blackwell and encouraged readers to join them in continuing his fight for social and racial justice “for all of those who suffer in our cities.”
It wasn’t your typical General Assembly celebration, but it did have great impact. Members of the National Hispanic/Latino-a Presbyterian Caucus celebrated their time together at General Assembly 222 (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by participating in a June 21 service project at the Union Gospel Mission in Portland, Oregon.
At last week’s World Mission Café, a GA 222 event, mission co-workers and staff, ecumenical partners, mid-council leaders and congregational representatives gathered to share stories of the joys and struggles of day-to-day mission partnership around the world.
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, the son, grandson and nephew of Presbyterian pastors, was overwhelmingly elected Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Friday. The action came from the 222nd General Assembly (2016) meeting June 18-25 in Portland, Oregon.
Rev. Daniel Izquierdo, General Secretary of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church of Cuba (PRCC), spoke to members and invited guests of the Cuba Partnership Network on June 20 at the 222nd Presbyterian General Assembly. Izquierdo said he sees a new openness to dialogue, but after 57 years of misunderstanding and mistrust, it is still going to be a long journey.
The statistics surrounding gun violence deaths in the United States are staggering. According to the PEW Research Center, more than 30,000 people are killed by firearms each year in this country. More than 30 are shot and murdered each day and half of them are between the ages of 18 and 35. Homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds and the primary cause of death among African Americans of that age group.