After showing visitors the massive food and disaster relief distribution program going on daily outside and inside Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, North Carolina, the Rev. Amy Kim Kyremes-Parks still marvels at what she sees every day. “We are Matthew 25 for real,” said the church’s Director of Formation for Children and Their Families.
In the midst of organizing hurricane relief to secure the physical well-being of neighbors, PC(USA) leaders recognize the spiritual effects of trauma. With back-to-back hurricanes striking Florida within less than two weeks and disasters in general becoming more intense because of climate change, “there is so much loss of life, so much stress,” said the Rev. Dr. Kathy Riley, Associate for Emotional and Spiritual Care for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).
In the midst of the devastation from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, Black Mountain Presbyterian Church (BMPC) has become a refuge for those seeking food and comfort in a time of crisis.
“Being Matthew 25: Summit Edition,” the broadcast that celebrates plenary speakers and workshops that will be offered during the Jan. 16-18, 2024 Matthew 25 Summit, featured the Rev. Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop at the microphone Wednesday. Listen to Shoop’s conversation with Melody Smith, associate director for Digital and Marketing Communications in the Presbyterian Mission Agency, by going here.
In partnership with Presbyterian Women, Racial Equity and Women’s Intercultural Ministries will host its annual Celebrate the Gifts of Women worship service at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday via livestream on the PC(USA) Facebook page. Celebrate the Gifts of Women Sunday is on March 5.
Viewers of this week’s Giving Tuesday broadcast received an introduction to the work of Faith 4 Justice Asheville, an interfaith group that is helping to dismantle white supremacy in western North Carolina.
#GivingTuesday, a day Presbyterians share their faith, love and finances with a world desperately in need of those and more, opened at noon Eastern Time on Nov. 30 with worship at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, North Carolina, which also offered up a fun film that employs a church catchphrase: “Ready, Set, Shift!”
The eight-hour livestream planned for #GivingTuesday on Nov. 30 will feature events and check-ins with congregations and mid councils across the country.
