The Rev. Irene Pak Lee, associate pastor of Stone Church of Willow Glen in San Jose, California, told the churchwide gathering of Presbyterian Women that her 1-year-old daughter, Eden, born during the pandemic, has enjoyed milestones of late, including seeing the inside of her mother’s church for the first time, going to the grocery store and being held by someone other than her parents.
The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II told the triennial gathering of Presbyterian Women he has fond childhood memories of the bus pulling up to St. Luke Presbyterian Church in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the church where his father was the pastor. The bus was there to transport Nelson’s mother to PW’s national gathering at Purdue University.
In the early church described by Paul in the 12th chapter of his letter to the Romans, authentic love was in short supply and friction between Gentile and Jewish followers of Christ was apparent everywhere.
Pastor, scholar and university professor the Rev. Dr. Cornel West is often quoted as reminding Christians that “justice is love in the public square.” For me, this declaration is an echo of Micah 6:8, which commands the believer that God requires us to DO justice as an action word in all our interactions. Christians, and more particularly Presbyterians, are fundamentally called into a place of love and justice because of our belief in God. These ideals are consistent and constant themes throughout Scripture. From Genesis, where God calls us to be good stewards over Creation, to the New Testament proclamation to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Bible is clear that it is imperative to recognize that all humanity is valuable and created in the precious image of a loving just God. Therefore, to assert that Black Lives Matter is to affirm this decree as truth.
Presbyterians love a well-crafted sermon and well-written prayers. But the Rev. Carlton Johnson, coordinator of Vital Congregations, believes that sometimes PC(USA) congregations need to return to vibrant prayer.
Throughout the centuries, houses of worship have proclaimed the Creator’s power and beauty through the arts — everything from architecture to sculpture. Today, that same artistic Spirit is moving through Newton Presbyterian Church in Boston. While the pandemic has required church walls to become more porous, Newton Presbyterian has been reaching out and inviting artists, writers and musicians to showcase their works in its worship space and through the church’s social media platforms as a way to glorify God and reflect on the gift of grace, as Anita Ulloa, a ruling elder, and Jack Holder, a deacon, say of the “God [who] is speaking in ancient and new ways.”
One good way to live out its embodiment is for the church to speak the truth in love.
The Rev. Samuel Son, the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Manager of Diversity and Reconciliation, told Synod School attendees that speaking the truth in love can dispel myths, “which you and I are addicted to.”
“Only as an adult,” the Rev. Dr. Jill Duffield told the Synod of Lakes and Prairies’ Synod School recently, displaying a picture of a familiar Presbyterian pastor and children’s television pioneer dressed in a red zip-up sweater, “did I realize how much my theology was shaped by Mister Rogers.”
During a Pastors and Church Leaders Mental Health panel discussion, four church leaders discussed ways that stress has manifested itself in their lives — and in the lives of those they serve.
The Rev. Bertram Johnson spoke about his work at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he offers spiritual health care support for students.
