mission yearbook

Presbyterians reach out, find ways to minister to older adults

Known for their creativity and their ability to improvise, pastors and church educators are passing along what they’re learning about how to reach and minister to the most senior members of PC(USA) congregations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hosannas and honks

Where there’s a will, there’s a driveway. And although this year’s Palm Sunday festival procession into an “upper parking lot” more closely resembled a line at a car wash than a celebration of worship, exigent circumstances call for extreme creativity, imagination and grace. And honks over Hosannas.

There has been a more challenging July Fourth

Has there ever been a more challenging Fourth of July? With a worldwide pandemic, COVID-19 deaths well above 100,000, and a new realization that our nation remains a flawed and racist society, one can understand why we may not want to celebrate the red, white and blue this year.

One Great Hour of Sharing ministries provide support during the pandemic

In a world beset by disaster, hunger and oppression, One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) is dedicated to aiding the millions of people who lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education and opportunity. Never has this been more prescient than in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Young Adult Volunteers rising to lead in a time of crisis

While Luke Rembold isn’t grateful for the circumstances of the current COVID-19 crisis and the pain and fear it is causing, he is grateful for the way he sees his Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs) responding.

‘People delight in the feeling of making a difference’

Leaders of worshiping communities may be hesitant as they seek to bolster funding during a pandemic. But there are ways to do that by inviting people to do what they want to do anyway, the Revs. Jon Moore and Princeton Abaraoha told about 40 people participating in a webinar called “Funding your Ministry in a Time of Crisis,” put on by 1001 New Worshiping Communities.

Answering God’s call to work with refugees in Greece

In the fall of 2015, mission co-worker Nadia Ayoub was attending a conference with colleagues in Budapest when the city’s Keleti train station became the epicenter of the refugee crisis overwhelming Europe. She could not forget the images of children sleeping on cardboard, families with not enough to eat and the pervasive fear of what would happen next.